My 6 yr old son has been having trouble in school?

Question

my 6 yr old has had some serious transitions in his life (more than some adults have had) and this past year was his first experience in a regimented scheduled enviroment (i.e. school) and i've been getting some bad reports from his teacher. not constantly, but enough to raise concerns in my mind. i am aware that he may possibly be afflicted by ADD or even ADHD, but i dread getting him diagnosed because i don't want him medicated all the time. has anyone heard or tried melatonin with their children? i've heard it can help regulate sleep and wake cycles and also help children with attention disordersfocus in general , without the dependancy of prescription meds. any advice or stories that can help would be greatly appreciated

Answer 1

I have some opinions on this. My child has gone through some things as well. I completely support natural before medications. Melatonin can't hurt, so why not try? Also, therapy with a child therapist can't hurt. There are plenty out there who would support you on the non medicated choice. Talking things through helped us greatly. We realized that there were words we were using with him that he didn't completely understand whereas we thought he did. This was a profound realization for us and totally changed things. Good Luck!

Answer 2

My son has ADHD and I have talked with my doctor in the past about melatonin for possible sleep aids.  She really didn't want me using it unless absolutely necessary.  Melatonin is what your body produces to help aid in sleeping.  Once you start using melatonin..especially for long periods of time...your body can stop producing melatonin naturally in the levels needed.  It is also not a accurate way to treat ADHD.  Fearing your child will need to be medicated is not a reason not to get him tested.  You as the parent can choose what form of treatment is used in the end.  Doctors can suggest solutions but that does not mean you have to use them.  ADHD is a learning as well as physical learning disability that can affect home life, social life, and over all academics.  I would suggest talking with your pedicatrician about non medication forms of treatment such as diet changes.  If sleeping you believe is a concern I would suggest a sleep study which was recommended to us.  That way you know exactly what area of sleep your child is having difficulty with.  Children with ADHD do typically have issues with sleep as they have difficulty slowing down at the end of the day.  

Now...just a side note.  There is no such thing as ADD anymore..It is alwasy referred to now as ADHD. There are different forms of ADHD.

ADHD with hyperactivity

ADHD without hyperativity

ADHD with impulsive behavior

ADHD combination (meaning you will typically have a combination of two types..for instance my child has ADHD with hyperactivity and impulsive behavior)

There are many forms of medication that can be used if that is something you choose to use...if course he even has it.  There are non stimulant meds and stimulants.  I have found that stimulants such as concerta...at the lowest dose possible based on his weight standards..work best for my son.  He has "drug holidays" meaning I take him off of meds during vacations, summers and weekends unless he is having a special occasion needing him to pay attention for long periods of time.  The drug holidays help to keep his tolerance levels down so we don't have to increase meds frequently.  It also takes away the possible chemical dependency concern.  

My experience has been that once I got my son accurately diagnosed and found the right treatment methods for him he was much happier and much more succesful in his daily life.  It can very hard on these children as the general population is just not educated enough on what ADHD really is.  

Like I said early though..there are different ways to try and treat ADHD.  I personally have found that a strict schedule, daily physical activity such as sports, a good diet, school modifications to class work and medication have greatly improved my son's life.  Your son may be different and the only way you will know is to get him accurately diagnosed by a specialist in the area of behavioral med.

**EDIT** to your additional info.  I had the same issue with my son early on.  I found that I couldn't just yell something to another room and have that work.  I have to physically go up to him and make sure he is looking at me before I give him instructions.  I would also make sure when you are trying to communicate with him that there not be any other competting noise such as tv.

Answer 3

Just because a person has Add/Adhd doesn't mean they have to take drugs. I have it and all i do is stay away from sugar and red food coloring.