my son was diagnosed with a.d.h.d. his major problem is concentration/focusing. i do not have a problem with him at home other than normal hardheadedness for a boy. he is a active child. i do NOT want im on adhd medication as i tried it 2 days and i just did NOT like seeing him "high" on medication. i dont feel i should medicate my son to be in school. i switched him to another school today he starts a new one tomorrow and im hoping that will work (the difference is he is going gto a school with 300 kids instead of his recent school with 800 kids and teachers that just are there to "teach". his teacher had NO patience, and would constantly COMPLAIN about my son not keeping up in class.
he takes better tests 1 on 1 , / with less distraction. he is EASILY distracted. i asked the school could he take a test alone / or in another room and they said no. . so anyways i switched him today but i heard of some good herbs/ that are great with adhd. any response is greatly appreciated.
2007-01-23 14:53:20 · 6 answers · asked by deniseinoakland@sbcglobal.net 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Grade-Schooler
the teacher would NOT allow my son to take breaks, would rush him in his tests, class work, and isolated him (to a double desk to sit by himself in the corner .. she was very rude. and none of the parents like her. the school denied me an iep and said my son was ok just put him on meds in the student study team which took over 3 months to get. they said they have 1 social worker who comes once a month. they said put him on meds which i denied but im transfering him to another school he starts 2morrow. well see how it works
i just can't beleive it toook so many months for me to get this done. the principal at the new school has a program for kdis with a.d.h.d. and his daughter has it so he is very understanding . thank u all for your responses.. and let me know what you do for your kids if they have adhd. its not the hyper kind its the learning kind . i beleive we all have add! (smile) but thanks so much and keep on responding :) denise
2007-01-23 18:02:33 · update #1
My friend was told that her son had ADHD but she refused to put him on any meds and she tried to monitor what he ate. She to away all the foods that had red dye and blue die in it. Also no sugar, or very little. He soon grew out of it.
2007-01-23 16:24:50 · answer #1 · answered by starfire_blackfire 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
First of all, I work with kids with ADHD and I don't believe in medication to "cure" ADHD. There are some basic things that you or the school can do. The main thing I have found is structure. Make sure you have a daily structure and clear rules so your son knows what is expected. Give breaks, more then you would use with non-ADHD kids, so your son has a break from having to concentrate. Also it seems that physical movement can be very beneficial, like being involved in a team sport. THis is good for using that excess activity, it teaches great social skills and he will be able to make friends easier.
I use this book for parents whose child has just been diagnosed with ADHD: "New Understanding ADHD" by Christopher Green and Kit Chee. It gives some ideas on what you can do.
By the way, the way his school reacts to ADHD is very important. Don't give up, he is your son and you have the right to stand up for him. Look for a school that can offer your son what he needs.
Take care!
Hi I just read your additional info. I'm sorry to read that the school is giving you and your son such a hard time. Maybe you want to talk to somebody of the Department of Education and ask them for advice. If you are in the States there is a patient support group for parents with children with ADHD. I found this website: www.adhdnews.com and www.chadd.org.
I wish you all the best. I really hope you can find some answers and support for yourself and your son.
2007-01-23 17:16:24 · answer #2 · answered by Chava 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your son needs to have the support of the school he attends to succeed. If he is identified with a learning difficulty he should have an individual education plan which will adapt his lesson plans to meet how your son learns.Sometimes the school will make accomodations such as extra time,separate testing room etc. You should have a copy of his I.E.P., reread it and ensure that whichever school your son attends they comply with it.You may want to try him on a small dose of meds to help him concentrate. If you can't concentrate you can't learn.You need longer than 2 days for meds to work. You may have a negative view of meds because the dose was too high for your son.The meds are to permit him to function at his best not to make him high. I have a family member who has benefited from a small dose of meds. He has routine and discipline in the homeThe child is athletic, plays outside, has friends and does well at school.His life has become easier because he can focus on things.He is a happpier child because he can concentrate. Those who are against meds cannot imagine the daily frustration of a child who wants to learn but must struggle to stay on task. Ask your doctor to prescribe something else for your son or get a second opinion.Just for the record not all herbal and natural remedies are safe.
2007-01-24 04:13:09 · answer #3 · answered by gussie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
adhd doesnt turn itself on and off. you need to contact your school for a comprehensive education exam which is free and under bush's no child left behind law the school MUST offer this exam within a certain time frame of your asking for it.
my son had the same kind of trouble and was said to have adhd and i knew he didnt have it because he didnt act that way at home. he was tested and it was discovered he has a very high iq and is more bored than distracted. they also found that he has a communication disorder which just simply means he is extremely smart but has problems putting his thoughts into written form. they use to call this a form of dyslexia but schools say that is too broad a term and therefore it has no value. getting his IEP test will help greatly..... my son went from reading behind his class to reading romeo & juliet which at 10 he actually understands.... he just didnt learn like other kids and had to be retrained.
2007-01-23 16:06:03 · answer #4 · answered by painfully yours 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Both of my daughters and I have ADHD and I would never try to be medication free. That is like having 80/100 vision and not wearing glasses. I didn't like the idea of medicating my child either. Then the counsellor that tested them recommended me be tested. I talked to the Pediatrician about this, he was my doctor when I was a child also. He said... if you think you have this just take one of the girls meds. In 10 minutes you will know the difference. It was like the clouds parted and I could see what everyone had been saying my whole life. Now I realized why my mother said my house wasn't clean.. I could actually stand still long enough to wash the FULL amount of dishes in the sink instead of getting distracted and forgetting about them. All I can say is I don't know anything herbal to give him but the regular medications can be a GODSEND to someone that has been "crazy, unorganized, messy, loopy, fruity..." and a few other choice descriptive words, their whole dang life. I wish my mother had listened when the teacher told her I needed to be tested in 3rd grade. I didn't find that out until I had my daughter tested. The counsellor at her school was my 3rd grade teacher. I never knew that she told my mother about that until we had had several meetings with the counsellor, principle and teacher about her behavior. One thing I did learn to do in college was to use earplugs during a test. That will help. I have taught both my daughters to do the same and they say it helps them too.
2007-01-23 15:09:37 · answer #5 · answered by Karen 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Believe it or not, good ole coffee or a caffeinated soda may help for the short term. For the long term, it's time for you to spend time observing him to see for yourself what happens in the classroom.
You also need an educational plan (which most schools are happy to supply, but few live up to their end of the bargain) . Under the Americans with Disabilities Act your child is entitled to get the help and accomodations he needs, however, they are expensive and you have to fight for the littlest adjustments.
This group has a lot of experience and members who can help you help your child:
http://www.add.org/
2007-01-23 15:09:16 · answer #6 · answered by lynn y 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
OK first becarefull once the school has labled your child as having a learning disability ..yes they may help him with extra classes and different kinds of testing..but they will not be able to keep him back in a grade in needed because if they are labed as having a learning disability they cant hold them back. I know went through that with my son. he has a reading/comprehension disability. and they did all the testing in the beinging of 1st grade and got him in the classes ect. he is now in 2nd grade(home schooled though cents Jan.) and they told me at the end of Nov that he is only learning at a beinging 1st grade level only reason in 2nd grade is cause of his disability and not able to hold back because of it which throws the "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" right out the door.
here are some web sites on herbal treatments
http://www.healing-arts.org/children/ADHD/homeopathy.htm
http://www.feelgoodcounseling.com/Natural_Remedies_for_ADHD.htm
http://www.diet-studies.com/arnold.html
http://www.desertherbals.net/addadhd.htm
http://healthcallsus.net/hh_enscan.html
http://www.herbalremediesinfo.com/ADHD.html
2007-01-23 16:21:58 · answer #7 · answered by ladysilverhorn 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋