u/Raylin44

I am thinking ahead to my son’s birthday in a few months. I’ve done a whole class party since preschool. It’s anxiety-inducing, but each kid feels so special to be included and some tell me this is the only invite they get all year and they look forward to it each year. 😞 I can’t do that this year. I’m tapped out. All I want to do is a very small weekend trip an hour away (just our family), but my son is adamant he wants a party. He loves the social aspect. It’s not that he wants anything fancy. So on that note, I told him he could invite 4-6 friends, tops, and if only 1 kid could show up, so it be it. I want to do our house and not a public place. Probably pizza, maybe a kid movie, and something else. What’s a small activity I could do or rent? Not a bounce house level. Been there, done it. Maybe I can rent an hockey table or something? My kids have never played that, but it seems like something kids would do? My son loves crafts, but I don’t think other kids he would invite do that much.

Has anyone’s adhd kid had to take these ear drops and it made them crazy hyper/impulsive? I was reading that some people have this reaction, which is confusing because they are ear drops. We are definitively experiencing it. Only three more days.

Parenting an ADHD kid is not for the faint of heart. I hate that we focus on the negative more than not. I was thinking we could mention something our kid used to not be able to do, that was absolutely exhausting for us as parents, and now they do no problem. Perhaps it will offer some inspiration that your kid will eventually meet that milestone. Tell us their current age.

My son is 7. All of these things directly relate to ADHD.

-I remember thinking we would never be able to go to anyone else’s house or a public place without him just running away or wandering off. I dreaded anywhere that wasn’t gated. We were always chasing him. No issue now.

-I remember thinking he would never potty train fully (BMS). That it would be years and years of more research, gadgets, books, etc. He conquered that at 4.

-I thought we’d never eat at restaurants. Even casual ones. 4, 5, even 6 were iffy. Walking around aisles, standing up, loud. But now, restaurants are not an issue. Even longer waits.

Just a few examples. I look forward to reading yours for further inspiration on things we haven’t conquered yet.

Wrightsville Beach is our favorite beach. I like the restaurants on the harbor, but Wilmington is still nearby with museums. It’s probably one of a kind, but are there any other NC beaches similar? Not so small and quiet like Hatteras but not so wild either?

For those of us who don’t have access to PCIT for different reasons (money, time, age, etc.), what were your biggest takeaways? The two I read the most are simple, straightforward directions, and tons of praise for listening. Any others?

After a year, we decided to drop Guanfacine ER 1 mg. it was unclear the benefits and it was affecting sleep: waking up, urination, and nightmares. it’s been a week. The first weekend was amazing. He was so much happier. We anticipated that wouldn’t last. Sure enough, he has had a few huge meltdowns/angry moments a day. Blood pressure has been normal, which is good. I wonder how long before we can safely say, this is just his baseline and not the med comedown. Really hoping it’s the med, but I am realistic about it.

Any ideas? We’ve tried all the things (Handwriting Without Tears, foam, games, everything an OT recommends, etc.) I am just trying to get him to better formulate some of the letters so that he 1) doesn’t take as long to write them 2) they are more legible. Somebody mentioned a handwriting computer game. Just needs to be a couple minutes. Thanks.

I am not asking for a diagnosis. Don’t want to break any sub rules. My child has ADHD, C, so inattentive but also hyperactive/impulsive. But there is always the other thing we question. Anxiety, OCD, or Autisim, we don’t know yet. So far, we haven’t had luck in therapies. He is 7.

At a young age, if you knew what you know now, aside from therapies, what would have helped? With ADHD, he comes across as bold and the class clown, right, so it’s difficult for people to see underlying anxiety. But it deeply affects him. What would have helped you as a kid that parents can do at home?

For reference, our issues are around separating from parents, intrusive thoughts, thoughts, and not wanting to quit activities I doesn’t like (like a team sport) just because he feels rigid about his activities.

Age 7. We have an ADHD diagnosis, C. We have something else, too, but unknown. Is this a component of ADHD or something else?

Decision making. Struggles to make decisions on anything and won’t quit things he dislikes. Always wants both options. major FOMO. For example, we are on our second summer of a two week day camp he loved last year. Talked about it all year. This year, it’s a full day and not half day and there is no compromise there. He isn’t loving It. I can tell because he is mopey and hasn’t said anything positive, but he refuses to say he doesn’t like it. He told me he is afraid to say he doesn’t like it this year because he is afraid I won’t sign up for it next year. Why would you want to do something you don't like? His response is, but I do like it, even thought he admitted he did not. Every day when I drop him off, he is negative and then when I pick him up he is negative. It’s been stressful for us as parents and we don’t want to spend the money on a camp he clearly doesn’t like, but he wants us to still sign him up for it next year. It’s so competitive that you have to make a decision by July because it fills up by then for NEXT summer. Same thing with basketball. He tried it this winter and didn’t love it. He even told us he didn’t really like it, but told us we have to sign him up next winter, (which we will revisit then). He is a social kid, but neither activity had/has friends of his there, so it’s not that.

Also, it’s not like we remove activities or experiences from him as punishments. He attends birthday parties, other camps, and other experiences, etc. We just tell him it’s worth trying different activities and sports out, but if you don’t like them, that’s fine.

Not trying to solve the camp problem but understand if this behavior is related to ADHD or there is another term for it, as it shows up often.

I know it will vary regionally, but I’d love more info on what your kid did this year in reading and writing especially and how you found it/the kids different from 1st-2nd.

We just finished 1st and have a lot of work to do this summer. There’s always so much work, isn’t there? Our year was a mixed bag and am wondering about 2nd.

I just can not figure out the difference. If I take a stimulant, it is too activating for me, no matter the dose. Welbutrin really helps with depression but nothing with motivation . But don’t both Welbutrin and stimulants increase dopamine? I know Welbutrin has the added thing of increasing NE. is there another neurotransmitter it impacts? Why would one make me ragey and the other happy?

Wanting to open a savings account for our child that will connect to our accounts. ultimately, I also want to do a checking with a debit card but not needed for a few years. he is in elementary school.

-Do I need to do it in person or can I begin online and then just deposit money in it at a later date?

-Any recommendations for type?

Not much of a solution here and I think it’s guanfacine-related than his other med. Breakfast, particularly, takes hours. Not an hour. Hours. He has a good breakfast (though not over the top) because he won’t eat lunch or snack at school because the other med (straterra) kills his appetite. When his sugar drops, he is absolutely irritable and problems happen at school. But, he is adamant that he finish every bite. I’ve tried giving him less food, but since he eats so little food at school, he needs a good breakfast. No matter what, it takes forever. If I leave the table, he follows me. I have to babysit him. I’ve tried worksheets, podcasts (distracts him and he stops eating), racing, games, and going on a job before breakfast, but it just takes FOREVER. I have to remind him to take bites. No matter how many times I say, you will have more time to play before school if you just finish your food, or, you don’t have to finish everything. just be done! It doesn’t help. I know a lot of kids struggle with appetite suppression, but do any struggle with eating every single bite and taking FOREVER?!

I’ve been on a hunt for a large dresser like the description above. I will find small dressers and nightstands that match the style perfectly but no luck finding larger items. The photos are just inspo. Best bet is probably used stuff but don’t have time to hunt. Don’t care if it’s solid wood or not. Any ideas?

Wants:

-Walnut

-Turned leg

-More Traditional-looking

-Large enough to fit all clothes that aren’t in closet

My kid is adhd and we always wonder if it’s also autism or adhd + anxiety, and I don’t even think the psychologist we had evaluate him knows. Will do another eval in a few years but can’t do the out of pocket right now.

Stimulants would help hour 1, and then it was awful, every time, every dose. They amp him up too much. Guanfacine we are still on but really don’t think it’s helped much a year in. Straterra was awesome until the last few months. Unsure what’s going on there, but our last two months of school have been awful whereas we haven’t had an issue since fall and he has thrived. Same manufacturer, I checked. If Straterra has stopped helping, I’m not sure where to go from here. He is very sensitive to meds and has every side effect known to man. I am on Wellbutrin and it helps a lot from an antidepressant state and gives me some energy to accomplish stuff. But I worry that it will act too much like a stimulant for him and amp him up without providing any positive. I don’t know. Bloodwork is good. Not low on any key areas. He sleeps well but occasionally wakes up with a bad dream (probably from the meds).

I know Quelbree is similar to Straterra, but the cost is insane.

Issues are the usual: Emotional Regulation, Impulsivity, Focus. Age 7.

I’m very frustrated. We had been on Straterra, very low dose, even lower than the recommended dose for 5 months. While the beginning brought physical and emotional side effects, we quickly got through them, especially when we lowered the dose. And then the benefits were great. long story, short, we had a two week disruption where he didn’t take it consistently for two weeks. Once we restarted with consistency, it was awful. We lowered the dose, but he still has daily meltdowns 5 weeks in. It has improved slightly, but it wasn’t this way before. There isn’t another med option as we’ve tried them all (stimulants are the worst), and it worked so well before.

What am I missing? I don’t know if we should lower it or increase it. Doctor is no help. He is also on guanfacine, and I wonder if that combo could cause a problem, but he has been on it for a year, and the combo wasn’t an issue before. We are going to trial dropping G this summer.

Has anyone been successful on this med and then restarted it and had worse side effects? It’s very separation anxiety-related and peaks in the morning and evening. Middle of the day, he’s fine. Intermediate metabolizer. He takes strattera in the morning after breakfast

Truist cancelled my credit card due to fraudulent charges and is sending a new one out. This is a shared account with my husband who has his own card and wasn’t affected. I was logging in to check the account and noticed I can’t view it. I can view my other Truist accounts, like debit card, etc. Is this typical? if so, how long will I lose access to my online account for? I am unsure when I will receive my new credit card.

I am wanting to create a reel, but when I click reel to add photos/videos, it only allows me to select from my phone gallery. Is there not a way to select from Facebook albums without having to download the photos form my albums onto my phone?

Short Question: As we move towards the end of the year, it’s very clear my kid is struggling to read at a first grade reading level. I am looking for the best and most simplistic program that worked for your kid if you were in this same space. For the summer. If it’s on a screen, that’s okay, but should be limited to 25-30 minutes a day. Paying is fine, within reason. Thank you!

Background info that’s probably not necessary: ADHD, minor speech delay that affected some letter sounds initially but not many. 504. Speech services. No special education service for reading nor identified learning disability at this time, but they have recently started pulling him out for tutoring, essentially for a month; no progress. I do not know his reading level because we are not given this info, but we’ve been going over the same reading concepts over and over (I reteach what the teacher does for phonics each week). He’s been read to since he was a baby and loves being read to. We have him read himself also each night. It just bores him to tears because it’s hard for him. We have also done Bob books in the past. He is not a screen kid and doesn’t do video games or watch much tv; none during the week. He excels at math and science.