non-medication methods to manage ADHD

I personally wouldn't try to change her meds until she had been in the home at least a month or two. With everything else in her life changing she needs time to adjust and settle in before potentially losing control of herself. Also, you need to get past the honeymoon stage and know her well enough to know her triggers and 'tells' so you can know how best to help her. My 6 yr old is on ADHD meds for school. I know him well enough that I can see him losing control and pull him back, help him refocus and go on with his day. There are times at home when I give him his meds because I KNOW its going to be a day he will have trouble (usually if we will be in an overly stimulating environment like the fair, the zoo or the childrens museum)

I personally don't think it would be a good idea to take her off meds right away. She is going to be stressed out enough dealing with the transition to a new home and bonding with new family members. If you really want to try taking her off the meds I would wait until she has settled in and you feel she is bonded and well attached to you. I do know that for true ADHD kids caffeine helps calm them when they start getting too wired. A Mountain Dew or Dr. Pepper can be a big help. I have heard of some parents giving a small amount of coffee to their ADHD kids instead of meds. This would have the opposite effect on non ADHD kids. That is a good indicator of whether a kid is really ADHD or not. Also, Abilify is commonly used as a mood stabilizer. There could be something else going on besides the ADHD there. One of my kids take that for aggresive behaviours, destructive tantrums and such. You might want to question why she is on that. Good luck to you! It is so exciting to add to your family! Wishing you good things to come!

There are lots of non-medication ways to deal with ADHD. They helped my dd, but it was not enough. We still need the medication. I always recommend trying non-medication routes first. However, this little girl is on some pretty strong medications. Sometimes, foster kids, or even kids not in foster kids, are prescribed medications because it is easier then the work involved in non-medication management. That is not always the case, however. I agree with everyone who has said to take this slow. Let her transition first, then think about the meds. You need a doctor who will try lowering the dose of one at a time. It needs to be a gradual process. You can google, ADHD and non-medication. There are lots of suggestions including using caffeine, occupational therapy to deal with underlying sensory issues, counseling and behavior modification techniques, keeping the kids very active, or in some cases changing the environment to suit the child's personality rather then the child to suit the environment. Many kids at my daughter's school are able to stop taking ADHD medication just because they in a school where wiggling, moving, and being active in encouraged rather then considered a problem. There a lots of avenues to try, but be aware Abilify is not a medication used frequently for ADHD. Find out why she is taking that. Don't do anything at first, and then make changes slowly.

Thank you all so much for your input. I would not just stop her meds...I asked the CW many questions but she didn't really seem to have details....or willing to share them. I hope to get to know her for a while and let her integrate into our family before making any changes, and only then with the help of her therapist. I have no experience with this and am a little nervous. She arrives at 2pm tomorrow and we are all exited to meet her.

Something you may consider, even possibly in addition to the ADHD meds if necessary, is whether or not she has sensory problems, which often look much the same as what you would see with with ADHD. The "out of sync child" is an excellent book that would give a lot of insight to many foster parents I believe. I am trying to get into the foster care system, but I am also a therapist working with kids with sensory disorders.

Thank you for the resources. We are picking her up this afternoon. I will need some additional advice I'm sure! I'm told her meltdowns are unpredictable. She has been in care most of her life. She is 10. Seems strange they can't identify a trigger in the years she's been in care? We want to keep her....my DH does not even want to think about moving her ever again. I'm sure he doesn't know what he's up against....but we will try.

My kids see an integrative Developmental Pediatrician. He works with both healthy and terminally ill children. Both of my kids are on natural supplements for ADD (anxiety based). Dr. Timothy Culbert I used to work with him before we adopted our youngest son. [url=http://www.ridgeviewmedical.org/services/pediatric-integrative-medicine/]Pediatric Integrative Med. | Ridgeview Medical Center[/url] You could contact him to inquire if he knows of any colleagues that live in your area. He is one who will prescribe and/or recommend both conventional medicine or natural based options depending on the parents wishes and what he feels is the best choice for the child. I agree with the other posters that you should wait before making any changes. Your daughter will be going through many adjustments. When my son came home he was 11 months old and wow we had some major issues crop up after 2 months (honeymoon period was over). Change is hard for our kiddos who have been through so much change in their young lives. If you want further information feel free to contact me. -Joan

I wanted to mention that this post hits home. Our youngest son has Sensory Integration issues and sees a a reflexology OT. He truly would be thought to be ADHD. His issues stem from not being allowed to crawl as a baby. He is always bouncing off things, has aversions to certain sounds and pitches, refuses to wear certain fabrics, and is in constant motion... too name just a few of his challenges. His tantrums can sometimes be overwhelming and scary to witness. Once you have a chance to adjust do seek out an OT. THe one I see does her work based on [url=http://masgutovamethod.com/]Svetlana Masgutova Educational Institute[/url]Best wishes for a calm transition. Thanks for opening your hearts to a child in need. God Bless.

[Something you may consider, even possibly in addition to the ADHD meds if necessary, is whether or not she has sensory problems, which often look much the same as what you would see with with ADHD. The "out of sync child" is an excellent book that would give a lot of insight to many foster parents I believe. I am trying to get into the foster care system, but I am also a therapist working with kids with sensory disorders.] I wanted to mention that this post hits home. Our youngest son has Sensory Integration issues and sees a a reflexology OT. He truly would be thought to be ADHD. His issues stem from not being allowed to crawl as a baby. He is always bouncing off things, has aversions to certain sounds and pitches, refuses to wear certain fabrics, and is in constant motion... too name just a few of his challenges. His tantrums can sometimes be overwhelming and scary to witness. Once you have a chance to adjust do seek out an OT. THe one I see does her work based on [url=http://masgutovamethod.com/]Svetlana Masgutova Educational Institute[/url] Best wishes for a calm transition. Thanks for opening your hearts to a child in need. God Bless.

Well, first, keep her world small. Do *not* go lots of places with her. In fact, for first few days, with exception of a good park to run off energy *perhaps*, go nowhere. Don't have a big welcome party with tons of people over. Not even after 2 weeks or a month. Mentioned because you said "we all" are eager to meet her. You may know all of that already. If not, google "keep adopted childs world small" for more detailed ideas. Try to feed her zero food dyes/food chemicals. As, plain chips, not colored and flavored. Change everyone's diet, not just hers, of course. No HFCS, small amounts of evaporated cane juice are ok. You/she need one of these, allows constant movement while in same chair:[url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FPTVFU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1376366010&sr=8-1&pi=SL75]Gymnic / Disc 'o' Sit Jr Child's Inflatable Sensory Chair Cushion:Amazon:Health & Personal Care[/url]Search "fidget toys" while there, and make it ok for her to use them. Or maybe look at together, see what looks good to her. Remember, she will be scared, and in one way, it will be as though she is one day old when she arrives. In PTSD, one reaction to fear is fight, the other two are freeze and flee. You may see any of those in her.

Ps re PTSD. Also comes with hypervigilance, checking out environment in fear. Define noises for her, as, "the basement door opening", "that's the garbage truck on the next street over," "that's the neighbor's car in driveway". And explain smells to her also. If you haven't spoken to her current caregiver, insist on getting their number so you can, phrase as to better help her. Maybe they know why or when she melts down. Hope this helps.

If a trigger cannot be identified, please consider the fact that it could be a food intolerance. Dietary intervention changed my 4 year old son's life. For SURE, without it, he would be on meds right now. Instead, he is a normal (although high energy) little boy who can function in a classroom. He has sensory issues as well. Sensory issues plus intolerance to gluten, soy, and dairy made him appear severely ADHD, ODD. I was ready to take him in to a psychiatrist for an eval and meds when he had just turned 3 because of how severe the behaviors and meltdowns were. There were no rashes on my son, no hives, nothing except extreme behavior. We hired a nutritionist who had experience in this dept, and it completely changed his life.

Thank you for all the suggestions and comments. FD is doing well and seems to fit right in and is happy. I realized this is the honeymoon periord. I wish it would last a long time :happydance: When I got all of her books I saw that she is also dx with PTSD. She is also on another med that I was not aware of at placement. I also have no experience with that dx. We will see how it goes and I hope we have a good therapist who clicks with our family as we are already getting attached to her. She is a bright, beautiful girl. She believes it's "all her fault" and it will be difficult to change her way of thinking after being in the system since 2 years old. Glad I have you all to read/ask.