I read this book called Stopping ADHD.  I have followed the exercises in it a couple of times (you are supposed to do them for 8 or 9 months) but already I can see a difference.

I am more organized at work.  I don't forget things as much.  My daughter told me that I am not as forgetful.  I really think it is helping.

I think it is worth a try for those who want alternatives to medication.

would the book and excercises help a 5-6 year old child?

The book is called Stopping ADHD.  It is written by O'Dell and someone else.  They are PhD professors that study learning disabilities.

The exercies are rocking and crawling.  Their theory is from Miriam Bender who believes that ADD and ADHD symptoms are caused by a reflex in your upper back and neck that makes you uncomfortable so that you want to spring forward to learn to crawl and walk.  They claim that if you don't mature this reflex that it controls you and makes you uncomfortable.  I know that is how I feel when I have to sit for a long time.  I'm squirming all over the place.  They look for signs in children if they want to stretch their arms out or their legs out while sitting.  If both arms and legs are bent, then the reflex makes you more uncomofortable.  Once the reflex is matured, the symptoms go away.  It sounds too simple, but the whole book rings so true to me.

When I was a baby, I had casts on my legs for pigeon toes and I never really crawled. 

The exercises are rocking back and forth like a baby does in preparation for crawling.  You do these with resistance from someone else helping you.  Then you crawl with resistance also.  You have to crawl in a proper form, with your head up, your eyes forward, your hand straight and your feet straight.  It is uncomfortable for me to be in that position, but I'm doing the exercises.  I'm only on the rocking part, but I already have noticed a difference.  I started teaching school this year with no medication.  I haven't lost a paper yet.  I haven't missed a meeting.  I am the team leader for 4th grade and I haven't fallen through with any of my assignments yet.  I feel on top of things, not like I'm drowning like I usually feel.  All this with NO medication.  To me this is amazing because without medication I am losing papers all over the place, and crying about it in private because it is so frustrating to me.

I must say that all things are not perfect yet.  My house is still a slight disaster, but not as disasterous as usual (which is unusual)  I haven't forgotten to pick up my son from soccer which has happened so often that he knows to walk to his aunt's house and call me from there. 

The book is only about $15.00  I think it is well worth it. 

I know that some will disagree with me, but I would ask that they read the book and see if it rings true to them also.  I would love someone to prove it wrong for me so that I could get it out of my mind.  But it seems to make so much sense to me that I think everybody should know about it.

Well, sorry to go on and on . . .

sorry, I didn't answer the question about the 5-6 year old.  I think the book said that you can start the exercises with a 5 year old.  They pictures in the book show children doing the exercises, but they are supposed to help all ages.

There was a study listed in the book that tells about how the authors used a school to help prove their theory.  They took a test group and a control group.  The test group did the exercises.  At the end the test group scored higher on many of the assessments they used.  Also, the teachers were asking that the control group also get the exercises.  I'm a teacher and I know that they can tell when things help in their classrooms and with children.

Well, it is worth checking out.  How much money do we all spend on ADD medications?  This book is only $15.00. 

Let me know if anyone tries it too!

sensory

I have basically been obsessed with this book since that date you saw!! Amazing that I haven't finished the exercises by now.  I'm frustrated that I have let it go so long without actually finishing them.  I guess that is my ADD doing it to me.

I've done the exercises for about 5 times.  I should be doing them for 5 days out of the week and keep doing them for 9 months, I think it says 9 months.  It's hard to keep them up because you need a helper to do them.  A helper adds resistance to your body for you as you do the exercises.  My husband is not in the position to be able to help me much.  He would have a hard time bending over to help me.  So I am inventing ways to add resistance as I crawl and as I rock back and forth.

But I have noticed a big difference already.  I was on medication last year when I began school (I teach 4th grade) and the organization and forgetfulness wasn't a major problem.  This year I've started teaching and I feel very together.  I'm not on medication now, I'm just doing these exercises (not consistently obviously)

The first year I taught school (five years ago) I didn't realize I had ADD.  I learned all about ADHD and ADD from parents of a student in my class that had it.  I didn't realize that you could have great grades in school, read fine, etc, and still have problems with ADD. That is me.  I can't organize my house, my life, my bills, etc.  But school wasn't a problem because it was organized for me.  I just followed along.  But if I have to organized and keep track of things myself, I fly all over the place.

Anyway, my first year teaching was extemely difficult for me.  I would lose papers that I needed, miss meetings, forget important due dates for my school.  I would cry at the end of the day because I would forget simple things like passing out a paper to my students from the office.  I felt like I was drowning and barely staying afloat.   When I started taking medicaton, it was the difference between night and day!  I was on top of things.  I know the difference.  It feels so different. 

These are the reasons why I think that the exercises are helping me.  This year I have been on top of things and it feels great!  I get things done.  I remember to correct papers, I have no stacks of papers growing at my school.  I have even taken on more responsibility - I am my grade leader - I am writing a grammar program for our school - without feelings of being overwhelmed.  To me that makes a huge difference. 

If you have more questions, feel free to ask them.  I am investigating this method and I would love it if someone else tried it too to see if it works for more than just me.

Annidagostini, thats great news.  Hope things continue this way.  I have ordered the book from the library and will read it and let you know what I think.  Do you know if you can buy the video of this used somewhere?   I know they sell the video on their web site but I thought I'd like to rent the video or buy the video used if possible.  Have you seen the video?  I know they claim that a 5 yr old could start off on these exercises.  But In your opinion do you think a 7 yr old would be able to do these exercises?

Thanks

sensory,

I haven't seen the video.  Maybe you could check on e-bay.  People sell a lot of different things on there.

I do think a seven-year-old can handle the exercises.  I have had my son, who is eight, try them.  He thinks it is fun.  He gets to do exercises with mom.  The book shows children doing these exercises.  They don't show adults.  The book shows an adult helping a child with all the exercises.  The adult adds resistance as the child crawls. 

There is a test at the end of the book to tell whether or not you have matured your reflex.  I have my husband give me the test.  You have to crawl backward (your head held up, eyes looking forward, your hands flat on the ground, your feet flat on the floor behind you), with resistance and spell words.  If you can spell them quickly with no change in crawling (your head stays up, your hands and feet stay flat, and you keep crawling) and you don't spell in cadence (in rhythm with the crawling) then your reflex is matured.  I find it hard to concentrate on spelling and crawling backward at the same time.  It sound funny, but it is hard.  I can spell easily when I am just sitting or standing.

A really good indicator to me that the test is working is my typing speed.  It sounds silly, but before I took medication for my ADD I couldn't type better than 40 - 50 words per minute.  I could type faster, but mistakes would plaque me, so I would have to concentrate very hard to type better (55 wpm).  When I started taking medication (Adderall) two years ago, my typing skills went up to 60 to 70 words per minute.  I tried herbal formulas at one point and they helped me also.  My typing tests showed 60 to 70 words per minute when I was on the herbal formula.  Of course, I would go back to 40 to 50 words per minute when I was off medication or herbs.  Then they both seemed to stop working for me. 

I have been trying the crawling exercises and I took a typing test yesterday.  I took it several times on line (This is the same typing test I took before, when I was on medication and herbs) and my typing speed is 60 words per minute.   I can definitely see a difference in my accuracy.  It is easier to concentrate as I type.  So, I am grateful for these exercises.  I am doing well at work and my house is slowly getting more organized.  I forget less.   It is great. 

Let me know if the exercises work for you too!  I hope they do.