r/ParentingADHD

What have parents have success with in terms of preschool? My son just got kicked out of his preschool with one days notice because he couldn’t sit still for the two hour nap time. How has montessori been? Nature based? I feel like a lot of these chain preschools are similar- thank you!!

Often, we post here because we're struggling and need support, and we don't see all of the amazing things that are happening.

This thread is a chance to brag about your kid, yourself, and/or your family. What's been going well? Has your kid done something awesome? Doesn't matter if it's "got accepted to college" or "tried a new brand of chicken nuggets," we're here to celebrate with you!

My daughter just turned 4, and we have an upcoming appointment with her paediatrician. I’m seriously considering bringing up ADHD medication, but I don’t know if this is too early or if we’re at the point where it makes sense.

Right now, day-to-day life feels really hard for her, for us and for the folks at her daycare.

She has:

* Severe hyperactivity (constantly moving, unable to settle for even short periods)

* Significant behavioural challenges (impulsivity, difficulty following even simple directions, frequent meltdowns)

* Moderate anxiety

* Ongoing sleep struggles

* Speech delay and is currently minimally verbal with some emerging words.

She’s also being monitored for developmental delays. Communication is a huge barrier, and a lot of her frustration seems to come from not being able to express herself, which then escalates quickly.

We’re doing what we can to support her, but it honestly feels like she’s overwhelmed most of the time, and we’re struggling to help her regulate. It’s starting to affect everything, including home life and her experience at daycare. She is in Speech, Occupational and Behavioural Therapy for the last 12months.

I’m not set on medication, but I’m starting to wonder if not exploring it is actually making things harder for her.

If you’ve been in a similar situation, especially with a child this young, I would really appreciate hearing:

•	When you decided to try medication (or not)

•	What signs made you feel it was time

•	How it impacted your child (especially with regulation, behaviour, or communication)

We’re in Canada as well, so I’d love to hear how this is typically approached here.

Is 4 too early, or does it come down to how much they’re struggling?

Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate any insight 🤍

My kiddo is 9 and a half, the past year and a half has been by far the most challenging we have experienced. Lately he has been taking things from classmates, candy, class money etc. he knows stealing is wrong and feels immense guilt after. I think his reason behind doing it is that it gives him a rush, a dopamine hit to brain. Does he understand that? Not likely. I do know he feels awful and thinks he’s a bad person for doing these things. Has anyone else experienced something similar with their kids, anything that potentially helped? Thanks

This is from Elizabeth Booker Houston (@bookersquared on YouTube). It's very relatable if you've ever had to fight to get your child's ADHD medication covered by insurance. The medication search and experimentation is tough enough without also having to fight for coverage (or pay out of pocket).

I don't know what to do anymore. Today we decided as a family to go to the cinema. because of times between films the film we had picked was 2.50pm, we were leaving at 2pm. at 1pm I asked the kids to get their bags and water bottles together. pick from their Easter choc what they were taking. my daughter is 12, ADHD , and my son is 9. 9 year old plays outside while we are waiting to leave. 12 year old goes outside , starts bringing balls into the house to pump up , hasn't touched a ball or the basketball hoop in at least a year, but all of sudden because her brother is playing with it with his friends she doesn't like this fact,. then comes in literally because the wind blew her hair and has trailer out the bobble. now as of late , I've had trouble with her obsessive behaviour over her hair. it's mid length, straight. I put it up in a pony tail , i have to make sure the middle parting is showing and it's not brushed back so the middle is hidden, if you know what I mean. So sometimes it's awkward to get it to sit. I brush it multiple times before I put the bobble round. she goes upstairs. comes down again, bobble trailed out demanding it be done again. this has happened up to 9 times in one morning before school, before today, the minimum 2/3 before she's happy with it. today 30mins before we are due to leave trails her hair out. it was in a pony tail and had two split plaits in it, which takes time to do. I'd already done her hair this morning 6 or 7 times before this. so I proceed to do it, not once, twice but another 5 times. half a can of hair spray, water on it, blow dryer, hairspray brushed out. now it's all white and flaky so at 2.05pm. as we need to leave she decides that she needs to wash her hair. she washed it last night and the night before 🤦‍♀️ I told her to get out of the bathroom get downstairs get her stuff and get out into the car. she's locked the bathroom door and is in the shower. now my son is missing out on the film and we can't go now because of her behaviour. I understand she's stressed and had anxiety about her hair , I know all this but it doesn't matter what I say or do , nothing and I mean nothing helps. I just keep putting the hair up until she's satisfied with how it looks but this is taking the biscuit now. this child does nothing you tell her , I mean nothing. would argue the sky was black because you said it was blue. but yet it's my fault, the winds fault and apparently now her brother's fault because he told her to go into a bush 🤦‍♀️, she has never listened to her brother done anything he's asked her , so why now? why now because she can't handle that she is the one with the issue and has to put it on others. all 4 of us are now in crappy form. I've told my husband to take the youngest out and I'll stay at home. i mean I don't know what else to do. I don't know how to fix the issue. do I just let her keep ranting on at me, take it on the chin and do her hair multiple times a day taking the blame. I know it's probably part of the ADHD, she's not medicated. but I don't know how to fix it. I don't know how to make it better. we never have good days out as a family. I sit in the house most times , feeling bad that others are out doing things and my 2 sit indoors because leaving the house is an issue, being outside is an issue and walking down a street is an issue. she can't control herself and calls names, hit her brother, provokes him, he runs off or stops dead and won't move because of how she's treating him. or will try and make him play tag in shops and he's trying so hard to behave but the kid in him wants to play but it's not an appropriate place. my husband can't ignore the behaviour they are carrying out because he is ADHD and he's getting overwhelmed at their behaviour and then he starts shouting. or my anxiety starts and I try and rein them in before they start getting really bad and my husband reacts which then makes him react even worse because he's reacting to my behaviour. couldn't make it up could you. it's just a pure shitshow and I don't know what to do anymore.

My 9 year old has adhd and has been on medication for over a year. He's currently taking Dexmethylphenidate extended release 10mg. When he takes it his hyperactivity definitely decreases and his focus improves however we are still struggling. He is not completely his assignments at school, not out of defiance, it seems more so getting overwhelmed/frustrated, or just not paying attention. Struggles a lot with organization and executive functioning.

He also just started soccer which is in the evening when meds have long been over with and it is obvious he is the kid who can't follow any instructions and it breaks my heart for him. It looks like he is being disrespectful because he doesn't follow directions.

We have a med check coming up. I feel like we might need to up his meds but it makes me nervous because last year he had a different med that was increased and he totally zonked out and lost his personality (we stopped the meds after 2 weeks of no improvement).

My question or personal experiences I would love to hear from you all: Have you seen an increase in meds helping with focus/organization? Anyone had a benefit from taking a later dose pill for evening activities.

Again, I'll follow up with the doctor but want some personal thoughts.