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My 7 year old DD has adhd and is not doing well at school. They have tried a few different meds and the one she is on now (concerta) works as far as the hyperactivity part but the concentration part....HA!!! I am at my wits end here. The teacher keeps telling me, "I know she is very smart and can do it but she just wont." I know this too as well as the docs but what now. She IS intelligent but she just doesnt apply herself. I have heard about changing her diet but dont know alot. Is there anyone going through anything like this and could give me a few pointers?
I remember hearing about the Feingold diet for ADHD. Google it and see what you come up with. Does she eat food dyes and other additives? Have you tried a diet without dairy and one without wheat? It could be exacerbated by some food intolerances. Has she been on meds a long time? What kind of doctor is treating her?
Our son (who is now 22) I'm convinced was ADHD. We never took him to a doctor for it. We just tried to deal with it. He is now mature, focused and somewhat of a genius. I'm telling you this in hopes it would give you a little hope!
I did notice a big change in my son as he got older and realized that he didn't feel good when eating sweets and other carbs. He mostly eats vegetables, nuts, meats now and feels much better physically. Backing off your daughter's carbs (especially wheat and sugar) might be a good first step.
Some years back I started a private preschool-K-8 school. Quite a few of the students came to us from the public school, where they were medicated-to-the-eyeballs ADHD sufferers. In the smaller classroom environment we provided, with more teacher interaction and a more flexible curriculum, most of them thrived, and didn't require medication.
I'd be real dubious about medicating a 7 year old.
Meds can be a great help if it is really ADHD; that is, if the characteristics are actually to the level of impairment required for diagnosis of a DISORDER. In the meantime, lots and lots of specific types of structure can help; limiting distractions, having brief work bursts and opportunities for other activity. Barkley has a good book or two, and you should be able to find a child psychologist who can help you and the school develop interventions to keep her on task and functioning. There is a huge danger with this disorder in kids who are pretty bright. The danger is that everyone knows that the child "can" do the work (intellectually). The child may be well motivated as well. But often, with ADHD, the child CANNOT inhibit her attention to everything else long enough to hear the directions, remember the directions, get out the materials, remember what to do with the materials, start her work, stay attentive to her work, keep doing her work, and she probably can't recall what kinds of bad (or good) things happen as a consequences of doing (or not doing ) her work. If she has ADHD, maybe she really can't do the work without a lot of scaffolding and breaking the tasks down. The dangerous thing is that people begin to think the child is willfully not doing her work and that's often NOT the case, especially at seven.
Small classes sure help most everything, as bae pointed out. Help your child's teacher to have realistic expectations and learn yourself how to break down and structure the work so that your little girl can be successful in school, rather than finding it a big pain.
Sorry if I sound preachy; I have been working lately with some young adults who grew up with ADHD and because the struggle LOOKS behavioural people assume that they are willfully behaving in problematic ways. I have been learning a lot; Barkley is good. So are the videos on the CADDAC website. And good luck to you; sometimes living with a child with this problem is pretty challenging. Learning more about how her "executive functions" are affected will be helpful for you as parents and later, for her, in terms of understanding her own learning processes.
Leslie
Hello chas&rod. I have been there and am still there :) with my youngest. Please check out CHADD -www.chadd.org. It is a national organization that has local chapters and a magazine (called Attention, go figure :). If there is a local chapter, please try to attend. It costs very little to attend, and there are usually wonderful educational and supportive opportunities.
Many are finding that avoiding artificial dyes is helpful (but hard to do, as SO many foods have dyes in them). Some have found a gluten-free diet to be helpful. In our case, we could not use the meds, because they caused our DD to not eat, lose lots of weight and become very aggressive (a small % of children experience side effects).
FWIW, I've found that many school systems and school staff, including teachers, principals, intervention specialists, guidance counselors and school psychologists, have little understanding of how it really is to live with ADHD, and little knowledge of meanginful interventions. You will have to be your own child's advocate to ensure the school team is on board to provide the support he needs. (Does your child have an IEP? If not, she should.)
Also, FWIW, I've found that not doing the school or home work is NOT about a child not being motivated or not trying or not applying themself. ADHD is truly a neurological condition that places barriers to a child's ability to learn. Many children with ADHD or ADD are academically gifted, but cannot demonstrate that giftedness until they get the help and interventions they need for the ADHD/ADD.
Wish you the best. It is a long journey.... :)
it is complicated, and more complicated by the perceptions outside the people and families who struggle.
I look at it scienticfically, how does your daughter function with or without medication. Remember if you try medication you are still the final consumer and can decide if it is working and worth any side effects.
My oldest may have ADD (no H) and is only getting treatment now at 20. She has a very smart brain and hit or miss type of academic grades. Outside the stronger structure of high school or earlier she is not really able to function for school. We have wasted semesters at community college that I have paid for to show for it. There is also by this point an extreme stubborness built up between us. I lay out plans for her in areas I know she can't do for herself and then she starts to push back but does it without telling me. So she will tell me she did step one for something she really wants to do because she doesn't want to upset me and figures she can get it done on her own. Then she can't get it done on her own and there is a turned off phone, failing grades, lost chance at a job, whatever. We just started medication at 20 and I am seriously hoping that it works. I think that when she learns how to dothings more independantly it may not be necessary but right now it is a good step since mom can't help her anymore.
Okay just talked about myself, sorry
Thanks to all and you have all hit some very good points. I have done alot of reading this weekend and I am almost positive I am ready to wean her off of these meds. They help her concentration none just help her sit still in class. But if her grades are going to continue to be just average then what good is it really doing? She eats fine on them but after trying a few different ones I just honestly dont see the need for it. I am going to call her pediatrician today and get set up with a couple of different doctors. She has been complaining alot about all the outside noises bothering her extremely, to the point of her crying so I believe that there may be a sensory problem going on too.
I just feel so bad for her, b/c I dont know how it is to not be able to slow myself down. I am just the oppisite, I can barely make myself go lol.
She doesnt eat alot of dyes and sugars, but they do show up b/c it is hard to avoid. Mostly I cook everything from scratch so I know what goes in everything. Although, I was not aware of the carb issue. We eat alot of starches. Ill have to try to modify my menus.
If you suspect sensory issues, I recommend you see a speech pathologist that can test for speech pragmatics (communication) issues, as well as an OT (Occupational Therapist) who can further explore neurological processing and sensory issues. I am having my DD (previously diagnosed with ADHD) tested through Easter Seals, and they are even wondering if she really has ADHD - thinking it may be primarily processing and sensory issues. I really wish I had explored these avenues/assessments years ago, and am trying to alert others to consider these possibilites
I have ADHD and it wasn't understood or addressed when I was in school--the best book I've found about how to address it in kids and adults is Scattered.
Thom Hartmann, who asserts he has ADD himself, has written a bunch of books on the subject (Amazon has a whole page of them), taking the tack that it is a perfectly natural variant--a hunter orientation, rather than a gathererer one.
I'm as distractible as they come, so I'm glad there wasn't a powerful diagnose and drug juggernaut in place back when I was growing up.
check out a program called Interactive Metronome Focus (IMFocus). It helps "retrain the brain." www.trainthebraintofocus.net (http://www.trainthebraintofocus.net) is the website of the local person I know; I believe this is available in other places, too.
I have taught first and second grade for many years and I HATE with a passion the drugging of little people. There are some rare cases where it is warranted but I think those are few. All of the above posters who mentioned dyes and food additives are right. I always talk to parents of kids who have difficulty focusing or finishing work (I get a lot of them becasue I can just work with these kids and love 'em) about: food allergies, getting enough sleep, physical exercise, sugar intake and tv. viewing habits. I also allow these kids to work standing up, have a designated area that they can move freely in (usually an area of space around/near their desk and to demonstrate that they can do the work for me - maybe solving 20 of the problems on a math drill correctly instead of the 100 that daunts them. When ds#2 was in preschool, his teacher said I needed to have him tested for ADHD. He was hyper, no doubt. He will graduate from med school here in a few weeks, so don't get discouraged. Advocate for your child with the teachers and make them work with you.
Want to add: Two other things that really help my ADHD students: I take old headphones from listening centers, cut the cords off and they wear them to block out other sounds. I also give them "privacy guards" - two file folders laminated together to stand up around their work area, blocks distractions. All the kids think they're cool and want them, so nobody is singled out.
Interesting that ADD/ADHD (the pathology) is a new phenomenon. Generations ago, there was no such thing. As students, some of us were more prone to daydreaming or fidgeting, but we managed to get the job done. Could have been fewer additives, could have been more fresh air and exercise, could have been we didn't have big Pharma making a druggable offense out of every human variation.
I have taught first and second grade for many years and I HATE with a passion the drugging of little people. There are some rare cases where it is warranted but I think those are few. All of the above posters who mentioned dyes and food additives are right. I always talk to parents of kids who have difficulty focusing or finishing work (I get a lot of them becasue I can just work with these kids and love 'em) about: food allergies, getting enough sleep, physical exercise, sugar intake and tv. viewing habits. I also allow these kids to work standing up, have a designated area that they can move freely in (usually an area of space around/near their desk and to demonstrate that they can do the work for me - maybe solving 20 of the problems on a math drill correctly instead of the 100 that daunts them. When ds#2 was in preschool, his teacher said I needed to have him tested for ADHD. He was hyper, no doubt. He will graduate from med school here in a few weeks, so don't get discouraged. Advocate for your child with the teachers and make them work with you.
Want to add: Two other things that really help my ADHD students: I take old headphones from listening centers, cut the cords off and they wear them to block out other sounds. I also give them "privacy guards" - two file folders laminated together to stand up around their work area, blocks distractions. All the kids think they're cool and want them, so nobody is singled out.
Well I really wish there were more teachers like you b/c the ones that I have encountered act like it is a big burden for them to deal with any distractions. I wish there were more school options around here, but this is a small place and there isnt.
Gardenarian
4-20-11, 6:49pm
Catwoman - you are an awesome teacher! !thumbsup!
I just can't stand the thought of sweet babies who need to wiggle put on drugs. Everybody wants everything the easy way, training up a child in the way he should go is not easy, but so worth it!
loosechickens
4-20-11, 10:46pm
Catwoman, I know we have our differences politically, and sometimes go hammer and tongs in the Public Policy forum, but.....GOOD FOR YOU in your dedication to these kids.
Surely there are SOME children who really do have a condition serious enough to need those drugs, but they are being marketed and used on legions of kids that years ago would have just been recognized to need a lot more physical activity, a better diet, or some help in quieting their surroundings so they could concentrate.
Your students are lucky to have you......and this is the LooseChickens (your mortal political enemy, hahahaha) saying this. ;-)
I raise my brown whiskey (bourbon) to your iced tea chickens! and thank you for the kind words.
What a wonderful teacher you are, Catwoman. I've had to educate and beg schools to consider what i think are some basic, not-to-expensive, interventions, like lowering the lights, decreasing sensory overload in the classroom, etc. Thank you for what you have done, and are doing, for the chlidren who you teach!
Rollergirl
5-17-11, 11:46pm
I could write a book on this subject. I really feel your pain. Especially the pain of having to deal with teachers and school staff. Teachers, special ed or otherwise, truly are clueless. I'm sure there are many informed teachers, I just haven't ran into many...The count is currently at 1 teacher having a clue in 6 years. Most of the teachers understand what ADHD behavior looks like, they also accept it, but they don't really understand it.
My son's teachers think he is perfectly capable 100% of behaving like the neurotypical kids in his class because he was/is capable 50% of the time. What they don't understand is that if they are asking an ADHD child to behave in the same manner as the rest of the kids then they are asking more of the ADHD child than they are of the typical kid! You know how everyone has an off day? Teachers don't understand ADHD'ers having an "On" day. If my son remembers to pack his bookbag properly one time this will haunt him the entire year. I remember arguing with a teacher over this very topic. I told her my son wasn't capable of overseeing his bag at the end of the day because he doesn't bring everything home. He forgets notes, behavior charts or homework...sometimes all of it. She argued that since she had seen him get it all together once or twice that he was capable of doing this without her or anyone else's help. So, I asked her if he truly WAS capable of doing this daily then why wasn't he? She believed his problem was that he just didn't "want" to bring home the bad notes or the homework. Well, what student does? Impulsivity takes over and the ADHDer decides it's better to leave the homework in the desk instead of bringing it home not understanding the consequences of their actions. It's still the child acting in regard to ADHD. Besides, non-ADHD kids probably don't have to struggle with bringing home a bad behavior chart anyway! And if her reasoning held true then why did he forget field trip forms? Surely, he didn't purposely leave those. It shouldn't even be an issue. It all boils down to ADHD...treat him like he has ADHD!
This year my son's teacher seems to be doing okay with him, but the special ed teacher has called me fuming over his behavior. He is constantly in trouble with her and last week was kicked out of her class. Kicked out of special ed class? WTF! I'm at a loss anymore on what to tell his teacher. If the special ed teacher can't manage him, then what? We've done everything we could possibly do...Nothing changes. And yes, they want them medicated. I was actually told that if things got too out of hand I could be taken to court if I didn't medicate him. This wasn't told to me by school staff, but by a medical professional. I mean, the likelyhood of that happening is super low, but it's happened! That is scary! But, what's worse is that most of the meds he has tried and is currently trying don't even work effectively! He's gone from 1mg of Intuniv to 4mg with zero change, folks! The medication roller coaster is a b*tch! And has been since he was very small. After he got kicked out of daycare at age of 4 we decided we had to try something and he's almost 11. So, all these years of doctors, therapy, medication, 123 magic, love and logic and we are still struggling to find what works!
It was suggested by the RN we saw last that he might have Asperger's we have wondered this for YEARS! But have been unable to convince anyone of it. She picked up on it after seeing him twice! Truly amazing. And really the point me saying all this is to make sure you are comfortable with the diagnosis. I've wasted years letting these doctors and schools give me the run around! I mean, you (general) try 10 different meds yet they keep pushing the med issue...Maybe it's time to look at what is really going on, you know. Anyway, didn't mean to get on a tirade this subject is just close to my heart.
I hope you are able to find a solution. But, I'll be honest, it's a long and hard road. Just when things seem to be looking up, the sh*t will hit the fan and you'll be back at square one. You'll have a great parent/teacher conference and then two weeks later the teacher is calling you nearly in tears because your child is so out of control. Just keep advocating for your child and if something doesn't seem right, speak up! And if no one listens, just keep speaking up until someone does because eventually you will find the one person that can find the missing puzzle piece.
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