interactive exhibit obsession | ADHD Information

I cant imagine how they'd keep a room quiet in a busy place like that though. It is a good idea, but there'd always be people in it.

I've taken my kdis out to my car when they've gotten "overloaded". Gone in and sat with the air conditionin gon and a snack. I know you cant do that everywhere, but it's a suggestion. A lot of places will let you back in the same day.

All this talk we've been having about interactive exhibits makes me think that places that cater to children (zoos, science centers, museums, educational centers, etc...) should provide help for kids with adhd, as, ld.

They should have a place where parents can go to "slow down" their child's mind. You know, a quiet room where kids who get easily over-stimulated can go to calm down and talk about there experiences.

Most of these places are required by law to offer help for other disabilities, such as handicap ramps, handicap restrooms, and assistance for hearing and vision impared people. They should also take into consideration our need for a quiet room.Thanks for the opinions... he was definitely WAY overstimulated. He has
handled street fairs and small zoos pretty well in the last year, but this
was much more crowded, and there was absolutely nowhere to calm him
down. Usually I can find a place in a stairwell or back alley or even under
a table where I can sit with him until he downshifts a few gears, but every
foot of this place had something happening. He definitely didn't enjoy
himself- he was manic and growling and couldn't talk most of the time. I
am guilty of having too high expectations, and of trying to enjoy the
place myself. He is just not there yet.. sigh. We left and went to one of my
favorite places ever, a sleepy little fishing harbor with a great beach, and
he was the kid I know again instantly, sitting in the sand singing Jimmy
Buffett songs (I will have some explaining to do someday on that one...)

Live and learn...

Jake's dad-- your son does sound a lot the same... except my boy is
fascinated by live performers. He can't focus on video games or movies,
but the idea of real people pretending I guess just blows his mind. The
same kid that wouldn't watch sea otters sat through a full length big time
version of The Nutcracker last Christmas... go figure. The local children's
theater is his favorite- adults playing kid characters, the quick costume
changes.. he sits dead still with his mouth hanging open. OK, this is probably a stupid question, but my son is my only child and I
need an opinion from more experienced parents.

He will be 7 in October, going into second grade, diagnosed ADHD
combined severe and on Adderall XR twice a day. We just returned from a
four-day camping/beach trip that mostly went well, except for a trip to
the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I thought he could handle it, but he had
meltdowns like I hadn't seen in the last year. He wasn't interested in any
of the "live" exhibits, he just wanted to push every button, flip every
placard, and "do" every multimedia hands-on thing, and though he read
every single word, he was paying no attention to the actual content. If I
asked him to slow down so I could learn something, he got frustrated,
and if I tried to get him to stop in front of actual live animals, he couldn't
stand still and would pull and twist and drive me up the wall. It was a
nightmare!

I guess part of what I am wondering is, does the average six-year old get
anything from these types of exhibits? Or is it just all about pushing the
buttons? He has been obsessed with pushing buttons since he was two; it
was one of the reasons that I had him assessed for Aspergers when he
turned five. (negative) I thought I had planned the trip pretty well, going
early, bringing meds, food, prepping him on what we would see, etc. but I
didn't anticipate the %#@ buttons!

I can't answer any your question since my son also has adhd and is impulsive.

I was wondering if your son would benefit from a gameboy, once of the hand held game systems. If he loves pushing buttons so much, then he can play the game and push the buttons.

I find that it occupies my son's time so that he isn't bored, which is a lot more of his problem sometimes than his adhd.

Bethann has a good suggestion about the Gameboy. "Busy hands helps SO many things.".............that's a direct quote from our psychiatrist regarding my DD. My 5 year old (no ADHD) may get a little bored with and educational exhibit, but I think wuld enjoy it for a time. She woudlnt be like that about the buttons. She is an ctive 5 year old though and wants PLAY always, so I doubt she be patient enough for me to learn much from the exhibits. My DD (12 now) is very into buttons. Not quite as obsessively, but is constantly figeting with buttons. In the car, drives me CRAZY with buttons for the heat and the radio and all the gadgets on my console. She loves being old enough to sit in the front, but if she gets too much and distracts me driving I have to make her sit in the back.

So I guess my point is it was probably a little of both. It was too "slow" for him maybe age related, but the way he acted out was probably just exacerbated by his ADHD.

Constant BOREDOM is their ADHD.

Diane V39292.145787037

My son (9) was always like this before he was on meds. We avoided going places simply because we couldn't deal with him running from one exhibit to the next and never stopping to look at anything.

Since he started meds it has been entirely different. I took him to the aquarium this past spring and he was treating every exhibit as if it were a "search and find"- he wouldn't leave until he was sure he had seen everything that was in the tank. He still likes to push all the buttons- repeatedly- and gets mad if he thinks he missed out on something of that nature, but it's better than it used to be.

The one problem that my son still has is just being overwhelmed and over stimulated in crowds. I'm not famililiar with the aquarium that you mentioned, but the one here in Baltimore is huge and always packed with people which is probably true of most of them.

In public places like that my son is attracted to what is the most stimulating. For him, it's the underwater creatures that he can touch. He would want to spend the day doing that. I suspect that your son finds the multi-media exhibits the most stimulating. The ADHD brain is understimulated, which is why they are hyperactive -- they are trying to stimulate that part of the brain with physical movement. Perhaps the multi-media is the exhibit that most effectively stimulates the underactive part of his brain. I'd take it as a sign that you need to purchase some toys where he can do this. A lot of the electronic educational toys do this. My son's OT would probably use multimedia to get him really stimulated, and then try to teach him something while in that state to practice focus that might carry over to the classroom environment. [QUOTE=quixote]OK, this is probably a stupid question, but my son is my only child and I
need an opinion from more experienced parents.

He will be 7 in October, going into second grade, diagnosed ADHD
combined severe and on Adderall XR twice a day. We just returned from a
four-day camping/beach trip that mostly went well, except for a trip to
the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I thought he could handle it, but he had
meltdowns like I hadn't seen in the last year. He wasn't interested in any
of the "live" exhibits, he just wanted to push every button, flip every
placard, and "do" every multimedia hands-on thing, and though he read
every single word, he was paying no attention to the actual content. If I
asked him to slow down so I could learn something, he got frustrated,
and if I tried to get him to stop in front of actual live animals, he couldn't
stand still and would pull and twist and drive me up the wall. It was a
nightmare!

I guess part of what I am wondering is, does the average six-year old get
anything from these types of exhibits? Or is it just all about pushing the
buttons? He has been obsessed with pushing buttons since he was two; it
was one of the reasons that I had him assessed for Aspergers when he
turned five. (negative) I thought I had planned the trip pretty well, going
early, bringing meds, food, prepping him on what we would see, etc. but I
didn't anticipate the %#@ buttons! [/QUOTE]

Reminds me of a Doctor Who episode where he says, "I see a great big red button that says, 'danger' and I just GOTTA push it!"

Sorry--brain fart

I had a nephew [non ADHD] that had to flush every toilet he saw.

Guess it's a regular kid thang....
[QUOTE=jaderock54]

My son (9) was always like this before he was on meds. We avoided going places simply because we couldn't deal with him running from one exhibit to the next and never stopping to look at anything.

[/QUOTE]

I'm almost 50 and I STILL can't do crowds, social groups etc. Sounds like overstimulation to me. All that colour and noise and attention-grabbing stuff. Malls even turn me into a nutter. I get lost because there's too much there. Then I spend half the day trying to find the bus stop home again

Our Jake is one year older than your son (turning 8 in Sept and going into 2nd grade). He's very much like your boy, has trouble going to interactive educational exhibits, being over-stimulated in stores, hyeractive at social events, and more.
He's our only child, so it's easier for my wife and I to handle him at zoos, museums, science centers, hall of fames, etc. It would eb much harder if we took more than on child to these places!
We go a lot of these types of places. When Jake was younger, it was terrible, but it has gotten easier since then. With each visit, he learns more about how to conduct himself, and my wife and I learn how to make the visit better each time. Also, these places have become "testing grounds" for us as we try various meds to see if they work.
I think what you are dealing with is VERY typical for a 6 yr old ADHD boy. With wisdom and proper medical treatment you'll see him get better with each consecutive visit. Until then, I know it can be hard, especially when people (who don't know your situation) become critical.
Don't expect too much from him when you go to these places. Allow him to have fun pushing all those $#!& buttons. lol
I might also mention something about our Jacob... We still have not gotten to the point where we feel comfortable taking him to a live show, such as Ice Capades, Lion King, Ballet Performances, and sporting events. We've tried that before and it was the worse!

Sounds like typical 6yo behavior to me, regardless of the ADHD. Kids like buttons, it is a fact of life. As long as he enjoyed himself did it matter that he wasn't looking at the actual exhibits.

[QUOTE=jaderock54]

[/QUOTE]

Hi jaderock54,

Have you ever tried the guanfacine/tenex to help with overstimulation? my son has sensory integration and has an OT in school. But his doctor who prescribes his meds added guanfacine right from the start with his concerta and is is a life saver for my easily overstimulated son, he has self regulation troubles so that is where sensory comes in. I am still not sure if it is truly sensory or if it is the ADHD, but we will keep our OT services!!

The guanfacine relaxes him. It also helps him control his impulsiveness. If he has a practice late afternoon, say 5:00ish, we add another guanfacine to get through it rather than add a stimulant and get in the way of sleeping and eating, if you know what I mean.

I just thought the guanfacine/tenex might also help your son!

My son also loves to push the buttons at these places...he does not get as extreme as you described but he sure loves all the gadgets...we took him to the spy musem in DC and he was in button heaven...he also likes to be the first to an exhibit and will run ahead.

joemom39293.289375