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Author:
Angie Dixon

I should start by saying my ADHD son is only ten, and the battle might start in earnest at any point, but so far we have not had major conflicts over taking his ADHD medicine. Twice he's spit it out, both times within about a month at about 8.5 years old. Both times I invoked some mild punishment and sat him down for a talk, and it hasn't happened since.

I have some tips that I think have helped in our house, and might help you with ADHD medicine routine problems.

1. Make sure your ADHD child knows what the medicine does. My son sometimes asks, when he's having a bad day, "Have I had my medicine today?" He knows the medicine controls his ADHD impulsivity and distractability and helps him focus and be sociable. We've discussed this many times, in varying degrees of complexity, since he started ADHD medicine four years ago.

2. Have a routine. My son takes his ADHD medication when he brushes his teeth and before he puts on his shoes to go to school. We never forget it on a school day, because we have a routine. We even remember on Sunday, because we get up for church. But on Saturday, look out! His dad steps in and helps on weekends, because he knows I can't remember my own medication without a routine, let alone someone else's. Routine is key.

3. Have a rule. My ADHD son WILL take his medication. If he decides to try to fool me and spit it out, I will take away a privilege. If it happens a second time, I will take away two privileges simultaneously, and they will be gone longer. And so on. Deliberately not taking his ADHD medication has only been an issue twice when he decided to test me. I stood my ground, and it hasn't been an issue since.

If your ADHD child knows the medication helps, he will be less likely to avoid taking it. A routine helps prevent forgetting. And a rule makes it easier to enforce taking ADHD medication.

Angie Dixon is a writer and ADHD mom of an ADHD son, Jack. For a free report on helping your ADHD son, see Angie's site "That's My Son!" at http://www.Raising-the-ADHD-boy.com

| Article Keywords: ADHD News

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to ADHD News... Research Shows... Facts About ADHD There are a lot of theories about ADHD, and a few of them are actually based in fact. I recently ran across some information from the National Institutes of Mental Health that I found really interesting. First off, brain imaging using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) actually shows differences between the brains of kids with ADHD and kids without ADHD. There also does seem to be a sugar link in ADHD, but not what many people suspect. In adults with ADHD, the areas of the brain that control attention use less glucose and appear less active than the brains of people without ADHD. Research also shows a genetic link in ADHD, though it's still not clear exactly what causes Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. What is clear is that children who have ADHD usually have at least one close relative with ADHD. At least one-third of fathers with ADHD have an ADHD child. What's even more convincing is that it seems to run in twin pairs--if one identical twin has ADHD, the other usually does, too. In fact, I know a pair of identical twins with ADHD. Their mother has her hands full, I can tell you! The final interesting point I found in the ADHD research from NIMH was that studies of young children (ages 7 to 9) show that ADHD medication is more effective than behavioral therapies alone in controlling the "core symptoms" of ADHD-- inattention, hyperactivity/impulsiveness, and agression. When it came to ADHD-related anxiety, school performance and social skills, the combination of ADHD medications and behavioral therapy was more effective than either alone. It should be noted that behavioral therapy for ADHD was successful, just that it was more successful when combined with medication, according to these studies. You can read the ADHD research summary I'm referring to...