in ADHD, Autism, & Special Needs Support

8 Year Old - Started ADHD Meds

Hello there! My son is 8 years old and has been diagnosed with ADHD and ASD level 3 in social communication and level 3 in restrictive and repetitive behaviours. His ADHD in particular has been interfering with his education and learning while at school, putting him significantly behind compared to his peers and endangering himself and others around him with risk taking behaviours. Due to these factors, his paediatrician gave me and his teacher assessments to determine if medication was an appropriate treatment to aide him in the classroom setting. Upon reviewing the information provided, she determined that he would benefit from a stimulant medication to assist him in the classroom and improve his education and behaviours. After his health checks, she has placed him on the short release Ritalin. Since he has started on the medication, aside from common side effects, he has been overly emotional, crying over everything and anything. But his focus and ability to participate in the classroom has significantly improved. I’m wondering if this is normal for children on this medication with the over emotional state or if it’s a negative side effect for my son. If anyone else is on this same journey or has similar experiences, I’d appreciate your story or advice! Thank you. 🙏

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So I’m autistic and have ADHD… and i personally haven’t medicated myself before but I have heard from my peers that what happens sometimes when ADHD meds kick in it calms down the adhd but then the autism kinda affects us so much more sensory wise… it’s kinda why a lot of audhd people sometimes have misdiagnosis because the adhd hides the autism and the autism hides the adhd… so when you medicate the adhd… you are dealing with autism traits being a lot more visible… and that’s what that sounds like… and i would not be concerned about him keeping up with his peers… that’s kind of a ableist sentiment… he’s disabled… most of his peers are probably not disabled… autistics have an 85% unemployment rate… we can’t keep up in the school system very well… it’s why I homeschool my kids… most public schools aren’t equipped or educated properly on autism because there is a lot of misinformation out there…

@Lyss, I am Australian based and the schools are provided with funding to support children with disabilities or additional needs in the classroom setting. His education to me, is important and while I know that he’ll be behind, seeing him improve even if it’s slightly makes me proud of him. The teachers have specialised goals for him to hopefully reach by the end of each term. They also pair students with same learning levels in the classroom so there is no pressure for the students. I had a feeling that it was more his ASD traits coming through and being more noticeable. So, I appreciate your own journey and experiences that you shared.

Oof this is a tough one. ADHD meds pretty much always come with side effects and I can imagine for someone with ADHD and autism. The side effects could be worse for that individual. It’s already pretty bad with just ADHD so add the autism and to me that would probably heighten the side effects. I really can’t answer if you should stop the medicine for your child or not it’s a hard thing to answer, What’s more important is education or his comfort. They are both important and it sucks that there isn’t a med that will help in the classroom but also not mess with your comfort and emotional state. I would suggest keep seeing how it goes. If the side effects don’t start to subside then stop but if you notice they are then keep trying. I hope this helps.💗