ADD and ADHD, could my child have one of these.

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My step son, is a great kid and does very well in school, the problem is he does not get his assignments completed because he wont sit still or sits still and does not work. His teachers want us to get him tested for add or adhd and find a result and fix the problem, as a mother i feel it is uneccessary and say he is just a normal 7 year old boy, but others disagree. I have limited income, and do not qualify for medical asistance, but i want what is best for my step son. We have taken him to the doctor and she said try allergy medicine, and sent us to a counsling center for a dianosis, When we got there thats just it it was a counsling center not a doctors office to do diagnosing. can anyone give me a bit of advice on this if anyone has the same problems and what should i do?

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Permalink Reply by Alicia Hagan on July 10, 2009 at 10:46am: Hi Holly,
I know what you're going through is frustrating. I was 'diagnosed' (as far as I know there isn't an official diagnostic test other than a brain scan though) with ADHD several years ago and if I had been diagnosed when I was in school I probably would have been a much more successful student. I couldn't concentrate on work while at school or home. However, I had potential.. I did better on tests when I got to take them under less time pressure like during lunch hour and when I was able to take the test verbally.

Anyway.. what I would recommend for you to try is Yoga and/or relaxation techniques with your step-son. I know that sounds kind of wacky but I think it will help, it's helped my kids. I myself need to slow down, breathe, and relax when I can't concentrate or am in a stressful situation like when my 3 year old squishes Play Doh into the carpet while I'm on a work call.
If it weren't for my ADHD I probably wouldn't do Yoga or relaxation techniques such as deep breathing but I know that it helps so the Yoga and deep breathing are here to stay! There are several 'Yoga for kids' products and my favorite is "I Can Do Yoga". My kids actually ask to do Yoga and enjoy it with these DVD's. I have a 9 year old son and a 3 year old daughter and they each have their own Yoga DVD for their age.

I persoanlly would try everything I could before starting my son on medication for ADD/ADHD (not that you want to do that) and hope that starting Yoga and deep breathing techniques at a young age help my son handle school stress and concentration issues better than I did. Check out "I Can Do Yoga" and see if you think a Yoga DVD will help your step-son. My kids are the furthest thing from calm, it's difficult to get them to sit still at the dinner table, but they do really well with and enjoy their Yoga DVD's and I love watching them do it! It's adorable! I hope the relaxation techniques my son is learning from his Yoga DVD carries on with him while he's at school and in other stressful situations like campign with the scouts without us.. stresses me out more than him probably, but I can tell that when he does the Yoga he gets into a 'zone' during which he lookså totally peaceful and relaxed.

Good luck! Alicia.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Karen Griffith Gryga on July 10, 2009 at 6:58pm: Hi Holly,

You can get your son tested for ADD or ADHD through your school district for free. Call up the school district administration office and say based on teacher requests, you need your step-son to get the full testing suite including the tests for ADHD. There is no single definitive test for ADHD or ADD but the diagnosis is through the suite of tests that test for attention, focus, distractibility as well as observations in the classroom.

There are a number of focusing techniques that can be tried by you and your teachers to help get your step-son focused. There include verbal cues from the teachers during class time, as well as goal setting techniques to keep you step-son focused. There are many things to try before going the medication route.
For instance here is one article online about focusing techniques: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/1032.html and http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/2551.html.

So look online for various tips for focusing. I actually have some information on ADHD on my blog and I have a list of bloggers with kids with ADHD or ADD (and some of them have it themselves) -- there are always great tips and advice offered on these blogs. My blog is www.lipstickwisdom.com

And, through your school district, ask for a full testing suite to be done including the tests for ADHD.

Good luck -- hope this helped!

Karen
www.lipstickwisdom.com
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Permalink Reply by Sheree Bosch Bjornerud on July 10, 2009 at 10:24pm: Have you ever heard of Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber Therapy for you children with ADHD?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Nicole A. Tucker on July 11, 2009 at 8:01am: Hi Holly:

As a suggestion, reduce all sugar foods in his diet. Abundance of sugar can overstimulate the nervous system. Also, research the effects of Bach's Rescue Remedy; this may be of support to help with relaxation.

All the best,
Nicole
Holistic Healthcare Practitioner
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Permalink Reply by Lisa Samples on July 11, 2009 at 11:07pm: Contact the school. Most schools have a professional school psychologist and it is free. They also do assessments through the board of education that are free. Tell them your concern and ask the teacher to write a brief not about her concerns. When income is an issue utulize this option first.

Another good resource is your local hospitals. Many hospitals work on an income basis. If you can find one that does mental health contact your local mental health by calling the county.

Hope that helps,
Lisa
Mom of 2 Boys, Wife of 1; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Elisa on July 12, 2009 at 8:38am: I feel that the ADD/ADHD is way overused, and often an umbrella for other undiagnosed issues, such as adrenal burnout and food intolerance, both extremely common. Adrenal burnout will present with a "tired but wired" condition, where the person can't seem to shut off his/her thoughts or just relax, and can be handled without medicament, with nutrition, lifestyle and adrenal support supplements.

Food intolerances, even minor ones, can actually mimic some of the symptoms of adrenal burnout in some cases, or present themselves with symptoms like the adult or child seems to be on a constant caffeine or sugar buzz. Food colorants and additives are the ones most likely to cause this, but I'd also test for the 5 major food allergens, like dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts.

Find a CRA practitioner though CRAHealth.org and get him tested with non-invasive methods first. Until you know, try to pay a little extra attention to what he eats, minimizing the amount of processed foods and sugar and focusing on produce, lean protein and whole grains. Also start supplementing with Omega 3, which is vital to the development of the nervous system.

Good luck!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kathleen Hoffman on July 12, 2009 at 12:12pm: I don't know where you are living but this situation has been a huge problem for me as well. I have some definite views about this. I've written a bit about it on my blog www.answersformoms.org but I would like to also comment here. First, I would like to say that I am extremely tired of teachers attempting to diagnose boys especially with ADD or ADHD simply because they don't sit for as long as girls. I'll be honest when I say that I don't believe it is natural for boys to sit in school at desks for the extended periods of time without moving that are required of them. Teachers nowadays push worksheet after worksheet at the children expecting them to complete multitudes of the papers. If the child doesn't complete, the teacher takes away the childs recess. For boys, this is truly non-productive. Recess is a time when boys get out some of that excess energy that they have naturally. I believe if the teachers would, instead of pushing children to finish worksheets, which are made for only one type of learning style, would attempt to utilize a variety of techniques, we wouldn't have so many boys diagnosed with ADD or ADHD and on drugs. That is my rant. Now for some more information. We have found that, faced with worksheets, our child's anxiety went over the roof. He couldn't write that much.or that quickly. He truly would shut down --sitting still and not working--because the teacher kept yelling at him to write faster. His anxiety has become generalized. We have finally found a pediatrician who will work with us. This is what we would recommend. Talk to other moms in your town. ASk about pediatricians and see if there is anyone in your town or in a town nearby who will prescribe medicine for anxiety disorders. Ask your stepson what is happening at school and believe him if he says that he is scared or worried about making a mistake or about writiing.. He probably is. The doctor that told you to give him allergy medication is not following recommendations of the
American Pediatric Association when it comes to giving over the counter allergy medicines (like benedryl) for something like this. Don't return to that doctor. I've also written on my blog about women heroes--moms who have gone to great lengths to help their children suceed--go read about them --it will help you to have courage in this quest to help your stepson.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robyn Lin on July 12, 2009 at 9:26pm: Dear Holly,

It's good to hear that your son does well in school. I was a Resource Specialist for 6 years in an elementary school and worked with children with various disabilities, ADD/ADHD being one of them (this diagnosis falls under the Other Health Impaired category). Before having your son tested at school, I would recommend that you request a Student Success Team meeting. You could request your son's principal, teacher, and school psychologist to attend. At this meeting the team would brainstorm an action plan to help your son complete assignments. The team would set benchmarks and then would reconvene in a month or two to review the plan. After hearing that your son does well in school (I'm assuming at grade level or close to grade level) I would not recommend testing at this time. The testing is very extensive and can be taxing on your child, especially if he has difficulty sitting still. The Resource Specialist would have to do testing as well as the School Psychologist. This would be several hours (or more) out of the classroom...this would add to his frustration of more assignments piling up from being out. Good luck...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Shana Hernandez on July 12, 2009 at 9:56pm: my son does have adhd he has had it since he was 5 yrs old. they can help him they can diagnos him mine started at the docs office and then we went to the mental health dept where they sent us to counsling. so i do know what you are going through; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Teri Johnson on July 12, 2009 at 10:41pm: It sounds like you are already getting great advice from so many members here. I concur that the school can do testing and help you set up an IEP if necessary. But as the mother of a child who has Sensory Integration Syndrome, I feel compelled to agree with others who have said that the ADD/ADHD diagnosis is way over used. We went through years of preschool teachers trying to get us to evaluate him, but in the end, the meds would have never helped him. While teachers have a very difficult task of keep all of their students on task, we must also be conscious of that being the primary motivator for their desire in testing. There are so many reasons your step son could be struggling. He could have difficulty reading and is simply frustrated when trying to do assignments.

Whatever you choose, follow your heart. If you have a feeling about a particular doctor, diagnosis, food, anything, follow it. Don't let other people's fears get in the way of what your heart is telling you about this bright light. Don't forget, whatever is happening with your step son, he is beginning to get messages from school, teachers, and perhaps even peers that he's not quite right. As you move forward, remember that he is very aware that he's different -- help him celebrate the positive qualities in that!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jen on July 13, 2009 at 1:59am: I have a LOT of experience with this. Watch what he eats, that could make all the difference in the world. My kids and I all have ADD - my son has ADHD. I do not medicate mine at present because they are extremely sensitive to the ones that I tried and I felt they were not able to function beyond the first few hours while it was working...when they "came down" off of it they were either crying or very angry/frustrated. Yes, it helped with concentrating at school but that was all. I am sure there are good medications but I started eliminating certain foods and that has worked so much better. I know when they have slipped because they start getting aggressive/hyper/not listening or paying attention.

Try staying away from wheat product, high fructose corn syrup and MOST important lake dyes. Actually, all of the red and yellow dies. I become very very unreasonable when I have anything at all with those dyes. We figured it out by chance when we were doing an elimination diet trying to figure out if it was a food allergy causing my crazy behavior and the day that I had nothing to eat, I had an "episode" I told the doc it must be something other than a food allergy cos I had lost it again and had nothing to eat...I realized later that I had had something to DRINK....it was a Mountain Dew. When I heard that I was allergic to a color I figured that he was crazy so after a few days I drank it again and the same thing. To this day if I lose it like that, all I have to do is search the packages that I ate and I will always find yellow die!

After more research I learned that children who have these allergies are almost ALWAYS ADD or ADHD!

Hope this helps you. Contact me if you would like info...I've been researching for years.

Jen
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Permalink Reply by Cassie E on July 13, 2009 at 2:46am: First and foremost, don't treat "it" until you know what "it" is!! There are many conditions that mimic ADHD in terms of symptoms but are all treated differently. You could be facing depression or anxiety issues that are wholly different from ADHD. My best advice is to have a full battery of testing done (for everything from learning disabilities to depression). However, this can be expensive and is often not covered by insurance. If he is struggling in school, I would go the route of having them test him. If he's not falling below grade level they may be limited in what they are able to do for you.

Actions you can take now. . .develop routines for him but let him complete tasks as he needs. My son has ADHD and we've tried a bunch of tactics to find the ones that work. His teacher lets him walk about in the back of the class while she's instructing, because he absorbs more information when his body is in motion. Maybe sitting on an exercise ball at his desk instead of a chair (keeps his body busy staying balanced so his brain can work). Be sure he getting short bursts of independent work and has a tangible check list so he can monitor his progress. Ask the teacher to use a cue with him to bring him back on task (mine says his name and then tugs her ear to remind him to focus). These methods will work even if you're just dealing with an active little boy.

I have found the ADHD to be a mixed blessing. My son is wildly creative and energetic, which I love, but it can get tiring! Good luck!
Cassie; ▶ Reply to This