Hello everyone, first time poster, and widow. Lost my wife to cancer when my daughter was 1. Seen signs of hyperactivity as long as i can remember, but was essentially in denial until recently in kindergarden she was given an adhd test. I believe the cooper scale, had her borderline adhd. She does ok with me, listens for the most part, but mainly because i have let her get away with alot of things growing up that i probabaly shouldnt have.(yes she is a daddys girl and i spoiled her rotten) I wont make excuses but we went through a hard time together and now i need to take control here before it gets way beyond out of hand(very close)She is very intelligent, eats well, but has problems staying focused at school, doesnt respect other adults very well, throws fits, very imposing to other kids space and things, Doesnt think about consequences for her actions, she does what she wants. Pretty typical from what I am reading. I have read extensively, and really in my heart want to do this without meds. If that is the last resort then so be it, but for now, Im gonna try the marble method.(see thread) Also i would like to know if there are certain foods or a diet i can put her on to help, maybe some excercises i can do with her. I am really concerned especially at school because she is disrputive. Any help or comments would be appreciated. Thanks
If you suspect ADHD then she needs to be seen by a Child Psychiatrist, not just someone filling out a Connor's . Schools/teachers in the US cannot diagnose ADHD, they are not Dr's. IMO seeing a psych is the only way to go, get a full eval and go from there. edbson39323.6059027778Welcome. It sounds like you need to visit our Alternatives board since you want meds to be a last resort. I have been using alternatives for 2.5 years now, have tried many things, researched even more, and managed to spend a boatload of cash along my journey LOL.
As for your questions, there's the Feinberg diet if you have the stamina. Many of us just eliminate high fructose corn syrup (which seems to be in everything), food dyes, and cut way down on the sugar and processed foods. Regarding the exercises, I'm not exactly sure what you mean, but a search on occupational therapy might interest you -- perhaps The Alert Program for self-regulation.
The behaviors you describe are typical for ADHD. If you want to seek out a diagnosis, a child psychiatrist will have you and the teacher fill out a Conner's form, take a history, ask a few questions, and then diagnose. Usually it takes 50 minutes to 2 hrs max. Child psychiatrists prescribe medication. If you want a comprehensive evaluation that includes testing and a more objective approach, you go elsewhere-- to a neuropsychologist or psychologist specializing in educational testing. Personally, I would not pursue a diagnosis at this age. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises waiting until at least age 6. The range of behaviors considered to be normal at age five is wide, and the opportunity for an incomplete or misdiagnosis is greater at this age. Not to mention, if you want testing, the number of tests that can be performed with a five year old are minimal.
NoTellin39323.5950578704Mental or physical excerises. Does the diet help?? I do plan to take her for eval, just in the meantime, i wanna do some things to help short term.Hi,
Just a few other things to think about:
1. When is her birthday? Is she young for Kindergarten? If, she is ADHD and on the border line for age another year of Kindergarten could really help her. ADHD kids are generally less mature than other kids their age. Our private school often and I mean often holds back children in Kindergarten for various issues, mostly social.
2. Some supplements seem to help some kids. However, the results appear to take quite some time (months). If your child is starting to fail it's a long time to wait. Also, be aware of the social stigma of ADHD. These kids get pegged by the other kids early and may possibly lead to low self esteem. I was naive in the area of the social ramifications. Children's mental health is as important as every other aspect of life and it breaks my heart to see these kids struggle with their mental health. ADHD kids always seem to be the ones getting in trouble.
3. There is the Fiengold Diet which might help. I am sure it has helped some children.
Good luck.
For mental and physical exercise, check into occupational therapy. Diet modificatons help some and not others. It's very individual. I did notice a difference eliminating the high fructose corn syrup and food dyes, but not really with the sugars.I second that hausof4, if she is young for kindergarten, seriously consider holding her back. ADHD children are often 1-1.5 years behind peers when it comes to maturity.We do Feingold, and it is successful but tough at first. It is an elimination diet, and has to really be done by everyone in the house. It has done wonders not only for DD's ADHD, but we are all healthier in general. We are also dairy/gluten free.....so that helps too.
Thanks for all the feedback, she is actually is one of the older students in her class, as she is a march baby, and she is also VERY tall, and looks about 8. She went to some daycare growing up(not much) pre-k part time and last year at kindergarden. I do recognize she does have some social problems, she is the farthest thng from shy, she is the exact opposite, she is up in your face, overly persistant, and probably jokes around way too much, she sees one kid doing something silly, and she repeats it over and over and takes it a step further. Some kids seem to get along well with her, but she doesnt pick up on when a kid wants to be left alone, or when she goes too far. Kind of a hard thing to teach a kid. I used to lose my patience alot, and yell, and ive decided that i just wont deo it anymore. Its pointless, and its almost as if she feeds off it. She feeds off me way too much, when this all happened, i clung to her like glue, carried her around everywhere(she didnt even walk till 13 months. Although she talked well very early. I just want to do whatever it takes without skipping steps. Something simple may in fact improve things alot, if it doesnt then i will go to the next step. I need to get her to a dr to first see how severe he/she thinks it is. Im in tears reading all about this and how other people are going through the same things as i am. That I am not alone, and seems this is actually very common. Any other random advice is much appreciated.
You also might want to check out the book 123 Magic- we had a lot of success using that along with the marbles.Has she ever been to preschool? If she is an only child and never been toherdaddy, welcome, I can relate to you somewhat as I was widowed when pregnant with my dd. She is now 13. She has ADHD, NLD and anxiety, along with a connective disorder (resulting in low muscle tone and a boatload of specialists, but she is healthy).
We did not have the hyperactivity and defiant piece, but she struggled GREATLY in Kindergarten with inattentiveness, fidgeting and impulsiveness. The school psychologist first suggested ADHD and we went to ped neurologist. Because she was only 5 he said she was "borderline", so either top of "normal" or bottom of spectrum "ADHD". He seemed to feel we should wait if we could. I chose not to medicate at that time. We did not do anything but classroom accomodations. In the long run her symtpoms got more and more in her way and she eventually came home fomr school one day in tears saying she just couldnt do it in school, her head was too "spinny".
We then went to a pediatric psyhciatrist and he concurred with all her old tests and new Conners forms and spenidng some time with her the ADHD diagnosis along with anxiety piece. We then began the med route. I still medicate and also use supllements.
My point I guess from all that is she is young and you've both been through so much. If you are unsure of your path, make your discipline modifications, work with the school and keep going. You may want to see a child psychologist to work out some stuff anyway, and together move forward to a full neuropsych eval and see a child psychiatrist in another 6 months to a year.
Good for you for giving her everything she needs and recognizing spoiling her isnt going to be good for her, but I for sure get why you have been!
Diane V39323.6286805556First day with the marble program, seems excited, she got 3/5 in school, so better then a total disaster, but she seems eager at home to behave. So ill keep my fingers crossed and plug along.I absolutly reccommend excercise(there are certain ones better for ADHD kids) look in sports area. I also reccommend a book "The Explosive Child" available on Amazon. It is kinda like the marbles thing but gives you alot of good info. You are doing the right thing by your daughter by researching whatever you can.
We tried the diet thing and the alternatives and they did not work for us, so we (after much stress) opted for meds. He sees a child phychiatrist and was diagnosed at 8 from a child phychologist after 6 hours of testing. Both specialize in kids with ADHD.
Keep on doing what you are. And good luck to you.
Don't wory you are far from alone. My daughter takes tai kwon do and practices every morning with her father and that helps get a lot of her energy out. She also takes omega supplements and we a 'token' system similar to the marble system where she saves tokens for special treats, etc. This has worked great and we have been using it for about 2 years now. Hang in there! Though the ADHD symptoms can sometimes drive you crazy these kids all have other qualities that can melt your heart and make you beam with pride.