My son

[mom22kidz]

My son is in kindergarten and got sent home from school today for pushing a kid into a fence so hard he knocked the boys two teeth out! My son;s reasoning for this was beause the kid didn't want to play with him anymore so he got mad!  I went ballistic of course, and started to look back and reflect on his behavior since he started school. He can't sit still (unless it is with his leogs whiche he can do for HOURS!) he has run off on me in a theme park because he wanted to see something different, he has tantrums when we tell him no, his hits his older sister and has hit me and my husband. He yells at me and calls me names when he doesn't get what he wants. What on earht is wrong with him??? After today's incident, I have no idea how to handle him...help! :(

[mom22kidz]

Yes I realize that the doc will start him ff at a small dose :)  I have read so many posts where people say that their kids are totally different after taking meds....I just need to be patient I guess! Thanks for reminding me!  (I have ADHD as well so you know how THAT works...)  :)

[mom22kidz]

No,  my son has never witnessed domestic violence! What would that have to do with ADHD? I have it as well as my mother and sister and her son! ADHD has a VERY strong genetic component to it.  It is not learned behavior either. I am a special ed teacher so I am very informed with new research out there as well as behavior modification strategies we use with him.

[therese83]

This is a very direct question, that others may not  ask you.

I am not trying to blame or criticise you in any way, but could I please ask:
Has your son ever witnessed domestic violence of any kind?

If no then there could be a neurological cause, but it could also be learned behaviour.

I hope you can appreciate that this is an honestly well meant question in an effort to help you and your son.

[Sandman2]

to Mom22kidz,
  please realize that any good doctor will start your child off on the lowest possible dose and then slowly increase it, till it seems to work and then stop at that dosage.  It is interesting that for all of the scientific knowledge we now have for ADHD, the dosage is still a bit of trial and error because everychild is so different.  I have seen on this web site many tales of how some meds didn't work till perhaps the third one.   Perhaps the most important thing is to keep really good communication with your doctor (and probably your teacher).  And be patient.   In terms of what the drug is - all drugs can be googled.  
  Finally, the most important thing to realize is that even if the drug works like magic (and it might), that is only half the battle.  You need to become very aware of what ADHD is and all of the techniques that can be used to make your childs life a better life.  As your child gets older, he also needs to be aware of what is going on, and how to deal with it.  Good luck

[mom22kidz]

Well we went to the doctor's right before school vacation and she felt he needed to go on meds.....we were hesitant at first but realized we could take him off of it if we didn;t see any results. Today was his first day on 5 mg of focalin but we have not seen a major difference. Maybe it was because I thought it would magically work and he would be cured in a day....not so. :) I am wondering how long this will take to see a change in him. Have you ever heard of this drug or tried it?

[luv2read08]

My step son also has been diagnosed with ADHD.  He is now in first grade and I have been called by the school because they didn't know how to handle him.  He aslo got suspended for hurting another child.  We are on our third type of medication for him, with which he has improved in school but the evenings have become worse.  He is on Ritalin slow release and it wears off by 5:00pm.  We have been doing many things to try to help him and make home life easier but it is really a challenge.  I am going to look into the fish oil.

[Sandman2]

  Both of you might want to read the link below.  Besides explaining ADHD, it gives some very good advice based on scientific evidence on how to work with your children.

http://www.rxlist.com/attention_deficit_hyperactivity_disorder_adhd/article.htm

[manysmiles]

my son is also in kindergarten.  He's been diagnosed with ADHD and ODD at about the age of 3.  Recently he's also been kicked out of school for biting the pricipal, kicking him, and spitting in his face.  His reasoning was just because he didn't want to go to school anymore.  I was furious because this was his worst incident yet.  I've talked with his doctor about this.  He's fine at home and at his daycare for the most part, but since school is such a new change for him he's having a hard time coping with it.  He's currently on 36 mg Concerta for his diagnosis and I was worried we might have to up the dose again. What I discovered when he was first diagnosed was that giving him fish oil and grapeseed extract help his behavior and calm him some. It's what we had to do before he was old enough for medication.  Once he was on the medication I stopped giving it to him.  Well with his recent problems at school I became desperate and started researching what I could do to help.  I've found that giving him the fish oil still helps with behavioral issues even if he's on medication.  I've been giving it to him for 5 days now and WOW what an improvement! You might find this benefit's you're son too! Hope it helps!!