I think there's a difference between being a kid and being impulsive, hyper to the point where you are disrupting other people's lives and making them unhappy. If the latter is true then I think medicating is a good idea, because it will improve family relationships. His happiness is important but so is everyone else's. As parents we all encounter situations that aren't pleasant (dirty diapers, tantrums in a 2 year old, etc) but I put ADHD into a different category than what is encountered in normal situations in just about every family. If a 9 year old isn't acting like a 9 year old, but more like a 3 year old, it's problematic. Is it possible he is on too high of a dose and he is becoming withdrawn? My daughter's third grade teacher described her as "quiet" and "non-participatory" and I was alarmed and knew her dose must be too high, because that is NOT her personality.
