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Originally Posted By KatherineAllot has been said about ADHD and drugs. My husband had it as a child (and still does to a lesser extent). While many doctors and teachers encouraged my mother in law to put him on meds she chose to find another way. She would go to a teaching store and buy a workbook for his age group ( in each subject) and give him short pages to do and after each one he would pick a 5 min activity for a reward. As time went on the increments got longer and in the long run it helped not only is he a whiz at math and spelling and history but he never had to be on meds.
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Originally Posted By Holly Eustice, FamilyByChoice@cs.comKatherine,thank you for sharing that with the adhd board. That is a great idea. My husband and I are worried about all these medications that kids are on these days due to adhd,ptsd,and other conditions. This is a great alternative or extra thing to do for the kids.
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Glad to hear the no meds approach worked for your hubby.
I'm an adoptee that had her own children and our adult daughter has ADHD. it was not diagnosed until she was in her teens.
Despite my pleas to doctors and school personnell I couldn't get her tested. I first noticed the symptons when she was very little. Our daughter required very little sleep even as a baby. We would put her in her crib at night and just let her play until she fell asleep. Often I would go to her room in the wee hours of the AM and find her still entertaining herself and wide awake.
Doctors advised simple solutions such as what your mother-in-law did with your hubby. Didn't work. I changed her diet, put her on a tight schedule. Didn't work.
While I appreciate your input I think the approach is simplistic as this is not just about teaching an ADHD individual to concentrate. Many children with ADHD have above average to genius IQ's. But diet, teaching and patience are not the answer for everyone.
Finally when our daughter was diagnosed and she was placed on medication she thanked us profusely! She was so thrilled with just being able to sit and read a short story or do her high school homework. When she went to college she was always on the Dean's list as well as the National Honor Society.
She is a grown woman now with children of her own. She still relies on meds from time to time to help her concentrate at work and at home. It is a difficult life for ADHD adults. they have trouble making friends and staying in relationships. If meds can help, I believe they should be used.
unfortunatley you cant stop the distraction with add ..you have to learn to live with it or use meds.
i had my daughter tested at fiv e
and we tried meds along the way
very light doses..
just enought to get her through a few hours in the morining
never at night , weekends or summer break
she is now is 6th grade and off meds
still very distracted and forgets alot but we have her
keep a notebook and are trying to train her to be aware
of her surroundings so she can get more organized.
Karate helped with this ..
you will find add kids are very good athletes
even horse riding helps this distraction problem.
the thing is some kids are more distracted than others
and if you want good grades..you do need some meds.
if you manage them and try small small doses...
you will see improvement
but i applaud you for taking the time to help without medication
some people are so fast to over medicate
their kids..
just know that there is nothing wrong with a little help
in this department
school these days is very hard
harder than when i was in school.
lots of homework
just my two cents
Sounds like you are on the right track. We kept our daughter at very low levels of meds because we were afraid of the side effects and other problems that could arise.
Fortunatley she hasn't had any problems. In her work and at home she limits the meds. Naturally both times she was pregnant she stopped the meds completely.
Our grand daughter shows no signs of ADHD and is very smart, athletic and at 4 years old a very busy little lady. In fact she has trouble sometimes keeping up with her mommy. Mom has a tendency to wear her out because mom is on non-stop go! lol
Yes athletics is great for kids with ADHD. It helps them learn to control themselves and provides lots of discipline.
Our daughter was taught in her High School LD class that keeping a journal of her daily schedule was essential to her survival in the business world. It has served her well ever since.
ADHD kids can excel, it may take more work for mom and dad, but worth it in the long run.
Debbie