Need advice from mother's experienced with ADHD

amother

Orchid

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 6:21 am

My son, five years old, is currently being evaluated for ADHD. But I don't need an evaluation to tell me what I already know - that he will not stop being wild and provoking physical fights with his siblings whenever he is home. Unless there's a DVD on, he is constantly running, crashing, yelling, lost in an imaginary world pretending he's a soldier at war with one of his brothers or sisters, and it is very uncomfortable for all of us. Shabbos meals are quite impossible.

Here it my question:. He has been receiving behavioral therapy for close to a year, and I don't really see a difference in his ability to calm down and play without being wild, or better impulse control. Have any of you had success with behavioral therapy for ADHD kids? And do you have any practical tips or systems to help me manage his behavior? Thank you.

amother

Periwinkle

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 6:52 am

In ur shoes with a girl. AdHD plus high functioning autism spectrum.
It's very challenging I won't sugarcoat it. Expect lots of falls. Scrapes. Boo-boos. My dd thinks the couch is a gymnastics mat and the walls are bouncy houses. This causes her sister to join along in the FUN and it gets pretty crazy here. She has a hard time reading people's faces and struggles emotionally(she has a hard time calming down or regulating Her emotions) plus lacks social skills which is a VERY BIG challenge-she gets behavioral many times and I struggle to Teach her chinuch while at the same time adapting myself to her needs(she needs extra sensitiveity and love). She struggles with organizational skills-so I help her go thru her briefcase to keep it neat. She gets seit therapist plus play therapy which has helped TREMENDOUSLY!

In school they just gave me a glowing pta bh for the first time (other times I was told about issues such as "she doesn't focus" etc) the principal praised me for being a devoted mom but I also have to give a big Thanx to her therapists who put alot into her. Bh she's doing much much better with time/the right help/ love

From my end-It helps when I sensory massage Her. She LOVES music and we have a speaker with music on ALL THE TIME. I believe she shud get out all her "extra" energy at home so outside she doesn't need to.
If I need to get her attention or to stop I make EYE CONTACT and then tell her -not now. That helps a lot!!
I must add that at home she's lebedik active to the point of CRAZY WILD many times. It's very difficult to put up with! Yet at school she's much calmer. Probably cuz of the schedule there I'm not sure. If she wud act like this at school too we wud need to medicate or find a special place for her. I was looking into zahlers ads for adHD I think it's "kidsactive". Anyone has experience with it?

Edited-regarding behavioral therapy,it helped alot! At the time it seems very difficult believe me I'm still suffering from the stress she caused me. I was so overwhelmed at times with not much support. But I love her! And hug/kiss Her Alot which really helps (she is sensory so no-one else gets to touch her) she used to not let me. But I told her too bad I'm ur mom and I luv u. She THRIVES on it (I usually tell her b4 and if she doesn't want I'll just caress her cheek ) but remember one thing-everytging u put in-the sweat, tears, hard work-it Goes somewhere! You'll see Iyh later on the results.
Also I must ad-for boys it might be different. I have had plenty of embarrassing situations by family or outside on street. But. ......boys r obligated to sit in cheder for long period of time which will be much harder for him
How old is he?

amother

Firebrick

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 7:02 am

I didn’t see a diff from behavioral therapy either.
Still looking for a solution.

Hang in there.

Edited to add- I did find however, that it’s training for DH and I that makes a difference.
It’s the way we handle our child that does it.

imasinger

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 7:26 am

I would like to know what is happening in the behavioral therapy.

Is this ABA? Have you gone through parent training? Are you aware and in agreement with the goals of the behavior plan? Are you regularly updated with his progress, and having input into it all?

amother

Orchid

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 7:45 am

Thank you all so much for replying! It is so comforting that you cared enough to comment, and I really appreciate it.

My son is five, and his behavior therapy consists of a woman coming to our home and school to observe, occasionally correct his behavior, and give me/teachers advice like setting up reward systems. Honestly, I don't think she is helping very much, because I can motivate him for short times with rewards, but if he isn't into the prize or just a little unsure about what to do with himself in any situation, he's right back to his wild imaginary games. I was hoping for a behavior therapy that could help him learn to self regulate, and not always be so completely dependent on me/external rewards.

Yes, I signed a plan for behavioral goals, but I'm not pleased with how little he has achieved. I plan to terminate with this therapist at the end of the year, and I would like to hear from you about other behavioral therapies, like ABA, etc, if you think they might be effective.

amother

Bisque

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 7:48 am

amother wrote:

I think a Floor time approach would be a lot more effective and meet his needs. It is about joining the child in his play so he co-regulates and learns how to modulate himself. A good floor time therapist will also teach parents these strategies so there is a lot of carryover.

amother

Orchid

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 7:49 am

Please elaborate on parent training you received. Our therapist is supposedly there to train us, but honestly, anything I implement is from my own reading and research.

imasinger

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 7:51 am

Self regulation takes tons of time to learn. But you should be seeing progress, and have some sense that there is improvement.

What training/degree does this woman have?

Why wait another 6 months if you feel you aren't gaining anything?

I highly recommend parent training as one of the most effective ways to help your DS. I've heard good things about Dina Friedman. Look and ask around for courses in your area that specialize in helping those who have challenging children.

amother

Orchid

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 8:00 am

Is floor time the same as ABA? Thank you

amother

Periwinkle

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 9:57 am

amother wrote:

Please elaborate on parent training you received. Our therapist is supposedly there to train us, but honestly, anything I implement is from my own reading and research.

Have you tried play therapy? I'm taking art classes in college and my professor is also an art therapist -she says children can greatly benefit from art therapy or play therapy. Both have different types of techniques

amother

Bisque

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 10:00 am

amother wrote:

Is floor time the same as ABA? Thank you

No, Floortime is a child centered approach where the therapist joins the child in his play and uses his interests to build the child's attention, engagement, focus, social and emotional development.

creditcards

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 2:16 pm

amother wrote:

No, Floortime is a child centered approach where the therapist joins the child in his play and uses his interests to build the child's attention, engagement, focus, social and emotional development.

There are some ABA therapists that combine it with floor time but they are separate things.

amother

Azure

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 4:44 pm

bouncing off the walls behavior can be a sign of yeast overgrowth. Ask your dr for a prescription for a month or 2 of oral nystatin or diflucan, and see if his behavior gets better.

amother

Slategray

Sun, Dec 31 2017, 5:03 pm

I didn’t read all the responses but my husband and daughter have ADHD and they’ve gotten thier diagnosis over 5 years ago. The best way to look at it is that meds take the edge off. I can tell by my husbands or daughters outburst in the morning that they haven’t taken their meds yet . People with ADHD do need therapy but being on meds definitely makes the process of therapy go much smoother , it is more effective than just therapy alone .

amother

Magenta

Mon, Jan 01 2018, 2:11 am

I would also really recommend parent training
for that age - your response is crucial