My story

My son was diagnosed when he was in Kindergarten (he's in 5th grade now). His teacher actually started our first conference with the phrase "have you ever thought about meds?" I had to ask her to repeat that...I had never been told at his preschool anything other than how smart & advanced he was. They thought he should fly through Kindergarten! I started with my pediatrician, who did a basic evaluation with mine & the teacher's input. Then, based on those results, she referred me to a child psychologist in the same area, who put Kyle through a full day of testing to determine that he was indeed ADHD. I was shocked at first...I went through all the testing to prove the teacher WRONG, not to find out she was RIGHT! For 2 years, we tried alternative methods to approach this...occupational therapy (for his fine motor skills), music lessons (something he loves & had no trouble focusing on). But these things did not carry over to his schoolwork, nor did they address his impulsivity. The day he rode his bike out in front of a car was the day I decided the alternative methods were not enough. I put him on medication just prior to his 2nd grade school year starting. His grades have excelled ever since & his impulsiveness is much more under control. Keep in mind though that it is a trial & error process. I have a lot of support from his pediatrician..we have switched meds 4 times in the last 5 years, trying to find just the right one, just the right dosage for his particular needs.