The developmental pediatrician is always a good idea because they have more training in dealing with our children than a regyular pediatrician does. You do not have to put your child on meds if you do not want to no mater what anyone says, and I wouldn't if there is no need, however if there is a need and you just are against meds you are doing your child a disservice. Some children get so upset, and nervous or stessed without meds, and others actually hurt themselves without them that you are doing more damage to them both phisically and mentally without them than you think. If there are no issues then by all means do not put your child on meds, but the Dr is still a good idea.

My oldest is on Risperidol and Topomax. Both are very minor doses and tend to calm him down just enough that he is able to be redirected/ listen to directions. Basically they take the edge off. He has been on Intuniv, which made him very angry and aggressive and Abilify which made him very sad. His speech seemed to increase after he started the Topomax.

My daughter is 11 almost 12 and didn't need medication until last year when she started going thru puberty and had anger issues and couldn't control them. I'm like you - I would NOT want my child to be on medication if there were any way around it. Right now she's on Abilify and Topomax. Both help to calm her but the only problem is they calm her too much and she doesn't want to do much of anything. Before she was very active and to me, that's sad.

We have not had much luck with meds, although we are still trying. My daughter started taking risperdol at around age 7. I would still make the appt. But then tell the dr that you would like to avoid any meds. That way you know what your options really are, you can ask questions, express your concerns and worries about the meds, etc. But you can make an informed decision.

Yes, seeing a developmental ped is a good idea, but in the end, assess all the information you're given and stick with to your maternal gut. If you think he is progressing well without medication, then definitely don't do it. Even from the safest of the drugs on the market, the possible side effects from them could potentially thwart his progress... or they could improve his progress... You just don't know and the risk may not be worth it to you. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-medication in the least. But my general rule of thumb where medication is concerned is to only go there if the progress has stalled after trying everything else and the potential benefit from the medication out-weighs the risk of potential side effects (or possible longterm effects). Or... Say the child is exhibiting a self-injurious behavior, like banging their head. The chance of hurting themselves doing that might greatly outweigh the risk of the possible longterm or side effects from taking a medication. That's my two cents, at least.