ADD help

[psdjmem]

Hi all I was wondering if any of you have kids who have ADD or ADDH? We suspect our 8 year old son might have this. We have been to the peds doctor and they thought it might have been a siezure disorder but thankfully they have ruled this out with an EEG so we are very happy that he does not have silent siezures but they doc thinks we should continue on to find out what the problem is. He is a very sweet kind caring boy but has such a hard time staying on task at school and to a lesser extent at home. His teacher who is a wonderful experienced teacher said she does not think he is being disobediant he is really trying but he just can not seems to focus and stay on task many times. I have a form to fill out and the teacher has a form too so when she gets that back to me I will make an appointment and go from there. I did order a book "The ADD order" the man who wrote it was on Dr. Phil ?? so I thought I would start there .... any help would be so appreicated!! We don't want to go straight to medication and our doctor is not one to pass out meds first off we would like to try behavior things. Any books, web sites, personal experiance

thanks so much!
sharon

[uscwest]

Going to shuffle this over to Disabilities, where you may get more help.

[psdjmem]

Going to shuffle this over to Disabilities, where you may get more help. thanks for moving this hopefully someone will be able to give me some helpful information!!

[foreverducky]

I don't have personal experience with this disorder, but I thought that this website might help. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/adhd.cfm#treat
It's from the National Institute of Mental Health.

[psdjmem]

I don't have personal experience with this disorder, but I thought that this website might help. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/adhd.cfm#treat
It's from the National Institute of Mental Health.


thanks ducky very helpful info and some books I have ordered I am sure will help us out!!

[foreverducky]

You can also order the pamphlet from that website too, and it's free.

I know that it's going to be a difficult road ahead. Keep strong, be consistent, and patient. :D

[dcfromva]

Sharon,

It sounds like you have a pretty alert teacher. It has to be very difficult for your son to try so hard to maintain focus. Unfortunately, folks with ADD are often overlooked because they are not disrupting the class.

foreverducky's link (The NIMH) is a good place to start. The problem with ADD/ADHD is that there is not currently a definative test to diagnosis it, it is all based on observation of behavior of the individual. They have been making some headway with brain scans and they are also doing lots of studies on DNA to see if they can come up with a genetic marker, but as far as I know they have not come up with a definitive diagnostic tool that has gone as far as clinical trials. Your first step would to make an appointment with your pediatrician. I would follow that up with a second opinion by a Neuropsychologist/Psycologist who specializes in this sort of thing. You will receive some assessment forms for you to fill out and for your teacher to fill out over a period of time. Then, there will be some more testing they will do.

They are currently doing research to see if ADD/ADHD represents a disruption or a delay of brain development as some percentage of individuals seem to outgrow some aspects of ADD/ADHD as they get older. It will be interesting to see what they find out. ( It would make more sense if it turned out to be a delay, wouldn't it? )

I saw a program this past summer about a innovative therapy that was being used to help kids focus. It was a video game type set-up and at they reported good success with it (on the news report, anyway :D ). Video Games to treat ADD (http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/biofeedback/a/videoadd.htm)
Link to Smartgames (http://smartbraingames.com/)
I haven't seen any clinical studies on this particular therapy, but even if it turned out not to be effective, it doesn't seem like it would do any harm.

Study on Neurofeedback combined with training in metacognitive strategies: effectiveness in students with ADD reported by National Institutes of Health (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10457815&dopt=Citation) (This was not a controlled scientific study, but it would suggest that further research is warranted. )

Myths about ADD/ADHD (http://www.addconsults.com/articles/full.php3?id=1030)


There is also a support group for ADD/ADHD called CHADD (I tried to bring up the web site, but it doesn't seem to be working right now) CHADD (www.chadd.org)

Good luck to you and your son. :hug: :hug:

-DC :ears:

[psdjmem]

We are blessed with his teacher this year she is wonderful!! I must admit last year his 1st teacher complained he was out of his seat not paying attention he needs medication blah blah blah -- but she told almost every mother of the boys in the class the same thing so I really did not give it any thought just figured she could not handle all those boys. She was really big on medicating children. She is a sweet lady just kinda flaky at times :rolleyes: she thinks chocolate is horrid and scolded me for the lunches I sent in with my son :eek: good grief - she was going thru the kids lunches :lol: so I played along and sent in those "healthy" fruits and veggies and saved our twinkies and ring dings for home.

This year his teacher has taken notes and tried to pinpoint when he seems not to be able to pay attention and where he has the most trouble. She wants to have him get a good education and wnats to know what she can do to help!! We have some forms to fill out and she will fill some out along with his report card and will sit down with our peditrician and figure out a plan. thank you for the info!!

[kazzaqld]

I fought against medication for my son for the longest time. His grade 2 and 3 teacher was horrified when I suggested maybe he needed that, so I dismissed for another year. But when we finally decided to try it, it has made such a difference to him. He is able to concentrate and do the right thing, and I think finally getting positive feedback on his behaviour has helped him even whe he wasn't on meds because he has a model now of what the right thing is.:thumbs:

Medication isn't the answer for every kid, and different medication may be needed for different kids, but please don't think you are a bad parent or taking a soft option if you decide medication is the way to go. (I still do sometimes! :rolleyes:)

He coped really well with Disney - in fact the day we went to MK, I forgot his tablets because we left so early for our Chef Mickey breakfast. Apart from 2 meltdowns (one in the looooong queue for Tomorrowland Speedway, and one when we were going to lunch and he wanted to meet Stich, and I wanted him to wait til after lunch), he was really good.

But at school where you have to sit down, be quiet and do your work.... he's lost without the help. :sigh:

I hope this helps - I'm happy to try and answer any other questions, but I'm only an expert on one kid! :lol:

[psdjmem]

Your advice is much appreciated!!! I confess I do feel a bit overwhelmed right now but I know I have a great doctor and a wonderful teacher on his side so we are just going one day at a time. I am not anti-meds and know one friend whos son is on medication and he functions so wonderfully with his school work and is such a happy boy it did take them quite some time to find what was best for him. I am trying to read up on it and get a idea of what exactly ADD is and what things can be done to help out our son. I greatly apprecaite all the input it helps us to find out other parents and what they are doing for thier kids!!

[steery1]

My DS has been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome. We had a terrible time with his teachers in nursery school - too traumatic to go into in detail - but now in primary school the difference is amazing!
He is progressing so well and trying so hard (with everyones encouragement). I'm so proud of him!
I think there are lots of variable factors that will impact on how well or how not so well your child is doing at any one time. Diet, exercise, meds environment, peer pressure etc.....
Also I find things go much smoother depending on how calm I am.....

If you are feeling lousy then chances are things will get on top of you. Try to keep things in perspective and dont let stuff get on top of you. I've found that a sense of humour really helps me get by.
My DS has a seriously brilliant sense of humour for a 6 yr old. He's always winding me up. I just play him at the same game and we usually both end up in hysterics.
But at times when the walls are closing in I find it very difficult not to lose my temper.
So I've bought a Nintento DS with some games so DS wont start in the queues/lines in WDW.

[PaulaK]

But at times when the walls are closing in I find it very difficult not to lose my temper.
So I've bought a Nintento DS with some games so DS wont start in the queues/lines in WDW.


Steery, have you tried to get him a guest assistance pass to make the queues a little easier for you all?

[steery1]

Paula, I've read about that. I dont think you get to front of line but there are systems in place that make queueing easier, like an available quiet area where you can wait out your turn.
My DS actually wasnt too bad in the lines last time, mainly because we went early, used fastpasses strategically and if the line was too long we simply didn't risk it. Just common sense really.
About the assistance pass, do you need a doctors note to produce at guest services and would you have to do this every time you visit a park?
It might be worth having as a back up incase all else fails!

[justine]

My friends little boy has add and also a hearing problem. She lots of things including a change in is diet,she read somewhere certain foods can make the condition worse she also avoided the medication as long as she could. But eventually he went on them and she hasn't looed back since, if he misses a tablet she knows, but she said the hardest part was getting the condition recognised, she had to fight tooth and nail with his school and is still having problems with extra help for his studies. She tried omega 3 fish oil at first and she said she did notice a slight difference in his behaviour. So this is always somewhere to start. Good luck

[triciacarole]

Steery, with a guest assistance card you are usually taken into another queue that is away from the main queue and quieter. I took a Doctor's note for DD with me but did no need it. At MK I asked for a gac at Guest Relations who asked what her problem was and gave me one. Not all parks are so good, AK refused me one.

[psdjmem]

Steery, with a guest assistance card you are usually taken into another queue that is away from the main queue and quieter. I took a Doctor's note for DD with me but did no need it. At MK I asked for a gac at Guest Relations who asked what her problem was and gave me one. Not all parks are so good, AK refused me one.

oh that is not right one park gave you a pass and one did not - there should be a standard set and followed byt all CM!

we are getting my sons ADD looked into and will hopefully be able to better help him I do want to try diet and exercise first before going right to medications our peditrician is wounderful and willing to work with us I am not anti-meds but would like to explore all options before moving to them.

[triciacarole]

I think the guy at AK was just being a pain, we muddled through most of the holiday without one, it only became an issue in MK when there were huge crowds, DD was left out in too much sun and got burnt, despite high factor sunscreen. A cm picked up on her being unhappy and told us we should have a GAC and sent us to guest services for it, where we had no problems. It does not give her right to bypass the queues but allows her a separate less crowded entrance. DD does not have ADD she has mobility problems.

[jennacool]

Here is what my uncle was told when his son was diagnosed.... they asked some simple questions.... such as... can your child sit for hours playing video games???... or something he enjoys????like a good movie ????if so then he does not have the disorder and is simply bored.. if you answer yes to this question have it checked out.. but watch the meds... it really messes with kids.. possibly check his diet too.. it could be something he is eating making him this way.... just a thought
good luck to you...

[happyfurkidmom]

My 8.5 yr old son has ADHD w/ aggression. He's been on meds since he turned 4 and it has been a blessing. He never left the house before the meds...no park, no McD's, nothing. He is on a high protein/mod. high fat diet to keep his weight up. One thing that you can do w/ the diet is avoid red and yellow food dyes--they react negatively w/ these kids. If you have to choose colors go in this order: blue, green, orange. The orange doesn't do as badly as the red or yellow sep.:confused:
Also, try to avoid or severely limit processed foods--hot dogs, bologna, lunch meats. They will also react negatively after a build up of the chemicals used. Feel free to e me privately and I'll help as I can. I've read, been there and done that.:D
We also have him on a chart. Nine things he LOVES--playing w/ the dogs, eating peanut butter, riding bike or scooter, playing Gamecube, playing PS2, etc. When he meltsdown or is disobeying, we cross one off. when he can behave for 1 hour, he gets to take one back. When we started this (before meds), he would loose all 9 in 10 minutes and he only had to behave for 10 minutes to earn back and couldn't. The first day his meds worked (3 days after starting), he kept all 9 til lunchtime! Now, he loses one about 1x week or every 2 weeks.
Be VERY specific and break tasks down. Not clean your room but pick up 9 cars and put them away.
hope all this helps,
Kimberly