Living with a Child Who Has ADHD

I am a mother of a little boy who was diagnosed with ADHD at six years of age. I started wondering what was wrong with with my son when he was only six months of age. He would bang his head on the wall or the floor anytime he was angry. He would also bang his head on a concrete sidewalk when he was not allowed to do something. I did not know until then a baby could anger problems. I did not learn until much later that this was a chemical imbalance related to ADHD. I kept asking the doctor why my child could possibly bang his head. I was told that "he would out grow it". By the time he was three, we could not make it fifteen minutes into a Disney movie, even if it was one of his favorite. He would have to get up and move around and always have a car to run around on the couch. I kept looking for answers and finally in Kindergarten his teacher also noticed signs of his lack of control and his being impulsive. It had gotten so bad by this time that my significant other and I would go to bed in tears on an almost daily basis.

By the time anyone would listen to me, I could not take him to the grocery store, restaurant or even the playground. We had tried every type of punishment.
We had also tried a reward system. Finally, with the help of his teacher, he was diagnosed with ADHD. It took several months into the school year to get him diagnosed, because the state requires several steps of screening.

My child is a wonderful, loving and very compassionate. With the help of medication, we have been able to become what one would think of as a normal family. We now can enjoy meals, very quick trips to the store and we are able to go out to a restaurant. We have found a behavior plan that has worked for several months now. Even though is needs to be changed on occasion as new situations arise and he grows, we have learned to deal with ADHD successfully.
Having a child with any type of problem is stressful and takes a lot of patience, but any parent can do it with the right information. I did it while working and attending college full time.

Always listen to your instinct! If you think your child has a behavior problem that can be corrected with medication, look into it. Medication is not right for every child, but at least your doctor should be able to lead you in the right direction to get your child and family help in dealing with ADHD.