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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Our Challenging Children (gifted, ADHD, sensitive, defiant)
Please help me with my ADD son
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 1:33 pm
I know that there are many threads already on this site about ADD but I am asking specifically if anyone has tried anything that has actually helped their child with focusing in school and in general. I have a 12 year old boy who is not hyper or aggressive, so he doesn't have the H part, but I am at a loss of how to help him right now. His teachers and principals are concerned the whole family can tell that he has so much trouble focusing concentrating and comprehending things because of it. I have tried alternative treatments such as neurofeedback, homeopathy, subtle diet changes since he wasn't willing to go completely off of sugar we did try to limit it and up his protein, we also added Omega threes and other vitamins. We have tried 3 different medications, even though I don't like medication, but the negative side effect of turning him into a zombie was too strong that it didn't justify the benefits. I really want to help this child succeed, to feel good about himself, to understand, and I just feel so lost. Please share any positive experiences, methods, treatments, even things their teachers or the school may have done to help in school. TIA
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busymother




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 1:55 pm
I also have a daughter with similar issues. I brought her to my chiropractor who found she has a lot of food and environmental sensitivities. We are currently desensitizing her... I have a few friends who did this together with ent therapy and were very successful. Hoping it's going to work by us too!
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 2:02 pm
Have you tried CBT therapy?
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amother
Sapphire


 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 3:28 pm
Did you try OT? That can help with organization, time management. Maybe not as much with focusing?
Did you try Focalin? That's supposed to be good for kids who have more of an issue with focuses vs. hyper impulsive. DD is taking Focalin, and I would also like for her to go to OT.
DH had a very bad experience with Ritalin, but he's doing fine with Concerta.
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amother
Sapphire


 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 3:37 pm
Have you checked out other reasons for his lack of attention other than ADD? Has he had eye exams, hearing tests, been checked for other learning disabilities like a speech language delay, auditory processing disorder? Maybe there's something else going on instead of or in addition to the ADD?
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 3:38 pm
What is cbt? And has it worked for for you?
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 3:40 pm
Where would one get tested for speech language delay or auditory processing disorder?
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 3:44 pm
busymother wrote:
I also have a daughter with similar issues. I brought her to my chiropractor who found she has a lot of food and environmental sensitivities. We are currently desensitizing her... I have a few friends who did this together with ent therapy and were very successful. Hoping it's going to work by us too!

I have done some NAET but it was getting too expensive and time consuming and a 2nd opinion alternative dr. said he didn't need it. What is ent therapy? and what does desensitizing mean exactly?
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amother
Sapphire


 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 3:47 pm
A speech therapist or speech language pathologist would diagnose a speech language delay.
A hearing test would diagnose any hearing loss or pick up any indications of auditory processing disorder.
In Israel, you can get evaluated by a speech therapist or get a hearing test through your kupat cholim. If you're in Israel in the Jerusalem area with Meuhedet, I could give you more details. In America or elsewhere, I don't know. I guess check with your insurance company, pediatrician about where to go, how to go about it.
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greenfire




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 3:49 pm
find a smaller school with more one on one attention
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 4:01 pm
greenfire wrote:
find a smaller school with more one on one attention

it's a very small school , the only one in our oot city. They care and want to help but I /they don't seem to know how anymore. Last year he was taken out of class to learn in small groups, but though no one complained about his behavior, he still really didn't learn anything - not the best tutor. I'm tempted to home school him for some classes but I'm afraid I'll lose patience with him and it would just be a frustrating experience. the principal wants to meet with me to discuss options and I want to have good solutions to offer.
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amother
Sapphire


 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 4:10 pm
Have you ever gotten an official ADD diagnosis or done any ADD testing like the TOVA test or MOXO, or was it just assumed he had ADD?
ADD is often misdiagnosed, when the issue is really other conditions that mimic symptoms of ADD.
Other Conditions misdiagnosed as ADD
Do searches on Google to find out about different possibilities.
If ADD treatments are not working, I would think that's a sign to look for other reasons to explain why he's not focused so that he can get the appropriate help he needs.
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greenfire




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 4:11 pm
get the board of education involved and create an IEP - the special ed department will know what to put in place if your school is willing to follow & cooperate

if not he might need a special needs school that is better equipped
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amother
Mauve


 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 4:45 pm
OP, most of the alternative treatments you mention have not been proven to do anything. I can believe they worked for some people - maybe they did. But they didn't work for your son.

I also tried things like Omega 3 and dietary changes for my ADHD daughter.

But medications are proven to work - although it sometimes takes some experimenting to find the right one, it is worth the search. My dd could study, improved her social skills, got better scores, stopped being thrown out of the classroom for disturbing once we got over our prejudices against Concerta. It simply changed her life for the better.

I wonder who prescribed the medications. Please go to a pediatric neurologist who will work with you to find the right medication and dosage.
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busymother




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Sep 04 2016, 10:23 pm
amother wrote:
I have done some NAET but it was getting too expensive and time consuming and a 2nd opinion alternative dr. said he didn't need it. What is ent therapy? and what does desensitizing mean exactly?


Sorry, it was NET-neuro emotional technique. I agree it can get quite costly. Desensitizing is when they make her not have bad reactions to the things she had sensitivities to. It is also a costly therapy. I am just at my wits end with meds so trying this alternative technique.
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Mon, Sep 05 2016, 12:50 am
busymother wrote:
Sorry, it was NET-neuro emotional technique. I agree it can get quite costly. Desensitizing is when they make her not have bad reactions to the things she had sensitivities to. It is also a costly therapy. I am just at my wits end with meds so trying this alternative technique.


Is this NET working? Do you see any improvements?

Also, our pediatrician is the one prescribing the meds after my ds has been diagnosed by a psychologist through testing. The medicine does make a difference but it takes away his personality completely, he is more spaced out cuz he seems like he's not even in there and appears depressed when on it even though he days he's fine. He's like flat. We tried 3 different kinds and keep lowering the dose but I keep stopping because I can't stand to see him like that and then I get burned out from the appointments and teacher forms that I just ignore it for or a while. Those who had success on concerta, was that after trying other kinds too?
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chani8




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 05 2016, 4:22 am
I think you need to figure out and understand how your child learns, in general. Evaluations are good. Doing everything from OT, Speech, to pediatric psychiatry evaluations. Go through your insurance. No need to drain your bank account for these things. You are trying to get a picture of your child's learning disability. Is it only attention and focus, or are there language issues? Is he very visual, but not very verbal? How did he do learning to read?

Once you as mom understands how he learns, then you can make decisions like perhaps finding a school that is better suited, or homeschooling him if he is miserable. If he's not unhappy in school, though, then I'd tell everyone to back off and let him be his imperfect self. Does he disturb everyone? Perhaps he shouldn't have to sit in class. My son was allowed to wander the halls. I let him come home after Torah studies. My son learned great on the computer, listening to songs and writing them out, and doing other games from BigFish that are good for the brain.
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amother
Sapphire


 

Post Mon, Sep 05 2016, 5:16 am
DH switched to Concerta after years on Ritalin with a lot of side effects that, BH he's not having with Concerta. But he has friends who had the same negative side effects with Concerta that he had with Ritalin. Everyone's different.
DS Ritalin LA no observable negative side effects.
DD Focalin XR no observable negative side effects.
When DD started taking meds, her teacher was really concerned bcse her ADD symptoms are more subtle, her teacher really didn't think I should be medicating her. She said that kids who take these meds who are not really AD(H)D become depressed, or as OP described, like zombies. That's why I'm thinking it's worthwhile for OP to have her son evaluated beyond ADD diagnosis.

Take auditory processing disorder for example, very often misdiagnosed as ADD, but it requires a completely different treatment plan.

Kids with fluid in their ears can't hear well and therefore don't pay attention in class.

OP, when he was on meds, did you see that his focus and comprehension was improved? If so, then just keep trying different meds until you get the right one. If the meds didn't help so much, get evaluations.

Here's some information on ADD vs APD
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amother
Silver


 

Post Mon, Sep 05 2016, 5:44 am
it might not be the right medication

dd is ADD (not adhd)
she was on ritalin for a while and we were not sure it was helping and it was making her too quiet - almost seeming depressed

we finally switched to focalin and she came back a few days later saying she can finally start to understand what the teacher is saying.

I also highly recommend coaching - it can make a big difference
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amother
Indigo


 

Post Mon, Sep 05 2016, 6:03 am
I am dealing with the same exact thing with my 11.5 yr old daughter right now. I called an ADD specialist who I've been in touch with in the past (Avigail Gimpel, for those who know her) and she said that it sounds like my daughter definitely has a processing issue which has to be handled, which adds a whole new dimension other than to just give meds. You should def look into that.
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