My son was just diagnosed, yesterday, with ADHD. The evaluation process was conducted by a medical school university program in four sessions last August and was quite extensive, so we have a solid comfort level that it is an accurate diagnosis. My son is 22 and has been struggling with disinterest the last 3 semesters of college. He is a 4th year junior. He was away for college, but just withdrew and came home over Christmas. He enrolled in the local community college for two courses of interest to him for this semester and seems really, really happy to be living at home. We all agreed that this semester would be a “breather” for him, plus we knew that we’d have some sort of diagnosis In February, and didn’t know what that would mean for his future. We are all relieved he didn’t place on the autism scale, since we were half expecting him to register as high-functioning Asperger’s.
The recommendations are for him to get on ADHD medication and to begin to work with a behavioral therapist to develop coping mechanisms/tools for success in school and life. If anyone has experience with ADHD and wouldn’t mind sharing, either in the cafe or offline, I would be grateful.
I have a good friend whose daughter is a college sophomore and is about to undergo some rigorous testing also for similar issues. I’m curious why, if your son had the testing in August, it takes until February to get the diagnosis.
My son has ADHD inattentive and was diagnosed in the 7th grade. I always knew something was wrong as he spent so much time on Honework and had reading comprehension problems. He started taking meds and is now a freshman in college. It helped his grades tremendously. He still has to work very hard, harder than others, but the medicine really helps him listen, retain and retrieve. He takes Focalin XR,mwhich is very smooth. He tried adderal once and it seemed like he was on 10 cups of coffee. That lasted 3 days.
What seems to be your sons problem at svhool? Does he say he tries hard but can’t get good grades so is frustrated? Or does he have problems with motivation, which could be executive functioning problems.
I would have your son start on ADD meds. I would talk to the doctor about Focalin XR. Good luck.
//raises hand// This is the exact situation that first beought me to CC…
Mine was dx at 22 and also withdrew from school and came home to get respite and make a new plan. I have to go out tonight, but I can pm you later. or feel free to pm any questions. The advice to try meds is sound – mine did, and they made him able to finish and graduate. He chose, with his doctors’ blessings, to discontinue the meds, as the side effects were problems he felt were not worth the gain. Behavioral therapy can be really useful, too. Be prepared to try many different things before something works for him — not every suggestion is going to click or make aense, just discard those. But there’s no reason your son can’t graduate, find meaningful work, and lead a happy adult life.
I am not sure why you are so relieved at no diagnosis on the autism scale… if you think he exhibits some Aspie-type traits, then he does – with or without a diagnosis (I say this as a parent of a borderline Aspie kid, literally have some professional evaluators saying yes and some saying no). But what I have learned over the years is that the Aspie diagnosis doesn’t matter – it is the behaviors that you have to deal with.
I have to agree with @intparent . DH and 2 of our kids have ADHD. We think that one of them is also borderline Aspie. But I really not sure what difference a diagnosis for that would make… Its really about finding out what works for your kid.
DH has never taken meds for it. The kids do. It does help but only to a certain extent. They still have to want to do the work. it just makes it so they can focus on school work and sit still(I’m not kidding).Our oldest described it as he would try and work on his school work but there was always a rubber band pulling his focus away. I’m also surprised it would take that long for a diagnosis after testing in August. I assume there must have been other additional testing since August? I think the developing tools is a good idea. DH says that he has to be super duper organized in order to combat his ADHD.
The reason it took so long was that the evaluation/interviews/testing/report writing was done by a 5th year PhD candidate under the head doctor’s supervision/direction. The information gathering was completed in August, but then she had to analyze the data and compile the draft for submission to the doc. There was back and forth, edits and so forth, semester break, and, finally the report was ready and a diagnosis determined and agreed upon. Then, we had to find a time where we could all meet. All in all, it took a year from the first request for the evaluation due to demand and scheduling.
Yes, there are a few obsessive behaviors that, on the surface, register on the autism scale, but there are no indications of expected behaviors in infancy or childhood, that are strong indicators, and thereby autism was excluded as a diagnosis. His obsessions have a purpose (think mad scientist) rather than repetitive actions or repetitive conversation, so they were purposefully discounted.
The report is 23 pages, and every available “usual” test was administered. They gathered his history from conception to age 22, including biological, genetic, economical, educational, societal, behavioral, and environmental factors and information.
Didn’t say he didn’t get a good round of testing… just saying that if you see some behaviors that are more Aspie and not so much typical ADHD, you still have to help your kid figure out how to deal with them. I certainly have found that while diagnosis is useful for talking to educators, etc. about some of the issues my kid has, in the end it is just a name – it isn’t a successful treatment or coping mechanism, which is really what you are trying to find. So you have to keep an open mind about what works to help your kid function – getting too tied up in a diagnosis can be counterproductive. Also, having been through multiple rounds of testing (two at medical university programs that sound comparable to your son’s) with somewhat varying results, my experience is that while the experts talk a good game about giving you a diagnosis, they don’t always hit the nail on the head, and if you went through testing at a different (equally reputable facility), they may have some variation in their diagnosis.
The recommendations, as a result of the diagnosis, are medication and behavioral therapy. We’re hoping medication will help in the more immediate future, but our hope is that by working with a behavioral therapist he’ll acquire a toolbox of sorts that he can rely on, and build upon, for the long term to help him be successful at school, life and work; something he can depend on in the absence of drugs.
That said, I am quite interested in others’ experiences with various drugs. My son is straight-edge, so I’m not too worried about dependence or abuse, however, these drugs are pretty potent stimulants from what I’m reading. I guess there’s no getting around the habit-forming qualities when you need a daily dose.
The ADHD meds are stimulants, but they are not habit forming like a narcotic and they don’t have any withdrawal symptoms. The predominant side effect for many young people is appetite suppression. My son finds the medication enormously helpful for his school work and, for him, it also helps with some impulse control issues. When we are on vacation and he doesn’t have school work, he can forego taking his medication (some kids don’t take on weekends, etc.) and there is no biological need for the medicine (in response to your habit-forming qualities).
Not sure what you mean by obsessive traits and “having a purpose.” My son also has OCD and some of his obsessive thoughts can have a purpose (intense interest in certain subjects, not dissimilar from an aspie), but some do not (can’t stand having a drawer left open kind of thing).
I think the OP is referring to the autism symptom of obsessive interest and focus on something (like trains, for example). There are, of course, other symptoms on the autism spectrum, and not all kids with autism display all of them. But I think the OP is saying because her son does not have that trait, therefore he is not on the spectrum.
Ds has adhd inattentive type and executive function difficulties. We started to notice it in 7th grade. He noticed it in 4th grade. Finally got him diagnosed in 10th grade. He doesn’t use any accommodations. For med therapy was doing well on adderall XR. Wanted to try others so also tried Ritalin, concerta, and vyvanse. He likes the vyvanse the best. He would take on weekdays and boy did I notice a difference in his behavior. Did not take on weekends. It suppressed his appetite, so ate little during the week and then ate a ton on the weekends. Now that he has chosen a creative field, he does not like to take his meds because he feels that it blocks his creativity. So he doesn’t take his meds and gets creative, but then can’t seem to get am his work in on time. We tried behavioral therapy many times and tried EF coaching, but it has not been successful.
My son also doesn’t take his Focalin on weekends. He really doesn’t like taking them, as he is a cheerful,person and he says they make him serious and quiet. He went off of them fir a couple months his spring semester of high school, and his grades decreased. We had a long talk about how he doesn’t like how they make him quiet and less social, that college was a different animal…he would be alone much more than in high school, and that he shouldn’t take the chance. He needs every benefit available to do well the next few years. His doc also told him that he may consider going off them after college, but it would be beneficial for his academics. He takes them and his grades were very good fall semester at college. He had no executive functioning issues, and does the stuff he dislikes.
My DS1 does not have enough symptoms to be ADHD. As a matter of fact, his processing speed is above average. He lacks motivation and can be very sluggish acting. He hates studying, and is a huge procrastinator and it shows in his grades. He takes Vyvanse since 10 th grade, when he was flunking exams. He used to be a straight A student in grade school…things started changing in 7 the grade. We talk to him about the meds, because it sure isn’t providing stellar grades. He says without them, he just doesn’t feel like doing anything. I can tell when he’s on them…he acts normal person with the right amount of life to him, not “blah”. He has something going on…but I don’t know exactly what is going on…and it’s frustrating.
It really sounds like every person’s experience is unique. I guess it’s a matter of finding what works for your kid. This feedback is so helpful. Thank you!
Curious-are your kids’ RX prescribed by a psychiatrist or GP? I’m asking for a referral today from the GP, who was not at all involved in the evaluation process-to-date, but am anticipating he’ll want to see DS himself before referring. There’s a strong likelihood he’ll prescribe something. Should I insist on a referral to a psychiatrist? My concern is that I want the best drug therapy. The GP will have access to the full report pre-visit.
I have a younger DS with ADHD. He has been taking Vyvanse for 5 years (lowest dose all this time). The meds are prescribed by his pediatrician. I think that there is a disconnect between the testing (he had the full testing done by a psychologist) and the medications. I am considering taking him to a pediatric psychiatrist if I can get an appointment. To save time, your son might start with the GP. If the meds don’t work or are intolerable, then he should go to a psychiatrist soon.
My DS doesn’t seem to experience any side effects. He has a more than healthy appetite and is tall and big for his age. My DS is also dyslexic and I think his dyslexia is more of an issue than his inattentiveness. Other than forgetting to turn papers in and attention to the details of schoolwork, my DS exhibits few of the classic ADHD symptoms anymore. He doesn’t take meds in the summer or on weekends unless he has a lot of work.
Does your DS exercise? After a couple of hours of rowing, my DS is able to sit for over an hour late into the evening and concentrate on his work. Exercise (especially outdoors) is important to help manage ADHD IMO.
Ours had the testing but now the GP is the one who prescribes the meds. They take Vyvanse which is a class 2 drug. This means that I have to physically go and pick up the script from the doctors office every month and take it to the pharmacy. It might be different where you are but that is the way it works in Georgia. Also it’s expensive if you don’t have a good prescription plan. The cost for 1 month before we hit our deductible is around $240 for each kid. I’m not sure about the other ADHD drug costs but some do have generics while Vyvanse doesn’t.
They don’t take it on weekends unless they have a lot of school work to do. It does cause them to not want to eat. I do not believe it is habit forming for them. However people with ADD/ADHD can “self” medicate with alcohol or drugs so that is something to watch out for in the future.
Once your DS is on meds you should make sure he is not drinking a lot of soda or coffee. If mine drink too much soda while taking the Vyvanse they become hyper focused and can’t get anything done.
In terms of who should prescribe the meds, ask your GP whether he/she has a lot of experience in this area. Typicallly, I would recommend getting medication for any mental illness from a psychiatrist, but we have a shortage in this country and many pediatricians have a lot of experience with ADHD meds. You’ve waited so long already (have no idea why it should have taken that long) that you don’t want to wait for months now to get an appointment with a psychiatrist.