my son is eight years old and was diagnose with this illness,i can tell he is different without his medicine. i am afraid this will cause a problem in his future and i wanted to know could he draw medical disability from this
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Answers
Hi Lashanna,
My 11 yr old daughter has adhd, (and so do I) and in Ontario Canada it is considered to be a disability if it interferes with activities of daily living, they have forms you have your psychiatrist/md/psychologist fill out and it is graded according to severity.
If you are in Ontario, I could help you with the resources to get your son disability tax credits, financial support, etc,
Who was it that dx'd your son?
Does he have any other symptoms, many times ADD/ADHD appear with other issues like behavioural disorders, learning disabilities, oppositional disorders, etc.
If he develops those, or already has been diagnosed with them, then chances are more likely a determination of disability would be positive.
Also, what medication , dose and strength is he on, how long has he been on it, has he tried other medications, do you have medication coverage? My girl has been on ritalin for 5 yrs now, she has started puberty and it is no longer showing any signs of it's working for her, there seems to be little difference between her on it and off it.
What about school? Has the school done an assessment on him for academic and psychological problems and abilities? If not, get it done, this way the school system can assist by providing class room assistance, special social classes, etc... in other words create an educational program for him, rather than him struggling or slipping through the cracks.
Is your son in therapy? My daughter gets CBT for anxiety/stress and mood control. Plus has a social worker that discusses appropriate conduct, and other topics.
If you give me your town/state location, I can try to locate some resources for you.
Let me know what you think and I can answer with more detailed info for you.
One thing I can suggest is seeing if your town or any childrens agencies etc run the Triple P parenting program. It's usually free. There is a web site for it, http://www.triplep.net is the site for the program. I took it and although I have not used all the techniques they have, I have added some to our household rules and routines and it works.
One more thing before I wrap this up, be consistent in all areas, set up a schedule, post it on the fridge or other place where it will be seen regularly, have a meeting, discuss the house rules, list them, ask your son for input on what the consequences should be if they are not followed. use them if they are appropriate, let him be involved in this routine/rule meeting, gives him a sense of control and a feeling of being taken seriously and respected. Chores were a biggy at our home, Triple P talks about using points as "payment" for chores or other activities / behaviours etc . we have a weekly schedule for who does what, if all is done without issue then they get 20points, they get extra points for doing other things around the house without asking. Points can be used for tv time, video game time, movie nights, pizza, spending money, special outings, etc. the list and possibilities of this concept is endless. But make a chart of it all, what is worth what, how many points gives you what reward or privilege/activity. Then there is the other side of the coin, what behaviours, actions, etc, take points away from him.... have him give his suggestions again, make him part of the process... and list that too... then keep a check list next to the points/chore info on the fridge with a pen/pencil etc, and write down when he earns or loses points and what it was for. At the weeks end, you tally it up and he chooses from the redemption list and you can discuss any thing that came up from that week, give him praise for doing all chores, or discuss why he lost four points for stomping up the stairs. :-)
I could discuss this one for hours, I've been living it for the past 8 yrs now, and have it myself, so as a mother and a patient I have both perspectives.
Hope some of this helps, use what you can and disregard the rest.
Bright Blessings and good luck.
Tinkerbell
I honestly do not know myself, but you do have a few years to go with his treatments--is there problems in that area? I mean, without the medications/therapy?
I really hope the best for you and your son...