We have been expecting this dianosis for some time. I was diagnosed in March with ADHD after realizing I have the symptoms when her school suggesting we have her evaluated. I guess this is pretty common.

The diagnosis is hitting me harder than I expected. I just wish she didn't have to battle this for the rest of her life and now there is the decisions regarding treatment, questioning all my parenting and how we have raised her. So many questions! What can help her most? Schedule at home? Consistent discipline? Me not working so much (I work 40 plus hours a week so she is in school all day plus). Then there is medication..it's helping me a lot. How I can not let it help her? Ugh.

I feel so badly too...I know I gave her this, but mostly I wonder how much of our chaotic, busy life exacerbates her symptoms. That is what I feel most guilty about. I feel like I haven't been able to be there for her like I should be and that maybe she wouldn't have so many attention and discipline problems if I was just a stay-at-home-mom and a better, more calm person myself.

Sorry for rambling..I guess I just wanted to get this out. I know some of you have shared your decision making and journeys with this in other threads...if you can guide me to those, that would be great. There's so much more information than I can get through.

Thank you!

Stop blaming yourself. You do the best you can with what you have and you obviously love your DD a ton - so much so that you have taken the hard road and acknowledged a problem and want to fix it. Take some time, talk to people and then make the best choice for your child.

Hi SeaShell:

I went through a lot of the same things with my son's diagnosis. It seems like we all go through this process like the stages of grief.

These forums are a great place to rant and get it out -- since a lot of us can relate! :)

I'm an ADD mom with an ADD daughter too. She was diagnosed about the same age but we waited until now to try medication -- it probably was a mistake. She fell pretty far behind in school even with me homeschooling her. She started Ritalin last month and loves it. Her academics have just taken off. I know it's a hard decision and Umnichu is right about the grief reaction -- I think there is especially a lot of fear for parents. A book I found helpful with specific suggestions as well as information on ADHD and childhood was Russell Barkley's book Taking Charge of ADHD. He is a recognized expert in this field and the book is pretty user friendly. You can get it on line at www.addwarehouse.com. (http://www.addwarehouse.com.) He also has tapes and videos available if you prefer your information in that form.


Scattered