Hi Michelle;

I've spoken to so many parents in similar situations and I know it can be extraordinarily difficult, frustrating and overwhelming. I don't actually see anything in your comment that I disagree with (I don't at the moment see either the article or the other comment so I'll try just to address what you wrote)

1. We need a WHOLE different system, one in which medication and GOOD therapy (a rarity) are fully integrated. We need this incorporated in a school system that understands people have radically different attention styles AND that we now live in a culture - really, a world - in which astonishing numbers of people -even professional writers - say their attention is so impaired they can barely finish a book chapter much less a whole book.

2. having said that, we also have to deal with the world we live in. I NEVER EVER suggest someone should NOT have medication. Never. But, I always try to find resources so that a child who seems to need medication can get adequate training as well. (as I wrote in the above point, even adequate, much less good training, can be VERY hard to find.

3. You're the parent of your child but you also have many many other things in your life to contend with (which probably are also not made available in the best form possible!). So it's terrible and unfair enough to deal with a system that has such limited resources for your child, but on top of this, you have to become expert in ADHD and contend with everything else in your life. Totally unfair!

The intent of my original comment was just to caution people who fall into the now widespread belief in biological causation, that the best neurological research shows that the brain is just infinitely more variable, changeable than commonly thought, and nowhere near as subject to some kind of rigid genetic causation as people think.

This means, whatever medication is necessary for your child now, please don't let the many other non drug means of improving attention fall by the wayside (it is a vast array of possibilities, including diet, many forms of exercise, sleep, mindfulness - yes, it's been proven to be a valuable component of a full program), increased social connections, some kind of service activities (yep, even for young children) and much more

Mental health has held as an ideal since the late 1977s the idea that there should be a "bio psycho social" component to all treatment - but in practice you rarely see this.

I'm glad you have found a medication regime that is helpful; i hope over the years (no pressure!) some help arrives to offer you more possibilities - there are a great deal.

Best of luck to you and your child and your whole family.