Tips for ADD child?

Question

My daughter is seven years old and has ADD. I was afraid of medicines because of all the horror stories. She is about to fail 1st grade so I went for it. She is doing well on the pills, and has made a major improvement. But she still is failing her tests, having trouble completing her work, or getting started for that matter, and other things that ADD children have problems with. Does anyone have experience with ADD children that could give any advice on how to further help her be able to concentrate, stay focused, and succeed.

the dr said ADD and the psychiatrist said ADHD. Personally i think ADHD since she is very hyper. She is on concerta, and so far no bad side effects. Main problems are- cannot get her to apply herself in school. She is very smart and teacher says she is a B student without trying at all, but she is still facing being held back. She has a problem going to sleep, and wakes up several times a night. She keeps below her lip chapped from licking and sucking her lip, shes been doing this even before the meds. She could care less if she is rewarded or gets time out, with almost everything her attitude is like-oh well , who cares. She is very slow to do anything she needs to, no matter how much you stay on her. I have seen her do 100 adding and subtracting problems in 5-10 minutes, but she is almost impossible to motivate to do it.(or anything else) Her teacher and I are always working together, and are both open to any suggestions to get her to want to do what we know she can do.

Answer 1

Hi
well I have two children whom are both ADHD
which is similar but more hyper both dont do well with organization, still dealing with them daily, it wont all change over night, either,
I am against the medications, too many side effects and doesnt do much difference and they wouldnt be them either.
tips
have a steady routine, have chores to do, have a reward chart for chores todo and behaviors and perhaps can list 3 rewards you agree with for her of per month and if can afford it perhaps an allowance,
dont encourage the bad behavior, Limit tv and video game times as well.
when has homework, dont allow distractions such as music or tv, if able let her have a bath an hour before bed to help winde her down. bubbles help too,
also encourage her to take a book or two to bed with her to read and she will prob fall asleep reading them but thats okay
allow her time in the morning to gather her belonings or perhaps have her have her things together for school the night before, before she gets into bed.
perhaps reward her with a favortie fruit or veggatiable after school, my daughter likes cucumbers or gogurts and water or juice when she comes home , of course sometimes on cold days hot cocoa.
praise her when she does good things, even the little things, and encourage her & let her know you believe in her and she will & can succeed.
sometimes she will still have times with concentration and staying focused ect,
perhaps theirs an area in her academics she is delayed in alittle perhaps her reading skills or math skills, perhaps seeking someone one one at school for alittle while on an area she is struggling in,
if really need Meds and She is having major effects then keep her on them along with these tips
when she gets moody or tempermental, send her to her room for like a time out,
also when report cards come
well in my home i give $1 per As and .50cts for B's
anything else a free Movie rental for one night.
if gets an F, well perhaps talk to her about it & Dont let her watch tv unless her school work or homwork is completed
perhaps have a book that comes home and back with parent and teacher notes of progress daily and perhaps help each other so you know what she missed out or struggling with. like an assignment book
my kids both have an assignment book
that they have to bring home and bring back to school, as well as a reading record to sign, the parents have to sign it before goes back to school so if you have signed it you know what she has finished an assignment or not or her behaviors are as well.
good luck
hope this helps
my son is a special needs child, and on Honor roll,
my daugher her report cards are Bs and C's right now

hmm well i do understand alot of it is also because of the her age I believe too, their must be something she likes or is interested in that perhaps would work well to get her to be more motivated.
is their something she likes & does well in? I know its not easy to stick with routines ect, and time outs dont always work. my kids both have attitudes too at times very mouthy as well, my son steven is 12 going on 13, my daughter is9 going on 10 think and acts like she is going on 30 lol, she has major trouble with concentration issues keeping her attentions
my son you have to make sure you have his attention before speaking what you need to say to him, he also has trouble with listening to instructions. So sometimes Making sure you have their attention when talking to them about school, life or the subject she is struggling in, im sure you do your best, dont cut me off yet, lol i myself as a parent struggle at times too,
my kids love to play video games , watch tv, and have freinds over, however I dont allow them to have freinds over if their rooms are a mess or they didnt do their chores, & i dont allow them to have any playtime untill chores are done, & I always talk to them about how their behavior is good or bad. I think She really does care deep inside, she just wants extra attention, MY kids do this too, they dont think they get enough attention, Im not saying you dont give enough attention, im saying sometimes they dont think we give them enough attention, and sometimes they dont care if its good or bad attention as long as getting attention.
give her lots of Hugs, let her know you love her as often as you can. perhaps have her help u bake some cookies and talk about how you feel and you want her to succeed and you believe she can, perhaps that might motivate her. HUGS
God bless u
also perhaps maybe helping her to learn how to be more organized with her belongings and learn what priorities are and what are most inportant in away of course at age level, Im not saying you havent said so, just another suggestion.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, meds can help ADD a lot, but they are not a cure all and there are still often issues that are always being addressed. Has she also been tested for a learning disability? That could be causing her failing, too.

Have you talked to the dr. who prescribed them meds? There are over a dozen ADD meds out there, there may be one that will work better.

Talk to the teacher about where your daughter sits in the classrm. Is she near the doorway? Too many distractions there! She should be near the front or wherever the teacher stands to do most of her teaching.

Hang in there, I know it's hard. I have been there, and still am w/ 2 middle schoolers.

Answer 3

Ask the school to test her to get a special lesson plan. They are not supposed to time an ADD child on tests. ( my son is ADD)
And they will if you dont throw a fit. My son would bomb every timed test. Too much pressure, He could answer the questions, just watched the clock.

Limit video game/ computer time. They excel at them but doesn't help with the focusing . Quiet places to study, and the front of the classroom is the best place for less distractions

Answer 4

ok i have adhd and i take concerta and straterra i am a A student and never get in trouble and no side effects but there are certian meds u should stay away from like riddlin but talk to ur doctor about concerta and stratera hope it helps!

Answer 5

like you, i was afraid of putting my son on medication for add, but when he was incapable of learning or even sitting still, and almost gave his teacher a nervous breakdown, i did it. he is on concerta going on about 3 years and the improvements have been dramatic. i would say as far as doing her work, consistency is absolutely necissary. and usually, schools have teachers who work with kids who have these kinds of set backs. my son had some help from one with his reading, and he has gone from almost having to repeat grades, to getting excellents and very goods on his report cards. this is most likely a temporary thing, and treated properly, it can get better!!!!! the main thing is to be consistent, and give lots of praise when she does well. a great trick when my son gets wild, is making him my "special helper". he helps me with some housework, feels special and good about himself for helping me, and it even calms him down!

Answer 6

My daughter is currently on Adderall and even tho it seems to help some, she exhibits some traits your daughter has. She goes back Monday and I think maybe Adderall is not the right med. for her. My other daughter took Ritalin and it was perfect, so I think maybe like adults, it may take changing medicine to find out what works best for her. It is frustrating, believe me, I know.

Answer 7

He's additionally a boy and displaying the entire conventional boy stuff - like now not watching at you while you're speaking, he is listening he simply does not appear on the speaker. If you ought to speak to him do it while he's lively, like cycling, gambling with a ball, and so forth... Get him up and approximately, jogging external and gambling is the nice usual strategy to hyper children, primarily publicity to inexperienced area. I realize that for me to position greater (I have ADHD) I ought to have bodily endeavor such a lot days of the week, external - and it is significant for me given that I are not able to take meds correct now. It would be you pay an excessive amount of concentration to him as good, children ought to have time on their possess to believe and speak to themselves - they usually are not looking for you continually. I do not imply depart him at dwelling, however learn a e-book and permit him play through himself. As for prognosis, it demands to be at dwelling and at tuition and the prognosis is completed through a psychiatrist or psychologist. Normally you need to pay out of pocket, however that could have transformed within the final 10 years - approximately $500-a thousand. It includes an IQ scan, interviews with mum or dad and little one, and verify off lists performed through mum and dad and lecturers. As for a referral through the pediatrician.

Answer 8

My son has ADD. He is now 15. By introducing him, at age 5, to weightlifting, he has learned to focus. You lift and HOLD something heavy for 1 minute. Your mind HAS to focus on what you are holding, or you will drop it. I would find something heavy for him, after 30 seconds. And I would hold something heavy - for ME, after 30 seconds. We both would stand side by side every day and hold. Worked wonders for my son, and it made me stronger too. It can be something simple like a bucket of water. Each week, add a small amount more of water to her bucket.