ADHD Tips

My son likes to dress himself. At 2.5, that’s a great thing, but I find it hard. His shoes are on the right way, 50% of the time.  His crocs are green, only because the pink ones, the colour he really wanted, weren’t available in his size. (He has an older sister, she influences a lot of his decisions.)

He puts his shoes on the right feet… 50% of the time!

I read a quote recently by Dale Carnegie:  “Don’t laugh at a child’s ambitions. . . . Above all, don’t help your child to do something that they can accomplish on their own. Don’t deny them the priceless privilege and thrill of developing their own success.”

This quote reminded me of a Montessori film I saw a few years ago called Edison’s Day (you can order it here).  Edison would wake up in his regular bed (not crib), choose his clothes, get dressed by himself, head over to the kitchen, open the fridge to get the jug of milk and pour himself a bowl of cereal…all of this at 18 months!  The film followed Edison as he explored the world.  He made pizza, washed and dried the dishes, took a bath…all these activities were lead by him and facilitated by his parents. It’s an amazing film that I encourage all parents to watch.  It’s difficult to try to let our kids lead the way all the time…often time in the day doesn’t allow for that. But the idea of not helping kids do something that they can accomplish on their own is so inspiring.

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Did you know that restriction of certain foods for ADHD kids can make a huge difference? Dietary control is one of the major components of alternative treatment for ADHD because it will help in reducing the symptoms.

A diet for ADHD kids is really just feeding your kids nutritious, balanced foods instead of junk food. Junk food is a major player in the role of ADHD.

Here are some dietary restrictions that are essential:

Sugar: A decrease in the amount of sugar will decrease ADHD symptoms, such as hyperactivity. A high intake of sugar (which every kid loves!) will cause the blood sugar levels in the body to fluctuate. That’s not good because this can leave your kid (or anyone for that matter) feeling irritable and moody. It actually sounds like my PMS week! In addition to these symptoms, foods for ADHD kids with high sugar content can lead to aggressive behavior and sudden hyperactive behavior. A high-sugar diet for ADHD kids will only make matters worse.

Refined Carbs: In order to reduce this, you should eliminate white bread, white sugar, all processed foods (especially junk food) from a diet for ADHD kids. Refined carbs will cause the blood sugar levels in the body to fluctuate, and we already know what that does. It worsens ADHD symptoms. Switch to wheat bread and organic or natural sugar. Now this is a tough one for parents. Get your kid to eat more fruits a veggies. They contain complex carbohydrates that will keep blood sugar levels in the body from fluctuating.

Processed foods: Studies have shown that certain processed foods that contain preservatives, additives (MSG), artificial coloring, artificial flavoring and artificial sweeteners can and will cause ADHD symptoms to worsen. Keep them out of your home and don’t go thru the fast food drive-thru (at least not with your ADHD child in the car). Switch natural and organic foods with no preservatives or artificial anything. Some foods for ADHD kids can lead to allergies. These include dairy products and orange juice among others. Eliminating these foods from their diet will also reduce ADHD symptoms.

Natural medicine: One of the best natural supplements you can include in a diet for ADHD kids is an Omega-3. You can find this in fish oil and thank goodness you can also find it in pill form. I doubt if your child would want to take a spoonful of cod liver oil willingly. Studies have shown that this remarkable supplement will improve brain function and decrease hyperactivity. The essential fatty acid can also be found in flax seed oil. Vitamin B-6 is another supplement to use for similar results.

A restricted diet for ADHD kids will definitely help in reducing symptoms but, if you want to take total control of the symptoms, you must combine a diet with behavioral therapy, herbal and homeopathic remedies. The combination of the different alternative therapies will be much safer and just as effective as conventional therapies.

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The debate over whether or not to include sexual education in the public school curriculum (and at what age or grade level) is one that continues to rage.

While some parents feel that informing kids about sex and sexuality will only prompt them to start experimenting before they’re ready (or before they fully understand the physical and emotional ramifications), others think that relating the pitfalls of unprotected sex (pregnancy, STDs) allows children to make informed decisions as they move into adolescence.  And opening a dialogue with kids, making the topic less taboo, may help them feel comfortable enough to seek advice from more experienced adults when it comes time for them to choose.  Still other parents feel that they, not the school, should be allowed to discuss such matters with their children as they deem appropriate.  And then there are various religious and teen pregnancy debates to be considered.  All in all, it is a big issue.

If you fall on the side of the fence that advocates parental control of the dissemination of information you may be pleased to know that in states that mandate sexual education, removal from instruction is often allowed, while some require written parental consent for students to participate (at least initially).

Eventually, as your child moves into high school,  they will undoubtedly be exposed to sexual education, either as a portion of their health curriculum or through their peers, but most parents would probably agree that by the time kids are in high school they should be allowed to learn about the physiological changes they are undergoing.  On the other hand, informing kids early about what to expect could be beneficial in the long run.  With kids as young as twelve or thirteen engaging in sexual activity and having babies, it seems clear that a lack of education could turn out to be a disaster.  Warnings about the adverse effects of sexual intercourse could be the key to curbing these unfortunate tendencies.

The root of the problem lies in the fact that our culture generally views sex and sexuality as taboo topics, especially when it comes to children.  Further clouding the issue are differences in parental views, which dictate what information should be doled out, as well as the difficulty of gauging the age at which children should be educated (as they develop at different rates).  Is it advisable to inform kids who might not otherwise be interested in sex for years to come just so that the few who will get in trouble early on have a chance to understand the changes they are undergoing?  This seems to be the crux of the debate.

One thing is certain: at some point, your child will start to wonder about sexuality.  It is an unavoidable aspect of their biological and social progression.  And the decision to educate them as you see fit or leave it up to the school system could make a big difference, not only in how they approach the topic, but their willingness to include you in the discussion.  The best course of action may be to gain your child’s trust by broaching the subject early on in order to reassure them that their bodily changes are normal, and then continue the conversation as they learn more at school so that you can fill in any gaps (in both factual information and moral direction).

What do you think is best for your children? Leave us a comment below.

[Jamie DeSanto is a writer for Online Nursing Programs where you can browse the best online nursing programs in the country.]

Also at Our Kids:

If you have come to this blog looking for some discussions about family issues we invite you to join the discussion in our Parent Community section.

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The symptoms of attention deficit disorder are set out in the DSM Vol IV. Depending on the type of ADHD, symptoms will range from inattentiveness, hyperactivity, distractability to forgetting things, inability to focus and failure to concentrate. The method of diagnosis is not exactly rocket science and has been criticised as not being objective enough and neither is it a diagnostic test.

Parents will have to decide early on what kind of medication is going to suit their child best. Whatever the medication, it will not cure ADHD. But any medication should be safe in the long term, not lead to any type of addiction or substance abuse and above all, should not have nasty side effects like disturbing the child’s sleep. Most of the ADHD psychostimulants used in controlling the symptoms of attention deficit disorder fall short of those criteria and there is much controversy about how damaging they are. Parents should be able to find out about alternative treatments for ADHD such as homeopathy ADHD which has no side effects.

When ADHD is diagnosed, parents can do so much to help the child come to terms with attention deficit disorder symptoms and can do it so successfully that it can be seen as a gift rather than a curse. Giving positive feedback is one way. Never concentrate on the negative things but try to give praise every day. Spending time with an ADHD child is very important too.

Hyperactivity, another one of the symptoms of attention deficit disorder can play havoc with family life. A great coping mechanism is to get ‘green time’ and sports activities into the daily routine. You will be richly rewarded as the ‘feel good’ endorphins do wonders for the child’s mood, as indeed it does for any adult who practices any physical activity. Choosing the right type of sport is very important though. It seems that where concentration is demanded (for example in football, basketball and baseball), ADHD children definitely do less well. They tend to excel in swimming (look at Michael Phelps), martial arts, gymnastics and wrestling.

Even if some of the ADHD medications may help the child to stay alert and focus much better, again the parents can do so much to help. First they should check out what is going on in the school and actively seek out the teacher to find out exactly what strategies and behaviour plans she has implemented. They also need to resist any attempt by teachers who may recommend some ADHD medication such as psychostimulants. The parents have to make an informed choice. To help you do that, look at the link below for a safe and effective ADHD treatment which is excellent at controlling symptoms of attention deficit disorder.

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Recently at TEDxEdmonton, Cameron Herold discussed what he considers a fundamental flaw in contemporary education, the lack of attention toward teaching young entrepreneurs. Herold argues that many kids who are bored in school might in fact be budding entrepreneurs. In his talk, he implicitly criticizes education that is too focused on cultivating academics over children’s [...]

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Parents have been railing against nutritional deficits in school lunches and inadequate gym programs for awhile, but with nutritional guidelines being met and a moratorium on spending halting any progress, it was beginning to look like an unhealthy situation for our nation’s kids was never going to change.  Unfortunately, parents with limited finances often count [...]

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Charity Raises Money to Send Kids to Summer Camp Although the base of my feet felt bruised, my thumbs were stiff and I couldn’t stand up straight, it was well worth it – we raised over $30,000 to help send 30 underprivileged kids to camp this summer. On June 5, I was one of 48 [...]

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Do you want to know how to pick the best summer camp for your kids?  Watch how the staff treat each other. You can tell a lot about the atmosphere and general attitude of a children’s summer camp by taking a tour and observing a few things. Are you greeted warmly and immediately? Do the [...]

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In the UK, the cost of ADHD meds for kids comes to about £28 million a year! A recent BBC programme pointed out that, apart from the cost, a study of over 600 children who had ADHD were no better off after years of treatment on meds for ADHD. In fact the researchers who were from the University of Buffalo, had to admit that there was no evidence to show that medication was better than other types of interventions in the long term. As a result of the programme, medical authorities are now recommending behavioural interventions, rather than medication! You will not find this information on any of the websites sponsored by the makers of Ritalin or the other ADHD meds for kids mentioned in the study.

The alarming conclusions also pointed out that the negative effects far outweighed any benefits. They had expected that there would be some benefits after years of treatment but they noticed that there were weight and growth problems which non-ADHD children just did not have. This completely overturned a previous study which pointed out that a year’s medication was much more beneficial than ADHD behavioural therapy. It is now recommended that behaviour therapy should take precedence and many experts from both sides of the Atlantic are at pains to point out that medication alone is just not sufficient. It may have some short term benefits in lessening ADHD symptoms but the long term effects are not at all convincing.

The same BBC programme showed some disturbing footage of a boy who has been on meds for ADHD for over ten years. His behaviour has worsened and he has become more violent and aggressive. He has been expelled from school for assaulting his teachers and is now facing an uncertain future while his whole family lives in terror of him.

ADHD meds for kids tread a delicate path. While helping some children, their side effects can be devastating. The long term effects are not at all clear and there are even negative outcomes, as the above TV programme and research has shown. Parents are now looking for a valid alternative and there are thousands of parents who have not been fobbed off with the ” ADHD meds for kids ” charade organised with a multi million budget by the drug companies. Parents are waking up and also find that the cost of an alternative treatment, such as an ADHD homeopathic one, is far cheaper and more effective than anything Big Pharm can offer.

One possibility is to have a close look at an ADHD natural/homeopathic remedy which is effective, safe and free from side effects which could damage the child’s physical and mental development.

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Parents often find themselves attempting to pry their children away from the technology they love (from television programs to video games to Facebook to iPhone apps).  Indeed, kids today seem to be spending more and more time plugged in to any form of media or social networking they can get their hands on.  And with [...]

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