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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 28 February 2014 - 21:08

My DS has ADHD and he's also academically gifted with a very high IQ. Often ADHD kids are like this. He was diagnosed when he was six years old and started medication at eight years of age. We tried occupational therapy, physiotherapy, diet change, listening programmes, brain training, etc. I really didn't want to put him on medication and I had this fear that it would turn him into a zombie. What changed was when the school told us that 50% of every teacher's time was being taken up by him and it wasn't fair on the other students. He takes a medication called Concerta which is like a new generation of ADHD meds, similar to a slow release form of ritalin. It lasts for 12 hours, so from 7am-7pm. Within a few days we saw a major improvement in his behaviour and he said that for the first time ever he could concentrate and didn't have the "noise" in his head. It was at this point that I felt guilty for not putting him on medication sooner. What I have learned is that for children that have ADHD medication truly helps them function. Medication needs to be given as part of an overall programme, so my son also has regular learning support sessions at school to help him with things like social skills and organisation. ADHD kids often suffer on the social side. Their ADHD prevents them from learning how to socialise with other children at a young age. So when my son was on Concerta he finally saw the effect of his behaviour on other children. For the first couple of weeks we had him coming home from school in tears because he wasn't in the ADHD fog and all of a sudden became aware of how other children viewed him and didn't want to play with him. I talk to my son about his medication and how he feels on it and he feels that it helps him focus and do well at school. Over the past few years he's gone through workshops and therapies to help him gain those social skills that he missed when he wasn't on medication. As he's growing up, it's getting easier, but you do need to adjust their medication sometimes. Every child is different and different treatments work for different children, but you don't need to be worried about your kid turning into a zombie, especially if he truly has ADHD. However I have learned that finding a good specialist helps. Initially we saw our pediatrician but we found that a psychiatrist was better equipped to help and evaluate the best types of medication and therapy. I initially thought that the idea of a psychiatrist was a bit scary but he's actually lovely and is much better at relating to my DS than the pediatrician was. There's also an ADHD support group in Dubai and the woman who runs it has a list of specialists and she has regular meetings. You'll find that lots of people who don't have ADHD kids will try to give you "advice", but the only person who knows your child is you and you know what's best for him. I still sometimes get comments from people about "helpful suggestions" like how can you put him on medication - you should just change his diet. In the end you know best and what will be best for your DS. Good luck.

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mum of two

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 08:49

My son has been diagnosed with something similar - but we're still not 100% sure that the specialists in Dubai have it right. I think one of the biggest problems here are the schools. They want kids that are normal and easy to deal with - and my son isn't at school - he's a bit of a challenge. We are constantly being told by the school that if we don't sort out his behaviour we can look for another school for him. A very big stress! He was diagnosed as having ADHD as well, dyspraxia, then processing disorder, etc. the list goes on. I'm not confident with any diagnosis. He has done the interactive metronome listening programme as he has problems with his coordination and listening. I think it helped and we did see improvement, but it hasn't solved all of his problems. Academically he's very bright (he's scored as gifted in maths and English), but behaviour wise he's not easy - and pretty much all the schools in Dubai have a low tolerance for this, because they are not forced by the government to deal with kids who have special needs: whether it's a disability, behaviour problems or even being gifted (a lot of gifted kids have behaviour problems as well). Kids First in Umm Suqeim are pretty good and we've seen them - but it is tricky to find the right diagnosis anywhere in Dubai! Our doctor here suggested that we stop worrying about it and accept that he's a kid who will likely grow out of it... not easy though when you have the school continuously breathing down your neck. :-( I wish you luck and hope you can find the support you need here.

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