to medicate if necesarry by the individual.

@bravehsgirl@xanga - Well, if you're not willing to homeschool then I think you're going to be stuck medicating in some way.  Kids who have attention disorders NEED one-on-one attention and you're not going to find that in a typical school-setting.  Have you thought about tutoring to help her out with her grades?

As difficult as the trial and error is; I think trying to find the best medication for your child is the key. The coffee trick sounds like something I would be willing to try if I were in the same situation. As a rule I tend to shy away from medications unless absolutely necessary, but in situations such as this; the right medication can make a huge difference for your child. Good luck.

BTW, not everyone was made to homeschool. Recognizing that it would not be in the best interest of your child makes you a wise parent.

@AmistadBaby@xanga - Thanks so much for your comment.  I was really wanting to hear from people who have actually gone or are going through this. It is very reassuring when I hear the success stories. 

My brother has ADD and he was medicated.  He was fine.  He went off of it in his own time, and he's doing fine.  He had trouble focusing in school, but he never had any emotional problems.  I really don't know what to tell you.

@bravehsgirl@xanga - also another thing... you may want to look into charter schools that don't homeschool. Waldorf is a great one and I know a few kids with adhd that attend with great success.

Did you already rule out dietary issues?  I myself am allergic to preservatives and red and yellow dyes not from dandelions or beets or whatever are allowed in my house.  High fructose corn syrup is also not let in often (although it sneaks in in ketchup until I can get enough tomatoes from the garden to make my own, and so on).  I assume you're already looked at the Feingold diet and all that - a friend of mine swears by it and her oldest is almost 10yo now.

Since homeschooling isn't an option for you...  any private/Montessori/Waldorf/Mastery schools or whatever near you that may be a possibility?  Might be a different thing to try.  Okay, nevermind, you're in a small area.  What about bartering with someone for tutoring help if/as needed?  Like say Uncle Joe is awesome at math and chemistry and Aunt Rita is good with english and biology and Neighbor Esther is an awesome seamstress - trade firewood, frozen meals, babysitting, etc. 

do NOT medicate...if you do that you might as well put the kid in a psyche ward, it's pretty much the same thing,

I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 6.  My Mom did not medicate.  We started finding strategies to help me focus on necessary tasks.  We did home school, but I don't think that needed as long as you have the cooperation of her teachers.  Whether or not you medicate I think it's really important to teach her how to cope with her difficulties.  Medication is kind of a band aid fix.  It helps for the moment, but doesn't do anything for the future.  I do still struggle with paying attention, but I'm a registered nurse and have been successful in the goals I've set for myself.  If it was my child, I'd reserve medications for last resort.  She is so young and any psychoactive medication you give her will affect her brain development.

My son is ADD (inattentive type) and also dyslexic, he is 9.  We do not medicate.  What worked wonders for us was Neurofeedback Therapy.  It GREATLY reduced the anxiety that came along with my son's ADD and helped him focus.  The catch is it is pricey.  The absolute cheapest I have seen is $50/session and a minimum for 40 sessions are needed and that does not include the initial brain scan and evaluation.  Our insurance did not cover it at all so we used our Health Savings Account in full for 2 years to pay for it.  I do know of other families that have gotten their insurance to pay for it but it is rare.  It's much cheaper for insurance to pay to drug your child than give them permanent solutions they can take with them their entire life. 

We also supplement my son with fish oil and a calcium/magnesium supplement.  The fish oil helps the brain work optimally, the cal/mag is good for bones (calcium) and mood (magnesium).  We also put him on probiotics once per month for a few days to flush his digestive system because seratonin (mood again) is produced in the gut and a clogged up gut cannot produce seratonin effectively.

Lastly, exercise!  Exercise releases extra energy, helps them focus and stimulates the productive of positive mood affectors like endorphins and seratonin.  Amazing results have been seen simply by having children walk to school or play hard for 30 minutes before school starts and then jump rope throughout the school day.  Using a fidget or balance ball (for seat work) is helpful too for some chidlren.

One book I highly recommend is "Healing ADD" by Dr. Amen.  He is not at all anti-drug and gives a very good breakdown of the 6 types of ADD and specific treatments paths parents can take.

I do have to add here that we also homeschool.  I was spending far too many hours at the school in meetings and my son was spending far too much time in the resource room away from his classmates.  If I'm going to work that hard I'm going to give my son, and other children, the best possible environment for their individual learning styles, a loving home.  It works for us.

Well, none of my children have any issues, and we do homeschool, so I do not want to be too pushy with my opinion, because it is not something I am dealing with, so obviously my thoughts are not as valid as soemone who is going through what you are dealing with.  Having said that here is my opinion.  I used to teach kids and adults with different types and degrees of learning, attention, behavioral and other issues.  Sometimes meds were nessasary, but the ones who made the most progress, that I saw, were always the ones whose parents said NO to medication, and kind of refused to give in to the disability or problem.  I had a few parents say things like "Everyone has issues that make it harder to behave.  That is no exuse, and we are not going to let it become one."  And then make a plan, with the knowlege that only a parent can have on working around the "ADD", "Bipolar", " Anxiety", "Autism Spectrum",  or whatever the issues were.  It was super hard work, and very time consuming, and even heartbreaking, but I have seen wonderful results over the course of many years.  I am thinking of a couple of people in particular who through mind bogglingly hard work and lots of prayer took their kids from not really understandable speaking, tantrums, no focus, etc. to kids who, years later, can sit through church or an academic discussion and focus on at least part of what is being said, and not be disruptive.  From kids who were failing even the first couple years of school, to young adults who are able to hold their own in some college course work.  So I guess my answer is, there are probably times when no other option, no matter how hard, or how long it is tried, will work  and medication is needed, but if you can do it without, do. 

And on the schooling issue, I am a homeschooler, and I do think that is a wonderful choice for most kids, but it is not the only choice.  I actually know multiple families who homeschool all of their children except the one who has the types of issues you are talking about.  They found homeschooling the ones with special needs too disruptive to the home classroom, and they had wonderful support from the Special Ed departments of their school district.  Their kids were able to get a lot from the school's program in these cases. They do live in districts that do not push medication though, which might be a different story.  I also know people who homeschool kids with these issues and that has also worked out well, and medication was avoided.

whether you decide to medicate or not is your decision, but don't go halfway. I have this friend, who ended up reproducing, and her kid has ADD. I leave my other opinions about this friend aside but notably she only gives her kid his medication half the time, so he's never been able to adjust to it properly. I think she's probably going to spend the rest of her life paying for her kid's therapy bills because of it. Pick a side medicate or not to medicate don't go in-between