|
Ask the ADD Medical Expert:
Larry Silver, M.D.
Talking to Your Teen About the ADHD Diagnosis
Q:
"My 14-year-old has been diagnosed with ADHD and LD. He seems to believe that, if he doesn’t acknowledge them, his problems will just go away, but he’s nearly failing out of school. How can I get through to him?"
A:
Many adolescents find being different so painful and so unacceptable to their friends that they deny any problems, even at the price of causing themselves greater difficulty. And because teens are asserting independence from parents, many are more willing to open up to a third party. If you’ve already tried talking and your son won’t listen, I’d suggest seeing a therapist who specializes in adolescents. With good counseling, your son should come to see what his problems are in time. Until he does, make sure he knows you’re going to stand by him as a support.
 2 Comments:
-
Posted by
frazzled
-
Aug 11 2009 @ 11:56 PM
ADHD Teen in Denial
My son was diagnosed in 5th grade with ADHD, Dyslexia and mild tics. He has an IEP. He's on Ritalin. His teachers, grandparents, and my husband and I see that it really works to curb his impulsiveness and focus. At 12 yrs old he would run in to the street without looking on days he misses his meds. And we were against putting him on it in the beginning. We tried a psychiatrist under our insurance plan and he wasn't a good fit. Then we paid out of pocket for a well-known pyschiatrist who was very good. My son behaved exactly as Liz (post above) described her son. The psychiatrist thought my son was angry and uncooperative and this was not my son -- he was just angry about being there. $1,400 later we were out of money and nothing was accomplished. Next month my son starts middle school (7th grade for us). I found a great book entitled "The Survival Guide for Kids with ADHD/ADD". I tried to go over this with him and he is in denial. Things he does ALL the time he says he doesn't do and he says that's not him. He is not the only person with "needs" that I have to contend with -- there is my husband who is sick, my daughter and my elderly parents. I feel like just giving up. I can't make him read the book or accept the diagnosis and I'm worn out. I wonder sometimes what's the worst that can happen if I don't help him with this.
-
Posted by
liz
-
Feb 29 2008 @ 9:55 AM
ADHD Teen
Sadly, my ADHD teen is adamant against talking to a counselor. We did it for a while, but he didn't even act like himself there and the counselor got the impression of a rebellious, close mouthed young man. It really alienated my son when the counselor told him he would NOT be able to do well w/o meds. Ds' grades are so-so, good sometimes but frequently not, and mostly due to ADHD lack of organization, forgetfullness, etc. He even tried meds for a short while, only to refuse them. My friends think I should punish him for not obeying. But it is so hard to want to force him to take something that dulls his appetite, personality, and gives him stomachaches.
|
|
|
|
|
