Anyone's child with ADHD, Tic disorder, and learning disability?

Its so important to have a formal diagnoses to insure he gets the best educational supports, the sooner these are in place the better the outcome.

Also is he receiving any classroom support e.g teachers aide etc, and does he have a Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)?

My daughter has ADHD, ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) and Dyslexia, all diagnosed in grade 3 over a space of 6 months. I had to push after a teacher said my daughter needed a bomb lit under her, we eventually moved her to another smaller school, they were wonderful in organizing for further testing, and trying to get some sort of support for put in place for her, if some what limited.

She was on Ritalin, which we found very helpful in her being able to focus a little better, and sit still for more than two minutes. In her words to the pediatrician after being on Ritalin for a two weeks "I can think better, all the noise in my head has gone".

We also used diet and behavioural management to help control her, because we would only give her the Ritalin through the school term, (Dr's suggestion), as she is a very tiny, and Ritalin affected her wanting to eat.

As a young teen she refused to take the medication, as it was not cool to take medication at school, (school policy was students had to go to the school nurse to take their medication). We agreed to let her not take it, but under an agreement that if she started struggle with focusing etc, then she would have to start taking the Ritalin again.

Thankfully she did not have to take the medication again.

We also made sure the high school focused on the dyslexia, after year 7 (first year of high school) I rarely told the teachers she had ADHD, ODD, because of the way some teachers treated her, (they made assumptions she was very naughty, disruptive etc), when and if they did find out they were stunned, as she was a polite, caring and diligent student.

She learnt a lot from the teachers who were prepared to support and help her, and they learnt a lot about dyslexia and how to support a student with dyslexia.

Something we noted as she started puberty and still on the Ritalin, she developed a few tics, which stopped when she stopped taking the Ritalin.

She is a young adult woman (a very petite woman), she is now qualified Disability support worker, she has a uncanny knack of being able to work well with children with disabilities, they just love her. She choose this field, because "she felt as if she fitted in", and had started as a volunteer at 15, working along side me.

My niece developed tics and it was due to the medication. Are you sure that you have ruled out that possibility?

Third grade is a very common time for a lot of the learning disabilities to really become detectable. My school district has a special education department that has special classes for students with learning disabilities. The important thing is to keep working with your doctors to help resolve the medication issue.

Now, for a different outlook. I once suffered from some severe allergies and was at the dr's office getting some testing done. I was put in a room with several other people, one a little girl about 5 years old. The mother requested a private testing room for the child, but the nurse reassured her that all was ok. The mother explained that the food sensitivities the child had would cause her behavior to change. I watched this child change from a kid sitting on the floor dressing and playing with a Barbie doll to one who could not control her coordination, get extremely frustrated, temper tantrums, etc. There is a lot of research being done as to how food allergies can affect the chemistry in a child's brain and the ability to learn.

I work in a Special Ed unit with children like yours. They are not multi-handicapped, but they may need extra time for assignments or smaller classrooms. I have seen the effect the medications have on children and it does help a lot of them. I have also witnessed the frustration children feel when they deal with the tiredness, weight gain, headaches, and other side effects. I would say to pursue every avenue that you can to help your child.

My son has all three as well as Asperger's and a number of medical conditions. I would suggest changing meds as they may be causing the tics. It won't hurt to try a different med. When my son was put on meds, his tics which had already been diagnosed, became significantly worse. I suggest becoming much more proactive at school. If your son does not have an IEP insist that he get one. Ask the school to test him for learning disabilities, they cannot deny you, its your right according to federal law.

I have learned a lot about the education, especially special education system. From my experiences, most schools will do the minimum for your child. You may think that they are doing a good job because you do not know all that they should be doing. Educate yourself. Check out the website wright's law.com. Also go to the library and read up about special education law. Become an outstanding advocate for your son. If you need help, find an advocacy group in your area.

Good Luck and if you need any help feel free to e-mail me.

My nephew has ADHD, and he is on medication. When he was little, his mother refused to get him tested for a learning disability because often...adhd children do have them. We finally had him tested in 3rd grade and learned that he reads a straight line as a wave, which makes following along in class very difficult, because the words are not where they should be for him to read. We gave him a book mark and showed him how to slide it along underneath the sentences, so he could keep his spot.

Now, at 13 he is doing much better. He isn't a straight a student, but the school and his teachers are working with him and teaching him according to his needs.

My suggestion: Second opinion. Medicating everything doesn't fix the problem. See a specialist and get the ball rolling with his education. Falling behind can hurt their future, so just be dilligent and don't give in.

Good luck

Just be patient with him, he is not doing this to be lazy or difficult. At least you are willing to try medications, so many parents don't want to try them because they are afraid their child will become a drug addict, but the truth is, they are more likely to become drug addicts later in life because their self esteem is so low and they feel worthless and unsuccessful. Finding the right doctor and the right medications or treatments is the whole key, you are on the right track. Learning disabled students can become successful in school and in life with proper guidance. I teach middle school special ed.

I am a sufferer of ADS and aspergers together, and have suffered from it for years now, since i started 4th grade (im 18 now). my biggest hint is to not try to tell him that he has a disability and that it makes him abnormal, just accept these quirks of nature as part of his personality (you may find he will have very little interest in girls, fashion and things most older kids/ teens find interesting, and this will set him apart socially) dont press him or chase him about making friends, he should be able to do this OK when he is younger, but may become less able as he ages.. I speak from experience when i say that such happened to me, i was confined in a special needs class that learned on a level far lower than myself (putting a smart kid into a dumb kid class) and it was draeadful. insist that you son receive minimal support if you want to avoid a lot of depression issues. in some ways you are very lucky to have a son who has been diagnoised with ASD, it has very few adverse effects and the thought process it inspires is quite helpful. avoid drugs and specialist consultancies wherever possible, this will just compound any sence of abnormailty your child will feel as he gets older. one of the main problems i have developed over time is chronic insomnia, from 14 to date. we treated this with a drug called catapres (aka clonodine), but you have to keep a watch on blood pressure while using it. i no longer take it so that i can be eligeble for military service. i know alot of people will be advising you to take him to see all sorts of doctors, but first hand experience is telling you not to. if he develops violent natures though i would see a doctor, since the types of AS can vary. If you ever need more help with him , or have any questions,your welcome to e-mail me (you can do so from my profile).