My son is 5 yrs old & was diagnosed with ADHD at 3 1/5 at his preschool. We have been to the doctor, neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist, etc. Before he started Kindergarten we tried a couple differnt medications, one a stimulant & the other was not. Neither worked for our child and we decided to take him off (plus I felt he was too young). Now, half way thru the school year he is having lots of problems accademically and will most likely be held back next year (I am o.k. with this, it will be good for him). Anyways, the reason I am writting is to find out what else I can do to help him. I would like to try to change his diet completely, cutting out anything that may make him impulsive, easily distacted, fidgity, etc. He is not that hipper, just can not focus, does not remember anything 2 minutes later, is in his own world, etc. We recently took him to a learning & testing center were they stated he has ADHD & Auditory Processing Deficit, they would like to do EEG Biofeed back but it is very expensive and I don't know much about it. Anyone have any ideas for me or can recomend any books or websites that will give info on what food to cut out or maybe some nutritional supplements that really work??? Thanks for listening...
Hello! I'm the mother of two daughters 9 and 7. I just made an appointment with a psychologist for my younger, Olivia, to be tested for ADD. Her appts. are in Feb. She and her sister are homeschooled and she behaves very much like your son. Academically, she is almost two years advanced, but she always seems to be distracted. Her school work load should only take about 5 hours, but instead it takes all day until dark. In between every problem or sentence, she stops to play with her eraser, doodle or just look around. I have cut sugar out of her diet, but have yet to see the benefits. She was never allowed very much sugar anyway. I just ordered a nutrient called BeCalm and will be starting her on that tomorrow. I'm hoping for the best. I'll let you know. If it proves successful, I'll still take her to be tested, but I want to avoid medications if possible. I want her to be happy. I feel like everyone is always saying "pay attention, Olivia" or "Hurry up" because even outside of school, she is just as distracted. She'll be the last one out of the car, or into the house- whatever the case may be. And when it's time to brush teeth and get ready for bed, her sister will be done and in bed before Olivia has even put the toothpaste on her brush. She's missing out on alot of just "play" time because all the other necessary things of the day take her so long. You might be interested in checking out the wesite: All Kinds of Minds developed by Dr. Melvin Levine. I've read a bit, and have found it very interesting. Well, good luck with your son. Tanya
Quote:
Originally Posted by 3boys4mom
My son is 5 yrs old & was diagnosed with ADHD at 3 1/5 at his preschool. We have been to the doctor, neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist, etc. Before he started Kindergarten we tried a couple differnt medications, one a stimulant & the other was not. Neither worked for our child and we decided to take him off (plus I felt he was too young). Now, half way thru the school year he is having lots of problems accademically and will most likely be held back next year (I am o.k. with this, it will be good for him). Anyways, the reason I am writting is to find out what else I can do to help him. I would like to try to change his diet completely, cutting out anything that may make him impulsive, easily distacted, fidgity, etc. He is not that hipper, just can not focus, does not remember anything 2 minutes later, is in his own world, etc. We recently took him to a learning & testing center were they stated he has ADHD & Auditory Processing Deficit, they would like to do EEG Biofeed back but it is very expensive and I don't know much about it. Anyone have any ideas for me or can recomend any books or websites that will give info on what food to cut out or maybe some nutritional supplements that really work??? Thanks for listening...
My daughter is exactly the same way, a complete daydreamer, easily distracted, always on another planet. She has always been this way and I never really put much thought into it. As she has gotten older and has more homework though, it has become a real issue , things that should take 15-30 minutes were taking 3 hours. It was becoming overwhelming having to sit there and make sure she didn't play around between each problem. Our whole night would be dedicated to homework. She has always been smart and able to do the work, yet the focus was nonexistant. Her teacher had a meeting with me and suggested she was ADD, this of course blew my mind with her being such a good student. But her teacher told me that my daughter just stares out the window all day or gets up and walks around and that she is constantly on her to pay attention, only to have her daydreaming a moment later. She suggested I make an appointment with our doctor, but my husband and I have always believed there are natural cures for everything, so instead of her being diagnosed we have put her on Energique Homeopathic drops recommended for ADD by Dr. Allen Buresz. These should be taken with a diet of natural foods, no preservatives, no additives, ect. I recommend going to the library, there are many books on treating ADD naturally by changing the diet. My daughter has only been on the drops for about three weeks, but she has not brought home any homework at all, meaning she is getting it all done in class which is amazing to me. I haven't talked to her teacher about her progress yet, though, I am waiting at least another month. I want the teacher to tell me she's seen an improvement before I tell her we didn't put my daughter on meds. Natural medicine seems to be a controversial issue with some, so I want to have the proof before I'm shot down. Hopefully we have great success as meds will be our last resort. Good luck and remember to be patient, it'll take time but will be worth it!
I wish that I had considered alternate schools when my son was as young as yours. Like Montessori, for instance.
Attending very competitive, highly rated public schools has been soul-destroying for my 13 year old. The damage to his self-esteem has been immense. I regret not getting him out of it at a younger age (and am torn what to do at this stage).
This wasn't really your question, but is something that I'd like for you to consider. Just my $.02...
Index.html There are a few Montessori schools out there that go all the way through High School. If you let me know where you live, I can look it up for you since I am not allowed to name websites). Maybe some of the damage to your son's self-esteem can be "undone" by placing him in a Montessori School until he finished school. I totally agree with you that "highly-rated" schools can be very much of disadvantage for ADHD kids since the pressure often is just too much. I have just taken my 8 year old out of public school and placed him in a Montessori School. It is very expensive, but he is worth it to me and I plan to have him in Montessori all the way through High School. If it means that my son can remain off drugs because I am not pressured by that school to place him on drugs and because they are willing to understand, that he has potential to succeed, than it's worth it. The teaching method there seems to be ideal for ADHD kids. They are not restricted to sit at their table for 7 hours a day like public schools require them to do, which is impossible for hyperactive children. So far so good.
I do know of a Montessori school here that goes through high school. I really like the idea. But, there are some mighty big downsides. Number one is that my kids are adamantly opposed to changing. 13yo (the one who needs it the most) says he will run away if I try to make him go to a different school. Other important factors are cost and travel time. This particular school costs about $12,000/year plus fees. For 2 kids, we're looking at $25-30,000 per year. Ouch! Also, the school is so far that we're talking about 45 minutes to an hour each way for commuting. Either that, or we move closer in. Not an easy decision to make...
Hello! I'm the mother of two daughters 9 and 7. I just made an appointment with a psychologist for my younger, Olivia, to be tested for ADD. Her appts. are in Feb. She and her sister are homeschooled and she behaves very much like your son. Academically, she is almost two years advanced, but she always seems to be distracted. Her school work load should only take about 5 hours, but instead it takes all day until dark. In between every problem or sentence, she stops to play with her eraser, doodle or just look around. I have cut sugar out of her diet, but have yet to see the benefits. She was never allowed very much sugar anyway. I just ordered a nutrient called BeCalm and will be starting her on that tomorrow. I'm hoping for the best. I'll let you know. If it proves successful, I'll still take her to be tested, but I want to avoid medications if possible. I want her to be happy. I feel like everyone is always saying "pay attention, Olivia" or "Hurry up" because even outside of school, she is just as distracted. She'll be the last one out of the car, or into the house- whatever the case may be. And when it's time to brush teeth and get ready for bed, her sister will be done and in bed before Olivia has even put the toothpaste on her brush. She's missing out on alot of just "play" time because all the other necessary things of the day take her so long. You might be interested in checking out the wesite: All Kinds of Minds developed by Dr. Melvin Levine. I've read a bit, and have found it very interesting. Well, good luck with your son. Tanya
Thanks for the adivce. I would like to here if the BeCalm works, I have heard of it before but haven't tried it. There are so many different things out there Im not sure which ones to try! Good luck to you and make sure to reply about the BeCalm!!!!
My daughter is exactly the same way, a complete daydreamer, easily distracted, always on another planet. She has always been this way and I never really put much thought into it. As she has gotten older and has more homework though, it has become a real issue , things that should take 15-30 minutes were taking 3 hours. It was becoming overwhelming having to sit there and make sure she didn't play around between each problem. Our whole night would be dedicated to homework. She has always been smart and able to do the work, yet the focus was nonexistant. Her teacher had a meeting with me and suggested she was ADD, this of course blew my mind with her being such a good student. But her teacher told me that my daughter just stares out the window all day or gets up and walks around and that she is constantly on her to pay attention, only to have her daydreaming a moment later. She suggested I make an appointment with our doctor, but my husband and I have always believed there are natural cures for everything, so instead of her being diagnosed we have put her on Energique Homeopathic drops recommended for ADD by Dr. Allen Buresz. These should be taken with a diet of natural foods, no preservatives, no additives, ect. I recommend going to the library, there are many books on treating ADD naturally by changing the diet. My daughter has only been on the drops for about three weeks, but she has not brought home any homework at all, meaning she is getting it all done in class which is amazing to me. I haven't talked to her teacher about her progress yet, though, I am waiting at least another month. I want the teacher to tell me she's seen an improvement before I tell her we didn't put my daughter on meds. Natural medicine seems to be a controversial issue with some, so I want to have the proof before I'm shot down. Hopefully we have great success as meds will be our last resort. Good luck and remember to be patient, it'll take time but will be worth it!
I will check on the Energique Homeopathic drops, sounds like it may be making a difference with your daughter. I went to the bookstore today to try to find a good book with ideas on how to change his diet but couldnt find any good ones. Im not the best cook, so I need to find something that I can understand, were it breaks it down for me. I don't really know were to start. Guess I will keep looking....
I wish that I had considered alternate schools when my son was as young as yours. Like Montessori, for instance.
Attending very competitive, highly rated public schools has been soul-destroying for my 13 year old. The damage to his self-esteem has been immense. I regret not getting him out of it at a younger age (and am torn what to do at this stage).
This wasn't really your question, but is something that I'd like for you to consider. Just my $.02...
Thanks for the $.02 !!!! I had never thought of Montessori Schools. Your right about the public schools. My son (who is only 5) is getting very discouraged and hard on himself. He gets upset when he can't finish his work and feels like just giving up. He is missing out on a lot of social time in school because he has to finish is paperwork while the other kids get to go to circle time and read or whatever. He is off track now, but when he goes back I am meeting with the school psychiatrist & his teacher to come up with ways to help him instead of him always getting left behind... hope it works!
Thanks for the adivce. I would like to here if the BeCalm works, I have heard of it before but haven't tried it. There are so many different things out there Im not sure which ones to try! Good luck to you and make sure to reply about the BeCalm!!!!
I started my daughter on Becalm'd in mid Nov, didn't notice much of a change on the beginning, but when she went back to school after Xmas break, the teacher called me after the first week and said she noticed an improvement, and now I am noticing it as well. It seems to have taken about 5-6 weeks to "kick in" but it was worth the wait. Try it but give it up to 2 mos, before you might see a change.
Good Luck - hope this helps.
BTW - never mentioned to the teacher what I was giving her - just said we were doing modifications to her diet. It is really none of their business anyway
Last edited by szarkam; 01-21-2004 at 04:29 PM.
Reason: added additional comments
I started my daughter on Becalm'd in mid Nov, didn't notice much of a change on the beginning, but when she went back to school after Xmas break, the teacher called me after the first week and said she noticed an improvement, and now I am noticing it as well. It seems to have taken about 5-6 weeks to "kick in" but it was worth the wait. Try it but give it up to 2 mos, before you might see a change.
Good Luck - hope this helps.
BTW - never mentioned to the teacher what I was giving her - just said we were doing modifications to her diet. It is really none of their business anyway
I'm very happy that the beCalmd is helpful for your daughter. Did you ever add any other supplements?
I do miss my beCalmd, I might end up getting rid of basic cable so I can buy my beCalmd.
__________________
"It's a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word!" --Andrew Jackson
I will check on the Energique Homeopathic drops, sounds like it may be making a difference with your daughter. I went to the bookstore today to try to find a good book with ideas on how to change his diet but couldnt find any good ones. Im not the best cook, so I need to find something that I can understand, were it breaks it down for me. I don't really know were to start. Guess I will keep looking....
I just got the book "ADD Nutrition Solution- A Drug-Free 30 Day Plan" by Marcia Zimmerman, a certified nutritionist specializing in AD/HD.You may want to check this out, it sounds to me the kind of book you are looking for. It has lots of info on foods and ingredients that should be avoided and what can be substituted, Meal plans, recipes, supplements that are recommended. I just started reading it, but it seems pretty step-by-step, which for me is the easiest to follow. Hope this helps!!
I'm very happy that the beCalmd is helpful for your daughter. Did you ever add any other supplements?
I do miss my beCalmd, I might end up getting rid of basic cable so I can buy my beCalmd.
I also have her taking a liquid calcium/magnesium supplement - she takes a tablespoon everyday for 3 mos, and then 5 times a week for another 3 mos. a and then we are supposed to stop.
I also cut way back on sugar snacks and things that contain red dye.
I was the Becalm'd wasn't so expensive, but I will give up something else in order to afford it if it helps
Talk to some one from a health food store. I had lots of luck with them. I also bought a book from there called the ADD & ADHD Diet. The book was great!! My son turned out to be wheat intolerant. He ate nothing with wheat in it for about 3 weeks. Then I let him have pizza and a few hours later, he was a nut!!! He could not walk straight and he was talking out of the side of his mouth. This nuttiness lasted about 8 hrs. He is doing well now thanks to diet and a Chiropractor doing Bioset treatments. Good luck!! Amie
Talk to some one from a health food store. I had lots of luck with them. I also bought a book from there called the ADD & ADHD Diet. The book was great!! My son turned out to be wheat intolerant. He ate nothing with wheat in it for about 3 weeks. Then I let him have pizza and a few hours later, he was a nut!!! He could not walk straight and he was talking out of the side of his mouth. This nuttiness lasted about 8 hrs. He is doing well now thanks to diet and a Chiropractor doing Bioset treatments. Good luck!! Amie
I just got a book at the health food store called 12 Effective Ways to Help your ADD/ADHD Child, it has been really helpful so far. I have completely cut out all the sugar & artificial colors & flavors from his diet. I went to the health food store & talked to someone that works there, she helped me pick out lots of different stuff for him to try. I decided to cut out wheat, milk, & almost everything else that may effect him. It is Very hard, esp. since I have 2 other boys at home that eat whatever they want!! It is a lot more expensive but I figure if there is a chance its going to help, then its worth it. His doctor suggested I try it for about a month to see if I notice any major differences, then at that point try introducing wheat back in to see if there is a difference, & so on. I was too impatient to try 1 food at a time, so I just cut them all out!!!
I also got a shake mix there for him to drink every morning, its supposed to help with his concentration, etc. It's been almost a week since he has started his diet, I haven't noticed any major changes, but he goes back to school on Monday (he has been off track since Christmas break) so hopefully I will notice changes then. Is your son on a strict diet? Any ideas for lunch?? My son (he is 5 yrs old) always bought his lunch in the past, so this is going to be challenging to make his lunch. Rice bread is expensive!!! Kim
Stick with cutting out the sugar and art. colors etc.
I did it for my daughter and it has helped - tonight is a prime example - we were at a friends house and all the kids were having bronies AND soda - well she can A brownie, but she had 2 brownies and 3 cups of soda ( other mom let the kids have all that) and she turned inot WILD CHILD!! It took the 1/2 ride home and 1/2 fight to get herinto pajamas once we got home and another 40-45 minutes to get her unwind enough for bed. BACK TO ROUTINE tomorrow.
Kim, I am so glad to hear you got a diet book and some good info!! We did the diet over this past summer, so my son ate alot of hamburgers w no bun. As for lunch at school, I don't know what to tell you (soup, veg & dip?). Does the book you have talk about bioset treatments? This has helped my son soooo much!!! And the ADD ADHD Diet book is how I first heard about bioset. Stick with your plan!! You can do it! Amie
Kim, I am so glad to hear you got a diet book and some good info!! We did the diet over this past summer, so my son ate alot of hamburgers w no bun. As for lunch at school, I don't know what to tell you (soup, veg & dip?). Does the book you have talk about bioset treatments? This has helped my son soooo much!!! And the ADD ADHD Diet book is how I first heard about bioset. Stick with your plan!! You can do it! Amie
Amie, Thanks for replying. It has been almost 3 weeks now since we started the diet and I haven't noticed ANY changes, at all!! As a matter of fact, he almost seems more hyper and implusive then before. Im a little discouraged now!! Im still going to stick to the diet, mainly the no sugar, additives, persv., etc. but im not sure what to do now! We took him to a testing center that recommended Biofeed back, is that the same as Bioset? The biofeed back was expensive, about $175 for 1 session and he needs about 45 or 50 sessions. Im trying to check to see if his insurance will cover any part of it if his doctor recommends it. Im so lost now!! I really don't want to turn to meds for him but he is having such a hard time concentrating at school that I have been waying the options lately. Im almost positive that his teacher is going to hold him back this year, which is fine, but what if he has the same problems next year, I want to find something that will help, he is starting to get discouraged with school himself. Right now he has a shake in the morning called Learning Factors which is a daily nutrient boost, supposed to help him with learning & behavioral support. He also takes a tsp. of DHA rich oil blend, that has Omega-3 & Omega-6 fatty acid that is supposed to help. He has only been on that for a couple days. ANYWAYS..... guess I will have to just keep trying different things until I find one that works! Once again, thanks for listening!!! Kim
3boys4mom -
I havent read all the posts here so you may have already talked about this but what about adding supplements?
For me there are things that make me more hyper (red dye) but avoiding this does not really help reduce my average everyday symptoms. I take supplements along with eating right, exercise and meditation. The supplements make a huge difference for me. Omega3 is the easiest to get and seems to be helpful for most everyone. There are others also that are helpful for ADD/ADHD symptoms. I personally liked beCalmd the best. Now though, I'm taking GABA which I like about as much as the beCalmd. However the dosage is pretty high so I wouldnt recomend a child taking GABA at my dose unless you are in contact with a nutritionist or a pharmacist. (my pharmacist is sooooooo helpful when it comes to supplements ) Good luck, please dont give into meds until you have tried everything else, if you havent tried supplements give them a shot. You have to be very patiant with supplements, they can take 2months (sometimes more) to see benefits, and the first supplement you try might not be the right one. So trials on supplements end up taking a while, trying 4 diff supplements of 4 diff combinations would end up taking quite a few months. But if you find the ones that work for your son it will totally be worth it!! Biofeedback works great for some, I truely hope that you insurance will pay at least part of it.
Good Luck!!
__________________
"It's a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word!" --Andrew Jackson
--Andrew Jackson
