medications for....

ravenlotus

New Member
My six year old daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD, borderline Autismn Spectrum Disorder, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. We have tried all the techniques that the therapist said and still have not had good results. Just curious what medications have worked for others like her?
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Have you tried using interventions/services to help your little girl? I'm talkilng about things like PT, Occupational Therapist (OT), social skills classes...school supports? Autistics think differently than we do and even FEEL differently than we do. Touch can be painful, for example. Too much stimuli can be panic causing. Transitions can be painful and disturbing. I don't think it is appropriate to label somebody with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) as defiant. They often are, but it's not because they want to be contrary. They just have their own set of what they can tolerate and it is different from most people...

medications are only part of the picture. My son who is on the spectrum did not do well on any medication. Outside-of-home intervention and supports helped tremendously. He is medication free at 21 and doing very well.
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
ravenlotus, welcome to the site!

I understand that you are looking into ideas of what has worked for others, but our kids are so individual. The one thing we can agree on is that it takes more than medications to make a difference in our kids' lives. Medication is only one piece. Truly understand their diagnosis and then looking into support and interventions in the home, at school, etc. is a another piece. The saying, "It takes a village" is so true in the case of our difficult kids.

You have time on your side. Your daughter is very young and early intervention is key. I am going to assume you are here in the states. You say "therapist" and I wonder if we are talking psychologist? Who diagnosed your daughter? What behavior modifications and medications have you tried? What about school - how does she do there?

With the onset of summer, it's a great time to do some trials with medications and interventions. It's also a good time to start the IEP qualification process for her next school year. You might find the school has some good ideas and has an occupational therapist on staff that can help and there are proven accommodations and modifications in the classroom that can really help.

We usually have a lot of questions when a poster first arrives here but I assure you we are a place of great support and information sharing. Glad to have you with us.

Sharon
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Giving her an ODD diagnosis at age SIX? For many of us here on this board, ODD is at best a place-holder diagnosis - recognition that something is definitely wrong (and it's not "bad parenting"), but the real diagnosis will be something else.

Has she ever been evaluated by an occupational therapist for sensory processing challenges? We found the Occupational Therapist (OT) to be the single most helpful intervention ever.
 

HMBgal

Well-Known Member
It's so hard to pin down stuff with kids this age. My grandson, if you were to "diagnose," was first ADHD at 4. Then is seemed like more than that (oh, the laundry list here: Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Serious Emotional Disturbance (for IEP qualification), Oppositional Defiance Disorder) and on and on. So, we've tried a myriad of medications with interesting and variable results. Bad for a week or two, then great, then bad again. Right now, he's not on anything, we changed his environment (well, it changed for him through his psychiatrist and CPS), and while he's still not what I'd call neurotypical, he's better. Now we're wondering if he ever truly had ADHD, or it's so wrapped up in other things (rampant anxiety) that we have no idea what we're really dealing with. It's like a moving target. So,we read the books, take him to every doctor appointment and anxiety group, social group, etc., that his insurance will let us have. We are learning how to change our behavior in the hopes that he will learn how to become less rigid, less anxious, less angry, and so on. It's a journey with twists and turns and you never see 'em coming. Learn about and access every resource you can.
 
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