help dealing with ADHD?

Question

my son had ADHD and i'm looking for some help dealing with this with out drugs. any ideas?

he is 4 1/2. i have followed everything my pshcholigist said and were still having problems. no sugar, different dicipline programs, more structure in the home life

Answer 1

The best thing for a child with ADHD is structure! All day everyday. The child needs to have consistent routines in everything they do.

Bravo on your decision to try to treat your child without drugs. Children diagnosed with ADHD should be treated with behavioral modification first, and meds later it modification doesn't work for them.

Check out this link, it is kinda scary what these drugs can do.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_37648.html

Here is a link to an article about behavioral therapy from the American Academy of pediatrics

http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZWWPFTXSC&sub_cat=21

Whatever you do, do it under the supervision of a profesional. ANd do not take your child to a doctor that insists on automatically putting your son on meds. ADHD is a nurological disorder, and if your child has not had brain scans for diagnosis, then you cannot even know he has ADHD for sure. So get those test done as well.

Even though I am not a Dr Phil fan, his websit is an excellent source of info about ADHD, and has good links and suggestions for getting treatment for your child.

http://drphil.com/articles/article/150/

Answer 2

My son has adhd and its not easy to deal with but i found my way.
the teachers didn't want to deal with him , and he's not that bad and most people dont even think he has it..he has to be reminded over and over to do stuff thats ok ...the teachers wanted to put him in the back of the class and ignore him,,his grades was very bad..so i pulled him out of school and i put him in a online home school and took him off the medicine..he went from straight f's to a and b's he is happier now then ever..he doesnt talk about suicide anymore..and he seems like a more rounded teenager..he doesnt hide in his room no more either..i hated him being put on meds and so did he..he would wait til my back was turned and spite them out so he really never got them anyways..the meds are horrible..they are no good and i will fight to keep him off of them for the rest of my life..children with adhd needs more time to do school work and home work and even cleaning their room then other children that doesnt have this illness..My son goes to ecot home school..he has all day long to do his work,, hes not pushed to finish it in a half an hour...its the best thing i done for him,,but im also a home maker and that makes a difference for him..most parents cant do this...just when you talk to him give him the time he needs to be able to speak back with out throwing a fit..work with him on everything..let him no that you are not in a hurry..when he can take the time he needs, this will help him and show him that its ok to be different and slower then other children

Answer 3

you can try therapy without drugs, find a good psychologist (different from the one you have now, perhaps) and work with them. Also, you will be able to know for certain if it is ADHD or not. Often people, especially doctors who love to prescribe meds, mix other things up with ADHD because it's just easier to deal with. A lot of times, kids are diagnosed with ADHD when in reality they have bipolar disorder which warrents different methods of treatment.

Answer 4

limit the caffine and sugar intake. I agree on not using drugs, it didn't work for meIt made me tired all the time, and you don't want that either. also if your son is school age and is having trouble concentrating, I would talk to someone about having someone help them in class and possibly summer school. Summer school helps them to remember what they learned that yar, so that when school starts again, the info that they had learned he previous year stays with them.

Answer 5

Honey, the crap that you read on this site about sugar has no proof. The only thing that helps IS medication. You child has a treatable disease -- condition -- what ever you wish to call it. If your child had diabetes, would you withhold meds from him????god I hope not. You are dealing with the formative years, when personalities are established, when self-esteem is formed, and when a child begins to feel pride in the things that he can accomplish. ADHD kids are fightng bees in their heads, and their ability to concentrate, accomplish tasks, learn etc., is obviously severely impaired.....SEVERELY. I taught school for 25 years, and had those kinds of kids in my classroom every day. At the beginning of the school year, I got a med sheet for every kid, so I knew the ones who had various medical conditions. On a day when an ADHD kid had forgotten his med, the day was a waste --( one kid would walk into my class off meds, and FIRST thing he did was to try to stab another kid with a pencil, and break off the lead). If you want to write me, I'll tell you even more. Bottom line on 25 years of experience: ADHD kids whose meds were right, would NEVER want to go off the pills. And the really successful ones stayed on the meds even in the summer.... because kids continue to learn even in the summer, and their parents were enlightened.... ADHD kids whose mom figured she didn't want her kid on meds, had low grades, had low self esteem, had concentration problems, were discipline problems, and hardly knew what was happening to them....every single one of them EVERY SINGLE ONE.....!!!!! When they became adults, they had major adjustment problems. Don't let this happen to your child if you care for him. And write me, if you wish to know the story of Jeremy...it will make you run to your nearest pedatritian, and it will make you cry for this kid

Answer 6

Please email me if you wish..I have an 11yo son with ADHD who was diagnosed at 4. I may be able to help you a lot.
-Kelley-

Answer 7

need more info. How old is your son?

In general.. no sugar (cookies, juices, candies..)! more outdoor playing time.