ADD/ADHD Management Question

[bisous]

Hi There!

The question about Ritalin got me thinking. ADD/ADHD runs in my husband's family. My MIL is constantly evaluating my newly 3 year old DS for signs of it and I think some of her paranoia has rubbed off on me! As some of you know, my son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes two months ago. Immediately prior to that time I was convinced he had some kind of developmental delay/focusing problem. The medical intervention for the Diabetes assuaged many of my fears and he seems to be less oblivious to his surroundings and better able to focus. It's amazing what a properly regulated blood sugar level can do! However, I was intrigued by the Feingold diet that was mentioned in the Ritalin thread. What other types of things (besides obviously avoiding TV, lol) can a parent do to help a child stay calm and focus well? I'd be interested to hear about any research, anecdotes, BTDT advice, wild theories, etc.

Thanks in advance! :)

Jen

[pinkmomagain]

Jen,

I'm no expert but I *think* that 3 is too young to get a definitive dx on most dev/behavioral type conditions. I'll give you the example of my middle daughter. When she was 2-3 yo I sensed that she was off somehow but her older sister is extremely gifted and I thought that maybe she was simply normal. After a few months at nursery school the teachers suggested I have her evaluated. She had a whole slew of delays and questionable behaviors but NONE of the professionals I brought her to would give her an umbrella dx...they said it was too early to tell. ADD, anxiety, ASD, processing issues, and more were bandied about but nothing definitive. I was very frustrated because I just wanted a name for what her issues were, but all the professionals assured me to simply treat the "symptoms" with various therapies (OT, PT, Speech, etc). Well my daughter is 7 yo now and is a completely different child than just 4 years ago. This is the age when they will start to diagnose and she has a cluster of issues: she's been dx with anxiety (probably OCD) maybe some ADD inattentive type, and some learning issues. If she had that autism dx at age 3, we probably would have treated her differently in terms of expectations for her future, etc. Also, right now they don't know if the ADD is linked to her OCD (worried so she is distracted with her own thoughts) or "real" ADD. Time may tell.

My advice is to keep a calm eye on your child. Get feedback from objective adults (ie. Pediatrician, teachers) if they suggest getting him evaluated then do. But don't look to label him right now.

I may not have exactly answered your questions above, but I just wanted to let you know of my experience and maybe not get too paranoid.

Gina

[MartiesMom2B]

My brother has dyslexia and was diagnosed with ADD. I would just keep an eye on him, especially when he starts school. If you suspect something get him tested right away. My brother didn't get diagnosed until he was a senior in highschool and school was very difficult.

My mom likes to look for signs in Martie and she'll make comments that I need to take her to the pediatrician. I told her that the pediatrician says that she's just very active and she will indeed sit still and listen at school during circle time.

-Sonia
Mommy to Martie
& Li'l Girl Bunny to come Feb. 2007
http://bd.lilypie.com/Kchhm4/.png (http://lilypie.com)

[Elilly]

Other than Feingold and Gluten and casein free diets, the use of cod liver oil and DHA, phosphatidyl serine, and B vitamins are all very helpful for managing ADHD without meds.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11056411&dopt=Citation

[bisous]

Gina,

Thank you for sharing your story! It sounds like you have always been on top of what is going on in your daughter's life and I'm sure that your calm and rational demeanor are helpful to her whatever the ultimate diagnosis.

I totally agree that three is too young to really assess if there are any problems. And FWIW, MIL is the only one that has ever suggested any issues with my DS. That said, I have noticed variations in his behavior and attentiveness and have found some things that seem to help him to be calm and able to focus. Since ADD runs in our family so strongly, I'm trying to store up an arsenal of skills and techniques and also create a way of life that leads to peace and tranquility. I think that your suggestion of remaining calm and not getting too worried will help with that!

Thanks!

Jen

[bisous]

Thank you, Sonia for sharing your story. My DH had ADD as a child and had an opposite experience from your brother. He was diagnosed early and given every kind of pill you can imagine. He also had a terrible time in school and experienced all kinds of side effects. I do really want to keep on top of the situation with my DS but also be informed of all kinds of therapies. I'm sure that your mother is, like my MIL, only trying to avoid possibly difficult times ahead by "diagnosing" your daughter early but kudos to you for following the advice of the ped. who deals with children all day long!

Thank you,

Jen

[bisous]

Wow!

Thank you--your post is a goldmine of information including much that I hadn't heard of before. Everything that I've "done" up to this point has been drawn from observations and from intuition. It looks as if others have already done some consider research. Thanks for tapping me into it!

Jen

[bisous]

Just to stimulate conversation. Here is a list of variables that I have "discovered" that seem to have an effect on the ability to concentrate and to remain calm on my son. I would love to hear other opinions about these strategies or others. While I think of them as ways to help my DS who is excitable, I think they could be beneficial for all kids.


1. Sleep. I'm kind of a sleep nazi to the disdain of some of our extended family.

2. Outings. I try to do a big outing only every other day. When he was really little we took advantage of our SoCal location and went to Disneyland, the zoo, museums etc. every single day. It just wore him out and he really needs down time or he is wired.

3. Food. I'm really only starting to understand this variable. Diabetes management has helped immensely. I "discovered" a milk allergy when he was quite young and keeping him dairy free makes a tremendous difference. I have an appt. with the ped. allergist so that I can really be aware of what foods might be upsetting him and making it difficult to concentrate.

4. Routine. I'm not great at this one yet other than meals and bedtime which are pretty well rehearsed. He seems to balk at routine as much as crave it.

5. Consistency. I use the same techniques and responses all the time and his behavior is much better.

6. TV. He does watch about 1 show per day. I'm curious to know how this affects him and I'm experimenting with it. Like other posters in the TV/Autism post TV seems to calm him when he's really worked up sometimes and would be a little difficult to give up.

Thanks!

jen