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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,040
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,040 |
If she stares off into space and "checks out" mentally, has she been evaluated for absence seizures?
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,172
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,172 |
If she stares off into space and "checks out" mentally, has she been evaluated for absence seizures? No, but she's still present in a way, just not paying attention to what we might want her paying attention to. For instance, in the counselor's office, we (me, dd, and counselor) were discussing something and dd just started looking at pictures on the wall and no longer participating in the conversation.
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,498
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Joined: Apr 2010
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Just FYI. I know you don't like the thought of meds-- I suspect nobody does. My DS8 takes Strattera for this kind of checking-out attention issue, and it has vastly improved his ability to stay tuned in at school, remember instructions, and get jobs done. It's not a cure-all, but effective.
DeeDee
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Joined: May 2009
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I'm not totally opposed to meds. The psych just didn't seem to think they were a good idea due to dd's anxiety, size, and that she didn't feel they'd be terribly effective for inattentive ADD.
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,498
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Joined: Apr 2010
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If small size is an issue, stimulant meds are probably a bad idea. Strattera is in the other class of ADHD meds, non-stimulant, and does not affect appetite or growth. It also has a small effect in diminishing anxiety.
Just giving you more to think about... not pushing.
DeeDee
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Joined: May 2009
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No, I appreciate it; thanks. Did you find that your dc had to take the non-stim meds for a long time for any impact to be seen? Is Strattera a pill to swallow?
I tried getting her to take an algae based DHA (O-3 fatty acid) but she has a serious gag reflex issue that I'm pretty sure is psychological. We couldn't even get one pill down her and it was small -- about half the size of a vitamin-E capsule. We put it in pudding, had her try to swallow it with juice, etc. She wretched and made horrible gagging noises.
Dd turned 10 this fall and is 4'4" tall and weighs 56 lbs. We, obviously, don't want to stunt her growth, but dh is only 5'6" and a lot of my family is small as well, so it may just be her genetic potential.
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,498
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Joined: Apr 2010
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Strattera is a pill to swallow; our dose is a standard size capsule, which may be hard for some kids. I don't know whether it is available as a liquid alternative; many meds for kids in this age group are. I also don't know whether you're allowed to break open the capsule; it's long acting, so I suspect probably not.
For swallowing practice we started our DS on mini-M&Ms with a big wash of apple juice afterward, and he hasn't had trouble with pills.
Strattera has much less of a "WOW the kid is different now" impact than the stimulant ADHD meds do. We did start to notice subtle changes right away, and a cumulative effect within a week or so. The child actually remembers things now... such as his homework! But no effect on appetite or growth.
For us it's a real help. We do find we have to be consistent about giving it at the same time each day, but that's a worthwhile investment.
DeeDee
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 145
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Dd continues to overlook pieces of directions and has lowered her grade one full letter grade on every test I've seen due to this (loses enough points for not doing part of the directions to bring it down from a B to a C, for instance). The last one entailed a whole page of ?s that asked her to list the factors for a set of numbers and then state the GCF. She wrote down the correct GCF for all but one of the numbers but didn't list any of the other factors, losing a significant # of points. My DS does this quite alot. He will often put down the final anwser but not show the steps that were asked for. He also sometimes forgets to answer questions or parts of questions. I don't know what your DDs math tests look like, but I find my DSs tests are often visually distracting with little pictures, different sized fonts and unequal spacing between questions -- I'm pretty sure he would do better with a plainer, easier to read page layout with a really obvious place to put each answer. Also, would the teacher be willing to read over the questions with your DD 5 minutes before the test to make sure she knows what is being asked for (ie "in this question, you need to write down ALL the factors, and then write the GCF)?
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