These drugs have serious side effects. When a child is starving because we are suppressing his appettite to learn ..How can this be a good thing? We need nutrients and vitamins for our brains to work properly. I tried meds but when I seen what effects they had on my son, I couldn't continue. He could not sleep, eat, and the mood swings were awful. I have gone natural and decided to get him the help he needs...good food, exercise and people who understand his needs and learning style. I might add that this is much more expensive than medicating but he is doing better than I ever dreamed....

I do not understand why your doctor will not give him medicine to settle down my son takes a .5 in the afternoon to settle down and focus on things. I would just let him run things off if you have him not do homework he will be slowed down from his friends work and then you have a new issue he can not keep up. My son also on an IEP I would not let this be a set back for him. He has a hard time with friendships and if they do not share the same education then they are seperated from the others. My son has experienced this side of the world and it is not easy once the children see him as different to have him make new friends.

My son was severly ADHD and I went through the very same thing you are and a single parent as well.I knew how hard it was to try to get to do his homework .It was nothing short of a battle.Since the doctors refuse to perscribe extra meds is why your son is giving such a hard time about his homework.With that said I think you should ask that your son should not be expected to do homework.I'll bet when your son comes home from school he is totally wired and you have a hard time getting him to settle down let alone asking him to do his school work.

The very purpose of the IEP is for your child to receive the supports he needs to thrive in his academic setting. You didn't't mention whether he's in the LRE? If he is I would not only insist upon it, but also request a 4-week trial to prove that he can get the work done with this specific request. The school cannot refuse a request that allows your son to be successful in the LRE. DO contact your state's Board of Education if you haven't already. I learned the "hard" way that any public school and IEP team can/will say & do what they want in hopes of NOT providing our kids what would benefit them. It's about money as far as these school systems go, & about not creating "more work" if your son's teacher isn't't SE certified. Do not allow the others on the IEP team to NOT give your son what he needs. Be sure, also, to write to your states's B of Ed, not to the local superintendent or local school board. It's scary navigating our way through the terrible system that is Special Ed, but we learn by doing; and by demonstrating that we are not afraid to ask for anything for our kids others on the team will know they are not dealing with a pacifist. I fought for three horrible years for my daughter when she was in a terrible public school in Berwyn, IL. Although she has several diagnoses she ranks at the top of her class academically in private christian school now. I learned not to back down and not to accept "No" on her behalf. Do try to avoid Due Process, and do not hesitate to request all that your son needs. Warm wishes!

My son is on Concerta and I will not let him do a thing unless the work is finished it makes it easy no fighting. If he don't do it he can not have his down time so, he will do it. He will do it quickly and I check it so, he has so much time to play. Before we would fight every day every night he wanted to watch something do something and fight with me all the time. I just stuck with it and now it works. Homework is important or he will fall behind with the class. Good Luck.

My son is taking vyvanse and his medication also wears off by the time he's home. I also struggles with his weight because he's a picky eater and the medication, although works better than concerta he used before, affects his appetite. I don't bother him with eating his lunch but make sure he eats high calories breakfast. I don't care it's junk food or not like donuts, cheesecake, etc. And for dinner, pasta with creamy sauce or pizza loaded with cheese. To balance his diet, I prepare healthy finger food for him as snack. Apple slices, celery stalks, popcorn (plain), etc. The snack is simple and cut to bite size that he can snatch it up and put into his mouth automatically. So the food is kind of like the distraction adhd kids need to help them focus. Once I have his weight within normal (like barely make the bottom of the scale), his doctor has not problem prescribing extra for the after school medication, which work wonders for his homework. I also check the amount of his homework before I give him any extra medication when he comes home. Also, he only takes the medication when he goes to school so over the weekend, I can feed him more food.

Wish you best of luck!

Oh I forgot to add when my daughter gets home I let her play for 2 hours then I help her with homework . This is challenging. Sometimes we couldn't get her work done and I would state that on her homework to her teacher. I try and make it fun and make sure there are no distractions. I'm not saying this works for everyone but it helped my daughter.

There is hope believe me. Its tough enough that we find out our children have adhd but then LD too. It been painful but we are the only advocate our children have . My daughter is 7 yrs old with adhd/ld. Last year was awlful for my daughter/us.
It was a battle in the morning/night. We couldn't figure out why. She was so out of control in school and out . Someone suggested taking her to a Ears Nose Throat doctor because I had noticed my daughter was snoring and sometimes gasping for air while sleeping. So I took her and the prognosis was she had huge annoids/tonsils and fluid in her ears. So in 2 weeks she had surgery. Wow what a difference. Basically she was sleep deprived and frustrated because she couln't hear well. I also had her go to an audiologist and found out she had sensory issues. These are real issues alot of people aren't aware about. Also Routine is very important. Make a chart with routine in morning and night with pictures. In regards to sleeping my daughter takes 3mg melatonin. This is all natural. This works like a dream. I give it exactly 1 hour before bed and then she is out. She also wasn't eating. There is the v8 juice with fruits/veg my daughter loves. I let her eat icecream every night and eat cereal everynight before bed. Trust me I feel your pain and frustration. Finding the right medication and dosage was challenging. Not all children react the same to each medicine. I found that out. Keep asking and never give up, you are all your child has to fight for him.

My child went through the same thing with ADHD. School was a hellish nightmare. She was on adderall xl and it actually worked against her. First of all if your child severely resists homework, it is fruitless for him to get it. Have it incorporated into the IEP, No homework. Just for your own info; I had several evaluations done on my child, she has severe learning impairments, adhd and odd. After several useless medications, risperdol was the only med that began to help. Then the meds for ADHD were reduced to concerta and the results r much better. Then many classroom accomodations were incorporated into IEP. Good Luck, trying different meds and programs and strategies is the only way. Good Luck

I just started my son on the same medication (Vyvanse XR) after taking him off of Adderall XR for a year because of weight loss and mood swings. He is now in the 8th grade, and he encounters all of the same issues that you've described (and has had the same problems since he began school, plus we've moved three times which didn't help matters!). I've spoken to the teachers and guidance this year and I have requested that they keep me in the loop for upcoming assignments. I stress "quality vs. quantity" when assigning homework. For instance, instead of 20 math problems that will definitely shut him down (and history is the best indicator of future behavior!), I ask that he is assigned 5-10 problems. I stress that it is more important to me (and hopefully to the school district) that he understands and knows how to do a problem than that he accomplishes 20 problems that will overwhelm him. Finally, he has gone from failing math to achieving a consistent "B" in that class. He's had the same success in the other classes with this logic. I've also made it a point to sympathize with the teachers in order to let them know that I know they have many other kids to teach. Some how this validation puts them on our corner instead of on the defense all of the time. I've also told the teachers that expecting my child to be organized like the other kids is like expecting someone in a wheelchair to get up and walk... just because his disability cannot be SEEN, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. In return for the support of the teachers (and some are more vigilant than others), I do my part by checking his assignments online. Also, once a week, we go out for an early morning breakfast (and sometimes he brings a friend) as a reward for trying his personal best (whatever that is in each class) and receiving a decent report for the week. For some reason, that has helped stopped the morning fight. I've also stressed to the teachers that it is in everyone's best interest to help him succeed... it certainly cannot be fulfilling to them to fail a student, and that most kids, ADHD or otherwise, respond better to positive reinforcement than negativity. After a while, the negativity just becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy to the child... nobody thinks I'll do well, so why even try? So I state the saying "What would you attempt to achieve if you KNEW you could not fail?" My son has gone from all "F's" to one "A," six "B's" and one "F." That "F" is still there because there hasn't been a major test to help change it, but the teacher says that his mood and attitude is so much better. Hope this helps you.

I agree that your son's doctor should know how severe the problem is - as well as his teachers! Accommodations and reduced home assignments can be part of the IEP and need to be considered. My son had the same problem. After years of medication adjustments, and schedule adjustments things did get much better. My child did best with time released medication. That reduced the end of day "burn out", and allowed my son to receive a restful sleep. Additionally, my son was given an anti-depressant, which was helpful in something out mood swings caused by the sudden drop in therapeutic dose. Also, in the mornings I would wake him up early, give him a dose, and allow him to sleep for an additional 15 minutes. He would then shower - and do his homework from the night before - and accomplish the task in record time. Your son is exhausted by the time he gets home, and the effects of the medication wearing off, even worsens how he feels.
As far as appetite - my son would not eat while he had medication in his system. However, he was allowed to carry around Gatorade and sip it throughout the day. By dinner time, he was ready to eat.
I really know how difficult this problem is to manage. I wish you the best of luck!

Good question. Waking your son up and giving him his meds and a glass of water to take them with first thing - and then letting him go back to sleep for 15 minutes can make the early morning and getting ready for school much better. Many doctors will also prescribe a 'half-dose' or 'quarter-dose' to be taken at 3-4 in the afternoon to get through the evening and to help with focus on homework.
As that's not possible, and doing homework without his meds isnt possible either, it does seem as if your son is at a distinct disadvantage. Thereoretically, you could ask that he be excused from all homework on his IEP - that will surely set some teachers' teeth on edge though. Rather than openly ask he be excused from all homework, you'll find his relationship with his teachers likely better if the IEP only asks that his homework be 'modified'.
If a teacher bases their day's teaching on the homework - what will your son do in class when he hasn't done it?? Some homework is certainly busy work but some homework becomes the next day's class work so not doing any homework may not serve his school day as well as it serves his evening.
Good luck with this. Some teachers give more homework than others, some teachers like homework better than others. Perhaps in the future, someone could place your son in his classes with an eye for what the homework policies of his teachers are.

Try to get him to always eat breakfast and have an "Ensure Plus" type of drink before giving him his medicine. He will not want to eat when taking Adderall XR or such as you know. After the meds wear off at 3-4pm then feed him good food not junk food, watch what he eats and read up on diet versus ADD/ADHD. He needs the homework since he will have to deal with it for his entire school life. When he gets home let him run around outside for awhile to burn off the "I had to sit still all day blues". Keep up the work, reward him with trips to the park, library and special places for good behavior. Good Luck.

Jen, I think it is good that you are scheduled to see a specialist for medication management. As mentioned earlier, the best group I know for ADHD & medication management issues is www.millermom.proboards107.com ~ please join us.

He does see a pediatrician - we have tried every med on the market (Daytrana patches were the best, but ate the skin off his back), and we have an appointment to see a psychiatrist next month to see if there might be something else we can try, as far as antidepresants for the moods/weight gain/sleep. There is no aftershool program that supervises hw - and I am financially unable to afford the one that just babysits him and nothing else. There is no HW club. I have requested tutoring, either before school in the morning or after school, but nothing has been set up so far - no tutor programs available yet. I will speak with the diagnostician about the 120 rule and go from there. But I am determined to put something in his IEP regarding some type of HW guidelines. He cannot do this week in and out for the rest of the year. He is already shutting down and giving up.

I work with a number of families as a special ed advocate and I have never seen a no homework policy that you are suggesting.

Again, I certainly understand the issues. What takes my son 20 minutes to complete on meds can take 3 hours med free.

So, he gets relief until about 4:00? What is his afterschool schedule? Is there time that he could do HW while the meds are still working? Does the school offer an afterschool homework club? Is the homework at his independent level or does he need an adult to help him get through?

I am sure that the IEP team is reluctant to excuse him from homework. Without the extra practice it may be difficult for him to keep up. This down side needs to be considered carefully and is probably something they find hard to balance.

I am wondering if you can come up with a creative alternative to a homework ban? And if you can help your son learn some behavioral strategies to help him manage hw regardless of his medication status. Maybe you could even ask for an extended school day and build in tutoring help afterschool as part of his IEP so that he could get the hw done while the meds are working.

The other option is a different medication. Is there a form that would last 12 hours - taking him through dinner time? It sounds like this is something that really needs to be considered.

jenfonseca, we do understand the difficulties you and your son are facing, and have "lived though" similar frustrating evenings of homework frustration. Is your son seeing a pediatrician, or a child psychiatrist for medication management?

Yes, my son is presently on Vyvanse XR. However, he is losing weight, so the doc will not write a booster script right now. He is in 5th grade, but has been on an IEP since 2nd. I have asked the teachers to assign hw packets and projects with lead time (i.e. the weekend before) so that we have adequate time to work on it without being rushed, but so far this is hit and miss. It is almost as if no one believes me when I say he is unable to concentrate in the evenings to do any hw - he throws tantrums, rips up his papers, stabs his pencils through the papers, etc. Handwriting is so sloppy, it is illegible. I want to send him to school unmedicated just to show them what I am dealing with!! I really think he will not be able to do anything productive during the week (by the time I get home to supervise), so that just leaves the weekend to do project and packets. Again, has anyone else requested weekend hw only on an IEP? Otherwise he is not putting his best effort forth, and will likely fail by their standards anyway.

I also have a child with ADHD who arrives home after meds wear off - I totally undestand the difficulties.

What grade is your son in? In the higher grades, hw becomes crucial to their ability to practice and solidify the skills they learn in school. They also begin working on longer term projects that help develop organization and planning skills. Would this be a disadvantage to him if he missed these learning opportunities?

I agree that hw should be limited. Generally I suggest that the child be required to do no more than 120% of the school's recommended time. So, if in 5th grade he is expected to do 1 hour, after an hour and twenty minutes he would stop.

Also - the hw could be modified so that the work is at his indpendent level. If the ADHD makes it difficult for him to concentrate long enough to write long answers, maybe he gets to type and maybe less is assigned.

Finally, it is important that he begin to learn compensetory strategies. Many kids with ADHD do much better after heavy exercise. Perhaps he can learn to take breaks, engage in some physcial exercise and then go back to HW. Learning how to chunk and plan his work will be important to his ability to function even as an adult.

The other things that often works is if he can get a HW packet at the beginning of the week so that he can manage his work based on his schedule, whether he is having an "on" or "off" day etc.

Hope these ideas help you to find solutions that will both address the ADHD and his need to engage in the curriculum.

Is your son seeing a pediatrician, or a specialist for medication management? My son also has ADHD and a high metabolism, such that the extended release meds wear off by 3 or 4 in the afternoon. When they wear off, he eats like a horse. The child/adolescent psychiatrist my son sees recommended a booster dose of short-acting medication after he's had a chance to eat a good meal right after school, which helps to get his homework done, and then he eats a whole bunch more before bedtime. The bottom line is that he's still eating, although it might not be at the "standard" times.
How old is your child/what grade? As far as requesting no homework, you can try, but it almost seems like you're asking for curriculum modifications instead of accommodations at that point. Instead, I think it would be better to request a "time limit" on weeknight homework, such that you might keep track of the time he spends, and after some amount of minutes per subject, you can have him stop, and write a note to the teacher that he's reached that point. While it would make it easier for you in the short term, I feel it would be detrimental to your son in the long term that he would have no homework, because he will likely fall further behind in his academics, and in upper grades, he's not going to be able to avoid afterschool studying.
You might want to join Greatschools Learning and Attention Difficulties Group at community.greatschools.net/groups/11554, and the best group I know for ADHD & medication management issues is www.millermom.proboards107.com