For adults who were on stimulants young, did it affect your social skills?
Background: my son is almost five and started methylphenidate last month. Diagnosed ADHD. Limited regulation skills leading to behavior issues at school, he's been asked to leave schools due to behavior, it was very bad for a few years. He has an IEP for behavior and big speech delay. Since starting the methylphenidate he's been great for the most part. You can tell he's happier, he's less stressed. He's more talkative, he's more likely to try new foods, more likely to want to go out and explore versus watch TV all day, hes connecting ideas more, its been fun to watch him grow. Before the stimulant I'd describe him as a volcano waiting to erupt. He'd erupt multiple times a day. He is more inclined to hang in the background at school and social events now. However, before the stimulant he had no idea of personal boundaries and was always touching other people, getting into personal spaces.
My husband has ADHD and he was on methylphenidate for years. He said it suppressed his want to socialize at school to the point where he didn't know how to socialize. He credits methylphenidate for getting him through his ADHD and thinks we should continue our son on it.
My question, have any adults here taken a stimulant while a child and care to share if it hindered or helped their school experience? Thank you
Posted Mar 12, 2025, 7:52 PM UTC