ADHD / ADD Support Group
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) are more common than you might think. It is a syndrome that exhibits symptoms such as hyperactivity, forgetfulness, mood shifts, poor impulse control, and distractibility. Join others who suffer from these conditions and share your experiences.
A little background; I am staying with my aunt who has custody of my second cousin, her grandson, who is 11. He was diagnosed last year with ADHD. The uncle is unemployed, and one mean &*^ *$ $!&#%. We have been having a lot of trouble with the uncle this week. This past weekend the boy was bugging me to buy him a dress shirt. So I took him and his brother shopping last Saturday and he was sooooooo HAPPY! Sunday he wore his new shirt and tie and pants to church. I really have seen a lot of maturing since I moved in and have been the man in his life. (I moved in two months ago)
I know he has been having a hard time dealing with his grandpa, my uncle, these past couple of days. Some mornings I leave for work before the kid even wakes up. Yesterday he dressed himself, but instead of being smart he wore shorts and froze his butt off all day. When we got home he was complaining of being cold, I told him to go get some sweats on while I ran an errand. When I came back he was still in his school clothes. He complained again during dinner so I took him to his closet and helped dress him. I have also noticed this week he wants affection. Last night I sneaked him out to go get a movie and I talked his grandmother into letting him stay up till 9:30, his bed time is 9. He really enjoyed having some alone time with me.
We have always known when uncle is in a whacked mood the kid goes a little nuts. But now I am seeing what is exactly going on-the kid is reverting to infancy amidst the stress. Could this be a defense mechanism? The only thing I know to do is ride it out with the uncle, do as much as I can with the kid away from the stress and pay attention to him. Does anyone have any comments?
I know he has been having a hard time dealing with his grandpa, my uncle, these past couple of days. Some mornings I leave for work before the kid even wakes up. Yesterday he dressed himself, but instead of being smart he wore shorts and froze his butt off all day. When we got home he was complaining of being cold, I told him to go get some sweats on while I ran an errand. When I came back he was still in his school clothes. He complained again during dinner so I took him to his closet and helped dress him. I have also noticed this week he wants affection. Last night I sneaked him out to go get a movie and I talked his grandmother into letting him stay up till 9:30, his bed time is 9. He really enjoyed having some alone time with me.
We have always known when uncle is in a whacked mood the kid goes a little nuts. But now I am seeing what is exactly going on-the kid is reverting to infancy amidst the stress. Could this be a defense mechanism? The only thing I know to do is ride it out with the uncle, do as much as I can with the kid away from the stress and pay attention to him. Does anyone have any comments?
its good that you care enough about this boy to post inquiries like this. if you can, you ought to be as helpful to him as possible- don't let him do goofy things!!! i used to work at a fitness center for children, and found that firmness was good for ADHD children. when they see the outcomes are beneficial, they will trust you more and your relationship can be very good. it sounds like you spend a lot of good time together. that is very sweet. but if all you do is treat him and aren't very firm, he really wont have a reason to trust you or listen to things you say. sounds like you're on the right track, though :)
As for freezing b/c he wore shorts...thats called logical consenquence. Next time he won't wear shorts to school...or if he does ingore him when his bring it up. He will think about it.