ADHD

Amy - posted on 04/24/2010

I forgot to add, pack stuff for your child to do. Paper and crayons, a toy they have to have. A small game board. Anything to keep them distracted during points and times they have to sit for very long.
Also don't be afraid of letting them play video games. I don't know why but my child can sit in front of the computer for hours (if I'd let her) and play. For some reason I can't get her to sit through a movie but the interaction of the games are great. I usually let her play when I'm tring to get my stuff done. I know where she's at, I know she's not destroying anything and I know she's actually learning something. There's great educational games available if you just look for them.

Sarah - posted on 04/23/2010

My oldest has ADHD. One thing that most parents with these children have a problem with is learning the difference between behavior problems and the ADHD acting up. When the child becomes aggressive or destructive, that isn't the ADHD, that is the parent loosing control. A hyperactive child will be antsy, distracted, loud, and generally annoying at times, but doesn't have to misbehave. Find something that she likes that is portable. My daughter likes to draw. I kept drawing supplies with us at all times. My nephew likes to drum. My sister let him keep drumsticks or pencils to make rhythms with.

As for medication, you will have to decide that according to how much your and her lives are being disrupted by her ADHD. There are natural remedies that you can try like grape seed extract, valerian root, and ginko biloba. Also get her checked for allergies. Some food allergies will make it worse. Avoid sugar, but sometimes caffeine can actually help.

Good Luck!

Amy - posted on 04/23/2010

I was going to suggest the same thing. My child is 4 and a visual schedule is great. We have one just for her that has pictures on it of school, doctors, dentists, stores, and even her sisters activities. She knows whats going on everyday and its great. We have a set morning routine and bedtime routine and she also can tell you that when both arms are pointing to the sun on the clock its lunch time (noon). I also give her household chores to do in the house. She loves it even though sometimes she forgets what we were doing and I have to remind her a few times. In the summer just add pictures of what you're planning to do even if it's only a day in advance. She'll be prepared. Do be prepared if she has a fit somewhere. My child isn't on medication as of yet. I'm waiting on another diagnosis before I go that route. Oh and the allergy testing thing is great. She has calmed down so much since we found out she can't have soy or corn. (makes shopping a bit harder but we eat healthier).

Iridescent - posted on 04/23/2010

We have 5 kids with medical issues, each one is unique. ADHD, Autism, and other problems abound... None are medicated right now, but we did have my oldest son on Remeron for a year because he was depressed from inability to communicate and unable to sleep.

One thing you should check first off is possible allergies. One of our children is 3, and he certainly qualifies as autistic and having ADHD, but we're waiting to officially diagnose (despite several doctors commenting on it) because allergies can cause these symptoms as well. We had allergy testing done 2 days ago and found reactions to tomato and milk proteins, which means he is certainly having problems. His eosinophil count is also ridiculously high at 13.9 (normal 0-3) and this shows he's having major allergies to more than this for sure. Other labs are showing immunodeficiencies but the full results aren't back yet so we don't know which diagnosis is appropriate or how to treat quite yet. This is not rare! It's so common, it's something that should be checked prior to any medicating. Some common problems that cause these symptoms are gluten allergy, Red Dye #40 allergy, High Fructose Corn Syrup allergy, dairy allergy.

Next, have a routine. Be consistent. When you have changes in schedule (such as starting summer vacation, or a doctor appointment) give her a day or 3 notice - as she gets older, let her know a week in advance, and have a schedule board up so once she can read she'll know on her own.

Encourage high activity things! When my oldest is wired, he runs laps around the house. At school, he's allowed to leave the classroom to run laps in the gym. Another thing that helps is "heavy work" such as carrying a few books from one room to another. It helps calm. Brushing and deep compression helps a lot of children, but isn't used in all areas so ask your OT about it. Request the OT perform a sensory evaluation - it will tell you exactly what type of sensory input she is seeking and how to fulfill that need. It's amazing! It's called an SDM Profile, I think.

Shelley - posted on 04/23/2010

I am a mum of 4 children of which 2 are diagnosed (high functioning autistic) Asperges and dyspraxic and are waiting for my youngest to be diagnosed Asperges. I alot of my friends also have children with this and ADHD and my husband works at a school which specializes in these fields. There are many things you can do to help for example have visual schedules around the house so she know what she needs to do for things like getting up in the morning, What you are planning to do each day, bedtime routine etc. When you are shopping make a visual schedule of what shops you are going in. Or to make it simpler give her cards to hold so which she can return to you when she has been in the shop so she knows how many shops she has to go in before you go home. Reward her when she has done each task on her schedule with stickers, or something she likes like (it doesnt have to cost anything coz it could be time doing something she likes). You cud even build it up that if she say 10 stickers she can have something she likes. Invest in a Stress Ball (they are like squashy balls that you can squeeze and push and pull and also a bean bag she can play with to help calm her down. If she has a temper tantrum put her in time out on the stairs with her bean bag, stress ball or even a slinky. Also if she get angry try not to us long language and keep your sentences to a minimum and children with these conditions find it hard to concentration and will either hear the first few words or the last few words so shorter sentences help them to hear what you want from them. Lastly get in touch with a group near you for parents with kids with the same or similar problems. Also i know you are against medication but don't dismiss it completely out of your mind as many of my friends children are on meds and it does help. Not just for the parents but for the children as they can then gain more control over their behavior easier. Look at it a bit like if and epileptic or diabetic didn't have their medication they would be very ill and not be able to function properly and it is the same with ADHD. I know my daughter with asperges needs to be on medication to control her anxieties and i had a big issue with it at first but now I can see the benefits for her. Keep an open mind and it won't change who she is it will just possibly help her to cope with thing better. I hope this helps.