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ADHD...nothing new...

Ilona - posted on 11/12/2008 ( 1 mom has responded )

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Hi ladies! I have been reading some of your posts and I just HAD to say something!

As far as I’m concerned ADHD is nothing new. There were kids with it when we were little, they just hadn’t come up with a label yet!! People (teachers, caregivers, etc) were just more willing to take the time to DEAL WITH IT!! My son was diagnosed with ADHD in nursery school and we tried everything too. Meds, diet, etc. He is now 14 and he tries his hardest to control himself. It was/is hard, but he’s the child God gave me, I love him, and that’s how we make it thru each day. He’s probably one of the smartest kids in his class, but has real difficulty sitting in a noisy classroom and getting his work done. So, he takes it upon himself to go to the library at lunch or whatever it takes to get the job done. It took us all these years to get to that point, but now we’re there and he’s getting better grades, etc. Meds “worked”(we did that for 2.5 years), but I remember asking him in grade 5 how he felt about it. His exact words were, “The teacher said I had a great day, so I guess they are working!!” He was very sarcastic about it, so I asked him how he FELT…, “Like a zombie…” That was it for me…I took him off immediately! I think diet has a lot to do with it, but it is really hard to pinpoint what do cut out. I find dairy gets all my kids(4) AND my hubby pretty hyper, so I limit it. It just takes work folks. A lot of love and work! If the teachers, caregivers, etc were willing to put as much effort into it as us parents did, I don’t think the label: ADHD would even exist!! They would just be one of those kids who needed a little more time and effort…that’s all they really are! And I love him all the more for it!!

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Karen - posted on 11/12/2008

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12

thanks for writing. My son is 8 but I knew he was different at age 2. couldn't put my finger on it until he was 4 and then I took him for testing. The doctors said it was ADHD. I felt better because then I knew he wasn't just trying to be "bad" he couldn't help it. And it made him feel better when he had a reason for feeling the way he did. I didn't medicate until he was 7. He was having a horrible time at school, couldn't sit, easily agitated, ran away and hid if things didn't work out right the first time. That fist week was the toughest and I don't think I will ever forget that experience. But I decided to stay with it and was very glad I did. Soon he could sit and finish writing, drawing, colouring. He discouvered he loved art and was good at it. Wow, Amazing. I have tried other meds but we go back to methylphenidate (Ritalin) because it works for him. I am a big believer that he needs to handle this himself, not rely on meds. I get him to work with the teacher if he needs to go some place quiet to work. I always ask him how the medication is working, how he feels on it. I have also noticed that milk/dairy gets him wired. I cut out peanut butter because it had the same affect, he is not allergic, just sensitive to it. I make sure he knows it. He doesn't like to be different, especially from his big brother, but I make a point of all their differences so that his ADHD is just one more thing, like eye colour, that makes him unique. And there are days when I REALLY have to remind myself of that.

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