Hello. I am new here with a daughter who was recently diagnosed as being ADD. 2 years ago she was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder. So I'm not sure if we are dealing with both things now or just the recent diagnosis or if they go hand in hand. My husband and I are reading the most amazing books right now by Dr. Hallowell and they have been a great help on how to work with our daughter. She is 8. The problem is the school counselor at the moment and the fact that we do not have any good counselors or psychologists in the area that can work with us.
Long story short, after being told last week at her appt with her pediatrician that she has ADD but there is nothing wrong with her. Her brain just works "differently" and works harder than a lot of people's, she went to school the next day and told everyone she knew that she had ADD and had a very fast brain. The counselor pulled her into his office to talk to her and talked to her about meds. He told her "your brain doesn't work right". My husband and I got wind of this and just about lost it. He sent some books home for us to read with her- all dated in the 90's when there was a big push for things like Ritalin. My husband and I read them but are not going to do so with our daughter. She already has a positive outlook on this and is not feeling like she has a "problem" with this recent diagnosis. She is actually quite relieved- as are we all.
Her teacher seems to be on board and wasn't even the one to question ADD in the first place- it was us actually. Her teacher has been working very hard with her at school all year to keep her focused so I know she wants to help dd in any way she can.
We do not want to go the meds route although we will leave that open as an option of need be. I am wondering about herbal supplements though. We've already made some diet changes- no sugar, gluten and casine free we're working on. Hard to change things when you're 8 and used to certain things. Fortunately for us she is NOT a picky eater!
So that's a little about my daughter and her recent diagnosis. I'm actually quite excited for her that we finally have some answers and can no fully understand where she is coming from.
Check out the "Alternative and Complementary Medicine" forum here on this message board. There's lots to read and it can be overwhelming and confusing, but it's a good place to start.