I don't think diet is the end all for adhd kids but I believe it helps. My child's counselor recommended we try the Feingold diet when I told him I didn't want to medicate. You can Google that to find out more. It has been a help in our case but we need to do more. She has managed to stay mainstream in school but it's a struggle. She has so far passed all her grades and hopefully will get through 7th this year. However, she hasn't done it alone. It seems I have to follow up on her a lot and have consequences for her not completing her work. Good luck!

Dear Mommy614,
I think that the causes, sypmtoms, manifestations of ADD are extremely complicated. I often wonder why do we all of a sudden have ADD now? What was ADD 200 years ago? Or was there ADD 200 years ago? I am quite sure that my dad, now 80, has suffered from ADD throughout his life-classic underachiever, both in school and work, chronic alchohol abuse,irritability,never living up to his potential- just really classic, innattentive type ADD. In fact, he was voted "most absent minded" in his H.S. Senior Yearbook. Me, the same, except that I had the double whammy of having alcoholic parents, and some more insight earlier in life to try and get help and support-but not early enough to really make a difference in terms of acheivment etc. Then come my own two children, both of whom definately have ADD, but my daughter in particular really barely able to function. But soooo smart, and gets good grades just because she is so darn smart-as is my son-but never do homework, never read, etc. etc. I didn't want them to be medicated either, nor did I want them to have the kind of handicap that I feel I had-but, having innattentive ADD myself has made me less able to help them with the external structure and support they need, because I myself am so disorganized, resistant to any kind of routine or order. So, I have had them each on meds at different times, but really with the idea that it is a tool that we can use-or not-in the management of their attentional difficulties. I think home-schooling is and excellent option if you truly enjoy teaching, becasue the truth is that most kids in most classroom situations spend a fair amount of time each day waiting for everybody else to catch up-or, trying to get the individual attention they need if tehy miss things etc, to reinforce and review the lessons-and this can become very frustrating. It's bad enough to pretty consistently miss one third of the materiel, but to have to wait while half the class is trying to get the other 2/3s that you already got-and then missing the chance all together when you could pick up on th stuff you missed-well, you get the picture. I think that you should try things and experiment to see what works and what doesn't, but always conveying to your child that being organized and paying the uniform, conformist type of attention as everybody else is not all it's cracked up to be. Insist they have frequent opportunities to work in such a way that they can get a glimpse of their many strengths. Once of teh biggest mistakes we make, I think, is that we are always reducing them to the lowest common denominator, i.e. "first things first. If he can't get his homeowrk in on time, and forgets to put his name on his messy paper, and never has his math book, then those are the things we're going to focus on" hence, self esteem plummets, because no matter how simple the majority of folks think those things are, our kids willl likely never be particularly well-organized or neat or on time. And continuing to try to force them into that "little, behavioral box" just squashes their natural curousity and passion for learning. It's taken me a regrettably long time to come to the conslusion that just because my kids are different doesn't mean they have to be labeled. Being on time, being organized, being able to do rote repetitive work without much effort aren't the kind of skills that are likely to create the innovative solutions to problems that can change the world, are they?
So, whatever you try,1)only change one thing at a time and wait a good while to see if the new thing (starting meds, stopping meds, adding dietary supplements, removing white sugar, whatever) is actually making a difference, and 2)Never let them forget that their creativity, social and emotional intelligence, spontanaety, whatever, are far more important than whether they get to school late. And that they are so much more than a label.
Then, I think, you can't go wrong. The fact that you are here on this log, trying to sort out the information and seek solutions for your son is evidence already of what a loving and devoted mom you are. Keep up the excellent work.

Dear Mommy614,,
Are you sure that your son has ADD? The reason I ask is that it seems like fairly normal behavior for a first grade boy to want to move around vs. sit reading a book. Lots of kids don't really get to reading until grade 2 or 3, even very bright ones. Especially since you said he does better at home it could be that class is not providing enough opportunities for him to move and burn up energy.

That being said I would read a book called No Mind Left BEhind by Adam Cox which has all the behavioral things and school supports you should do before (or in addition to) medication. It's a wonderful book. It was recommended to me by my son's special education teacher and it changed everything - happy boy, no medication, teacher on board.

Maybe you just have a creative dreamer on your hands! Good luck to you.

Dear mommy614:

I know exactly how you feel. I am now a single mother (which probably also affected him) but since my son was 3 years old, I knew he has ADD. I am a Social Services Case Worker which gives me the opportunity to deal with cases similar to this and I will tell you, I suffered so much seeing my son struggle with his focus and concentration it was depressing me and I was blaming myself for our divorce.

When he hit 1st grade, I noticed his grades were horrible and they were worried as he could be retained. Then I decided to explore the option and get him prescribed in 5 mg of Aderall. I will tell you, I saw a excellent change in less that 2 weeks and I only give him his dose on school days. None during the weekend or holidays. He is way too smart and I know his only problem in concentration.

I am proud to say, that my little man has been in the honor roll for the last 2 years. Plans on becoming a pilot or astronaut and loves school so much he will go even if he was sick.....I still despise the pill, but I would hate to see my child fail at something I know I can help with. I am a firm believer that the foods play a humongous roll in this problem but I have tried changing everything in his diet without any success.

Hopefully he will outgrow this with the years and will be a full blown accurate and certain human being. Meanwhile, I am his support and this has helped him feel what he is.....a extremely smart boy.

My son is 16 now and never been medicated, although they tried to start him on it in 1st grade. Don't teachers understand that these kiddos are still very young. It depends on how the teacher teaches that makes a difference whether you son pays attention.

He may have ADD, but I believe it's wrong to give children drugs at such a young age. Is there another school you can put him in? A school that are experts in educating children with ADD.

I don't know about the home school. You may be able to keep his attention better but it's going to be hard. I remember hours of doing homework with my son and him just not being able to focus.

The reason my son is not medicated now, is that his father, we are divorced and he lives with dad, his father does not believe in any medications. My son is even asking for it now, because he knows high school is his last chance to prove how smart he is. He wants to take the drug, but the age of consent is 18 in his state. If I had my way, he would be medicated now. I believe he is old enough to try a stimulant.

I don't know about diet, but one thing that helped my son is that this semester he enrolled in weight lifting 1st period. He said it really woke him up and helped him focus in school more.

Others may have already given you this info, but the school can put him on an IEP, Individual Education Program, to help with his challenges. You have to keep up on them every year.

My best advice, find a school that fits your child's needs if you can. Good luck friend.

My husband also did not want to medicate our son. We were getting bad reports daily of him wandering off and him hurting other kids. I finally told my DH that either I follow our son around school or we try the meds. What a difference! The child that got kicked out of pre-school was gone. In his place was a child who could focus and learn without resorting to violence due to frustration. He did well until first grade. I feel he did not get the teacher he needed. After almost an entire school year of him being punished instead of tought, we pulled him out and began homeschooling. He had progressed more in 4 months than he did the entire school year. If you think homeschooling is the right choice for you and your family, trust your instincts.
As for diet, we limit his sugar as much as we can. It is hard to do though. Otherwise, we just make sure that he has plenty of healthy choices. Good luck.

MOMMY614

FYI: There are at least 6 different types of ADD that I am aware of and they can overlap, however the foundational ADD type is either ADHD (hyperactive) or ADD (inattentive).

See the difference? In the case of ADHD the frustration a sufferer has with their stimulation deficiency leads to anger that is vocalized, physical or channeled through their body making it difficult for them to sit still (hyperactive). The attitude then is "F the world!"

In the other case, for sufferers of ADD the frustration from lack of stimulation (in the pre-frontal cortex - which IS the underlying biological condition of ADD/ADHD) results in withdrawal, avoidance, procrastination and in some cases depression. The attitude in this case is "F it, if I can't do what I want, then I won't do anything at all.

I advise you to read the latest book on brain science, which is an easy and very informative read by Dr. Daniel Amen entitled "Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD"

http://www.amazon.com/Healing-ADD-Breakthrough-Program-Allows/dp/0425183270/?tag=e360-20

You may be able to find it at your local library, which is where I first found it, if not use the link above to order it from Amazon. This book provided me the impetus to change my life for the positive forever.

ADHD is not the result of a poor diet, but of a chemical imbalance in the brain and possibly a shrunken cerebral cortex in the frontal lobe of the brain (according to a study done in 2004). Though limiting sugar consumption helps, it is definitely not going ot make the problem go away and is usually more of an option for the hyperactive ADHD children.

It sounds like you might be able to get away with not medicating, but instead could go ahead and do summer school. I think homeschooling would be a great option since I never had that option as a child. I always did better when I had one on one time with the teacher in after shcool tutoring. I very rarely learned anything from the classroom. Most adhd children do better with one on one attention as long as you let them take breaks more frequently (like studying for 30 min and taking a 5 to 10 min break) because they get bored very easily. This is how I remembered my childhood to teenage years having ADHD.

Also, when I forget to take my medication, (as I so often do) I was told that coffee has the same effects on ADHD as other stimulate drugs. Coffee helps me concentrate better, though I prefer my medication. You might be able to try this method if you can get your child to drink it void of sugar (though you can try splenda and milk).

I'm not an expert on ADHD but I do a lot of research and I know what works for me. Everyone with ADHD differs in severity and type.

For the record, Splenda contains corn sugar so it's not exactly sugar free.

If you look at the packets they contain dextrose & maltodextrin (both are corn sugars) plus the process of making Splenda involves chlorine that is unstable in the end product which can really muck with your brain.

http://www.thepeopleschemist.com/view_learning.php?learning_id=14

http://jstevens.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/how-sucralose-aka-splenda-is-made-and-why-you-want-to-avoid-it/

Does he do well in all of his other subjects (math) but has difficulty with reading? Maybe he has a reading issue as well or instead and that is why he doesn't want to sit and read. Just a thought.

I would try to find things he is interested in and read short blurbs about it. This will help him find positive experiences with reading. Writing him notes and keeping a journal back and forth will help him with reading and writing at the same time. (he draws pictures and you write to him until he can write to you and then you write back. Read the journal together or have him read to someone else. Sometimes meaningful reading is enough to boost his interest.

I am 30 years old and was finally diagnosed with ADD last year, though I have struggled with it my whole life. I found out recently that my mom suspected I had ADD in school but that my dad didn't want to look into it because he said they would just put me on ritalin and he didn't think that was a good idea.

While I believe my parents--and for the most part all parents--just wanted to do what they believed was best for me, I also wonder what my school experience would have looked like had I had the chance to even just try medication.

The medication I have since taken for ADD had absolutely changed my life. I cannot tell you the positive impact that it has had on me, though I was very wary of drugs in the first place.

I also know lots of people who have not found medicine to be a good treatment for their ADD or that of their kiddos.

One thought I did have, and you may or may not be open to it, but you could always give meds a try even if just for a little while to see if they make a difference--you know, if it comes to that for you and your son. You might love them and wonder why you didn't try them sooner or you might hate them and curse the doctor who prescribed them :-) but at least you'd know. My only thinking is if you aren't finding all the answers to his behavior, you could always take just a couple steps down the "medication" path to see what happens without going full-fledged.

I don\'t think the type of schooling is really the important thing. The real issue is that unless ADD is really effectively treated the person continues to get worse no matter what the environment.

About 70% of treatment is the right agent to fix the prefrontal cortex and that has been traditional done with stimulants. 30% is diet, exercise, and general supplements.

Recently however a natural supplement that really rivals the stimulants has been discovered. You might want to check out ADD-care. Good luck. Jef

Omegas. they help concentration. When I take fish a few times a week, my attention is better than when I don\'t. (I\'m add too)

Medication is not all bad. Especially for young. How can a kid deal with that if many adults can\'t? I stopped meds in high school. Found ways to deal with my mental problems, concentration, etc. but I truly don\'t think a kid have the needed coping skills to deal with his own mind.
A reaserch pointed that people with AD/HD that weren\'t medicated before their teenage years are twice as likely to develop a drug addiction as other "normal" yougsters.
I\'ll spare you all the details, I\'ll just tell you that it has to do with self-medication.

I understand all parents concerns about medicating their kids, but I think that 90 percent are happy about the results of medication.
The 10 percent of unhappy or angry parents fell on stupid doctors who gave a prescription without caring about assuring a close follow-up of the kid.
A med that works great with one could work real bad with someone else, and the dosage is hard to figure out. but once the good med and dose were found, it\'s wonders...

About the diet. I already spoke about fish, now I\'ll speak about the rest. ADD is not the same as ADHD, as someone pointed out. ADHDers are more hyperactive, thus cutting the sugar. I, having ADD, find that some more sugar is needed. When I don\'t have enough, my mind slows down. natural sugars, as found in fruits, is not enough. I take a bit of chocolate or maple spread every day, and that helps.
caffeine affects my body, but not my mind. A parent wrote here that he gave coffe to his (or her) ADD kid every morning, and that the kid was nore attentive through the day.


I hope that you will find what works for you and your kid...
Good luck!