Before Curtis started kindergarten, we as his parents did not entertain the idea of medication to treat his combined Autism/ADHD disorder. He would run relentlessly and of course had some behavior issues but we did not feel the need to medicate him not did we necessarily believe that meds were right for these conditions. But when Curtis started kindergarten at age 5, he was still an avid bolter, and we knew he'd have no qualms about bolting from the school any chance he got. When he first started school, he would arrive, run to the far end of the field and attempt to climb fences to get into the woods He did this everyday and and I genuinely feared for his safety, especially since we didn't really know anyone at the school yet. Did these people at the school really know what the were up against? Could they be on him every second?
We also knew that Curtis was intelligent but he had little ability to focus in a conventional classroom setting. As his parents, his safety comes first, but we also wanted to give him every opportunity to succeed in school. After consulting his physician, we put him on a stimulant that helped him focus, though we found it came with the side effects of a subdued personality and appetite.
Curtis refused to take a medication and would not swallow a pill. His first medication came only in pill form. One day, when he had his mom in tears as he thrashed and refused to take his medicine, I called his doctor and said we needed to try something we could mix in a water or yogurt. He simply would not take the medication. We attempted to mix it into food but he could peg the flavor or texture change and would stop eating. Getting Curt to take any sort of medication has never been easy.
The main benefit in my mind to the medication was that he was bolting less and I felt there was less of a chance of him running off, disappearing, or getting hit by a car. Believe me when I tell you this kid was fast. We tried a number of different approaches but found on the meds, he was focusing and doing his work. But he wasn't exactly Curtis anymore either. And he was coming home with a full lunch box.
He spent much of his 1st grade year on Vyvanse, an ADHD medication that I neither endorse or disparage, that helped him focus without sacrificing much of his appetite. Still, as a parent, you're never really sure if medication is the way to go to control these symptoms. We struggled with this as his parents on many nights. Check-ins with his doctor showed him in the low percentiles for height and weight which became increasingly concerning. We blamed the medications directly for stimulating his growth not only as a result of what the meds might do themselves but also that they reduced his appetite. We decided to take him off medications after his first grade year.
He followed his 1st grade year with a great summer and no medication. We decided he would start his 2nd grade year without meds. Curtis has been off medication since last June and we are extremely happy with how well he is doing. His mom packs him a great lunch everyday and his lunchbox comes back empty. He eats all the time and is brimming with personality. He is gaining weight and getting taller. He has confidence when he walks the halls at his school and he is silly again, which he generally wasn't when medicated. Meds aren't the answer for Curtis right now but I don't regret his having been on them his first two years in school. It seemed at the time as if that was necessary. Autism and ADHD combined is no picnic, and I would never suggest how a parent medicate or not medicate there child, this is just our experience so far, and I'm just glad Curtis is doing as well as he is without the benefit of a pharmaceutical.

Greg, Dad