ADHD Tips

I have a son who’s adhd is impairing his learning from progressing. He is behind in academics and it’s starting to effects other areas of life. We have been against the drugs but now starting to wonder if we are hindering him since he has such a hard time. I have to micro manage his life and he is almost 10 which by that age should be showing a little more responsibility. Please help if you have experience with this.

I, too, was against medicating my ADHD son at first. After the school started calling more and more I knew I had to do something. The first 5 months of his school career were insane. The phone calls from the school become more often with each week.

After 6 months I had my son medicated. And, yes, he was only 5 years old, almost 6 by this point. We started with Ritalin, which had to be increased a few times. This seemed to help him greatly, but there were so many up and down times of the day because he took different doses 3 times per day. He would be coming out of his ‘calm’ before he would get his next dose.

We moved on to Straterra, which did nothing but make him even more hyper, or so it seemed. This lasted a week, maybe.

Then we tried Adderall, which lasted 3 days. He became psychotic, even threatening suicide at 6 years old.

We then went back to Ritalin, but only as a starter. When I expressed all my concerns to the doctor, he assured me that if we could find the correct dosage amount of Ritalin, he would then give him Concerta, which boiled down to 1 pill per day that is time released.

Concerta was new at the time, not to so widely used as it is now.

There were no serious side effects of the Concerta, that he has now taken for 5 years. The only problem we had, which was with all the medications we tried, was that at the end of the day, all that energy that the medicine helped him bottle up, now came out.

He was given a sleep aid, which has now been changed to another one, to help him calm down at night and get some sleep. (Changed due to weight gain as he grew, he is now 11 and was on the same does of the same sleep aid from 6 years old until a few months ago)

Along with my sons ADHD, he would be up all night long. Either talking, jumping, screaming, crying … anything to keep someone’s attention.

Overall I am satisfied with my decision. My son knows that he had problems keeping on track and paying attention (among other problems) without the medication. I have already told him that when he is old enough he can decide for himself to continue, or cut, the medication.

I feel good knowing that my son can better contain himself at school and at home. I believe the medication has helped him in ways we could never have done with ‘home remedies’.

Good Luck with your decision. It is a hard one, and a personal choice, but if your decision helps your child in any aspect of life, it is a good one. Your child could react different to any of the listed medications than my son, as a friend of mine has a son on adderall and he does well.

If so, have these alternative treatments been successful for your students in the classroom? While I’ve seen medication both help and hinder students, I’ve only worked with one child whose family used alternative treatment (diet regulation & whatnot). It didn’t help w/focusing attention in the classroom. I know many parents on here have said they prefer these alternative methods, but I’d like to know if teachers have seen the same positive results in the classroom. Thanks!

I have taught HS for 20 years and have only had 1 student that used an alternative successfully. I have had many more whose parents claimed to be using "alternatives" or allowing their children not to take meds because they didn’t like the way they made them feel and the children were disasters in the classroom. The one successful one had a mother that was with him all the time, monitored him vigilantly and sat in my room if necessary to keep him from disturbing others. Meds or no meds, ADHD children need a strong behavior modification plan and my school did not have the resources to put an aid in to constantly monitor their behavior. Consequently, they ended up in detention and in/out of school suspension more than other students. I am not promedication, but I do have to wonder if the child had a dibilitating, life threatening disease would the parents allow the child to decide whether to take their meds or not? Many of my unmedicated students have ended up in jail or dead after they left high school and it breaks my heart.

I was told by my boss that she thinks that I have ADD or ADHD….I can’t focus on just one thing at a time…And my knee always bounces up and down….Any ideas?

I included a link to one I find useful (I have ADD). Keep in mind, though, that you can’t rely on a website or book to diagnose you. The symptoms associated with ADD are also associated with other mental illnesses, as well as many purely physical illnesses. You need to discuss it with a doctor.

As someone who has dealt with this problem all his life, I’ve had to explain it to a lot of people. Most people don’t even understand what ADD is, partially because it presents differently in each person, but also due to comedians telling dumb ADD jokes.

I’ve developed the follow description to give to people when they need some clarification: "Basically, ADHD (and ADD) is a deficit (not an inability) to immediately apply one’s will to one’s actions." A deficit means it difficult, not impossible. If you’ve found yourself from time to time knowing you need to do something, but you don’t get up to do it, but for no concrete reason you can explain, you might have ADD.

I hope this is helpful.

What effects, if any, would not treating these children have on their later development?

First of all, make sure, your children have ADHD/ADD. A lot of times it is confused with bipolar disorder, which needs a whole different course of treatment.

Secondly, please don’t think you can only use drug therapy to treat your children. Talk to a psychologist and ask about psychotherapy. There are a great many, normal things that can be done to help ADHD children. A big thing, being schedules and discipline from you and on their own parts.

As for side effects…most ADHD medications are stimulants (yea, they use stimulants to "calm down" hyper children). In reality, they often make the child lethargic, depressed, super moody (snap at anything). There are some non-stimulant medications now but they still give off a lot of the same effects.

As for later development, these drugs can become very addictive and can be used for non-ADHD reasons. Often older children and even adults use Adderall and Ritalin to get high on, which often stems from usage as a younger child.

If you have ADHD/ADD, what type of an impact has it had on the people who are close to you? If you know someone with ADHD/ADD, how have they made an impact on your life?

My husband ahas ADD and before Adderall he was a mess. Couldn’t focus for long periods of time and moody as hell. He is much better now and a lot more pleasant to be around.

My 7 year old son has just been diagnosed with ADHD and we are not really to keen on the whole medication issue. We have tried for about 2 years with the behavior modification plan but he is now begining to struggle in school. Is there anything that works beside medication? I so don’t want to have him on amphetamines at 7 years old but I want the best for him and for him to be successful at school.

Absolutely! I know it sounds like a generic answer but eating right and exercising has been PROVEN to reduce the symptoms of ADHD and Bipolar disorder (usually misdiagnosed as one or the other).

There’s a list attached below of foods that are especially beneficial to those with ADHD. Don’t you think taking your son to a place where he can run, play and jump around will help him release his anxiety and anger? Trust me, I have Bipolar disorder (which is very similar) and I feel so much better after I made these changes!

ADHD:
* Eat a high-protein diet, including beans, cheese, eggs, meat, and nuts. Add protein foods in the morning and for after-school snacks, to improve concentration and possibly increase the time ADHD medications work.
* Eat fewer simple carbohydrates, such as candy, corn syrup, honey, sugar, products made from white flour, white rice, and potatoes without the skins.
* Eat more complex carbohydrates, such as vegetables and some fruits (including oranges, tangerines, pears, grapefruit, apples, and kiwi). Eating complex carbs at night may aid sleep.
* Eat more Omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in tuna, salmon, other cold-water white fish, walnuts, Brazil nuts, olive, and canola oil. Omega-3 fatty acids are also available in supplement form.

Is there a holistic treatment? Maybe some kind of diet? I’m wary of prescription meds.

Please look at www.drbate.com. He has developed a brain balancing cd based on biofeedback-I am a mental health counselor getting certified in biofeedback. His CD makes it affordable and you listen to it at night. Biofeedback is as effective as medication without causing damage BUT insuranse usually doesn’t cover it except for pain and anxiety. I urge you to look at that site…he focuses on the brain wave balancing which is increasing thought frequencies drugs try to balance but biofeedback does as well and on diet.

Diet is huge and there are many sources for that around including skipping processed foods, food coloring, getting extra protein and fatty acids. Excercise is big too.

By the way, I just know him and don’t anything back from referrals from him. It is a crime the way many good therapies that can REVERSE the diagnosis are ignored. I was once diagnosed…

Or having a good night’s sleep?

From my own observations, it seems that I tend to be more focused and pay attention better after eating or doing certain things.

When I don’t have a good night sleep I have difficulty hearing what people are saying, it’s like my mind blocks them out intentionally for some reason.

If I don’t eat right, I become self-absorbed and become less alert to the environment around me (bad for driving!).

If I don’t drink an energy drink on a work day I am more prone to passive-aggression and holding grudges against others, and fail to be more openminded and see things from other peoples’ point of view. I also have a harder time pleasing customers when I don’t have an energy drink to give me the boost.

But is there any scientific reason why this is? Am I just off on everything?

I think eating less sugar and less artificial coloring and flavoring can reduce the problems associated with this disorder. Eating healthy can make you feel better and when you feel better you will sleep better.

My middle son turned four in October. I have noticed that the older he gets, the worse his behavior gets. He is also VERY restless. I can’t get him to sit still for two-seconds. He also won’t stay on task. He is constantly getting into trouble at school. At home, he is always wide open. I would guess that could all be explained away as a typical four-year-old. However, he is also always fidgiting. He is picking at his nails, he constantly picks the plastic tips off of his shoe laces, he picks at the designs on his shirts, he picks at bug bites/cuts/scabs/etc. He is a picker! Would that be considered a symptom? I don’t want to take him to the doctor to get on some type of treatment if that isn’t what this is. Also, if this is ADD/ADHD, are there any alternatives to treatment? I have heard about using St. John’s Wort? Any ideas?
I am hesitant to take him to the doctor not because I want him to suffer but I am fearful since I live in a VERY rural area it will be missdiagnosed. Also, as for his diet, he doesn’t get sweets, candy, soda, kool-aid, etc. As for stimulation, there is plenty. My husband and I play with him all the time. He has lots of good toys, stimulating toys, not just hotwheels.

Stop self diagnosing and go visit a doctor. Express your concern about medication and ask for alternatives, such as behavioral therapy. Picking is a sign of boredom. Get him things to entertain himself with… I didn’t sit still at all at 4 either and I don’t have ADD/ADHD.

In the past three days, since my four-year-old changed classes in his daycare twice in two weeks, he’s been getting in trouble for not minding the teacher and just generally being difficult. So they moved him back to the three-year-old room when the afternoon teacher was having trouble with him. When I called to complain about him being sent BACK to the younger class, the woman I spoke to in the office (not the teacher, she had already left) suggested "maybe it’s his ADHD….."

He’s never been diagnosed with ADHD, and he’s never had discipline problems other than the occasional time-out, in any of his classes, or at home. And he minds the morning teacher.

I think the problem stems from him not handling change well (never has) and being shuffled from class to class in a very short time, and every move makes it worse.

Even if he’s never shown signs of it before, and it’s been only three days, is it something that can be brought on by circumstances, or just naturally?
Thanks everyone. We had a conference with the morning teacher (he behaves pretty well for), two former teachers (who were more than happy to testify that with a few exceptions, usually around major changes, he never had behavioral issues) and the office worker I spoke with. All three teachers said they think that afternoon teacher is possibly in over her head, and that even if he DID have ADHD, part of the package of working with children is to deal with that and provide them an education as well. They also pointed out that ALL of the kids are acting unusual right now, because of the change of class and routine, by being moody, regressing in potty-training, or acting out.

Long story not so short, they’re going to call me if there are more issues, and that teacher is NOT to single him out and hold him back like that again.

No, ADHD can not in any way be brought on by changing conditions in anyone’s life. It’s a genetic disorder, not a behavioral one.

In any case, your kid doesn’t have ADHD. ADHD is commonly used as a scapegoat diagnosis when a child misbehaves because it’s something that’s easy to explain, almost impossible to account for, suggestive that it’s not really anyone’s fault, and easily treated. That is undoubtedly what is going on now. Your kid’s teacher doesn’t want to deal with a kid who’s stressed out by having to change classes, and is blaming it on ADHD. Personally, I don’t think much of them for saying that. It’s *normal* to feel stress and act differently when confronted in a change in environment.

If you want to really have your kid tested for ADHD, that’s fine, and maybe he even has it. But from your testimony it sounds like he doesn’t. In any case, I would want to get a lot more of a professional opinion than a teacher who’s probably too stressed out from her own job to make sound judgements about the behavior of others.