What does a parent do when a family judge does not believe in adhd, thinks that everyone could have it and be diagnosed with it? Father does not believe in it either.

Child "does" need to be on it for the fact that he is on an ideal dose that works very well for him. Child is much better off being on the med compared to not being on the med. I live in WI, so if anyone has any helpful information, please let me know.

Thanks so much!

You do what you have to do...and enlist professionals as your allies. The psychiatrist, the therapist, the pharmacist, the teachers...and lay a copy of "Answers to Distraction" by Hallowell & Ratey next to every person's toilet that gets in your way!

Good luck, and you have allies here :).

Thanks so much for your helpful information/response!:) I will do just that, and what I can for my child, even if things do not turn out anything near whatsoever to what we'd like it to. That also includes getting a different and a better attorney (in the same county as our case is in) when I get my tax return. I will at least do everything I can to get a better attorney.

Thanks so much again!:)

You do what you have to do...and enlist professionals as your allies. The psychiatrist, the therapist, the pharmacist, the teachers...and lay a copy of "Answers to Distraction" by Hallowell & Ratey next to every person's toilet that gets in your way!

Good luck, and you have allies here :).

You give the judge a copy of the International Consensus Statement on ADHD.

http://www.russellbarkley.org/images/Consensus%202002.pdf

You might want to point out that it contains about 10 pages of references and 10 pages of endorsements by professionals. He should be relying on expert opinions and testimony, not his own bias.

Like most Anti-ADHDers he probably does not base his opinion on any real data.

I'm sorry for the result you got with the judge. It's difficult when non experts decide they know better than the experts in the field of ADHD.


In the mean time there are some things you can do which may help some (not promising any cures, but we work with what we have). Things that helped me survive with out medication as a child included lots of vigorous exercise;avoiding processed foods and dyes and sugar (my grades really jumped after I cut out sugar in eighth grade); learning a musical instrument (helps stimulate the brain); and lots of structure provided by my school and parents. Russell Barkley has good information in his book Taking Charge of ADHD as does Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein in their book Raising Resillient Children.

Recently when I had to come off medication, I found that Omega III fatty acids from fish oils (which showed some promise in research studies), magnsium-calcium-zinc supplement (which can be low in some ADDers), and grape seed extract (a powerful antioxidant) really helped with clarity. I'm still have trouble missing information and forgeting things and I definately need external structure, but I feel good and am thinking more clearly and able to be effective. Anything you can do to improve your brain functioning will help an ADDer (or non ADDer for that matter).

I'd say that external structure and exercise are the biggest helps of all. Hallowell and Ratey in their Driven to Distraction, Answers to Distraction, and Delivered from Distraction books discuss how exercise is like getting a dose of Ritalin and Prozac holistically and can provide up to 4 hours of improved focus. Done several times a day this can really help.

Take care and good luck!
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Thank you:).



You give the judge a copy of the International Consensus Statement on ADHD.

http://www.russellbarkley.org/images/Consensus%202002.pdf

You might want to point out that it contains about 10 pages of references and 10 pages of endorsements by professionals. He should be relying on expert opinions and testimony, not his own bias.

Like most Anti-ADHDers he probably does not base his opinion on any real data.

Thank you:).



I'm sorry for the result you got with the judge. It's difficult when non experts decide they know better than the experts in the field of ADHD.


In the mean time there are some things you can do which may help some (not promising any cures, but we work with what we have). Things that helped me survive with out medication as a child included lots of vigorous exercise;avoiding processed foods and dyes and sugar (my grades really jumped after I cut out sugar in eighth grade); learning a musical instrument (helps stimulate the brain); and lots of structure provided by my school and parents. Russell Barkley has good information in his book Taking Charge of ADHD as does Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein in their book Raising Resillient Children.

Recently when I had to come off medication, I found that Omega III fatty acids from fish oils (which showed some promise in research studies), magnsium-calcium-zinc supplement (which can be low in some ADDers), and grape seed extract (a powerful antioxidant) really helped with clarity. I'm still have trouble missing information and forgeting things and I definately need external structure, but I feel good and am thinking more clearly and able to be effective. Anything you can do to improve your brain functioning will help an ADDer (or non ADDer for that matter).

I'd say that external structure and exercise are the biggest helps of all. Hallowell and Ratey in their Driven to Distraction, Answers to Distraction, and Delivered from Distraction books discuss how exercise is like getting a dose of Ritalin and Prozac holistically and can provide up to 4 hours of improved focus. Done several times a day this can really help.

Take care and good luck!
Scattered