Hi there,
I'm mum to a 5-year-old who is now being tested and observed to see if he may have ADHD/ADD or something very similar. We are in desperate need of finding ways to help him calm down, other than the alternatives we already have. What we are already doing is: 1) Letting him run around outdoors, up and down hills in the playground. 2) Play quite physically around in the big bed, let him twist/turn/roll, getting out some steam. 3) Joke around, poking each other and laughing - this can only be done when he is in a good mood already, or else it will just make it worse.
Anyways, I am glad to find such a place as this, and am sure there must be more parents here that may not have a diagnosis for their child/-ren yet.
What do you mean by "calm down" do you mean he's angry and needs to calm down, or hyper and he needs to be more mellow?
I would assume the latter. I take my kids to the park, swimming, gymnastics center, bike riding. anything that uses a lot of physical energy. if you have a dog that fetches, teach your son how to throw the ball for the dog and get it back from it. That will keep a child (and a dog for that matter) busy for a while.
Beyond that, if you think your child could be diagnosed, it is in your best interest to get the diagnosis sooner rather than later. It's no fun when you are getting calls from the school about behavior or when he's not making friends because of self control issues.
We are in the process of having him tested and observed to see if he has ADHD/ADD or something similar to it. The thing is that we can only go out to do those things that you mentioned on the weekends. What about the hours from getting home until bedtime? Things that can be done either indoors or outdoors, to help him focus mostly. how about some educational websites on the computer where he can play
games? Like NickJr or Noggin or sesame street? one thing I do at night is
to give my ds an ipod with a taped story to listen to in bed.
If you are looking to have him be more physical, how about a mini
trampoline?
Try to keep a rountine at night that is predictable. Bath, snack, book, etc.
Hang in there. My ds was diagnosed at 5 with ADHD. He is 8 now and
doing well with medication and maturity.
Routines are very important. We do have a nighttime routine that we follow every night, and he gets to listen to stories on CD when he goes to bed. Sometimes he needs to be really physical, and that is when we do all that we can to get him with us outside, and let him run it off. Of course I have to take part in the running too... About computers, the only thing he is interested in on that is action filled games like for instance Sonic X. Hoping that he will somehow be able to learn how to calm down a bit when we get more guidance from the specialists that are evaluating him.
Calm Down! The word most used in my house!! My son was just diagnosed last week with ADHD and possibly OCD/Anxiety. We are still waiting for the full report. We started him on Focalin XR on Sat and he seems to do well on it except that it wears off by about 2:30. He is a ball of energy and to help alleviate it other than outdoor play is by computer work and games. I know many are opposed to video games we find them quite effective!! When he is so overactive this is a great way to "calm" him down and then he usually will be fine then!
Be patient with you little guy!! We knew it was an issue when our son was 3 years old (it is genetic in my family) but we wanted to make sure it was not a maturity issue. Kindergarten was a nightmare for him!! Now we are getting on the right track with him and helping him to succeed in life not drown in it!!
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