My son is 10 and has been diagnosed with ADHD for 3 years. He's never taken meds. Basically my reasons are that it can be tough on a person trying to find the right medication and dose (been there, the side effects sucked, and for kids they can be worse, especially with appetite- and my kid is SKINNY), and I felt like we could try and make progress through other means before I subjected him to that kind of roller coaster. And that's basically worked and he has an good time with school with adaptations in place, he's doing great academically and socially. Basically the same story at home- his emotional regulation is great and any other symptoms (having to be told to get ready for bed more than once, occasionally being messy and forgetful, sometimes binging on media like YouTube and video games) just are no big deal.

Now, I take meds for my ADHD so I don't think they are bad- I totally understand why some kids need their meds. I just don't think he needs them now. But I'm just like... will he ever need them? Probably by college, right? He was assessed at a variety of levels by both a pediatric psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD and a psychoeducational specialist, so I know his diagnosis is most likely correct. I'm just wondering if it's common for kids with ADHD to not need their meds as much as adults.

If you have unmedicated kids with ADHD or were yourself an kid with an ADHD diagnosis, I'd love to hear your thoughts on why or why not you medicate.