Having a son born with ADHD had me reading up on all of the symptoms and problems that accompany this disorder right from the start. While he was still in  diapers, I knew he was a very hyperactive child and probably had ADHD. I knewwhat the problem was because when I was young, I had the same symptoms however, with me it was called something different. My mom was a newly divorced woman and back then,  it was still taboo to be young and divorced so it was her fault that I could not sit  still for any length of time in class, or could not be quiet when I needed to be. I  
knew I was different and I remember trying so hard to be like everyone else but I  
could not. It was a painful time for me and I did not want my son to go through  
what I went through.

By the time my son was three years old, I told the doctor what I knew to be true but  he wanted me to wait until Justin was in school before seeing if there was going to  be a problem. It didn't take long before I was getting notes from his teachers telling  me what a handful my son was becoming. After being tested, Justin was indeed  ADHD and when his doctor put him on Ritalin, I was grateful. Many people  disagreed with my decision to put my son on "drugs" but even though he is now  in his 20's, I have never regretted my decision. If not for Ritalin, Justin would have  had such a hard time learning anything because he could not focus on anything  or more than 10 seconds and had no organization skills without this medication. As it was, he had learning disabilities and was held back to repeat the fifth grade.By the time he entered the sixth grade he was weaned off Ritalin and went through the rest of his school years without medication. Today he is a healthy, happy young man with a good heart and a quick mind, who knows what would have happened had he not been treated for this disorder.

The symptoms of ADHD can be many but not all children show the same signs.  Many children are active and sometimes even hyperactive however, consistent  hyperactivity and a child who is easily excited over even the mildest forms of attention may be showing signs of ADHD. A low attention span and the inability to  focus in on things the child shows interest in, is a good sign he/she may have ADHD. Bad behavior, acting out and over reacting to a mildly stressful situation or if he/she does not get their way is another good sign of ADHD. Children with ADHD cannot help their actions any more than those children with dyslexia, diabetes or asthma. They cannot calm themselves if they "wanted to" or pay attention if they tried harder. Most of these children would rather not have ADHD because it singles them out at school because at certain times of the day he/she has to go to the nurse’s station to take their medicine.  Before taking medicine for his ADHD, my son was sitting in his desk during class and would just shout, for no other reason than being fidgety and frustrated because he couldn't sit still.

Other children with ADHD may act just the opposite of hyperactivity. Many show signs of "daydreaming or staring off into space," they can't seem to follow directions or don't follow the rules. If your child starts showing signs like these, pay attention to see if it's just a passing thing or something more serious. Children with ADHD may or may not grow out of it. I'm in my 40's and I still have ADHD problems. On the other hand, some children, after being on medication for a couple of years may want to go off their medicine and learn to control it themselves, this is what my son did.

Speak with their doctor about your treatment options. Today there are more options to treating this disorder than when I first put my son on Ritalin, although later, a time-released capsule came along and that worked well until he went off medication altogether. Using medicine to help your children get through some tough years of school is one of the best things we can do for them as parents. Even though my decision was frowned upon by most of the people I spoke to about this problem, some even thought I was “lazy” because I solved my sons problems with drugs instead of trying to figure something else out, I will never regret my decision to give my son the medication he needed, when he needed it.