I have been watching this site for a few days reading about children that sound like my sons long lost brothers and sisters.I have seen that alot of us have the same issues and or the kids behave in the same ways.I have a 9 year old boy that i have notice since age 1 there was something different about him.After 4 times going to the family doctor and the school praticllly putting him in a choke hold so he wouldn't bite,hit,scrach any teachers or kids was put on meds at age 5-6..Over the years he has been on so many.I wanna know how do you all work on homework at night when the meds wore off so many hours ago?My sons teachers says homework for 20 mins a night and study for 20 mins.Well tonight his homework alone took an hour then we had to study some spelling words(found its easier if you break them down and only do 5 a night)The school also sent him home with all his school books?The kid weighs 52 lbs and the books had to be half his weight.Does anyone else ever feel like throwing your hands in the air and saying i give up?Sometimes i just dont know what to do with him..He talks back yells at me and destroys everything.Wants friends but then is mean or annoying to them..Please feel free to give me some input i need it badly..
Heather
Definitely get a second set of books. Also - pay attention to the teacher'sYes he really needs to work on his spelling words and handwriting.He is left handed and his meds make his hands shaky.I give him focalin in the morning along with all his other meds.I was giving him 2.5 dose of focalin at 4 when he got off the bus but he was having issues on the bus so he now gets that at noon at school.His focalin only last for about 6 hours it seems(last year was wearing off at 1pm)I might just have to talk to the doctor and put him on something else..I thank you guys for your ideas.I like to see so many ppl going through the same thing i am because i always feel alone i don't know any other parents in the school that are dealing with ADHD...
Heather
With the homework, we make sure to get it done asap before the med. wears off. Our son gets Vyvansse which take him through school and then an Adderall IR right after school. We do the work then and so far, it's been working ok. Hope that helps.Maybe a small dose of meds after school? Talk with his doctor.Home work is a battle here sometimes, although it sounds as if my son is living with you now. I find it works best at our my house to get it done before the meds wear off. Even then it can be a challenge. My son does well with breaking things up for him. I break the spelling and math into groups of 5. He gets very overwhelmed and frustrated otherwise. Sometimes it worked well for us to make up rap songs or other silly songs with the spelling words and math facts. This works good to keep his interest if it is in the evening. When my son totally loses controll he starts tearing papers etc. At this point or preferably before I just have him quit. 90 percent of the time he is able to refocus when he gets up in the morning and I have him finish then. One other thing that helps is the token system we use. He can earn tokens for getting his homework done and extra for asking for help in an appropriate manner.
If your son has an IEP, you can have the school give him a second set of books for home use. There is a kid in my son's class that also has time restrictions in his IEP for homework. I would also speak with his teacher about everything.
Good Luck and you definately not alone.
We battle homework too...Last year wasn't so bad, but this is our first full week and he's already getting worked up about doing it and not knowing how to do it, etc. Unfortunately, my son is going to aftercare so I have to rely on the teachers to help him since I have to work...by the time I see him at 4 p.m. he's a mess and doesn't want to do anything...
Maybe I'll start sending his second dose into school for a week to see how that goes. I also like the suggestion of the token idea - the kids loves to buy video games maybe this is a way to kill two birds with one stone.
When my son (ADD) was in 2nd grade he'd be in the middle of his homework & just wonder off every few minutes. It was a struggle to get him back to the table & it was a total nag- fest on my part. However, I read in a book to have your child take regular breaks during homework. I thought that was insane b/c he'd never return to the table once he took his break, but i tried it & it worked. He's in 4th grade now & we've been very successful doing it this way. Our rule is after every handout or assignment he gets a 2 minute break. I have him set the timer on the microwave for 2 mins & when he hears it he does come back. There are some times when he wants another minute b/c he's gotten really into something but for the most part it works. Good luck
I think we're going to be asking the doctor to add Intuniv to the regiment - we are desperate for focus and fewer outburst....God I hate this path we're on.We do it immediately after school. If you cannot do it then, get a booster pill from the doctor.