by Jennifer Shakeel
Does Your Toddler have ADHD?
The first thing I want to address here is that no one will test your child when they are a toddler for ADHD. The reasoning… whether I agree with it or not, is that the testing that is done to diagnosis children with ADHD would not be accurate if done on children at that age. This doesn't mean that you, the parent, can't figure it out on your own. The first thing I want you to do if you are worried that your toddler may have ADHD is read another post I did on what ADHD, called Is ADHD Genetic.
Now, you need to know this. There are certain behavioral traits that if you pay attention to your child, you will pick up that will tell you that your child may have ADHD. I say may because there is a chance that what you are seeing is simply part of the growing process for your child. So you really are going to need to know your child, what is normal for them, what is normal in general at their age and what seems… obsessive to you.
From my personal experience, I can look back and tell you the fact that my 3 year old was anal about the way his toys were put away was a sign of ADHD. I would help him clean his room, put the toys in the toy box and his books on shelves… he would then go through all the toys in the toy box, take out each car and truck that he had and line them up against the wall around his room bumper to bumper… by size and type. That is not normal 3 year old behavior, and while it was normal for my son to do that… at 3 it was an early sign of ADHD. READ More on Toddlers: How Do You Know Your Child has ADHD?
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Filed under ADHD by More4kids
By Judy Converse, MPH, RD, LDREAD More on Doc, Can You Give My Special Needs Child Nutritional Help?
Filed under ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, Nutrition by More4kids
by Jennifer Shakeel
It wasn’t until I became a parent of a child with Attention Deficit Disorder that I ever thought about whether or not my son was gifted or not. I knew that he was incredibly intelligent, and I remember in first grade telling his teacher that it wasn’t that he couldn’t focus, but rather that he was board with what was going on in class.
Many people, including teachers and medical professionals do not realize that giftedness is associated with feelings of anger and frustration, underachievement, fidgeting, impulsive behaviors, intensity, high energy, stubbornness, nonconforming, individualistic, sloppiness, poor handwriting, disorganization, absentmindedness, forgetfulness, daydreaming, moodiness and a low interest in details. Now if you are sitting there thinking that this sounds like your child when they are not on their pills, read on.
I want to explain to you what “gifted” means and this is why if you child has not gone through a psychological evaluation by a psychologist you may want to consider having it done now. You may be medicating your child when he or she really doesn’t need the medication.
READ More on ADHD and Giftedness
Finding out that your child has Attention Deficit Disorder is not easy for you or your child. Dealing with it isn’t easy either. The frustration that you feel when dealing with family members, teachers, care givers, doctors and yes even your child can be overwhelming. The success of your child and how well they deal with ADD will depend greatly on you and how well you handle it. The good news is that you don’t have to go at it alone. There are support groups you can join.
I am going to go over a couple of the different support groups that are out there on a national level and on the internet. For some parents being able to chat online is enough, just knowing that they aren’t alone and being able to read other people’s stories will help. That is part of the reason that I write these articles. I want you to know that you aren’t alone, I want you to know that there is another parent out there that is going through or has gone through what you are and see how I handled it. Not that my way is the best way all the time, but it is what has worked for our family. It’s important when you feel stuck, frustrated and overwhelmed that you know there are options… there are ways out.
Here is a list of a few online ADHD support groups that you can join via email.
READ More on Online Support Groups for Parents of Children with Attention Deficit Disorders
Filed under ADHD by More4kids
by Jennifer Shakeel
You know that your child has Attention Deficit Disorder, and dealing with that diagnosis on a daily basis is sometimes hard enough. What you may not realize is that with Attention Deficit Disorder, your child is also at a greater risk of having low self esteem. We all remember what is was like as a kid, kids can be mean and you are constantly wanting to measure up to the kids around you. Your child…my child is not like all of the other kids. They have ADHD and making sure that they have a strong sense of self and a good self image is extremely important.
READ More on Self Esteem And Your Child With ADHD
Filed under ADHD by More4kids
by Jennifer Shakeel
The purpose of this article is to let you know that the fact your child has ADD/ADHD has nothing to do with your parenting skills. ADD/ADHD is not a result of good or bad child rearing skills. I say this because I know you wonder, just as I did, “What did I do wrong that my poor child has to suffer with this?”
Some of you may wonder if ADD/ADHD is genetic. The answer to that question is yes it can be. There are many different reasons a child develops ADD/ADHD, we are going to look at the genetic reasons. You need to know that there are many experts in the field that believe ADHD has a very strong genetic basis. They also believe that genetics plays a big role in most cases of ADHD. It appears to be more common amongst people that have a close family relative that has ADHD.
READ More on Is ADD/ADHD Genetic?
Filed under ADHD by More4kids
by Jennifer Shakeel
Imagine standing in an open field and having thousands of bees and flies surrounding you while loud music and hundreds of lights flashing all around you. What do you feel like now? Overwhelmed, unable to focus, nervous… you may be throwing your arms to swat away the bugs, trying to plug your ears to escape the noise or cover your eyes to get away from the flashing lights. That is what it is like inside your child with ADD/ADHD. While you are trying to escape all of those sensory triggers your child is trying to pay attention to each and every one of them all at the same time.
Understanding what it is like for your child with ADD/ADHD can make all the difference in whether parenting is a frustrating and draining experience or an amazing and exciting experience. I am a parent of a child that has ADD/ADHD and while it has been a long road, it has been a rewarding and exciting one despite the perception of the world around us.
READ More on Understanding your Child with ADHD
Filed under ADHD by More4kids
by Michelle Donaghey
“Would you please look at me? Did you hear what I just told you?”
It seemed every time that I talked to my son, Patrick, he just did not listen. And not the typical child tune-out behavior, but a kind of spaced-out looking and listening type I just did not understand until his teacher told me she thought he had an attention deficit disorder.
Instead of immediately running to a specialist, I waited for a change. He was in first grade when I first learned of ADD. At that time, I immediately thought of the ADD drug, Ritalin, and thought there would be “no way” I would put him on medication. Instead, I tried a natural approach I read about called the”Feingold Diet.” The additive free diet did not allow ANY sort of dyes or preservatives or wheat and is totally natural- try it for a week and you will find it nearly impossible- it didn’t work for Patrick either. In fact according to CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) dozens of studies published in journals over the past 15 years have not found support of this diet. So, I put ADD out of my mind and ignored any sort of problems occurring at school and home. Patrick is now in the third grade and I am finally going to have him evaluated by a professional after dragging my heels thinking he would outgrow this somehow.
READ More on Pay Attention!! My son has AD/HD-Attention Deficit Disorder
