Anyone have a child with ADHD?

sunshiny79

I've suspected for a couple years now that my oldest has ADHD.

I had a meeting with his preschool teacher last week for just general stuff but I mentioned it to her because he's been having a really hard time listening and home and school.

She told me that she has suspected it for a while. This just breaks my heart for Gavyn. He can be such a great kid but I'm having a really hard time with him if I can't focus my attention on him 100%.

Can this really be controlled by diet (gluten/casein/dye/artificial flavor free)? I'm not against medication but would like to look at other options as well.

We had already cut dyes and artificial flavors out since this summer but taking it further with two other kids' diets to look after kinda makes my head spin.

Any suggestions? Any advice? I am going to make an appointment with his pedi but his teacher suggested to wait until after he has surgery in January. He's getting his adenoids and tonsils removed and getting tubes put in for a second time.

I think part of this could be hearing loss from the scar tissue in his ears because of multiple ear infections but I know in my heart it's not the whole problem.

His teacher is going to start a journal and I'm going to as well, so we can talk to the pedi about it.

 

shouldbworkin

My DS has ADHD (so does DH).  While I'm sad that life will have challenges for DS, I love just about everything about him and ADHD is a part of that.  I attribute some of his behavior/abilities, both good and bad, to ADHD and try to keep in mind all of the good things he might lose if he didn't have ADHD. 

We do avoid certain foods that seem to exaccerbate DS's ADHD, sugary, colorful cereals being the main thing.  But, I wouldn't think that was very good for a kid w/o ADHD either.  That's more of  a treat that we save for the weekend.  The first thing we did was to see a psychologist for an eval and behavior modification therapy.  It helped a bit and has given us tools to improve listening at home.  It's also helped with his teachers - I'm able to let them know what helps at home and understand the feedback they are giving me so that I can relay it to his doctor.  But, by 1st grade he needed to be medicated with a stimulant.  His ADHD seemed to change over the summer and have more of a hyperactive component to it than it ever did before.  And, the work in school changed drastically and required much more concentration, which he didn't have without medication.  I feel very lucky that we found something that works so well for him because he was not very happy to be having trouble in school either.  He is so happy to be able to control his impulses in school now and is doing great academically and socially. 

sunshiny79

justbeachy109:

My 8 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of 2nd grade. We'd suspected that he had it for a while, but tried the diet changes and other more natural things first.

It was getting to the point where his grades were being affected because he couldn't sit still or concentrate long enough for him to complete assignments or tests. 

He was also having social issues due to his impulsive behavior. He was constantly bouncing around and getting into other kids' faces, which made the other kids not want to play with him. 

Seeing the words, "no social skills" and "not able to make friends easily" on an evaluation for him made me cry.

We decided to give medication a try and went with a low dose generic form of Ritalin. It has made such a great difference and he not only improved all of his grades, he has now made some friends! We went from having parent/teacher conferences every other week to once every grading period (normal in our school district).

I was diagnosed as an adult with ADD and I strongly suspect my husband has ADHD, so it really wasn't too much of a surprise when we found out DS has ADHD.

There is a poster here named -auntie- (I think that's correct) who has a ton of helpful resources about this. I've seen her post here and on the special needs board.

 

Yeah, it would make me cry too if I saw that on an evaluation. I can already see things like that happening. His teacher said he's very impulsive and has a really hard time sitting still. He also interrupts a lot, he says 'excuse me' until someone answers him.

Thanks for replying

sunshiny79

shouldbworkin:

My DS has ADHD (so does DH).  While I'm sad that life will have challenges for DS, I love just about everything about him and ADHD is a part of that.  I attribute some of his behavior/abilities, both good and bad, to ADHD and try to keep in mind all of the good things he might lose if he didn't have ADHD. 

We do avoid certain foods that seem to exaccerbate DS's ADHD, sugary, colorful cereals being the main thing.  But, I wouldn't think that was very good for a kid w/o ADHD either.  That's more of  a treat that we save for the weekend.  The first thing we did was to see a psychologist for an eval and behavior modification therapy.  It helped a bit and has given us tools to improve listening at home.  It's also helped with his teachers - I'm able to let them know what helps at home and understand the feedback they are giving me so that I can relay it to his doctor.  But, by 1st grade he needed to be medicated with a stimulant.  His ADHD seemed to change over the summer and have more of a hyperactive component to it than it ever did before.  And, the work in school changed drastically and required much more concentration, which he didn't have without medication.  I feel very lucky that we found something that works so well for him because he was not very happy to be having trouble in school either.  He is so happy to be able to control his impulses in school now and is doing great academically and socially. 

This is what I see happening as well (as far as eventually medicating him). I know that kindy is going to be very demanding.

I want him to be at his best and not be labeled as the kid that can't behave.

EMT

I don't have any advice but can offer hugs T! He will thrive with you as his mama and advocate.

sunshiny79

EMT:

I don't have any advice but can offer hugs T! He will thrive with you as his mama and advocate.

Thanks, I needed this

shouldbworkin

sunshiny79:

This is what I see happening as well (as far as eventually medicating him). I know that kindy is going to be very demanding.

I want him to be at his best and not be labeled as the kid that can't behave.

From what I've seen, boys don't really form the same social bonds that girls do until 1st-2nd grade.  In many ways this is really good b/c boys have a little bit more time and seem to be a bit more forgiving than girls with respect to social challenges.  As long as you are there to advocate for your DS and you are willing to work with the teachers, I've found that they are willing to work with you.  We've been really lucky so far to have teachers that have cared.  I also highly recommend volunteering in your DCs class so that you can get a glimpse of what really goes on in there.  It's interesting to see how your DC interacts with the teacher and that not all of the other kids are perfect either. 

sunshiny79

-auntie-:

sunshiny79:

I've suspected for a couple years now that my oldest has ADHD.

Trust your gut, moms are usually right about these things. One good thing, he's just about the right age to be evaluated for ADHD and other issues that can present similarly. Your school can do a multifactored evaluation at no cost to you. If he's found to have an educational ADHD dx that impacts him educationally (which is broader that adcademically) you can join with them to create a plan to him thrive.

I had a meeting with his preschool teacher last week for just general stuff but I mentioned it to her because he's been having a really hard time listening and home and school.

She told me that she has suspected it for a while. This just breaks my heart for Gavyn. He can be such a great kid but I'm having a really hard time with him if I can't focus my attention on him 100%.

Of course he's a great kid. He wants to do well and please the adults in his life, but he's wired in such a way that it's harder for him than for other kids. There are strategies that can help.

Can this really be controlled by diet (gluten/casein/dye/artificial flavor free)? I'm not against medication but would like to look at other options as well.

We had already cut dyes and artificial flavors out since this summer but taking it further with two other kids' diets to look after kinda makes my head spin.

The Feingold Diet has been largely disproven for most people, but I do know a few with ADHD whose parents swear their LOs do better on a diet free of artifical food additives. Sugar has also been disproven as a trigger, but I know a few moms who claim it makes a difference at their house. I have a number of ADHDers in my life. My sister and I were raised on Feingold which did seem to help my sister with ADHD (and later either bipolar or borderline personality). She did react to Yellow #5. My mother and BIL have never seen a difference with diet, nor does my son improve when artifical stuff comes out of his diet.

GFCF diet is more associate with autism but even there it only seems to benefit about 10% of the autistic kids who follow it religiously. Usually it's more effective for kids with very limited "white" diets or who are aggressive or lower functioning.

The gold standard for ADHD tx is a positive behavior plan and a classroom setting designed to support and encourage him. Graphic organizers, preferential seating, verbal prompts, movement breaks, differentiated assignments and positive reinforcement are some techniques commonly used for an elementary aged ADHD IEP.

Any suggestions? Any advice? I am going to make an appointment with his pedi but his teacher suggested to wait until after he has surgery in January. He's getting his adenoids and tonsils removed and getting tubes put in for a second time.

I think part of this could be hearing loss from the scar tissue in his ears because of multiple ear infections but I know in my heart it's not the whole problem.

His teacher is going to start a journal and I'm going to as well, so we can talk to the pedi about it.

Good idea. Poor sleep can cause behaviors that mimic ADHD, so can a diet that is low in iron or higher lead levels. Start the conversation with the pedi and ask for an evaluation once he's feeling better if you still feel he needs it.

 

Thank you so much for all of you advice

We are definitely going to work hard at helping him through this. 

jlw2505

I personally do not believe that diet alone truly helps.  I also do not think that medication only helps.  I think that any path you take with your child, you need to do a variety of things.  My 5 1/2 year old was diagnosed with ADHD in Aug and has been on medication since Sept and it has made a huge, huge difference.  Along with that, we focus on behavior modication - using a ton of positive reinforcements and talking through situations.  I would call your pedi ASAP and ask for a referal to a specialist who is works with kids with ADHD for a full and complete eval.  It can take months to get in the door and get an appointment.  I know for us - the whole process from my 1st phone call to a dignosis was around 4 months and then it was another few weeks before we started the medication.  For the eval we saw a variety of ped specialist - behavior, medical, etc - all that deal with kids with behavioral issues.  We see the ped specialist every 3 months for a med and weight check.  While ADHD can be a lot to deal with, it is very treatable in the sense that you child can succeed even with the challenges that come along with it.  My nephew who is now a senior in HS has severe ADHD and has been on meds since he was around 7 years old.  He was doing so poorly in school and just very hard to deal with it anytime - he is currently the editor of his HS yearbook and was accepted to a great program at Michigan State for next year.  Kids can do it with help and guidance.