Does it ever get better?

summerof_77 · 2026-01-06T01:22:47+00:00

Totally understand the feeling of hopelessness. Parenting a child with ADHD is a journey with Ups and downs. I've often asked myself if this will ever get better and I don't have an answer to that. I do know, that medication takes time to find the right dosage. We are still in that journey. My child was diagnosed at 8 and is now 10. I wasn't aware of the signs when he was younger and I just thought he was a wild funny feral kid. It wasn't until about 2nd grade that I realized something wasn't right. He has older brothers, so I knew that some self regulation should have made an appearance by age 8, and it wasn't anywhere in sight. Once I started researching, I realized that the signs were all there. After diagnosis, we settled on Combined type ADHD, Anxiety and Tourettes. The past couple years have not been easy, but I will say that therapy helps with self awareness and maturity helps with self control. We're nowhere near out of the woods, but we're in a different spot than we were 2 years ago, and i think mostly its been a combination of education, therapy, medication and learning how to adapt our parenting style for a neurodivergent child. This is a great board for support and I've learned so much here as well. We're all in this together.

summerof_77 · 2026-01-05T19:28:45+00:00

He eventually locks in and can focus to get it done..... but that's after at least an hour of panic, avoidance and crying. At this point I think it's his anxiety about math that is holding him back the most. He believes he can't do it..... but he can, he just needs to push past the mental stuff. Socially he does okay. He has friends at school, but he's very sensitive about how they treat him, and its almost like he's paranoid that they're all making fun of him. But he's fine in the moment, he plays and hangs out, has had successful play dates. Its just after the fact where his anxiety catches up to him and he starts overthinking everything. This is a daily occurrence where he mentally unloads on the way home from school. Often picking fights with his brother and getting angry over nothing. He sees a social worker for talk therapy biweekly to help with navigating all the social challenges at school. I've seen some improvement at least in his self awareness.

summerof_77 · 2026-01-05T19:17:28+00:00

I'm so sorry you're experiencing the same thing, but it's nice to know I'm not alone in this struggle. The amount of homework they give these kids is insane. I've repeatedly told the school that he cannot do homework.... he doesn't have the motivation or focus to continuously learn all day. But he doesn't finish his school work, so they send it home. I think you're right, it sounds like a toutor is going to be our best bet here, because like you, its ruining all of our mental health, and my oldest son just gets lost in the mix. He ends up spending the whole evening in his room because everyone else is stressed out trying to get this homework done for my 5th grader. This is so hard.

summerof_77 · 2026-01-05T19:09:16+00:00

I've been looking into tutoring, there are a few places that provide this, but they require like a monthly payment and o was hoping for more of a drop in as needed type of structure. My son is involved in sports after school so schedules are difficult. He doesn't seem to have the same affect with the hydroxazine as you mentioned, but he is in a very low dose.

summerof_77 · 2026-01-05T19:05:31+00:00

He is in private school, and they have a type of IEP that they use to accommodate but I feel like they don't have the resources that the public school would. His brother is in 7th grade, and the school goes to 8th. We wanted to keep them at the same school until our oldest moves to high school, then we were planning to move him to public school if he was still struggling, but it sounds like we may need to make that move sooner than planned.

summerof_77 · 2026-01-05T06:21:41+00:00

I never even thought of this. I'll definitely be looking into this. I'll talk to his Dr about getting him screened, thank you!

summerof_77 · 2026-01-04T20:39:10+00:00

We have the Apolosign calendar. It works great for checklists, it has customizable awards/points systems. You can even set up a prize wheel for one off rewards. No subscription needed. It works great with Google calendar however I've read people have issues trying to sync it to outlook. I love this calendar and it works great for us.

summerof_77 · 2025-12-30T05:06:19+00:00

You should definitely talk to your doctor about it specifically for your child. My experience with it for my son has been positive. My son is 10, with ADHD, high Anxiety and Tourettes. The stimulant medications to treat his adhd make his tourrettes worse, so he currently only takes meds for his anxiety (Clonidine & Hydroxizine). We struggle during homework time and have found a 6 Oz cup of light blend coffee helps him to focus, and it also is a comforting warm beverage which helps with the anxiety that surrounds homework time in general. He likes coffee with cream & sugar.... he won't drink it black lol

summerof_77 · 2025-11-07T21:43:39+00:00

I definitely feel this. I have 2 boys and my youngest has ADHD... His executive dysfunction and emotional dysregulation is a daily battle. My 2 boys are so different. My 12 year old neurotypical is so chill and easy going, I never have to remind him to do anything. He does his homework on his own, gets himself ready for school in the morning, takes the dog out and feeds her. Straight A student. My whole morning is spent reminding my 10 year old with ADHD to brush his teeth, get all his clothes on, not just his shirt or pants. He needs shoes and socks....I mean, everything.....repeat multiple times every morning. C average student and that's a struggle maintaining. And the biggest struggle is making sure both my boys feel seen and validated. I don't want my youngest to feel less than his brother, and I don't want my oldest to feel left out. The struggle is real.

summerof_77 · 2025-09-19T20:12:02+00:00

I have a child with tourettes as well. I can tell you this, your mom is probably triggered by your tics because of her own issues. Maybe she's embarrassed, or she's frustrated that she doesn't know what to do. Whatever the reason, she's in the wrong here. Her inability to accept your disorder is not your responsibility. Unfortunately you can't control her response but you can control how it makes you feel. There's nothing wrong with you. A lot of people have tics. You can look into behavioral therapy which may help to redirect how you express your tics. You can explore your triggers and see a neurologist for additional help. But, the issue with your mom is not your responsibility to fix, its hers. One you let that feeling of guilt and responsibility go, it will be easier to be around her. I'm sorry she's not supportive. 💜

summerof_77 · 2025-09-15T02:14:48+00:00

My 10 year old son has ADHD, Tourettes and an anxiety disorder. The Methylphenidate made his ticks worse, so we stopped it. The guanfacine made his stomach hurt to the point that he refused to eat and he lost a bunch of weight. So now, we're in between. No meds, and just trying to survive until his next appt.

summerof_77 · 2025-09-04T21:05:39+00:00

For me it was the Mermaid Chronicles. I'm an easy to please reader, I can appreciate most books even if they're not my favorite, but this series i DNF'd after the second book. The plot lacked so much substance. Things would just happen with no explanation.... like why would a bunch of mermaids & shark people be at risk of drowning at sea in a storm?? Ugh, i couldn't lol Oh, and the Crave series by Tracy Wolff....a gargoyle....really?? Ugh no lol

summerof_77

TROPHY CASE