Posted on 02/01/2010 9:04:31 AM PST by wyowolf
Beware of the responses you are going to get on this thread. I do have a child that has ADHD. Like many others, I didn’t believe it really existed until my son was about 3 and then I became a firm believer. Changes in diet, discipline, etc., didn’t work. We tried everything. The main problem was his inability to learn. He couldn’t concentrate or focus enough to process the information he was receiving. As a last resort, we opted for medication. He did much better and is to the point now (junior high) where we have lessened the medication. It is, however, still a struggle, both in school and socially. Good luck to you in the future and really evaluate the responses you’re going to get to your thread. It may not be pretty.
Limit the amount of time he spends in front of the TV and read chapter books with him (adventure stories, funny books) taking turns reading. Reading helps so much with concentration... Set aside a particular time of the day (just before dinner & bedtime) for reading.
After completing a chapter or part of a chapter, discuss what is going on so he focuses on the continuous thread of the story.
You can make it fun for him by making the characters have certain voices or by adding funny dialogue that’s not really in the book (bathroom humor always works). It’ll make him look forward to reading time.
Most boys thrive on competion ... do puzzle races, play games, etc.
Try to work math into all of your play (e.g if playing catch, keep track of how many catches in a row have been made. If playing basketball, how many shots in a row, etc.)
Lego kits are also good for helping focus the mind ... start with the smaller easier ones ... they have step by step instructions and the kids have to concentrate and follow directions in order to complete the models properly.
Good luck.
How long after changing his diet have you looked for results? I know with most elimination diets, even those not related to ADHD, it can take 3-4 weeks to see changes.
What types of things are you eliminating? Sweetners? Food coloring?
Or check for gluten sensitivity. If it is gluten-related that’s one where you should see a big change in behavior quickly.
Well we are going to see the doc, i just wanted to see what other people were doing and how they handled it, thank you everyone for your replies, and especially the private replies, seems like a lot of you have had good success with medication which kind of surpised me but made me feel a little better.
As much as i would like to think it was diet related i just dont think so, i have tried lots of different things, no sugar, carbs, fish oil, vitamins. and i couldnt detect any meaningful change like i had hoped. I would think if it was something related to his diet i would have seen some kind of change positve or neg, but i dont :(
Were you diagnosed as a child with ADD/ADHD? I only ask because I found out this week that 40+ years ago I was diagnosed ADD and I was never told. I’m curious as to whether it can carry over into adulthood and because I suspect that I have some of the symptoms.
I do notice, once in a while anyway, that when I get on task around the house and make it a point to concentrate on things, that I’m able to maintain focus. Outside of that, I have problems.
I will look into implementing some of the mitigating factors you mention.
Thanks,
SZ
my kids are not adhd but i was at wits end trying to potty train. nothing worked to convice these kids to use the potty. i asked their pediatrician what to do. he said reward the kid with a sticker for the days he/she does what they are supposed to do. at the end of the week tally up the stickers and let the kid pick something fun as a prize. up to 5 stickers no prize, 5 stickers small prize, 6=medium prize, 7 = big prize. the kid gets to pick a movie, or a new book or something of that nature. not candy or fast food. the Dr. said this even worked with his adhd child. good luck.
you know when we were kids adhd was know by four very different letters. b. r. a. t. and the treatment was a big old butt whoopin. i doubt if it helped anyone.
Enroll him in Karate. This has been very good for my 7 year old. Your kid is probably just a normal healthy kid with a lot of energy to burn off.
I have know people who are very sharp mentally, and very athletic who, as children, could not even set quite enough to eat dinner at the table. They had to walk around while eating. They turned out fine, because no one identified them as having ADD/ADHD!
Only used drugs if it extremely necessary, because for sure you are going to see side effect that maybe worse then the original problem. IMHO
I am basing this on my own observations with people I work with, and with the experience of my nephew who was put on Ritalin and subsequently had to spend a year at a ranch for drug addiction.
We homeschool our daughter (8-1/2years' old), but around age 7 started noticing her behavior was beyond just "eclectic", so after a ton of research, a few doctors and some extensive testing we have a diagnosis of "Asperger's Syndrome" with a side of excessive anxiety.
We are modifying her diet and seeing a Christian neuro-psychologist-type counselor.
And praying a lot.
“Were you diagnosed as a child with ADD/ADHD?”
No, I was diagnosed as a bad kid who couldn’t sit in his chair.
I went to a small school in a small town and they let me stand up at a writing table in the back of the class most of the time. This worked pretty well.
Yes i did enroll him him in Tae Kwon Do last year which has helped a little, he gets LOTS of exercise and they are very good at discipline but its still not enough.
I am a father of 3, 2 of which have been diagnosed, treated, and released from treatment for ADHD. (We think the 3rd has it, but we have no clinical diagnosis.)
First and foremost, anyone who is telling you they can diagnose ADHD is dead wrong. There is a clinical test for ADHD, where the degree of cortical slowing in the frontal lobe is measured. This is the only reliable clinical diagnosis I am aware of. (BTW ADD and ADHD are the same issue, with one symptom different)
Attention deficit isn’t a deficit of attention - it’s an inability to turn attention to all of the various sensory inputs off to concentrate on the most important inputs.
With respect to diet: If your son has ADHD, he likely has an aversion to protein. (This is a symptom) protein will help - our doctor for ADHD used “neutraceuticals” (protein supplements) to help treat the problem. Low-carb, higher protein is what was prescribed for us.
A lot of ADHD symptoms can be treated using discipline techniques. Most of the techniques my wife and I were taught to use were positive-reinforcement techniques, with heavy emphasis on timely gratification (i.e.: a daily reward that was predicated on doing a few expected tasks.) There was also a “life stops” aspect to the approach, where the child was put into “time out” in response to refusals to cooperate. (”Time out” meant all desired activities stopped - no TV, no radio, no games, no books, etc.)
With respect to medicines: both of my diagnosed kids were put on ritalin. BUT, the dosage was very tightly titrated (and turned out to be the minimum available dose). The ritalin was used to help the child learn to “concentrate” properly. Once self-regulation of concentration was achieved, both kids went off the ritalin.
I wish you luck dealing with this parenting challenge - although I also want to offer reassurance that ADHD isn’t a horrible thing. It is just another parenting challenge, and is one that can be overcome in concert with your doctor and school teachers. Just remember that YOU are the parent - and not the school teachers (we had them try to tell us they would have to kick our son out of Catholic school if we didn’t put him on drugs at 4 years old - we told them to pound sand at that point because 4 is too young to diagnose anything).
Sorry if I’ve rambled too long. I hope something I have written is helpful.
BTW, she hasn't been on medication for 3 or 4 years and just finished her first semester of college with all A's and B's. There is no reason to believe your son won't be just as successful.
Yes you have thank you very much :)
Argh - What a difference a word makes.
What I mean by this is that "he's acting up" isn't a diagnosis - it's a behavior. WHY he's acting up can be any number of reasons.
Make sure you get good, solid medical advice on the diagnosis, if you end up heading that direction. Teachers and school principals are not qualified to make this diagnosis - even though they sometimes try to do so.
+1 on the High protein posted above.
Snack of choice is Jack Link’s Beef Jerkey. Use it and mixed nuts (real nuts, not peanuts) instead of chips.
Comes in 1lb bags at SAMS.
I was the town “terror” growing up. Ran away from home too many times to count, stole things, got into lots of trouble, below average to average student.
The cops, well, they did their best, but I was quite adept at evading them and my parents. I could avoid them for days, until I got too tired of running and subsisting on mangoes, roseapples and avocadoes. And that was basically how they started handling it, just let me come home on my own and then deal with it.
Like you, small town, small school. Don’t recall if my teachers ever tried the standing routine though.
SZ
Do a google about Aspergers Syndrome, my son has it as so do I, maybe you will find some information about it and your situation.
This isn't about conforming to society. It's about their inability to stay focused long enough to learn just about anything. Without medication my youngest would be unable to learn to read, do basic math, or participate in any organized activity. He is unable to control his emotions or his behavior. The difference with the meds is amazing. He becomes a pleasant child that is thoughtful and willing to learn.
Before I understood the problem I was dead set against medication. Now I realize the meds really are for his benefit not for ours.
I used to think all of the stuff you hear about ADHD was bunk. That was until I met my current spouse who has two children (boy & girl). This boy cannot function normally wihtout his meds and then only marginally after that. He literally bounces off the walls and cannot focus on even completing the most basic tasks. He gets absolutely no suger, pop, candy, etc. as well as no TV or video games due to disciplinary issues at home and school. He is very bright but cannot control himself. We try to provide a simple daily routine of chores which he cannot complete.
The girl also takes meds as she began exhibiting the same problems. Both children are biological brother and sister and were adopted out of foster care (mother was a doper).
My daughter (now 23 and fresh out of a 4 year hitch in the marines) was nothing like this. I gave her not more than 3 really good whacks her entire life and never had to raise my voice to her. But with these kids we have tried spanking, grounding, timeouts, heart to heart talks, etc. but they just can’t help themselves. Before we go in shopping or out in public we go over the rules of good behaivor vs bad, and the concepts of reward vs. punishment and they can repeat them back word for word, but within 5 seconds after clearing the door they have totally forgotten them. We can do this on a saturday and repeat it before going into every store but it really does no good.
I too just don’t understand it. I tell them that most people never forget the worst ass whipping of their lives and learn from it but I swear these kids live for punishment.
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