Otherwise, the start of school is not a real good time to make any big changes in your child's treatment regimen. Your child will already be faced with new teachers and classes and perhaps a new school and new friends. It may help to give your child a few weeks to adjust to the new year before making any changes to her medication, especially if you are considering stopping her medicine altogether.
Of course, if the medication isn't working very well at all or if your child is having side effects, then a change in medication might be a good idea.
It is also important to not wait too long into the beginning of the school year before you try to correct any problems. If your child is failing or having a lot of behavior problems, then waiting until the end of the semester or winter break may be too long. Talk to your child's teachers and her doctor early if she is struggling at school, either socially or with her work, so that you can intervene and help to work things out.
Keep in mind that there are many new medications and medication dosages than there were just a few years ago, so doctors have many more options for treating kids with ADHD than they used to.
Even for kids with ADHD that are doing well in school, afterschool and homework time can be a struggle. If your child is on a short acting stimulant in the morning and at lunch time, then it may be wearing off by the time she is out of school. Another dosage of medication afterschool may help her concentrate and pay attention while she does her homework. Or consider one of the newer once a day stimulant medications, such as Concerta, Focalin XR, or Adderall XR, which often work for 10-12 hours and continue to work afterschool.
