Part seeking validation as I feel I am failing as a father. Part psychology.
- Do you think starting medication early helps? And will kids ever get off medication?
- Atomoxetine 10mg is prescribed to him. If your kid is also taking it, do you mind sharing experience, expectation? Doctor suggest to manage ADHD first.
- Does un medicated ADHD lead to lifelong behavioural issues or personality (Positive or negative) changes?
- Giving kids ADHD medication is a shortcut for parents and teacher?
- Medication can help him socialize better? This one I believe is most important.
- Does medication help in sensitivity to food textures?
My 6.5 year old is diagnosed with Anxiety and ADHD. I had some idea that he has ADHD as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD three years ago. I got curious after getting fired from 4 jobs in 4 years. Earlier I thought it's just dyslexia, I am a very slow reader and get a lot of spelling wrong. In English which is my second language and in my mother tongue, both. I am unmedicated right now. But I took Adderall XR for 4 months, it made a difference but I had to move to another country and didn't get a prescription again. His ADHD behaviour became really prominent after looking at our second kid. I remember me and my wife looking at her and saying, we can have a few more kids like her.
He started a new school in grade 1 a couple of months ago. Teacher raised the alarm that he is not able to, make friends, play with other kids, focus, not stop if asked ( poking with pencil or folding notebook), destroying stuff other kids are building, going till girls bathroom door ( this one is interesting, he didn't go inside because he went inside once in day care and we talked to him about it). Teacher suggested that we see a doctor. School also does some kind of evaluation for new kids and he scored high there.
My wife wants to start medication immediately but I am against medication. Mostly because it looks like a long term commitment and I want to make sure we are not taking shortcuts.
Some more psychology. Since my son got diagnosed positive with ADHD I am doing a lot of retrospective research in my own life. Recalling my whole life and noting down events which were clearly impulsive. hyperactivity or because of poor attention. Relationships which strained because I spoke or acted impulsively.
I asked my parents about my childhood but they don't recall any difficulty. Which I think is because I am an agreeable person or maybe they were not as involved in kids life as we are nowadays. I grew up in an extended family (great grandparent, 3 grandparent, multiple uncles and cousins) but now are in a nuclear family. And my son doesn't seem to be an agreeable person(I like it that he is not). Or I became an agreeable person because of ADHD? I don't know. Because ADHD people miss attention to details and I mostly think I might have missed something so maybe I am wrong. One of the examples which makes me believe untreated ADHD can shape a person's personality overall.
Thanks for reading.