Posted by Sulpicia on April 13, 2001, at 18:12:44
In reply to New mother dealing with Adderall , posted by Kymber on April 13, 2001, at 10:27:07
> > Hi--
I don't know if I'm the person you want to hear from but...
I was diagnosed as an adult. It was a big relief because I had
always wondered what the heck was wrong with me. I had trouble with
schoolwork but not of the sort that I or anyone else could really
put their finger on. My grades were fine when I worked hard and in college
I came to the conclusion that I just had to work harder than most
people. I was diagnosed in graduate school, thank god.
My symptoms are extremely well controlled with adderall.ADD/HD per se does not go away but not every person who has it needs to
take stimulants for the rest of their life. With therapy and academic accomodation,
it is possible that he *might* learn to compensate to the extent that he no longer
needs meds.I've never seen long term studies on the stimulants but for what it's worth, I'm
teaching what amounts to the first generation of medicated ADD/HD kids in college and they're
great.I can't predict what will happen to your son as he gets older but I can tell you what you want to
prevent, or at least look out for.
People with ADD/HD tend to have other comorbid disorders. Depression is VERY common, and there is an
increased incidence of learning disabilities and substance abuse.
Your goal is to keep his self-esteem intact. That's where a good clinician and if necessary, academic
accomodations, come in. An educated mom is a fabulous asset too!!Your son needs to understand why it's hard for him to focus, or perhaps understand social cues. He needs to
realize that he is not stupid or damaged. He will have to learn compensatory strategies for academics, and
possibly for interpersonal relationships as well.Take one step at a time. Learn about ADD/HD and its treatments for now. The articles on the ADD site at About.com
are excellent. Start there, and then explain things slowly to your son as he shows readiness. Start looking around for
a good therapist or perhaps a support group.
Always check your sources of information -- make sure you are getting it from peer-reviewed scientific studies. As you'll
find, there is a cottage industry of sorts of people who make absurd claims about ADD/HD, medication, psychiatry etc.
YOu don't have to master everything at once. Get the adderall dosage right [possibly a lot of frustrating trial and error]
and then take stock and move on.ADD/HD [and depression, dyslexia, and a decade of recovery from substance abuse for me] is not pleasant but it is treatable.
With early diagnosis and excellent treatment your son stands every chance of being just fine.And please don't beat yourself up about not recognizing it -- doctors have trouble with it, never mind parents!
Best,
S.
poster:Sulpicia
thread:18089
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010411/msgs/59740.html