Adhd?

[TracyLynn]

Hello! My son was recently diagnosed with ADHD. Does anyone else have any experience with this? Sometimes my son will not calm down and I get irritated. I feel so bad for feeling this way though. I don't want to medicate my child at all. He is in a special school right now and he is also being checked for other neurological issues. I was just wondering if someone could give me some sound advice on calming my child down and getting him to focus more. Thankyou!

Blessings~
TracyLynn

 

[Swtsnshyn]

Another thing you might want to look at is his diet. Aside from the medical issus, refined sugars, dyes, and preservatives can cause the very same symptoms. A good site to check out is http://www.feingold.org/. When I read some of the side effects of these things, it really floored me. We then began watching what our son ate, and noticed that there is a difference in his behavior when he eats foods with the dyes, sugars, etc. in them and when he eats foods that are much more natural.

Hope this helps.


God Bless!!
Dawn
Shining brightly for Jesus

 

[Leanna]

How old is he? My son's father has ADHD and takes Adderall for it. (so I am nervous my son will have it) There are negatives and positives for medications. Most people medicate too quickly I know. He doesn't take his medication all the time.

When he doesn't take his medication he can be really irritating to everyone around him, and as an adult! So it takes more concentration for him to respect folkway norms and behave the way he needs to. He says when he doesn't take the medicine he has trouble sitting through college without falling asleep or taking out something else to do and switching rapidly. When he does take his medication it helps him stay awake and calm, but sometimes he feels rejected when people are annoyed by him off of his medication. He feels then like people don't like the "real him." So he only takes it when he needs it for class, if he is doing something active like his job or hanging out he doesn't take it.

I don't think medication is all bad so long as it isn't used as a cop out. Some teachers want their students diagnosed with ADHD so they will get medicated and sit still so they don't have to work as hard. But if it can really help the kid to learn better, what is wrong with that? I think there is a careful balance to be determined by the parent. But maybe medication isn't all bad so long as the child feels loved and accepted both ways.

 

[Mayzoo]

This link is to another part of the Christian's forum that you will find more people who can relate to your questions as well. I have a special needs child....and I post there too.

http://www.christianforums.com/f277-physically-challenged.html

 

[issa]

there is a new forum for adhd....under for christians only-edification-struggles&recovery

 

[isaiah5213]

i went for years thinking that medication was the easy and wrong way out.. i got that idea from a friend of mine who has horrible problems w/her son, and he was diagnosed at the age of 4 or so... today, he spends his time going in and out of maximum security juvenile detention centers. --but also, in the last year, they have come to his mother and apologized, because they misdiagnosed him. they changed his medicine (he has bi-polar) and he is a different boy today, according to his mom...

my daughter has the diagnosis.. and for years, she got teachers telling her and me, she could do better, but she wasn't.. she was highly emotional, dramatic, defensive, getting her to do her homework was a bear, and then when she did it, she would lose it!! and we are talking lose, to never find again...

my ex for years said no, then finally when she turned 14, i made the courts mandate she get a full profile from the medical doctor.. and he put her on meds. and she is a completely different person... so different, that her confidence is up up up.. she feels like she can do this now, that she can finish tasks, that she understands more and further--she has become teachable, where she wasn't... and because she herself feels and thinks that, her grades have gone from, literally, "we are passing you because we know you are smart and we know you know this material whether you admit it or not" to being a straight a student who "is a pleasure to work w/in class"... w/this child, i never ever thought i would see the words "pleasure to work w/in class"...

the doctor assured me we did all we could w/her. we taught her right from wrong, we taught her appropriate social skills, etc etc etc.. but it was nearly impossible for her to retain things in her memory that were mandatory for day to day life. her memory couldn't do it, no matter how hard we all tried....

but now it is different..

and now i have a 5 year old that started w/the same problems, only magnified 50x because he came from an abusive and negligent home.. the schools asked me not to bring him back at one point, and i had to look at them and tell them no.. they needed to hang in there, till he gets into the habit of right and good things..

we put him on meds immediately, because i was worried it was worse than adhd, the issues he was giving.. and it totally changed his actions and habits.. he too, got confidence in himself. he was able to really apply things, and do things, whereas before, he, too, had a horrible horrible memory.. we worked for days on his letters over the summer--i spent 5 days w/him on the letter c, at one point!! aaaahhhhh!!!!
now:?? yes, he still has some form of trouble (expected, because of his social issues,) but he is really proud of how different he is!! he is proud that he is not an angry little defiant boy. he is proud his eyes are not hatefilled anymore.. he is pleased as punch when others call him a loving little boy. he never got that when he was kicking-screaming-biting-punching-hitting at the same time, his parents, or teachers..(especially his parents, cuz we disciplined that...)

 

[preventerwind]

When i was a little i had adhd and was far worse than your kid so my mom did many things to help me. thought i dont have the info i'll get it for you. Listen, not only has my mom writen many books on this but she has also been on tv a few times as well. so ill get back to you in a few days until then be patient. so until then good luck!!! bye

 

[Jenna]

I don't have a child who has attention difficulties, but I am not unfamiliar. Sometimes I think that we need to look at our lifestyles and realize that not everyone will function well or thrive in certain environments. It doesn't make people dysfunctional, only different. Since God created us all different, I'd be loathe to look at it as though it is a bad thing. I can't say that I'm fond of the idea of medicating everyone that doesn't sit quietly and stay out of folks' hair. Some people will swear up and down over the values of medications for children, but I'm placing my money on the idea that the environment needs to change, and then things will become easier. Look into your family diet and see what things could be contributing to altered state for your child. Other than that, be willing to change the way you do things, and to do so with a glad heart.

 

[selune]

Hello! My son was recently diagnosed with ADHD. Does anyone else have any experience with this? Sometimes my son will not calm down and I get irritated. I feel so bad for feeling this way though. I don't want to medicate my child at all. He is in a special school right now and he is also being checked for other neurological issues. I was just wondering if someone could give me some sound advice on calming my child down and getting him to focus more. Thankyou!

Blessings~
TracyLynn

Much as to what Jenna said, check the environment your son is in. Is he like this ALL of the time? If not, what situations is he focused in? When can he function? What's going on around him? How old is he? Certain things are really age based and not at all ADHD. Best wishes and I'm praying for you. Keep us posted on how thing go.

 

[yeshuaskid]

How old is he? My son's father has ADHD and takes Adderall for it. (so I am nervous my son will have it)

Leanna asks a good question. It's important to know how old your son is. I am an adult with ADHD and I take Adderall, also. We were told that our daughter had a 98% chance of being ADD/ADHD. She shows signs but, I'm working with her.

Most people medicate too quickly I know.

Leanna...another excellent point! As some of you know...I was an advocate for CHADD (an organization devoted to helping children and adults with ADD/ADHD). I'm a firm believer in trying EVERYTHING BEFORE MEDICATION is introduced. You would be amazed at how simple some solutions can be when dealing with ADD/ADHD.

When he doesn't take his medication he can be really irritating to everyone around him, and as an adult!

This is definately me!

So it takes more concentration for him to respect folkway norms and behave the way he needs to. He says when he doesn't take the medicine he has trouble sitting through college without falling asleep or taking out something else to do and switching rapidly. When he does take his medication it helps him stay awake and calm,

Many people think that medication for this is just a fix-all. They don't understand that it is needed, in some cases, so that the person can learn to control their world. It sounds as if you and your husband havev trhis one figured out.

but sometimes he feels rejected when people are annoyed by him off of his medication. He feels then like people don't like the "real him." So he only takes it when he needs it for class, if he is doing something active like his job or hanging out he doesn't take it.

Your husband is fortunate that he doesn't have to take his medication all the time. It's wonderful that he is able to deal with the world and stay in control. As far as not liking the real him...I feel this way on a daily basis. It's part of dealing with the disorder. Most ADDers suffer from self-esteem issues. As a christian, I am suffering from this a lot, right now.

I don't think medication is all bad so long as it isn't used as a cop out.

Absolutely! If it's just used because you don't want to deal with the disorder...don't take it!

Some teachers want their students diagnosed with ADHD so they will get medicated and sit still so they don't have to work as hard. But if it can really help the kid to learn better, what is wrong with that? I think there is a careful balance to be determined by the parent. But maybe medication isn't all bad so long as the child feels loved and accepted both ways.

You may want to really listen to Leanna...she is totally on the right track with this.

I've suffered my whole life with ADHD. I only began medication when I was in college. I still take it and thank God for it. You may want to check out the ADHD forum. A lot of us have shared there. I will extend to you what I extend to everyone when dealing with this subject: If you need ANYTHING...please, don't hesitate to ask. I've had years of experience in this area. I'm educated on just about all of the medications as well as the homeopathic solutions. Let me know what you need.

God Bless...

 

[kdet]

My son is 14 and has ADHD, he has been on Adderall and Staterra, now he is taking Concerta, this website might help

http://www.adhd.com/index.jsp