I feel like im going mad | ADHD Information
Logan'sMom - you've started something. I tried my sons out in an office chair last night, and my husband helped me spin them. I spinned the oldest 10 times in one direction to start with, with no dizziness. Then, about 20 times in one direction, and he said he wasn't dizzy. His eyes were moving a little bit, but nothing major.Then my youngest wanted to try and after 10 spins he was dizzy. He was probably dizzy before that. As a rule, he has a lot of control over his movements and very surefooted. Well, I spinned him some more and later he was sick to the stomach. Poor thing.
Today my oldest asked for the spinning again. It's fun, he said. We spinned him about 20 times in each direction several times as fast as we could. Each time he was able to get up and run around the basement screaming and acting happy. He just kept on wanting to do it. He seems to like one direction in particular, and I think it is making him a little dizzy. We noticed that his toewalking looks less right after the spinning as well.
We had done spinning a while back where we went three spins in one direction and then switched and went three spins in the other. I never saw where it made him dizzy. We didn't keep it up though.
Could you give me more specific directions, such as number of rotations and what they used to do the spinning?
Thanks.
vaborn9902 at yahoo.com
Wyatt’s Mom – wanted to mention that my son was chewing his shirts, seat belt, acting up and come to find out it was zinc. I started supplementing him with zinc and it stopped. Then, after a while he would start it again, so I started the zinc back and it stopped. Now, I know when he does these type of things, he needs zinc. I think you are on to something with the diet. After doing quite a bit of reading lately on the aspartame and MSG, I’m convinced these types of foods that you mentioned are probably part of his problem. I was just reading on PS helping with the attention, so I’m going to get some and try it. My son sounds like yours.
StefB – when my son was on Adderall, we had a lot of problems with him being aggressive in the evenings when the meds were wearing off. Exact same problems getting homework done and a lot of self hatred. It was when I saw him during school hours when they had an early release, that I pulled him off the meds. He was spaced out and not paying attention to others around him. It was like he was in a whole all to himself. Also, I would get a neuropsychological evaluation through a neuropsychologist because they are trained to perform various tests that will look at how his brain functions and can pinpoint more precisely what meds work best for his type of functioning. I have to say though that I’m not pro meds either, but you seem to be more open to that route so that’s why I mentioned the evaluation. If you can find a DAN doctor, they will look at any nutritional deficiencies he may have. Vitamin D3, iron, iodine, are all important for proper brain functioning, and if he is lacking you need to help him correct that. If he is a picky eater like my son, he will probably be deficient. Soaking his feet in Epsom salts before bed will help relax him and my sons will usually ask to go to bed. Great! Oh, and he will take clothes and blankets and make a nest in his bed. You OT needs to be someone who is trained in sensory intergration, not all OT have experience with SI. Most doctors are only trained in regular pediatrics. Find a DAN doctor because they know about sensory integration that children deal with. As parents, we don’t know what normal is until our child starts school and then you see what other kids are like and that our child doesn’t fit in the box. Also, I’ve somewhere about the picking of the mouth, and I think is was on a homeopathy website.
http://www.adhdnews.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=16 tegary40102.6161111111Just curious if any of your children crawled normally. When I ask others that have children with "issues" they usually say no. My son didn't, and there is a group on here that follow these crawling exercises to help correct the problems related to STNR. I did the exercises for about three weeks straight when his teacher commented that it was like he wasn't in the room. He even got the student of the month award. Well, dummy me, I didn't keep up with it and his behavior has regressed. So, that's why I'm back on this website to start up the crawling again. I bought is book that goes with the program called Stopping ADHD, and I have to say it makes sense. The thread is "Crawlers Unite". My son NEVER crawled. he got up and walked at 8 months old, Motor driven that is for sure! My son has Sensory Processing Disorder and one of the systems effected is the vestibular system (inner ear/balance) This made him do all physical things late. He crawled late and when he started he just did the "army crawl" instead of doing it on his knees. Also, he didn't walk until 16 months and when he did he was unsteady for a very long time. After A LOT of OT he's is much much better!
I'm not sure if it works for all types of toe walking but my son's was caused by the sensory problems with his inner ear. His balance and muscle tone were off (I had NO idea that inner ear and vestibular system can control muscle tone but it does!) The first thing the doctors noticed about my son during evals was his toe walking and "loose" muscle tone. Even when he was 3 he looked like a 1 yr old walking or running. Also he had a really hard time going up stairs and looked like 1 yr old doing that too.
The OT did a lot of different exercises to help train the brain. One was spinning. Before therapy my son never got dizzy. You could spin him forever and he wouldn't get dizzy (another sign of inner ear problems). So they would do spinning exercises to the point that the eyes started twitching (called nastagmus-a sign that the brain is dizzy) The more they did this the less time it took for him to get dizzy and now he gets dizzy just like other kids. As this went on his toe walking got much better and eventually stopped. His muscle tone is MUCH better and he looks solid now when he runs instead of a piece of jello! 
Even though he had this problem with the inner ear he has never had an ear infection. So they do not go hand in hand. Also, he LOVED the spinning and other therapy so it wasn't hard to get him to go!
I have a friend with an ADHD son and she just got him his first pair of glasses. She said his behavior has improved by huge leaps! You're definitely right about the vision!
Logan'sMom40103.5336111111thanks everyoneAlex only did the army crawl and didn walk till he was 18months old he always walked on his tip toes still does mos of the time
Just wanted to clarify that when the teacher said it was like he wasn't in the room, that was a good thing. Before then, he wouldn't do anything he was asked unless ask many times and usually standing right in front of him. And, he was sticking his tongue out at other students and just acting really immature most of the time. She said he was doing so good she was scared to say anything in fear that it would go back.
He didn't walk until he was 15 mo old. Seems like this problem goes way back to probably infancy. Also, he has strabismus.
And, he toewalks, but I think that started later. I've read somewhere that CAN be related to a need for vitamin B1.
tegary40103.2274305556My son toe walked too (I forgot to mention that). The OT got rid of that. What is "strabismus"? Strabismus is when one or both eyes don't line up correctly. I noticed when my son was about 6-7mo old that when I was changing his diaper that it didn't look like he was looking right at me. Turned out that the right eye would turn out slightly when he was looking in a downward direction. Think that affects reading if untreated? You bet. Turns out it can affect behavior as well due to double vision and frustration.
We found a vision therapist and at that time the only thing to do was to patch his good eye to make him use the bad eye. We did that on and off for a while. He now uses regular clear safety glasses that has the good eye occluded and he also uses pinhole glasses. He seems to read fine, but I still see it turning out and I remind him to try and keep his eyes together.
Even though he still has a problem with his eye, if we hadn't treated him when we did, the brain would eventually stop using the right eye and he would have gone mostly blind in that eye.
A friend of mine went to Walmart one day, and they were giving free vision screenings because they were opening the new vision center, so her son, around age 9, wanted to do it and he couldn't hardly see the big E on the chart. She had no idea. It can go undetected. I look back at my son's baby pictures and can see it in the reflection in his eyes not lining up correctly.
Oh, how did the OT get rid of the toewalking, because that is the one thing that gets on my nerves, because I can see it so well when he's barefoot and he drags his feet when he walks.
I'm so glad it seems to be working for you! 
The fact that you're seeing the differences between your two children tells you that he most likely has sensory problems.
When the OT does spinning with my son she just lets him do it until he wants to quit. In the beginning it was a long time (up to 20 min sometimes!) And it doesn't seem to matter which direction you go or if you alternate at all. I recommend just finding out what he likes.
At the OT's office she has a structure in the ceiling that she hangs all sorts of things from to spin. She uses these fasteners that clip the things to the structure and allows them to spin in circles. She uses a tire swing, a bodysock (my son's favorite-it's about 2 yards of bathing suit material with the two ends tied together to a metal hook like a sack and the kid climbs in and hangs/swings/spins in it), a trapize that he can hang from and spin, and different types of swings.
At home we have a swing set and I've set up several things for him. I made a bodysock and bought a tire swing from one of her OT catalogs. He also has the normal type swings. Each of them has removable clasps/carabiners (sp?) so I can put them up and take them down from the swing set easily. Inside the house we use an office chair like you're describing and also depending on how big he is you can use a "sit-n-spin". With the sit-n-spin he can do it himself. With all of the other things I just do it until he says stop. Sometimes he wears me out before he's ready to stop! 
Just experiment and see what he likes. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
hmmm
just thought id mention something i noticed once.
a very hyper kept saying "what are you staring at"
and was always seeking attention.
one morning another staff noticed he couldnt read a very important sign.
turns out he was near sighted.
his behavior in school changed i think cause he was wearing his glasses he wasnt worring about what he couldnt see.
he didnt wear them on the unit and he acted differently.
i know i came out of a social shell once i finally had glasses i wore all the time.
[QUOTE=Logan'sMom]It sounds like either you haven't found the right medication or he's just one of those kids that has to have the medication adjusted on a regular basis because his body adjusts to it quickly. My son is on Methylin (chewable generic Ritalin) and he adjusts to it quickly also. He's normally on 3 doses a day but what we do on the weekends (or sometimes every other weekend) is give him 4 doses (by doctor's orders). This seems to work and the doc says it keeps his system off balance just enough for the medication to keep being effective.
Is your son seeing a specialist? Psychiatrist? If not, I highly recommend a psychiatrist. If you have problems with medication they are the ones to go to. I don't know how it is in the UK but here in the US most of the other doctors aren't as familar with the meds. I"m mot familar with Eqasym. Is it a stimulant?
I know how you feel with your son's behavior! My son can be the same way too! 
Thankfully it's not as often anymore. It's soooooo hard when you know how wonderful and loving they are but the damn ADHD just won't let it show very often! Hang in there! Hugs to ya! 
hi and thanku logans mum
Equasym is a stimulant he has had his meds changed numorous times now and had his dose increased a few times and he settles down but then like i say it just looses its affect
Alex is only seeing a pediatrician no1 has ever offered for us to see anyone else...would i have to request to see a Psychiatrist?
thankyou again its nice to talk to people going through the same thing xx
Yes I would request to see a psychiatrist. I'm not sure how it works over there but here you just find one that is on your insurance plan (or one that isn't on the insurance plan but you're willing to pay out of pocket). Usually the pediatrician can give you the name of one that is experienced with children-preferably one that is also experienced with ADHD.
We worked with our pediatrician at first and had a lot of problems with Adderall and Ritalin. Luckily, the pediatrician was good enough to realize that she was in over her head with my son (mainly because he is so young) and she recommended that we go to a psychiatrist. Within 6 weeks we had it ironed out. We had been trying for months with the pediatrician and weren't getting anywhere. Psychiatrists are medicine specialists. That's all they do. So they should be very good at it!
thanku milkyway
It sounds like either you haven't found the right medication or he's just one of those kids that has to have the medication adjusted on a regular basis because his body adjusts to it quickly. My son is on Methylin (chewable generic Ritalin) and he adjusts to it quickly also. He's normally on 3 doses a day but what we do on the weekends (or sometimes every other weekend) is give him 4 doses (by doctor's orders). This seems to work and the doc says it keeps his system off balance just enough for the medication to keep being effective.
Is your son seeing a specialist? Psychiatrist? If not, I highly recommend a psychiatrist. If you have problems with medication they are the ones to go to. I don't know how it is in the UK but here in the US most of the other doctors aren't as familar with the meds. I"m mot familar with Eqasym. Is it a stimulant?
I know how you feel with your son's behavior! My son can be the same way too! Thankfully it's not as often anymore. It's soooooo hard when you know how wonderful and loving they are but the damn ADHD just won't let it show very often! Hang in there! Hugs to ya!
he constantly argues with me over anything and everything if i said the sky was blue he would say its red, if i tell him to do something he will do the opposite he is forever annoying his brothers and sister and acting like a 3 yr old he wets the bed at least 2 days a week
i have 3 other children aswell and Alex (son with ADHD) has a huge hold over my 4 yr old daughter who will do whatever alex tells her no matter what it is and of she gets hurt or in trouble he finds it funny i have tried praising the good and yes he lovesssssssss it but it doesn stop the bad its like he just doesn care i love him to bits and he can be amazing he can be sooooo loving and kind but most off the time he is driving us all crazy
Alex is on eqasym 20mg twice daily and they was working fine but not anymore problem is the doctors are saying he isnt growing and i need to feed him up but he never stops eating but he isnt growing please help me i feel like im going mad
Try talking to Alex's doctor and if things don't improve seek a second opinion.
I deal with the difficult ADHD behaviors also. Hang in there!
Hooray to you for seeking help.how old was ur son?
He's 4 1/2 now. He started meds just shy of his 4th birthday. I know that sounds young but he was/is so severe that it wasn't a choice really. It just had to be done. And since we got the meds straight it's been a much better life for all of us!
my son got his meds when he just turned 5 he was out off control but no1 would help him until he was 5 thats all i kept being told the only thing they did was give him Melatonin to help him sleep hopin that if he slept he would calm down got more sleep but noooo change in him, he was a nightmare to be honist but i knew from him being 8months old something was different with him he had to be taken out off a cot at 18 months old because he kept jumping over it and then destroyed it litrally snapped the bars out he would strip himself out off his pjs and smear his own excrement overhimself eat food out off the dogs bowl and off the street he screamed a shopping mal down when he couldn have a moldy sandwich off the floor. I would put child locks on the cupboards he broke them he jumped over safty gates and this was all b4 he was 2 but every1 just told me he was just a bit boisterous and would grow out off it i knew he wouldn but no1 listened but you know your own child alittler, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on the medication issue. I guess that's the beauty of these message boards!
My son tried all of the natural methods (under a doctor's supervision) and they did absolutely nothing. I have heard people have good results but these kids may be mild enough that the natural route makes a difference. In my case, now that I know what a different life my son has on medication, I feel I would be a HORRIBLE parent to withhold the medication from him! He needs it so desperately! I can't bring myself to withhold it from him because I have unsubstantiated fears about the medication. My son gets medically examined on a regular basis to make sure the medications are not negatively affecting him. He's always been fine.
stefb, I knew my son was different from a very young age also! He did a lot of the things you are describing and all before he was 1 yr old! He started occupational therapy at 2 yrs old for his Sensory Integration Disorder and everyone kept saying "He's going to need to be evaluated for ADHD when he gets older" Finally it just got so bad that I took him to the doc at 3 yrs and wouldn't take no for an answer! They did the evals and once they did, they all said "Wow, that's not normal!-even for a three year old" So I feel for you not being able to get help before 5! Wow, just thinking about it makes me crazy!
alittler, There is noway on this earth i would give my son meds that are harmful to him i researched the different meds b4 i even concidered giving them to him, i am glad some children can have natural medication but fish oils and vitamins did nothing for him.
I agree, it does make a HUGE difference when you know that it's not the kids fault and not yours either! What a relief!
Please keep us posted on how your son is doing!
so im glad i now know its not me even tho deep down i knew it wasn me I will keep u all informed thankyou so much Thanku wyatts mum i do see the difference in my son if he eats the kind off foods your describing especially chocolate
, i do try to cook foods from scratch so i know whats going into them, but sometimes he wants the things his piers eat so i give in and oh boy do i wish i hadnt lolmy son is forever chewing his clothes sleeves collers hoods i never understood why so i will be telling his doctor about this and also im going to start a diary about the things he does,eat and any odd behaviour i notice so thankyou for your tips
First as most people already know here I will say I am NOT anti med. We did them, now we don't, we'll go back to them if we need to. Some kids really need them. Wyatt has never acted the way you guys describe for an extended period of time . He is primarily inattentive but he does go beserk on occasion to the point that I can not even stand to have my own child around and I need to get away from him. I kept a food diary and I am 100% sure that kool-aid, red hotdogs, fruit loops etc make him nuts and take time to wear off. Frozen and snack food with preservatives are not helpful either. Doesn't effect the other kids one bit. We do as much Organic as possible. When we cheat he gets aggresive, anxiety to the point of chewing his collars and sleeves, and he is always in someone's face. He will also be extremely loud, whiny, and emotional. Cutting out the junk doesn't make the add go away but for my son it certainly changes things. He is still inattentive and has a hard time to focus , he is still 3 years behind emotionally, he still has difficulty socially but he is much more calm when I watch everything he eats.
Stefb, His chewing of clothing is defintely sensory integration. My son did it too!! Have you had an evaluation for sensory done by the school yet? He may qualify for OT services!!
Enroll him in after school things to do awayb from where he goes to school to give him a fresh start at making friends. He needs friends, that is so important.
Is he interested in boy scouts? Basketball, baseball, etc? Mine loved a chess group at the recreation park.
Keeping a food diary is about the only way to figure out exactly what affects your child. The problem is that there are tons of other things influencing their behaviors and its hard to keep track of everything if you're not with them 24/7 (as is the case if they're in school). However, if you can pull it off, it's a great tool.
I've found that just eating better foods and exercising more has helped my son a lot. Simply getting more nutritious meals and being more active makes everyone feel better. :)
Sleep is a biggy too...Wyatt has alot more difficullty if we go off of the routine. "Routine" itself helps too. no i'd never heard of sensory integration before how would i go about gettinhg him evaluated for this before his meds he was getting a lot of help at school but since his meds his learning has improved a lot so he doesnt get any special help
which i think he needs as he is only just grasping what he needs to and when his meds start wearing off like now he drops down again he got his 1st detention today the food and excercise slightly hepls but not much over the past few days he is being a nightmare, i have a halogen heater i was out the room for 5 minutes and he went into my bedroom and put his teddy to it luckily i was only putting my baby to sleep so i was only got 5 mins doesn bare thinking about what could of happened he spat at children at school he wont do hi reading and homework most nights so its taking me an hour to do a 10 minute piece of work. he goes to bed at the same time every night and gets up same time every day unless hes already up we have the same tea time 95% of the time i just dont know what to do with him anymore its like ive got a 2yr old back
My son was in early intervention for speech delay from 2 yrs old until 3 yrs old. They diagnosed him. Your pediatrician can help find an Occupational Therapist to diagnose I would believe. We also went to Health South for therapy before he was in public school. Once he started kindergarten, the school provided services. IT is very similar to adhd, I believe, and they change. They learn how to deal with what bothers them and then new things come along.
My son didn't like hairwashes, hair cuts, swinging, smell of popcorn and other smells, then he started loving them, he didn't feel pain, LOVED and still does deep pressure and bear hugs. Food nor clothing ever bothered him, but some fabrics and foods he loves. It is all about the texture. He also couldn't self regulate, which is like adhd, he would come in from playing and couldn't slow down to attend school.
We didn't start meds until the end of first grade, but boy he sure could have used them!!
I hope this helps - there are threads on sensory integration here on the boards - but google it! I swear my son's speech delay is his sensory in his mouth, the tongue, teeth sensation.
he hates having showers hates his hair washed doesn mind it being cut now the hairdresser does it because all he thinks about is i get a lolly at the end of this but u can see he sits there very anxious he doesn like it much,smells light and loud sounds dont bother him, in fact he likes them he puts the tv really loud but hates it quiet, loves lamps and torches
I always found this strange he would get every single pair of jeans out off his drawers and sleep with them every night he did this. he loves most foods always has
Thanku bethann
Yes, all sensory, my son also hated loud noises, he would cover he ears. We couldn't take him to movie theatres because of the amplified sound systems. Now he loves it, especially firecrackers, etc!!
your son has sensory, but I wonder if a lot of adhd'ers do?!
My son also has sloppy habnd writing and can't space letters that great. An OT helped him with this. he now writes better than some adult men but still needs help.
he cant do finger spacing either and his writing isnt greatbeforre i joined this board all i was told he has was adhd but i knew other things wasnt right arguing with adults annoying ppl constantly and then i saw on here ODD sounds like he has this and now also sensory why dont the doctors tell you this or maybe im not telling him the right things as i didn realise they was so significant
Sloppy writing is common with our adhd'ers. I want to say most, but I may be wrong, A lot of adhd'ers have co-morbid conditions. My son, who is now 12, has a speech delay, sensory integration, and anxiety - he chews his finger nails and cuticles. Guanfacine helps him a lot!!
Oh, and he is a GREAT son, I am very proud of him. He will be an incredible asset to society!! Very sensitive, caring and compassionate young man!!
Alex is lovely he is so loving its untrue i have never met a child so loving he could crush a small animal to death by cuddling it lol
he is funny and caring but very hard work espacially having another 3 children im finding it so hard at the minute
Alex chews his nails and picks his lips constantly im suprised they dont bleed he picks them that much
Yep, more sensory.
Take strength and pride with your loving, lovely son. He will be fine because you will also be there every step that he takes along the way.
Hey you found these boards, right!!
You as a mom have a lot on your plate. You need time for you, what ever it is. I went back to work and do a lot of "retail therapy" on the weekends.
My son is older, and my daughter is 10 going on 20. She is being evaluated for adhd, more the inattentive type. My son is medicated and doing well. Before meds my life was chaotic.
Hang in there, and come here when ever you need us!!
thankyou bethann u have been a mega great help