How timely, we are trialing methylphenidate with our son this week. Not to get into the weeds, but it has been almost 2 years since his personality and behavior completely changed, and we STILL really don't know what TF is going on. He went from happy go lucky to angry and aggressive, and his learning style went from a steel trap to a colander.
Anyway, I just wanted to plug occupational therapy for ANY child with difficulty self-regulating, whether it's ADHD, autism, or another MH diagnosis. We did not get this tidbit from his care team but from other parents. I feel like it should be a standard tool in the toolbox for children. We got our son started with OT when his only diagnosis was anxiety disorder, and there was a huge wait to get psychotherapy started. OT teaches zones of regulation, CBT-adjacent stuff (growth mindset, size of the problem, inner coach/inner critic, etc), and it explores and honors sensory differences! Plus, insurance typically covers weekly sessions. My son's MH therapist wants to see him every 2 weeks, but the reality is she can only actually get him in every 3 to 4 weeks.
Thanks for this. I am someone who experienced pretty severe childhood trauma, and, as an adult in therapy, ADHD has been proposed as a diagnosis (bipolar disorder also.) I don’t really think either of those is accurate except for the observation that I have some symptoms that fit those conditions.
Adderall does help me focus my mind, but that’s probably true for most people so I don’t put much store in that. I was particularly struck by your mention of hyper-vigilance being a confounding condition because I have suffered from that in spades.
How timely, we are trialing methylphenidate with our son this week. Not to get into the weeds, but it has been almost 2 years since his personality and behavior completely changed, and we STILL really don't know what TF is going on. He went from happy go lucky to angry and aggressive, and his learning style went from a steel trap to a colander.
Anyway, I just wanted to plug occupational therapy for ANY child with difficulty self-regulating, whether it's ADHD, autism, or another MH diagnosis. We did not get this tidbit from his care team but from other parents. I feel like it should be a standard tool in the toolbox for children. We got our son started with OT when his only diagnosis was anxiety disorder, and there was a huge wait to get psychotherapy started. OT teaches zones of regulation, CBT-adjacent stuff (growth mindset, size of the problem, inner coach/inner critic, etc), and it explores and honors sensory differences! Plus, insurance typically covers weekly sessions. My son's MH therapist wants to see him every 2 weeks, but the reality is she can only actually get him in every 3 to 4 weeks.
Thanks for this. I am someone who experienced pretty severe childhood trauma, and, as an adult in therapy, ADHD has been proposed as a diagnosis (bipolar disorder also.) I don’t really think either of those is accurate except for the observation that I have some symptoms that fit those conditions.
Adderall does help me focus my mind, but that’s probably true for most people so I don’t put much store in that. I was particularly struck by your mention of hyper-vigilance being a confounding condition because I have suffered from that in spades.
Great article Doc., insightful and super helpful in navigating all the information out there on ADHD. Looking forward to your other articles on this.
What a comprehensive overview! spot on!