for parents OF ADHD/ODD KIDS

[NSangel]

Okay, I stole this pic from another site. Shoot me. At this point being the mother of an 11 year old kid that has been diagnosed with ADHD/ODD you'd be doing me a favor.

So after finding yet another member of SC with an ADHD/ODD teen, i thought..why don't we have a thread just for us (and our suppporters of course), so we can all sit around and bang our heads together?

So come in just to say hi, we'll cry over the badstuff together, laff over the stuff we have gotten past. Cheer each other for our successes and hopefully exchange some words of wisdom.

PARENTS OF ADHD/ODD ROCK ON!

[jenna321]

The stage your in is so difficult for your son and family, they do mature and grow out of some of the behaviours . It'll help if your son has at least 1 good understanding friend! Just remember that YOU ( & partner if you have) need time for you to be able to be there for your children! Quiet Riot.

[Shandoe]

You mean I am not alone in this? Even though there are days where I really do feel alone. My son is 10 and has ADHD and ODD .. he is on FOUR medications for it!! It does help make a difference but when he has a bad day .. LOOK OUT!!

Thank You for starting this!!

[NSangel]

aww your so welcome! I know how it feels to feel like your the ONLY one going thru this, and if it wasn't for 2 other Sc's that are going through the same stuff, this thread wouldn't be here at all! so thanks jenn for dropping in and lets hope "the other one" shows up.

so if your having a bad day (or in my case a bad month) feel free to vent, rant whatever u need to. this is your forum. we're all in this boat together, and it's sinking. grab the pails, man the oars! better yet..lets head for that lone island over there..no the other one..NO..the one that's loaded with chipendales dudes..ALL ABOARD!

oh, i should add: my son (11) is on concerta 54mg once a day. he was on risperidal for aggression, but was weaned off because of a hormone increase that showed up during bloodwork. he has NOT been agressive at all. but he is very oppositional, defiant, and not listening. my friend (who has 3, III, three, adhd/add kids, one with "autistic behaviours". thinks my son is bored. i think she might be right.

jenn..you said they outgrow it, well, at 19 he either outgrows it or out he goes..somedays i donno..i

....

[harkatsmom]

What a great thread to start NSangel.

Support is what we all need to get through our tough times...

[jenna321]

Hey, My daughter is now 18 and is still hyper but much more managable, the odd is still there not as bad as when she was younger.It's been a real struggle, but she is loved and most of her friends (the good ones) love her dearly and she has the most endearing qualities in her also. Read some good books from the library for tips on parenting, have the kids been active! that is soo important and build their self esteem.

[Shandoe]

Mine right now is on two different doses of ritalin (he takes the slow release one in the morning and a milder does at noon) Also in the morning he takes .25mg of respiridone and at night he takes .5 of respirdone.

[Shandoe]

I also find him harder to control now that summer is here. Is this uncommon? I am thinking it mainly because he is out of routine and such.

[jenna321]

His daily routine is changed, they like and thrive on structure, be consistant with daily activities , let me know about of time what you'll be doing, where your going etc.

[jenna321]

I didn't like my daughter on Ritalin, she started when she was 7 & endedup going on dexerdrine time released until about 2 years ago. There is no medication for the ODD that is what they outgrow as they mature according to our specialist in ADD & ADHD told us. I've seen the proof of this. She was taken rispheral until January of this year.

[Shandoe]

I am finding it does help control the outbursts. Even his friends have noticed the change in him!! As for the defiance .. some days it seems never ending!

[NSangel]

that's correct. there is NO med for ODD. the resperidone, helps with agressiveness..but ODD is basically being defiant. you don't have to be agressive to be ODD. it's separate. ryan was put on risperidal/risperidone when he was on a trial for concerta. the concerta seemed to make him more agressive. now that he's grown into it (and our current dr does not agree) he does not need the risperidone.

now as ryan gets older/bigger we find he needs more of the meds to control it. our current dr says this is false. but the iwk childrens hospital dr was the one who diagnosed him and told me that they need their pills adjusted as they get older. but apparently too, ryan is on quite a high dose for his size. not much room to adj. either.

ryan started out on the ritalin fast release, then went to the slow release tabs. what we found was that when they wore off, he had the "rebound effect". where he would literally all of a sudden bounce off the walls. he was given a mild fast release one as well to kick start the ams and risperidal. 4 pills. now we are just on the concerta, but it took alot of work to get there.

and YES IT'S BECAUSE IT'S SUMMER THAT THEY'RE ACTING UP! mine if you don't already know. threw poster paints all over his playroom the day of grading. walls, ceilings, floors, clothing, furniture and tons of toys all covered in paint.

i lost it. we called family members to take him and no one could. so hubby came home and helped me to strip the room all except for bed/clothes. he was in a big room to sleep, but i figure, mess this room and you can sleep in it eh?

so it was a combination of: all the excitement. there were lots of activities going on at school, and presents from his EPA (support staff at school). he was given present from his LINKS tutor the pm before. they had sports day same week. he had a movie and fun night at cadets weekend b4. and the annual dinner where he won for most improved. so cadets finished, taekwondo cancelled saturday sparring, links finished up, school finished up, and then church stopped having their saturday services hubby takes him to. ARGH!!!!

so big changes in routine.

and yes, you have to keep them busy. our summers have never been this bad because i always had him enrolled in swimming. but down to one car, and can't really afford it. so i'm stuck! and no kids here to play with

you guys, remind me tommorrow, to POST A LINK FOR THE DISABILITY CHILD TAX CREDIT, for those that are interested. thru can revenue agency. it does 2 things. lowers the taxes you pay, and increases your child tax credit to double. you can also use a t4 adjustment request and go back to the time of your childs diagnoses, and get reimbursed for the extra taxes you paid, and the difference in the child tax credit. i got $11 thousand back, and my ctc is now gone from $150 to $310 month.

so remind me to post the link for that. ADHD is classified under "mental functioning on the form"

if you can't wait for me to find it, just go to the crtc website, and do a search of forms: disability child tax certificate. the certificate only has to be filled out once and is good til they turn 19, then u can choose to fill out another from for an of age infirm dependent.

it's nice to have a revenue tax auditor friend
not me, my friend is.

Ps: if you like the thread, thumb it up so others will see it

[christine17]

Hey Nsangel told you I'd show up tonight!
Anyways, been there done that got the shirt and some!!
My daughter who is ODD/ADHD is 19 years old soon to be 20 this August and trust me there are no drugs to help the ODD, this is chemically encryted in their brain. If I can help anyone I will do my best. As if having a child with this wasn't enough I decided as a single mom to go to college to become a Child Youth Worker and work in jails and group homes to help these kids. met hubby in college and he has to be the sweetest man around as he has been there through it all since we got married over 14 years ago ( we've been together 15 though).
Boy if walls could talk would they have quite the stories, my daughter decided that she didn't like how her meds made her feel and told her doc she didn't want them anymore. In Ontario any child 12 years of age or older can refuse med treatment and they don't need parents consent
NSangel about family not willing to take him in. Been there they're real good at mouthing you that you're beeing too hard but damn none of them are up to the challenge.
As adults these kids will still make rash decisions and we still need to be there to be hard ass to keep them on the straight and narrow.
O.K. I'll let someone else speak now.

[NSangel]

it's about time you showed up! your my other inspiration for this thread

yes, they need us to be as firm and stubborn as they are.

okay, so as promised i have info on the DISABILITY CHILD TAX CREDIT, AND BENEFIT. one is a break in how much taxes you pay, and the latter increases your child tax credit.

I've put all the info into a sticky. including the links to the forms and more info incase it's too confusing.

even if you have NO income and are on gov't assistance APPLY. it will help your family allowance. if you have high income DEFINITELY apply. your already paying way too much taxes.

here's the sticky, and if you don't get it or you get lost, don't forget it shows up at the thread starter.

also want to add, if you know of any resources, good books, anything, feel free to post!

[NSangel]

thanks to BOO and that mighty big

WAND of his..we are now in a more appropriate place!

oops..gotta go edit my siggy.