QC I want you to know that people like you help people like me and my daughter learn how to cope with ADHD. I and my DD Sara ran our own daycare and we had 3 ADHD kids. Through daycare I took classes on ADHD and saw my husband and my one son in the sympton list. \
Sara now has three kids two have ADHD and we had some background in this so it may have helped but it is still hard on all of us to deal with at times. One DGS(8)Zach is autistic and ADHD one DGS (10)Joey has OCD and ADHD and TICS and may have ausbergers(not diagnosed). Joey(10) has had a lot of the issues you talk about. He has a hard time dealing with people. He is inappropriate behavior some times and has a hard time understanding people's personal space as well. He talks alot about his dreams which are usually strange and he is a deep thinker and spends alot of time in book learning. He reads the encyclopedias. He is beginning to be able to make friends some but his friends make fun of him.
I use to think meds were wrong but now we can not cope with either boy without meds. They take the edge off and allow them to be able to cope in the real world. Zach off meds is a nightmare!! He never stops and does dangerous things and is so miserable and he never sleeps without meds because autistic people's body does not make enough melatonin to tell the body to sleep.
We hear all the time from people that if you would only discipline that child more he would behave in public! And I hear well lmy child would never behave lilke that I can tell you that!!!
I don't like constantly explaining he is autistic because a lot of the behavior is really ADHD but I find myself defending him all the time to people when it really isn't any of their business unless he gets in their faces.
It isn't easy to be differant in this world. A lot of people assume he is retarded which is so far from the truth!! We spend a lot of time trying to out think him!! He is very high IQ and is a natural problem solver. If he wants to do something he can figure out how to get what he wants before you even know he is doing the forbidden activity!!
I applaud you for learning to cope so well in a world that is less than supportive!! You will always have all the support we can give here on the board!
My youngest son also struggled through school and I believe he has ADD and possibly ausbergers but he doesn't want to talk about it. He is what I always called my black and white kid. There are no grays in his world. Things are either right or wrong! And he will tell you about it!! He is 31 now married with twin sons and doing great so I am happy that he has learned to cope. He has dyxlexia also tho he denies it.
He tends to ignore what he doesn't want to deal with. So it doesn't exist!
Keep up the good work and enjoy your life to the fullest QC!!! I fully understand the struggle you go through!!
I also have really enjoyed your company on the board!!