My son is faltering through Life again!!

Do you have him in counseling? If not you should consider it. My boys have similar problems and are both in counseling because the medications alone just do not do it. My younger son (13) is on Concerta, which is similar to a time-released Ritalin. Both of them are taking Abilify, which is a mood stabilizer. The older one (14) is also on Zoloft, which is an antidepressant.

They both tend to get into trouble, although it is mostly the younger one. Things were settled down for a while, but have recently gotten worse again though. I am also thinking about switching medications again. I wish you luck with your son.

I definitely agree that you should look into counseling if you haven't already. I was diagnosed with ADD (also no hyperactivity) about a year ago, and more than anything else, the counseling has been a huge help.

I highly recommend counseling before you try military school. I'm personally on Adderall, but if it affects his diet that severely, it's probably not a good idea. I have yet to notice any side effects, but maybe it's just me.

Meds alone will not help. It has to go hand in hand with councelling. I have the same type of ADD. It was diagnosed in 3rd grade. There is a really good book I can recommend, though. It's called "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?!" by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo. It really helped me.

I have to agree that maybe you should think about seeing a counsellor or psychiatrist. Some family doctors can diagnose ADD but can't follow through with problems like you are having. There are some places that only psychiatrists can prescribe or treat ADD.

My country doctor had us give the kids things to do that worked the large muscle groups more. It was suggested to get them puzzles and games that would keep their minds busier as well. I also had to do the 'Structured Day' layout.

I realized our middle son was ADD/ADHD when he was seen under the desk playing in a nest of papers. He is scary smart, but had the attention span of a ferret on a double expresso.

My soon-to-be 4th grader has ADD. Ritalin works well for him, but he also needs constant reminders to help him focus. I am also very up-front with him about his diagnosis and explain what that means for him, that it's harder for him to do certain things than it is for others. But I also point out the things that he is good at. I agree with the suggestions of counseling. But I also suggest you consider his current medication dosage. If it hasn't been changed lately, it will probably need to be increased. As he gets bigger, he'll need more to get the same results. That's what I'm looking at right now with my son. He has an appointment tomorrow and I'm going to talk to the doctor about increasing his dosage because it's not as effective as it was 6 months ago. Another thing to consider is if your son is going through puberty right now. That could be playing havoc as well. Hopefully you have a good doctor who can help you determine what is going on.

Depending on where you live, there may be other options besides military school too. I know around here, there are several school options for "difficult" kids. None of them are cheap, but most are less expensive than military school.

Could he be misdiagnosed?