Anyone's child with ADHD, Tic disorder, and learning disability?

My son is 8 years old and is in 3rd grade. I'm afraid he may not even pass 3rd grade. He has been having trouble with school since kindergarten. Finally, in 2nd grade (with the urging of his teachers), I put him on Ritalin. He still seem distractable but not as bad. Now in 3rd grade, the doctor recommended Adderall, so I put him on that one instead. His attention span is not good and he now has motor tics (not due to the drugs) and he's having problems with math and reading comprehension which are signs of a learning disability. I am waiting on a referral to a neurologist. Until then, does anyone want to share their experiences and the outcome?

Its so important to have a formal diagnoses to insure he gets the best educational supports, the sooner these are in place the better the outcome.

Also is he receiving any classroom support e.g teachers aide etc, and does he have a Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)?


My daughter has ADHD, ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) and Dyslexia, all diagnosed in grade 3 over a space of 6 months. I had to push after a teacher said my daughter needed a bomb lit under her, we eventually moved her to another smaller school, they were wonderful in organizing for further testing, and trying to get some sort of support for put in place for her, if some what limited.

She was on Ritalin, which we found very helpful in her being able to focus a little better, and sit still for more than two minutes. In her words to the pediatrician after being on Ritalin for a two weeks "I can think better, all the noise in my head has gone".

We also used diet and behavioural management to help control her, because we would only give her the Ritalin through the school term, (Dr's suggestion), as she is a very tiny, and Ritalin affected her wanting to eat.

As a young teen she refused to take the medication, as it was not cool to take medication at school, (school policy was students had to go to the school nurse to take their medication). We agreed to let her not take it, but under an agreement that if she started struggle with focusing etc, then she would have to start taking the Ritalin again.
Thankfully she did not have to take the medication again.

We also made sure the high school focused on the dyslexia, after year 7 (first year of high school) I rarely told the teachers she had ADHD, ODD, because of the way some teachers treated her, (they made assumptions she was very naughty, disruptive etc), when and if they did find out they were stunned, as she was a polite, caring and diligent student.

She learnt a lot from the teachers who were prepared to support and help her, and they learnt a lot about dyslexia and how to support a student with dyslexia.

Something we noted as she started puberty and still on the Ritalin, she developed a few tics, which stopped when she stopped taking the Ritalin.

She is a young adult woman (a very petite woman), she is now qualified Disability support worker, she has a uncanny knack of being able to work well with children with disabilities, they just love her. She choose this field, because "she felt as if she fitted in", and had started as a volunteer at 15, working along side me.

Just be patient with him, he is not doing this to be lazy or difficult. At least you are willing to try medications, so many parents don't want to try them because they are afraid their child will become a drug addict, but the truth is, they are more likely to become drug addicts later in life because their self esteem is so low and they feel worthless and unsuccessful. Finding the right doctor and the right medications or treatments is the whole key, you are on the right track. Learning disabled students can become successful in school and in life with proper guidance. I teach middle school special ed.

My son has all three as well as Asperger's and a number of medical conditions. I would suggest changing meds as they may be causing the tics. It won't hurt to try a different med. When my son was put on meds, his tics which had already been diagnosed, became significantly worse. I suggest becoming much more proactive at school. If your son does not have an IEP insist that he get one. Ask the school to test him for learning disabilities, they cannot deny you, its your right according to federal law.
I have learned a lot about the education, especially special education system. From my experiences, most schools will do the minimum for your child. You may think that they are doing a good job because you do not know all that they should be doing. Educate yourself. Check out the website wright's law.com. Also go to the library and read up about special education law. Become an outstanding advocate for your son. If you need help, find an advocacy group in your area.
Good Luck and if you need any help feel free to e-mail me.

My nephew has ADHD, and he is on medication. When he was little, his mother refused to get him tested for a learning disability because often...adhd children do have them. We finally had him tested in 3rd grade and learned that he reads a straight line as a wave, which makes following along in class very difficult, because the words are not where they should be for him to read. We gave him a book mark and showed him how to slide it along underneath the sentences, so he could keep his spot.

Now, at 13 he is doing much better. He isn't a straight a student, but the school and his teachers are working with him and teaching him according to his needs.

My suggestion: Second opinion. Medicating everything doesn't fix the problem. See a specialist and get the ball rolling with his education. Falling behind can hurt their future, so just be dilligent and don't give in.
Good luck

My niece developed tics and it was due to the medication. Are you sure that you have ruled out that possibility?

Third grade is a very common time for a lot of the learning disabilities to really become detectable. My school district has a special education department that has special classes for students with learning disabilities. The important thing is to keep working with your doctors to help resolve the medication issue.

Now, for a different outlook. I once suffered from some severe allergies and was at the dr's office getting some testing done. I was put in a room with several other people, one a little girl about 5 years old. The mother requested a private testing room for the child, but the nurse reassured her that all was ok. The mother explained that the food sensitivities the child had would cause her behavior to change. I watched this child change from a kid sitting on the floor dressing and playing with a Barbie doll to one who could not control her coordination, get extremely frustrated, temper tantrums, etc. There is a lot of research being done as to how food allergies can affect the chemistry in a child's brain and the ability to learn.

I work in a Special Ed unit with children like yours. They are not multi-handicapped, but they may need extra time for assignments or smaller classrooms. I have seen the effect the medications have on children and it does help a lot of them. I have also witnessed the frustration children feel when they deal with the tiredness, weight gain, headaches, and other side effects. I would say to pursue every avenue that you can to help your child.