Is It Time for Medication for My 5-Year Old?

I have one who cries and rages all day. It's nuts. I did full-day school b/c of it, and he is fine there.

No meds, and w/o school we'd go nuts!! He simply can't get along with the sibs and rages @ everything at home.

At school, he shines.

if you have given counselors and therapy a good faith effort and have put to use some of the tips the counselors have given.. and his behavior is not improving..

then I would try medication.. it is only a trial. you might find it makes him worse.. or makes no difference.. or it might really help.. but you wont know until you try.. and if after a reasonable time it doesn't help. then stop.. it is nto a lifetime decision..

I'm confused, what kind of medication are you talking about? Doctors don't prescribe meds for kids for poor behavior, they need to have a medical or neurological condition that warrants it.
If you think he has ADD/HD you need to get him evaluated. Get a referral from your pediatrician and/or ask the school to evaluate him. Don't wait on this, start the process now.
You're putting the car before the horse. First you need to find out what's "wrong" with your son THEN you can figure out an appropriate treatment.

So what does the psychologist say? Has he been tested for anything? Medication may be helpful but that can't happen until you get an actual diagnosis.
You need to name the "disease" before you can prescribe the treatment.
If the psychologist isn't helping then look for a new one.
I've offered help (local resources) to you in the past but until you respond to me directly there's not much more I can offer.
~Orinda mom

Has he been fully evaluated? Have you?

What are his diagnoses?

What are your diagnoses?

Would you please clarify if he has a specific diagnosis, and, if so, what that diagnosis is?

It sounds like he should be evaluated, at least. His behavior is destructive and is affecting his life. Patty is wrong- just because he can play on the ipad doesn't mean he is " capable of behaving" and is choosing not to. Any parent with a child who has ADHD knows that ADHDers can often hyperfocus-you should see my two ADHDers (hubby and daughter)-they can quietly play video games for HOURS!

Our little guy was on half a pill of Ritalin in the morning another half at noon by the time he started Pre-K. It was a miracle drug.

I suggest you do this. Get a prescription of Ritalin, it's $4 at Walmart so it's NOT expensive like so many of the other drugs. Plus it's been around just about the longest and it has a good track record.

We have no side effects except loss of appetite. He sometimes just does not eat a meal. I'm okay with that because he's not gaunt. He's normal size for a kid. It also is completely out of his system by the time he gets out of school. It does not build up and stay. It's gone in a few hours.

Hopefully he'll start out with half a dose like our little guy did. IF there is a difference then it's a good drug for him to do.

Try it, if there is a difference then you know it's beneficial to him. I can't say he won't have side effects because every med does different in others. So do watch for side effects but hopefully you won't see any.

Have you had a long chat with your son about how you want to help him have more effective communication patterns? is he a young 5? I knew/know lots of impulsive, easily frustrated and aggressive young 5's. There is a impulsiveness to that age that is scary. I'm not saying your son might not have a problem, but I am saying that all of those behaviors are normal to some extent in 5s. It's a big emotion age.

My daughter is now 5.5 and she has stopped being impulsive, aggressive and so frustrated. But just 6 months ago I was thinking she needed meds! I talked to her a few times about helping her deal more effectively with the world, and we came up with a plan. One aspect of it was that if she pinches or hurts, she lost computer time for a week. It didn't take long for her to stop engaging in that behavior. With the frustration thing, I ignored it, and we worked on taking big breaths and calming down. In fact, whenever she starts up about anything, she is told to take a deep breath. if she isn't' calm, then she has to go to her room until she is calm.

My daughter spit on someone the other day, after being hit. This is the first time she has done that! This isn't a sign they need meds. It's a sign they are young kids still learning how to use words and handle conflict.

I have zero tolerance, and like I said, she loses computer time. If the Ipad is his currency, then have a talk with him about his behavior, what you expect, ask him how you can help him learn different ways to communicate, and then take away the Ipad. Some kids still need us to give them words when they are 5. They are impulsive, but we can help them learn to take a breath and do something other than pinch or hit. Meds don't give them new skills. It sounds like he need some new communication tools in his bag.

Also, you need to really fill his bucket: Pay attention to what you want more of, ignore negative behavior unless he is hurting someone --send him to his room if his mood is negative. If he refuses to go to his room, you calmly count to 5, at 5, he loses Ipad time. (of course tell him this before you do it). You need to encourage positive behavior. if he doesn't' have chores, give him some. Crumb duty is a big one in my house, this builds confidence. Let him put away his own clothes, the dishes....when he complains, you say, "go to your room until you are ready to do X." After a few days, he will just do it.

I have a long list of books I found helpful. Taking Charge, If I have to Tell you One More Time, Setting Limits with your strong willed child, Easy to Love and Hard to Discipline. and then How to Talk so your kids will listen and parent effectiveness training, etc.

I tell you all of this because if I took my child to school, I have no doubt she would be "labeled" with sensory processing disorder and a few other things. She cannot sit still, except when she really loves something. She is constant movement, because her brain is literally firing that fast. So, instead of seeing your child with a problem, maybe you should see you child as special. Give him the benefit of the doubt, watch for the good, ignore the bad, and encourage, encourage, encourage. Focus on a few behaviors you want to change, and then put all your energy into giving him the skills to learn these behaviors. if, after a 6-12 months, nothing improves, then see a Doctor about meds. But like I said above, meds don't teach how to handle conflict. Meds don't teach what to do instead of pinching. Only YOU can teach him that. And since he already has a child psychologist that hasn't put him on meds, then I'm thinking he doesn't need them right now.

Also, does he have a thing? something he loves to do besides the Ipad? We got my daughter in Judo. It's working wonders on her. They run laps, she gets to bounce around pads wildly and get all that energy out in a safe and encouraging environment. I highly, highly recommend Judo. Unlike some of the other martial arts, the kids aren't lined up and taught discipline. Instead, the kids are worked hard and allowed to wrestle. My daughter goes 2-3 times a week, and I see a marked improvement in her behavior all around. I'm also seeing an improvement in her overall listening skills. You might want to give this a try. Have hubby take him. This special time with daddy is also helping.

i don't know sweetie, such a tough situation. Prior to becoming a mom I never thought I would ever give a kids meds, almost like I was being judgemental of the moms who DID give their kids meds....BUT....I watch my friend's two chidren VERY frequently, they're 5 and 7. Both of the kids have either ADD or ADHD dx, not sure which sorry. Anyway, the 7 yr old has been on meds since I've known him and you can definitely tell if he hasn't had his meds, he's unruly. Impulsive to say the least, destructive, hurtful, I mean, very hard to handle. The 5 yr old just started kinder this year and although she's a lot of fun and free spirited, she just couldn't/wouldn't sit still or follow my directions in my home. She would do bad things, not even out of malice, just pure carelessness, of course some of that could be her parenting...idk...Anyway, they of course started noticing probs in her behavior at school. She got in trouble 3-4x/wk. Bless her heart....anyway, her mom took her to get eval'd and she was given one medication, not sure what that is either, sorry. But now she is actually sitting still in school and getting a "green" almost daily (green meaning best behavior i think). Anyway, long story made long (sorry!), I can SEE how these meds are needed for these two children. Mom & dad of these two have ADD of some kind and I make no judgement on them whatsoever. They back off the meds on wknds and summer as far as I know. It's not as terrible as some ppl sometimes act like it is. You now your kid best and you know you're not just trying to zombie him out, so to speak.....JMHO :)
Good luck

My daughter started at 5 and honestly I wish they would have listened to me and started it sooner. Some people have an imbalance in their brain that medication helps. Whoever says anything obviously knows nothing about add/adhd.good luck

Um if he is capable of sitting with an iPad because he likes it, then he is capable of behaving. He just sounds like he needs a structured environment. Remember,be he is capable of sitting when he wants to!

What sort of medication? What is the diagnosis?

I would look into changing his diet. There is plenty of evidence that certain food/chemicals can affect our behavior. Maybe he has diabetes. I read once that most of the people in mental hospitals have sugar imbalances. Read on how sugar/high fructose can really do some damage. Ask someone who is diabetic how there mood is when there sugar is off?

Before you start medication look at his diet. Check out the autisim diet it can be helpful even if the child is not, removing dairy, gluten, red dyes etc can cause a major change in your child's behavior.

The occupational therapist should be giving your son an outlet for this rough behavior. It sounds like he has a lot of big feelings that he doesn't know how to express. Is there something you could put him in like karate or gymnastics to use up all that extra physical energy?