Looking for support among those who have children with ADHD and or ODD . Having a child with either is very stressful and you feel alone b/c no one understands what daily life is like if their child does not have these issues.
2 Hearts
Welcome to Supportgroups, please keep sharing with us so we my learn more about these types of disorders. I've lived around ADHD w/my husband of 19yrs. & more disorders but can you explain more on ODD???
Thank you for your kindness & experience.
Take care of you.
April
Hi April
In children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), there is an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that seriously interferes with the youngster’s day to day functioning.
Symptoms of ODD may include:
Frequent temper tantrums
Excessive arguing with adults
Often questioning rules
Active defiance and refusal to comply with adult requests and rules
Deliberate attempts to annoy or upset people
Blaming others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior
Often being touchy or easily annoyed by others
Frequent anger and resentment
Mean and hateful talking when upset
Spiteful attitude and revenge seeking
1 Heart
Hi! My daughter was just diagnosed wtih ADHD and potentially ODD. I am devestated and scared and confused and have no one to turn to to help me figure out how to deal with this. I picked up the RX today but getting her to swallow a pill maybe damn near impossible. We also haven’t talked to her yet about the diagnosis. Any tips would be extremely helpful.
Interesting, he's been doing that all his life from the pieces of the puzzle I've gotten/experienced/seen first hand & from his family hummmmm, very enlightening, please continue sharing on your experiences/findings as you gain ground/wisdom w/this.
WOW
April
Aprilc, welcome to Support Groups, how old is your daughter???? You do have alot of options here to explore & advice/support to assist your daughter & help ease your fears of being overwhelmed/exhausted by this disorder. Have you asked the doctor to assist on helpful advice for given her medication? Outside of sneaking it in something??????? My thoughts are w/you as you learn/experience how to deal w/this & please keep talking w/us so others can learn by your personal experience.
April
My son has had ADHD since Kindergarten, he is now in 5th grade. My daughter since 4th grade and is now in 9th grade. My big problem is in the evening after medicine has worn off. It is a constant battle and has me very frustrated and worn out.
@Jules31 Have you ever tried Melotonin? this is an over the counter supplement that assists with sleeping, however with ADHD children and those with some other disorders it assists when the medication wears off with slowing them down a little. It comes in 3 or 4 doses and you can adjust it yourself for what helps your child, and is completely natural. Talk to your Doctor to be certain, however my sons Dr recommended it, and it really does help a lot for the evening, as well as with the quality of sleep that he gets. Just a suggestion for you, I know that you posted this a while ago, but still thought I would pass along the information. 
I have a son who was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 5. He is now 13. He has been on every medication, but, cannot take anything because he is extremely sensitive to medications and has even had tics from them. He has had many labels over the years besides ADHD such as ODD and even low IQ. I had to take him out of school because of his behavior. I have been homeschooling him for 7 yrs. It is hard and sometimes embarrassing to deal with some of the things he does. He has multiple tantrums a day. You are not alone. I am happy to talk with you anytime.
Stephanie
My son was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD about 1yr1/2 ago and it had been a very hard road for me he is 10yrs old and always in trouble at school and home. I feel overwhelmed at times
My son was diagnosed with ADHD and Bipolar Disorder at age 8. He had multiple hospitalizations and was put in special ed at school. I used to have to spend the entire evening helping him to get his homework done. It was embarrassing to take him out in public because of his mood swings and oppositional behaviors. I always dreaded the phone calls from school as well. I was a single parent trying to deal with all this. His father was opposed to any kind of intervention which made treatment even harder to obtain. I got him hooked up with a behavioral specialist and a pediatric psychiatrist. It took a long time (he is now 20 and doing quite well) to get the right mix of diet and medications but I feel we have somewhat of a solution now.
It's not easy raising a behaviorally challenged child. My son wasn't able to be mainstreamed at school but we were fortunate that our school district has an excellent behavioral special ed department. I don't know what I would have done without their help. He was able to graduate high school on time. One teacher early on had told us that he would never graduate. My prayers go out to all of you that struggle with this.
Cathy
Wows! I am moved by all of the posts and am glad I found a site to gain information. Our son, who has always been willfull and impulsive and difficult, but not really defiant, has been having problems since beginning Kindergarten. He attended a child dev. center that he loved. He had a lot of friends and was close to all his teachers. When he then had to go to a school (he turned 6 late Sept. so he had a late start Kinder as it is) for Kinder, he started acting out. He has been diagnosed with ADHD (mainly impulsivity)/anxiety, superior IQ in verbal/cognition/memory, but low on visual/processing and fine-motor and poss ODD. He is challenging and disruptive at home usually acting silly though will usually, with goading, do as told. Great usually in public, with friends, playdates, birthday parties, as long as he is interested in the activity. We spend hours at bookstores, library, even coffee shops where he draws, plays or reads. It is at school where he loses it! We will be starting our 3rd school in January. We tried to very "artsy" schools, one private, thinking they would "get" our son and he would fit in. All he talks about is his old school. Now, since we just can't really afford the private school, especially when they call me to pick him up due to a tantrum and I can't get any work done!! So, we will go the public school route and are looking into meds. He is VERY sensitive to meds - as am I - and I am so worried that they won't be effective. Any advice. I would love to know if anyone has a child similar and what meds have worked......all the holistic in the world hasn't and we are working on behavior, he has therapy, etc.
hi i have a 5 year old son who has adhd and he been on meds since he was 4 and we are still have proble with him with lister to me and not being behaving and he has a mad at time and like to hit and i dont know what to do
Jasmine, keep life at home very scheduled for him otherwise he will become more frustrated & do talk w/counselors for any guidance/advice they may offer that can be useful for your situation & your childs needs. Am hopeful you have some assistance or family members that can give you a much needed break once in a while so you dont become too overwhelmed.
Take care of you.
April
I am so relieved to know that I am finally not alone in dealing with my son who is 7 and has ADHD and ODD . No one understands the stress and heartache I feel for him , he is bullied at school , has tantrums at school and at home and I don't know what to do to help him . Does anyone know if there are school's for kids with ADHD and ODD for kids of my son's age . I have done some research and found schools for teens and summer camps for kids my son's age but nothing for the school year . I am becoming depressed b/c it's getting worse every year , I want my son to be happy and to succeed in life but I don't know how to help him with this . He has little self esteem and struggles with school , can someone please tell me what I should do ? I have him on meds which he hates and I hate giving him , he sees a child psychologists , i have him in a karate / boxing class to help build his self esteem , i get him tutored twice a week . NOTHING IS HELPING ,HELP !!
Steph
Wow all these children are already ahead of the game because they have mothers that are reaching out to other mothers dealing with the same problems. I am proof that your children will make it was diagnosed with adhd at 5 now i am 46 still on medication but now i have a 11 and 12 year and am happily married for over 13 years
Dreamfire , how did your parents help you with ADHD ? What worked for you ? I worry that as my son grows older that he will not want to take his medication , it is already a battle. I am becoming increasingly depressed b/c my son is regressing . At 7 he is having tantrums , hard to be around b/c he is so disrespectful . I am a stay at home mom and have dedicated my life to raising my 2 kids but I feel like I am failing with him . Talking to him doesn't work , punishment doesn't work so I am left wondering how to reach him . I can handle the insane energy of ADHD but it's the ODD . My marriage is suffering as well b/c were so stressed . I LOVE MY SON BUT I AM SOOO FEARFUL FOR HIS FUTURE . If anyone knows where to turn for help in reagards to ODD please share with me . Thanks !
I feel like I could write the second verse to most of this... My grandson is ADHD and ODD... We've been thru hell and are just now coming up for air. His parents both work and he was in Daycare from the time he was 6 weeks old and was written off as a "bad kid" from the time he began showing signs of "bad behavior".
Later when he was diagnosed, his parents (and I'm guilty also) fought medications (wrong move). He began school and was "labeled" the BAD SEED... and DUMB.. He went thru K and lst grade with this label. Finally almost thru the 2nd grade the kids moved to TX and in with me (I'm a widow with a BIG house and live in the country). We put him in school up here and I talked to the teacher and we also put him on meds..
The teacher gave him positive reinforcement and he responded - The ODD was still there and is still with us, but when he entered school here, they were going to hold him back a grade because he was failing in his old school. By the time school was out he was making "A"s and they passed him. He's been on the "A" honor roll this past year and is at the top of his class - he made 100 on the Math TAKS - needless to say - his IQ is very high - but his social behavior SUCKS...
What April said about routine and diet is "right on". Since the kids moved up here, he's been on pretty much a routine and responds much better - the violence has calmed down - but still flares up when he's criticized about anything...
I have a "dog training" book that I refer to often (don't laugh - I use it on the 18 mo old brother also as well as the dogs)... Praise and postive reinforcement for "good" - and lots of "hugs"
And yes, this takes a BIG toll on the family of an ADHD child (not to mention the ODD), but with patience it can be handled. But the child needs to know he/she has the support of the parent/grandparent and the teachers need to be aware of the problem. But don't let the child take CONTROL... YOU are the grown-up... reinforce this... or he/she will take control and it's hard to get it back..
Hugs Granny
My son has ADHA, ODD AND OCD. Some days I feel as though I can't help him with his anger, his demands, some nites we can go for hours with him throwing a fit. My husband & I are so beside ourselves, because we don't know what to do to help him. We have Wrap around services in our home 5 days a week. While the wrap around member are at our home he is fine, but as soon as they leave he starts with his demands, yelling, screaming, telling us he doesn't love us and wants to leave. He is only 8 yrs old and I feel he has gone through so much, but there seems to be nothing we as parents can do to help him. Please any suggestions.
Gina
Very interesting experiences, and very brave of you all to share them. My son was diagnosed with ADD at 14 years (after a police altercation). This was after years of being told by a Christchurch Christian School Principle that he was choosing to be disrespectful, disruptive and a non completer of anything. "A failure by choice" the principle said, and yet the same boy at 8 was reading and comprehending at a 14 yr old level? The last conversation with this man was me telling him "I have done all you've suggested over the years with my boy, the only thing left to take away from him is my love and I'm not taking that away for you or anyone! Unfortunately I had exposed this wee boy to 5 years of this christian man. From there the nightmare continued as his history followed him from school to school (via phone calls) of course he developed coping strategies to deal with these grown ups (we were supposed to trust)which just compounded his educational journey. Anyway at the ripe old age of 14 we took him out of school because we had lost faith in teachers and educational systems, a shame because this lad was installing car radios at 11 yrs. Why am I telling you this? Because this is a story of a mothers love, don't give up! If you keep them interested and active in whatever they are good at (generally very bright kids) and be consistant with boundaries and what ever you do don't take what they say personally. Kids with ADD/ADHD may be risk takers and agumentitive but they usually have very big hearts and once they've had time to reflect on whats been said or done theyre sorry. They will always do the barking, biting, snapping know everything speach first but thats the disorder. Please parents don't give up faith and get all the support you can so that yours and their world becomes your normal not a dictation of someone elses. Surround yourself with positive input and walk away from judgements and negativity.My son is working reliable and evan has a girlfriend, he still has ADD but manages it.
Go in peace my ADD/ADHD family!