help | ADHD Information

I am glad that you found this board...everyone here is extremely helpful, and I am sure others will have some great ideas for you.

Please read the marble reward system thread...perhaps this will help.

Sorry I don't have better advice, but we are new at this too.  Just know that you are not alone.

 My son is 9. He takes adderoll in the am and clondine @ pm... my nerves are gone with him... it is always something with him and i am always fussing...when is it going to improve?i have to stay on him all the time about simple everyday task...shoes, book bags just everything.i feel like crying when he is away and then as soon as i pick him up i just starts all over again.he will not eat anything but junk....no veggies./..he will not even attempt to try it but when he does he acts like he is choking. but if i give him junk it's gone in a second...even when he was a baby he would not eat.....what can i do?i have quit buying snacks @home but he still will not eat.....he is gaining weight.but i don't have a clue how/i just feel like crying why can't he just act like other kids?i love him so much but sometimes i really don't like him...i know that's awful but i am basically a single mom to him...i just feel that nothings is working...i don't give him his am meds on the weekend. he loves to fish.we have a pond behind our home and he will be there all day quiet without his meds but as soon as it is time to come in it is constant battle to do EVERYTHING>>>i am about to snap please help////

I know its hard to constantly be the guard on duty with your child, especially when they reach the age that other kids are able to be trusted on their own. All I can say is you aren't alone in this and all of us understand and feel for you.

Have you tried a reward system with him? You reward his positive behaviours, encouraging him to want to do his best. The most effective way for most parents is to have a chart of expected behaviours and he can get a star each time he comes through until he has enough stars accumulated to use them to purchase a reward. There is a thread here called Ogram's marble system which is about using marbles as the payment for the behaviour and then saving them to wards purchasing the reward. Its worth looking up. Many parents have had great results with it.

Have you considered that he has a sensory issue and that is giving him his preference for junk food? Does he just like crunchy stuff or creamy? Is he drawn to wards things like chips and popcorn that are salty?

You may be able to find nutritious foods that he likes if you try to match the texture to what he prefers.

If he prefers salty foods, ask his dr to have his thyroid tested. Between the weight gain which could be from meds but is a symptom of hypothyroidism and a desire for salt, he could be needing the iodine in  salt. Many of the symptoms of ADHD can be caused by a malfunctioning thyroid.

Hang in there! He is a precious child and well worth the aggravation in the long run. I know that you know that.