Hi Webbie,
My son shows very strong signs of ADD and we are just in the beginning stages of the testing/evaluation protocol through the school psychologist. Our pediatrician is all too willing to prescribe ritalin for him once the testing is done and we are not in favor of medication as a first resort. Do you have suggestions for alternative natural remedies for ADD?
My sister came to visit us out of state (she is a sped teacher in another state) and she said after 5 minutes in a room alone with my son she has no doubts he has ADD.
We want to be able to do what's best for him; yet I am not in favor of medication as a "cure all".
Any input is greatly appreciated.

Maybe you could ask the school psychologist or your primary care Dr to refer you to somebody in your area who actually specializes in or has more experience with AD/HD. Experienced AD/HD professionals will go over the many different options to help with AD/HD.


You may also want to check out the treatment/managment forums for ideas and books.

Well all I can do is share some of the things we have done. My daughter was provisionally diagnosed at 4, then given an adhd/nos diagnosis at 7 with no medication indicated. She did have a moderate developmental delay so we did 8 months of Occupational Therapy. I was pleased with the no medication thing as she was performing above grade level at school and saw no reason to medicate.

We had another more complete evaluation done this past winter, while she was 8 in 2nd grade - she was refusing to read her required daily reading and was getting very easily frustrated and sad. The upshot of this most recent evaluation was an adhd/combined type diagnosis and a very strong recommendation for medication because she was becoming more aware of her troubles and this was frustrating and depressing her. She is now on Strattera and a small dose of Celexa for anxiety - she always gets 100% on her spelling now which is a change and she has read the 1st 3 Harry Potter books since the middle of April.

Medication choices are very personal. I think the best course to take is to educate yourself about all angles of adhd as well as the other comorbid conditions and learning issues. Once you have a very good understanding about what you are dealing with it is easier to make that choice.

Best of Luck-

Webbie

Hi Newbie,

First and foremost welcome to ADD forums and support. Choosing a plan of action is always hard for a parent or parents when realizing that a child needs something to help them become a better person. You are making a great start by getting him evaluated right away.

There are many forms of treatment for children and even adults who are ADD/ADHD. A lot of parents opt to not medicate while other parents have no choice but to do so. I myself refused to believe that my child could have *something wrong* with her. I wanted her to be the perfect healthy blue eyed angel. We didn't get her diagnosed until she was 10 at which time our insurance did not cover meds or counseling. Also the counselor said there was absolutely nothing wrong with her that we needed to learn to be better parents. Making it our fault for her behavior.

We suffered through 5 more years of trying to get her to do homework even though she had a wonderful IEP (individual education plan) on her side. Up past midnight with her screaming for us to give her all the answers. In August, we decided to try the meds again. Keep in mind there are more meds available now other than Ritalin. There is also Concerta, Adderall, Strattera (which is non-stimulant and still available only in US) not to mention a few more. A good site to learn more about meds is this one, http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/medicine_cabinet/adhd_medications.html .......... or you can type in just about any med and be given info and side effects. Counseling is a definite must in my book for children with ADD and learning behavior modifications as well, which you can ask the counselor about. Another good site to refer to is www.livingwithadd.com and www.bigsplace.com or dad's site which is http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Trail/8488/ Please don't ever think you don't have choices because you do. We are here to help as much as we can. I am not pushing meds at all, just reminding you that sometimes there is no other way to help our child to be the best that they can be. If you need more assistance I'll be more then willing to help. Just ask!

:)