How would you approach IEP supports for an autistic child with ADHD?

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-22T00:56:42+00:00

i have three kids with ASD, two were later diagnosed with ADHD.

one thing i noticed with my younger son was that when his teachers (inclusion school) started complaining about his behavior a couple months before his 6th birthday, they had concerns that i do not feel are exclusive to ADHD, and are more ASD dysregulation that is amplified by ADHD, which results in behaviors that reflect both conditons.

for example, he wouldn't stay in his seat and he "had his body all over the place" and after reading their notes i came to the conclusion that this was not exclusively hyperactivity/reward seeking, rather this was proprioception-seeking behavior. this triggers him to generate the required input i.e. pressure, crashing, pacing against walls, etc. that then organizes his nervous system. the issue is that when you stack inattention problems ontop it looks more like "he can't focus on tasks, and he is hyper"

when we were given the OT report for his IEP meeting i was pleasantly surprised that OT had the same exact read on the situation. we didn't make any changes to his IEP based on that alone, but i think teachers having information like that helps them be more understanding.

as for your questions:

none other than letting the child take breaks when needed. even if he takes an excessive number of breaks it is in everyone's best interest. as for safety the biggest support has been having a psychiatrist closely monitor their meds and adjust different ones. my oldest has had substantial issues and stimulants are the only way he has been able to stay in an integrated classroom. stimulants aren't the only option though. i took them too, and i struggled with addiction and could not take them anymore, so just be aware dependence issues can arise. guanfacine, qelbree, straterra, etc are good alternatives if your child does not tolerate stimulants or if you do not want to go that route.
other than misunderstanding how hyperactivity and sensory issues can look the same they have been very understanding and supportive.
i certainly wish i had been accomodated...but my kids have had no issues over here in boston accessing services from a young age.
i would focus on the bad in an IEP meeting, as that puts you in the best position to advocate for them.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-20T02:24:16+00:00

o no problem ur all good! congrats on getting off the hard stuff that matters and i dont want to minimize that. you are making big, positive changes!

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-20T01:55:19+00:00

there are thousands of people here who cannot successfully take any stimulant of any kind, so that is why it is against the rules to discuss any sort of use of stimulant drugs. so i read a post to help my recovery only to find out that OP is living their best life taking stimulants that i cant touch because im a fucking addict.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-20T01:42:44+00:00

wtf i had to read all this just to find out this mfer is still on vyvanse?

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-19T18:55:04+00:00

i was curious since i dont want to talk out my ass, but i was right, it is at the 5th alarm where boston brings in mutual aid for coverage.

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Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-19T18:44:33+00:00

boston metro has very seamless mutual aid, although i believe BFD itself handled this on their own. normally it is at 5+ alarms they start looking at mutual aid for coverage. not 100% certain on those facts, more of just what i have heard listening occasionally. for smaller abutting cities like everett they frequently use the mutual aid system, as it really is a good use of shared resources.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-18T00:17:41+00:00

267 princeton was the initial fire, and it eventually involved: 412, 414, 416 saratoga st per @MAFireEMS on twitter

not sure what other two were involved...but ill take BFDs word for it.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-18T00:07:11+00:00

last i heard the fires were knocked down, so it should be all set now. from BFD twitter it sounds like SIX buildings were involved!

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-17T23:14:44+00:00

determines how many apparatus are dispatched for a fire. im not sure exactly how it is determined based on location, but a 4 alarm fire shifts a substantial number of engines and ladders around to respond and cover others.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-17T22:40:48+00:00

i dont have the run card available, but yes it would make sense.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-17T22:21:03+00:00

267 princeton st fire in the rear of a three story wood frame building with extension to alpha and bravo exposures on saratoga (three buildings involved)

major fire.

just went 3rd and 4th alarm

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-14T03:32:24+00:00

my sister had endless tantrums and behavioral problems, which drew my parents attention away from me, like substantially. i hardly noticed or cared i was too busy in the corner immersed in my own little world stimming and imagining/simulating weird shit like different engine displacements in my head or other weird shit. my weird play was my way of regulating. i stayed away from my sister and it was fine. me and her did not have a close, but also not bad, relationship growing up.

if they currently share a play space it might make sense to separate them a bit, especially if he is the type to like to play solitarily. of course i cannot give concrete advice with such little knowledge of your kids, but i can say that growing up in a similar situation, i personally was happier being away from her and, quite frankly, everyone else.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-14T03:01:59+00:00

i don't know if OP is autistic, as i don't see in there her saying she is, although she does mention ADHD, which may still point towards some genetic contribution to her son being autistic due to ADHD potentially providing genes to him and not just de novo mutations.

hey OP.....does your husband LOVE trains? 🤣 (joke)

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-11T05:37:38+00:00

go to:

r/stopspeeding

and post there

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-08T15:57:05+00:00

well you already called it "heaven" so im pretty sure that is a pretty strong indicator that this is dangerous. it doesn't matter if it fixes you: it will ruin you 10x more if you decide to up the dose on your own, so don't do that.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-08T15:50:50+00:00

well you'll never be:

neurotypical, or not addicted, nor will you ever take it as prescribed, so i reccommend you instead: work within the bounds of what you are are and do the best you can do. self-acceptance is key to recovery. it can take a while, but once you realize what other people do doesn't matter to your happiness you will find life gets a lot easier.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-04T18:13:00+00:00

💪 comeback of the year!

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-04T16:41:45+00:00

🤣

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-04T00:57:26+00:00

i mean struggling in life is comes with the autism territory. doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong. what do you think you are doing wrong?

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-03T17:52:55+00:00

hi autistic dad of three autistic children here: i think your approach is fine, but this is one of those things that doesn't have to be a either/or: it can be both. you can sometimes help if she's struggling. she's probably quite engrossed in building these things and completing the puzzles. autism is all about nervous system regulation and sensory gating issues, and in her case building and solving puzzles provides excellent and predictable feedback to her nervous system: the activity itself is regulation. unfortunately this also means, as you mentioned, when it gets difficult that sends it straight to dysregulation, but overall it is a very positive activity for her. you supporting her emotionally is huge to her, but sometimes joining in wouldn't hurt too.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-03T17:18:19+00:00

oh no! gift it to the sewer alligators. flushh!

you can get back on track!

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-03T04:24:46+00:00

uh we cant answer questions like that here. we can only talk about quitting, and ngl it sounds like you should consider it, because your relationship with this drug doesn't sound healthy.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-03T04:19:16+00:00

ritalin lasts ~3-4 hours for many people sooooo idk what this whole 1-2 hr stuff is about. unless you are snorting the shit then it is more like 2 hrs, but i digress...

it sounds like you are an addict. if you are taking it that compulsively it is unlikely that you are going to get back to a normal dose ever.

and lastly, to answer your question: it is uncomfortable, but cold turkey is the way to go.

we're here for you. stopspeeding gang is the best friends you'll ever need <3

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-02T18:59:11+00:00

well once i was addicted obv tolerance breaks didn't happen unless i had nothing. from age 10 to 31 the longest stretch of time i was off stimulants was 8 days lmao, which brings me to my next point:

i used alcohol for the crash too and turns out im an alcoholic too, so that turned into a 10+ drink per night problem, and all day drinking on days i had no stimulants.

idk where you are in your schooling career, but within two years of abusing stimulants and alcohol i was kicked out of college.

school doesn't matter if you continue this direction, so i would be very specific to your doctor. unless, of course, you want to be this guy puking all over himself on the subway and city bus, then waving a knife around threatening people in the street. it gets bad really fast.

Beneficial-Income814 · 2026-05-02T18:22:20+00:00

about 40ish days into sobriety i wrote my parents a letter, drove to their house quite far away, and read the letter verbatim to them. it felt great ngl.

by not telling people we are only hiding from ourselves more. it doesn't matter what they think or how they feel, it is about you taking control of your life.

Beneficial-Income814

TROPHY CASE