When is medication appropriate

[oth63]

My grandson has been diagnosed with "executive management disorder" which uupon reading about seems very much like ADHD.  He is bright, mechanicaly inclined and capable but is a borderline student, moody, impulsive and extraodinarilly hard to discipline.

At age 9 he is now having trouble keeping friends and in gerneral not as happy as he once was.  It was previously suggested that he might be best served by being on a med like ritlalin but we have been unwilling to to this.  Are we hurting this child by not using meds.  We were hopeful he would outgrow this behaviour but that doesn't seem liely now.  I should also say that he is spoiled to excess by his family including two attractive older sisters.  Ther is an 8 yr diference in age between he and hisyoungest sister.

Your opinion please.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

You can expect that any of the psychostimulant medicatins, such as Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, Focalin, Adderall, to name a few, might well help him re: any nyperactivity, inattention or impulsivity. Such medications will not have an influence in the other areas of his functioning. Any of these medications should be employed only if a careful diagnosis of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been reached.

[oth63]

Thank you for your reply.  Would you please explain in layman's terms the behaviour one could expect from a child with executive disorder and how it differs from  ADHD behaviour and if there is specialized meds for the former.  

Is this something that is treated by cognitive therapy and if so how do you find a good person to help with this.