Stuff that helps | ADHD Information
Hi, I am relatively new to the board but I was wondering if we could start a "helpful stuff" post. My son has ADHD and through a lot of reading I have learned some things that might help others, conversely, I would love to learn any little things that you all have discovered.Here goes,
1. Silly putty; as a side effect of meds, my son was destroying his hands and nails, I read that silly putty was a helpful thing for ADDers and so I bought ten of them at the dollar store. My son loved it and the other day I was almost in tears, I noticed that he had nails for the first time in a while.
2. Montessori school. ADHD children are usually bright. Montessori is a perfect environment for an ADHD child who is being treated. The teachers are open to new things, there are generally no desks to be confined in, and kids work at their own pace (often accelerated).
3. Routine-never deviate it comforts them.
This is all I can think of right now, please add!Thanks for the info. HUGSMontessori is wingderful. They allow no sugsr also.I have been working on organizations with my middle school son. He has 1 notebook for all classes. That way he can't bring the wrong notebook to class and he knows everything is in there. We don't let him have looseleaf paper at school. Also, he has a binder that has different sections- life a filing system- instead of folders. That way he has everything together and can't grab the wrong thing from his locker.
His notebook and binder are zwipees- like a dry erase board- so I can write reminders or he can make notes on things he needs to remember. Now if only he wouldn't lose the zwipee pens...Notebooks:
We have tried a variety of notebooks etc for my ds. What seemed to work best was:
zippered (so nothing falls out)notebook with removeable rings. Take the rings out and replace with individual small plastic notebooks for each class. Each notebook had plastic pages with a total of about 8 pockets per notebook.
A pocket/pouch on the front of the notebook that can accommodate a paperback book for SSR and points for bringing a silent reading book to class.
All classes covered in his zippered notebook; at class he only had to deal with the small individual notebook. Each pocket was used for organizing the different aspects of the class. I always designated the front pockets for homework and blank loose leaf paper. It was easier to pull a paper out of a pocket than open rings to get papers and more time efficient.
At the highschool level- a backpack carried from class to class with individual notebooks for each class.
Dana Alphasmart - a godsend and lifesaver for organizational software and dysgraphiaFor homework worksheets to be filed in by hand:
Scan the worksheet, add textboxes, type responses,printjfla: What type of organizational software do you run? My ds has dysgraphia along with ADD and has the 3000 model provided by the school, which doesn't run any kind of real software. Does it have a windows based operating system?susieb,
The Dana runs on a Palm operating system so that you can download all kinds of software. It has a nice size screen & uses a stylus. The unit has keys for date book, address book, to do list (GREAT! w/prioritizing, details on the item), memo/note) It comes with Alphaword works like a Word program with files etc. Software "Doc to Go" adds word, excel and powerpoint. The Dana has so many capabilities. DS has Dana Wireless. Check out alphasmart.com
It has solved so many problems for DS. he loves it and takes it everywhere.Did the school provide it or did you buy it? I looked online and their pricing info isn't too clear, but it looked like near 00.
For getting to sleep at nights: toss his/her blanket in the dryer for 10min then take it out and cover him up with it. My son won't move or fiddle like normal because he doesn't want to do anything to make it cool off faster.
Advanced warnings. Laying out clothes before he goes to bed. Letting them veg a little in the morning (I tried the early meds routine but they just wore off an hour before school ended. Bad news). Trying to make sure their locker is organized and not a shambles (not so easy sometimes). No TV on school days/nites (my son doesn't really respond to reward motivation). Shower in the morning works good for us because a shower really wakes my son up. Setting a timer for things like showering and dressing. Breaking instructions down into smaller bits and not putting too many things on a verbal list.
Also hole-punching homework worksheets instead of puttung them in a notebook pocket and a zippered notebook with lots of compartments.
My sil has a small cd alarm clock. We have seen them at Walmart.They are not expensive. We need help with following a morning schedule and after school one. Neither of our kids will. I think if they go off to school one day they will need classes that start at 10am. susieb,The 00 may have been bulk ordering.
The school did not pay for it, we did. I don't have too much patience with the schools. It always takes too long and has too go through so many people.
You are are right the pricing info is a bit confusing. It looked like this to me:
Pricing looks like:
School pricing:
9 9
college/Professional
9 9
Topping for Hborder
Let's see....
Music - yes, my son's love playing their radio all night long. He liks it louder than I want it, but he sleep great with it. I think it also helps his anxiety a lot - listens to the radio - does not focus on "creepy" noises.
Advanced warning - I always try to make sure they know in advance what we are doing, what is happening - less surprises = more acceptance, less argueing
Concerta - seems to be working for my 9yo. Yeah!!
Stuffed animals and blankies really help with the anxiety - I just make sure ds does not take them out in public, where he may get teased.
My son got on the wrong bus on the way home from the 2nd day of 1st grade. After that I put a tag on his bag, with his bus #, teacher's name, his name, to lesson his nervousness about getting lost and in case he were to get in the wrong place at school again. (of course think first if you feel secure doing this- we feel very safe where we live) I laminated the tag, and attached it with a giant metal paper clip.
Email your kids teacher, instead of sending notes with the kids, if possible. I never know if the teacher is going to get the note, if I send it with my son.
Praise, praise, praise them.
Yes, our sons food can not be processed or have yeast he is allergic to both of these things badly. I love this post..The silly putty idea is great my son has bad nails alsoI let my son play with silly pitty while I read to him(even at 15 for school work), as long as he held on to it and didn't toss it in the air, and sat in one place and didn't get up. It kept his hands busy so his mind could focus on what I read to him. He didn't get up and wonder around the room as usual. He remembered more of what I read. Hello everyone! I posted this a long time ago and I learned two more things, so I am posting again, hoping that others will too.
4. Mountain Dew. I am trying this on the weekend, since without meds I have a major boomerang in the house. Others say it really helps. Mountain Dew is very high in caffeine,hence stimulant effect.
5. Weighted blanket. I saw that post and I thought they were describing my son. I put a heavy bundle of blankets on him that night and he told me he fell right asleep, and I did not get any nocturnal visits. I just ordered one. Thank you thank you.
6. Weighted vests: same post. I am ordering one for him, I will let you all know how it works. Just for weekends.
Please add, I know I can use all the help and ideas out there. Thanks again.Here's a couple that have worked for us:
Music at night. He stays in his room and goes to sleep much quicker.
No RED dye!
Rewards: He gets to see his favorite movies when he gets his homework done on a reg. bases.
A helper at school--his teacher assigned a girl next to him to help him remember to bring home his assignment notebook and assignments he needs to complete. She is wonderful!
Karate--he enjoys it, is good at it, and he has self esteem once again.
Thanks Bailey! We do karate too. What's up with the red dye? Thanks!I suspected his diet was affecting his behavior for a long time. Some days he was totally fine and other days he was just kind of "off". The day he ate 2 red popcicles
was the day I will never forget. He changed into a different person. I started taking notice of what certain foods did to him. He came home from school one day just kind of wound up and "goofy". I suspected he ate something so I asked if there had been a birthday in his class. Yep! They ate cupcakes with red frosting. Also, he used to drink raspberry Crystal Light by the gallons. Since we went off that and drink basically water, he is so much mellower and less goofy.
We try and limit the additives and perservatives and dyes as much as we can.
I think it's really helping.
dyes /preservatives also in lunchmeats and in canned or boxed foods. We were told stay away from these also. It is so hard to follow all the time. This means he can't have anything his peers have. This is a allergie for our son. We have to make all things by scratch and switched flour companies. No yeast allowed either cause it's allergie also. I just wish he could be a kid. I have found some really good "kid foods" that our kids like.
Have you heard of Annie's Pasta? The mac & cheese is really good.
Some natural food is pretty bad, I have to admit. But there are some that are actually better than the junk stuff. Frito Lay makes cheese puffs with no additives or perservatives. They are white (no color added) and I think they are better than the bright orange ones. My son loves them.
Our montessori school allows no sugar, No food colour or processed foods in lunch boxes. They only allow 100% fruit juices. They encourage high protein foods be packed . We have to check lables for everything.
They talk about the food tree and food groups with the kids. And the children are constantly aware of what foods are healty and which are not.
Yes, montessori will be the next big change for us. I want to give our public school a fair shot because that is where my son wants to be. That is where his friends are. But if he struggles more than what he is in 3rd grade than I will be willing to switch. Does montessori go up to 12th grade?Maria Montessori only did research on montessori schools up to middle school. However, there are montessories that will go up to high school. Ours only goes up to middle school. You will need to visit the school and make sure that it is a true montessori and whether they will be willing to work positively with your child.
Sensory: where do you shop for the stuff your child can take to school? I love montessorie method. To bad most have no scholarships though. My wife loved this type of schooling also.
Baily: our son has no friends in school.
Are you referring to food stuff for filling in lunch boxes?
For us, The teachers are very patient with the children and work very positively with them. In an elementary classroom often children will work in groups. 6 to 9 yr olds are in the same classroom. The older children help the younger ones and the younger children often watch and work with the older children. It teaches the children how to work together and how to be understanding with each other. Even the children who have difficulties can usually make friends. The teachers will pair the children accordingly in groups.
silly putty too and Gakfleecy blankets for wandering around the house and cuddling in
Cuddling on the couch for about 45 min every morning when he was a toddler helped him have a better start to the day and noticeable difference. At 17 still loves long good morning hugsKarate, soccer, dance, music and swimming.
Walking in the woods. One study showed improvement for ADHDers after being in a "green" area as opposed to concrete playground w/equipment or indoor gym.
Yarn and rope; tying everything up around the house; untangling yarn and winding it into a ball helped for sleep issues
For math lovers: a calculator kept the fingers and mind busy
Gabba for sleep; now he doesn't need anything.
One person wrote about their childs montessori school working in groups and students helping each other.
That is exactly how our public school works. The kids in the class are all in the same grade but the teacher sits them in "clusters". 5 kids sit in a group facing each other. The teacher groups the highest kids with the lowest kids. There is a group "leader" who is responsible for making sure all the kids in the group check their mailboxes and take home the right notebooks. They are allowed to work on their schoolwork together but are on their own for tests.
I LOVE this style of teaching. So much less pressure for the kids at the bottom. The kids at the top like the responsablity of helping.
Last year when he was in 2nd grade, the teacher paired them up in two's. They changed partners throughout the year but I was pleased with this style of teaching also.
I don't feel it's the kids jobs to grade papers or help kids it's the staffs job. Here they have some of this. Our son is told read stuff over. This doesn't help him much cause he doesn't get what is said. He needs easy explenations.Thanks Wildboys, I do the warning thing too. My kids' diet is pretty nature based. They get sweets, because frankly they're so skinny. . . But no junk. Potato chips are a rarity.
Bailey, I wish you the best on education for your son. Our montessori school goes up to 6th grade. There is another one that does do 7th and 8th, it's a traffic riven 30 minutes from my house and a lot more expensive but I am seriously thinking of doing the drive when the time comes. The misery that I feel when my son is unhappy is also expensive, actually I care less about the money that the $^$%#%% drive! It has made every difference in the world for my son. I also love that when my child is good at something he's allowed to go as far as he is able with it. I couldn't get his first grade teacher to give him appropriate work to save my soul.
Another stuff that helps:
Feed the book beast! My son loves to read because I comb the library for anything relating to knights, magic, sorcerers, witches, trolls, you get the picture. Even comic books, although that's an if/then situation!
Tell them you love them no matter what kind of day you have had with them!
Green Tea in the morning works great or Yerba Mate which is even better.
Beef jerky because they get the oral fixation they need and protein.
If public school is not meeting their needs find an alternative school or homeschool. Don't keep them in school with the hopes that they will learn to socialize, because chances are they won't in that environment.
Omegas, omegas, omegas
I am not concerned about social things at all. Son is rude/abuseive to his Mom. Her iq is lower than my sons also. I am afraid of her health. Pastmember,You misunderstand. The kids don't grade each others papers or are responsible for the other kids. The kids HELP the kids who are not as, shall we say, gifted in academics as they are.
All children learn at a different rate, ADD or not. Kids who need help can greatly benefit from kids who excel. My son is learning a lot about being responsible just by sitting in a group of kids who actually remember to get the work out of their mailboxes. The little girl next to my son will sometimes fill out his assignment notebook for him when he is at speech. She feels important and he needs the help!
I think they are both benefiting.
Here it is like the way I mentioned. Our son can not work in a group at all. He needs one on one education and materials he can understand. He is 2 1/2 yrs behind others. This is more behind than before. pastmember38672.7393518519I have another one that seems to work for my son:
EXCERCISE!
I put him in a kids fitness class at the Y and he loves it. He goes 3 days a week for 45 min. He has met many nice kids there, too so we are killing two birds with one stone. Plus, I get to workout during his class.
[QUOTE=mrsghost]I have been working on organizations with my middle school son. He has 1 notebook for all classes. That way he can't bring the wrong notebook to class and he knows everything is in there. We don't let him have looseleaf paper at school. Also, he has a binder that has different sections- life a filing system- instead of folders. That way he has everything together and can't grab the wrong thing from his locker.
His notebook and binder are zwipees- like a dry erase board- so I can write reminders or he can make notes on things he needs to remember. Now if only he wouldn't lose the zwipee pens...[/QUOTE]
Where do you fined Zwipees? I did a google search and got nothing
We did that too. Now we leave the medecine at his sink where he will see it first thing in the morning. While he takes a shower meds are kicking in. It sure helped our mornings.Any suggestions for alarm wake up ideas? We are trying a combination of timed: music, light, clangy alarm clock, taped "put your feet on the floor". I saw a bed vibrater/light/"sonic boom" alarm clock. Has anyone tried this? My ds is 17 and I want him to be more independent about waking up.Okay, I remembered another one, simple for the experienced but helpful if you're starting out.
-wake up an hour before your child has to be up, gently wake them enough to give them their med and then let them go back to sleep for the hour. 2 things happen, the earlier the med, the less severe the sleep disruption, and by the time they're supposed to wake up, they'll have more focus.
ps. yes it hurts to have to wake up earlier.
I know they have an alarm clock you can load mp3s into - of anything. Try toys R us - or http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/household/mib-mp3-ala rm-clock-037893.php. It's a blog of japanese gadgets and this alarm looks COOL!! Have not found US distributor - yet.
I know they have built bed shakers, bed tilters, bed shockers even! I'm sure if there's a need there's a gadget.
Hope this helped!!
Oh - and the kids helping kids? Some call it junior mentoring. It's an awesome way to help - and many special needs kids tend to gravitate towards the one-on-one approach - and the brother-like feeling.
Thanks for the tips GlenW
I am sure we will come up with something! For myself (SAD- seasonal affective dissorder) I like the simulation sunrise clock for dark winter mornings. There is a cd player alarm clock that you can set for the cd to go off instead of a beeping sound. I think I will get it as a gift for the kids this year. Karate since he really likes it and it helps his self esteem. Cubs since he gets to go camping and socialize with other kids. Green tea in the morning. A set bedtime. Flax seed oil.bump
My tips:
Dry sound for good sleeping, a fan, music or something that they can hear instead of hearing creeping noises or the TV on in the other room.
Melatonin - aids in a full nights sleep
Label clothing drawers for organization.
Lay out clothing, backbacks ect... the night before school or purchase a closet hanger that has the days of the week on it and pouches for the clothes ect.
Keep the morning as simple as possible. I don't allow TV or showers in the AM. These slow him down, when I need to get him going. He does 3 things in the AM, get dressed, eat, go out the door. If there is extra time and he is completely ready to go with shoes on, coat on, backpack in tow, ect.. I will let him sit and watch TV.
I used to put his clothes in the dryer for him in the AM to warm them up. He liked the feeling of the warm comfy clothes on his skin. THAT WAS A GOOD motivator, b/c I took them out at a certain time and if he wanted warm clothes, he better get them on quick before then cooled down. HE REALLY LOVED THIS!
ROUTINE, ROUTINE, ROUTINE and Consistency. It just makes for a simpler household.
ALLOW him to snack/eat at night time. My husband HATES this, BUT think of it this way, our kids don't have much of an apetite during the day, while on meds.... SO when they come off their meds in the late eves, they are STARVING. Sometimes, that's my son's best meal of the day.
CHORES, my son loves the feeling and attention from an accomplishment well done.
PRAISE EVERYDAY! POSITIVE ATTENTION EVERYDAY!
If I can think of anything else I have used of the years, I will post some more.
Bumpconstant everyday day eating of something dark green