ADHD

"D. C. Sessions" wrote in message ...
In , Brandy Kurtz wrote:

Arg! Does anyone have any good websites for ideas to keep my adhd son
busy this summer?!?!?! He's driving us all nuts! He's
soooooooooooooooooooo toughy-feely, and the wierd screaming is driving
me batty. His ped thought it a good idea to keep him off meds for the
summer, I should drop him off at her house in the morning... Wht the
hell do I do with him, and try to keep my sanity???

Run his little feet off.

It won't help the ADHD (much) but it will be good for
him anyway and keep him out of trouble. All the outside
scheduled programs you can arrange, because they give
him variety and you a break.

Offhand, TV is the *worst* thing I can imagine.

D. C. "ADHD twins away at college this summer" Sessions


Oh yes, I agree that tv is the worst thing for him! I do need a break,
terribly need a break! He does have lots of outside activities, but
they don't really help much, plus he is young so i need to stay to
supervise anyways. So no break!

Brandy

(Elana Kehoe) wrote in message .. .
Brandy Kurtz wrote:

Arg! Does anyone have any good websites for ideas to keep my adhd son
busy this summer?!?!?! He's driving us all nuts! He's
soooooooooooooooooooo toughy-feely, and the wierd screaming is driving
me batty. His ped thought it a good idea to keep him off meds for the
summer, I should drop him off at her house in the morning... Wht the
hell do I do with him, and try to keep my sanity???

If he's off his meds, have you tried a diet change? I've heard good
things about the Feingold diet, and that it makes a difference. Here's
one article about it

http://www.mothering.com/14-0-0/html...-adhd101.shtml

E

I don't have time to read it all now, but I will definatly look at
that tonight! Thanks! I asked his doc about diet changes, and she just
gave me a wierd look?

Brandy

"Brandy Kurtz" wrote in message
om...
(Elana Kehoe) wrote in message
.. .
Brandy Kurtz wrote:

Arg! Does anyone have any good websites for ideas to keep my adhd son
busy this summer?!?!?! He's driving us all nuts! He's
soooooooooooooooooooo toughy-feely, and the wierd screaming is driving
me batty. His ped thought it a good idea to keep him off meds for the
summer, I should drop him off at her house in the morning... Wht the
hell do I do with him, and try to keep my sanity???

If he's off his meds, have you tried a diet change? I've heard good
things about the Feingold diet, and that it makes a difference. Here's
one article about it

http://www.mothering.com/14-0-0/html...-adhd101.shtml

E

I don't have time to read it all now, but I will definatly look at
that tonight! Thanks! I asked his doc about diet changes, and she just
gave me a wierd look?

Considering that medicine is evidence-based, and there is very little
evidence that diet affects ADHD, and very good evidence that Ritalin and
other meds do help, what would you expect her to do? There were studies done
to examine whether sugar affects kids whose parents said sugar affects the
kids. Guess what? It didn't, at least not when the kids did not know whether
or not they were eating sugar. I think the vast majority of the stuff saying
diet affects ADHD is garbage.

All the best,

Jeff


Brandy

Jeff Utz wrote:

I think the vast majority of the stuff saying
diet affects ADHD is garbage.

Hey, if it works for just one family, then it's good enough for me.

E

"D. C. Sessions" wrote in message
...
In , Brandy Kurtz wrote:

We are drained of ideas. It's really hard to find activities for him,
that it is acceptable to be on the go. We did try martial arts, and it
was a disaster. This wrestling season we are going to give that a go,
and see how it works. I would like to find activities that involve
alot of use with his hands. That seems to keep him the calmest.

I don't know where you are, but outdoors (as in, woods a long way
from the city) stuff seemed to really help mine when we could do
it. At 7+yo he should be able to carry a medium pack and in the
summer hike quite a ways in a day.

Another possibility is juggling. It's the kind of thing that, if
you can get him interested, will draw hyperfocus tremendously and
also do wonders for eye/hand.

Swimming might also work. Depending on where you are, climbing.

At 7+yo he should be able to take some crafts, too. Leather
can get expensive, but (don't laugh) knitting is possible.
He might also get into making chainmail, which has the advantage
or requiring a fair bit of strength.

MUSIC!!!!!

Then again, a second opinion about the med holiday might also be
a good idea. Mine were in summer school as much as possible to
minimize regression, both academically and socially.

Agreed. Given recent studies that adult height is, at most, affected by
approximately 1/4" between being on meds and being off meds (and this is the
most common excuse given for 'med vacations'), is it really worth the
disruption of what the child has gained?

IMHO, 'med vacations' are an outdated and passe notion. I'd get a second
opinion pronto.

We have never done 'med vacations'. My 17 year old ADHDer is 5'11" --- his
growth is not 'stunted' in any way, shape or form.

Leah
______
In Memory of David, 11/10/61 - 5/21/03
Beloved Husband, Father, Heart's Companion


--
| Microsoft: "A reputation for releasing inferior software will make |
| it more difficult for a software vendor to induce customers to pay |
| for new products or new versions of existing products." |
end

"Elana Kehoe" wrote in message
...
Brandy Kurtz wrote:

Arg! Does anyone have any good websites for ideas to keep my adhd son
busy this summer?!?!?! He's driving us all nuts! He's
soooooooooooooooooooo toughy-feely, and the wierd screaming is driving
me batty. His ped thought it a good idea to keep him off meds for the
summer, I should drop him off at her house in the morning... Wht the
hell do I do with him, and try to keep my sanity???

If he's off his meds, have you tried a diet change? I've heard good
things about the Feingold diet, and that it makes a difference. Here's
one article about it

http://www.mothering.com/14-0-0/html...-adhd101.shtml


The Feingold Diet was debunked as having no effect on ADHD symptoms *over 20
years ago*.

Leah
______
In Memory of David, 11/10/61 - 5/21/03
Beloved Husband, Father, Heart's Companion

E

"Brandy Kurtz" wrote in message
om...
"D. C. Sessions" wrote in message
...
In , Brandy Kurtz
wrote:

Arg! Does anyone have any good websites for ideas to keep my adhd son
busy this summer?!?!?! He's driving us all nuts! He's
soooooooooooooooooooo toughy-feely, and the wierd screaming is driving
me batty. His ped thought it a good idea to keep him off meds for the
summer, I should drop him off at her house in the morning... Wht the
hell do I do with him, and try to keep my sanity???

Run his little feet off.

It won't help the ADHD (much) but it will be good for
him anyway and keep him out of trouble. All the outside
scheduled programs you can arrange, because they give
him variety and you a break.

Offhand, TV is the *worst* thing I can imagine.

D. C. "ADHD twins away at college this summer" Sessions


Oh yes, I agree that tv is the worst thing for him! I do need a break,
terribly need a break! He does have lots of outside activities, but
they don't really help much, plus he is young so i need to stay to
supervise anyways. So no break!

Brandy

Besides getting a second opinion on the 'med vacation' (which I strongly
recommend), do you have the option of perhaps hiring a responsible high
school student to hang out with him a few afternoons a week for a few hours
each day? Get some responsible, energetic kid who won't mind running around
with Eddie...take him to the park...or to the pool...go bike riding...things
like that -- essentially, someone to be a 'hired, older sibling'.

You'd have some break time that you need -- from experience, I *know* you
need it! g (FWIW, my way of taking 'break time' was to leave the boys
home with David for about an hour, even if it meant driving to the
convenience store or local diner, getting a magazine and coffee and just
sitting and reading -- just that hour away, once a week, did a lot to
recharge my batteries and restore some of my sanity).

Leah
______
In Memory of David, 11/10/61 - 5/21/03
Beloved Husband, Father, Heart's Companion

"Elana Kehoe" wrote in message
...
Jeff Utz wrote:

I think the vast majority of the stuff saying
diet affects ADHD is garbage.

Hey, if it works for just one family, then it's good enough for me.

Do you actually have an ADHDer in your family? Have you done any recent
research?

By your logic, if arsenic relieves my headaches, although it's a known
killer, I should encourage others to use it for *their* headaches because
hey, if it works for just one person (i.e., me), it's good enough for
others.

Don't get me wrong...in the year before my son was considered old enough for
a medication trial, our pediatrician suggested trying the Feingold Diet --
and at the time (14 years ago), he said that research didn't bear it
working, but it might give us a clue into if there were any triggers that
made his ADHD worse...and if nothing else, it would make us feel like we
were doing something proactive.

We did discover that certain additives did seem to worsen his symptoms, so
we kept them out of his diet as much as possible until he was well into
puberty (when the sensitivities faded)...but in no way did removing them
*eliminate* his symtoms.

What works best for alleviating ADHD symptoms (and this is borne out by
recent extensive studies done by the NIH) is a *combination* of medication
*and* behavior modification techniques, both in and out of school.

Leah
______
In Memory of David, 11/10/61 - 5/21/03
Beloved Husband, Father, Heart's Companion


E

In article ,
"Sue" wrote:

Brandy Kurtz wrote in message
I would like to find activities that involve
alot of use with his hands. That seems to keep him the calmest.

Brandy

My friend who has two children with ADHD and also works extensively with
these kids, says that there is a type of "squeeze ball" that is designed to
work off the energy in their hands. She sometimes lets the kids who have the
hardest time sitting still in class have these balls and she says it does
work. I could ask the specific name for you if your interested. The other
thought I had came from a Harry and Mudge book. The boy and his dog went
through obedience school and on the last day, the dogs were going to
"perform" their new tricks. The boy was nervous for his dog, so he liked to
get those paddles with the ball on the other end with a rubber band to work
off his energy. I know it sounds silly, but would that interest him? Good
luck.
--
Sue
mom to three girls



According the doctor I spoke to about my oldest child's (late diagnosed)
ADHD, the problem isn't excess energy, exactly. Rather, he said that a
portion of the brain is too INactive in ADHD people, and that being more
physically active helps "activate" that portion of the brain, which
helps the ADHD person concentrate better. The physical activity is
keeping them alert and attentive.

This seems consistent with my other (inexpert) reading on the subject.
According to this doctor, asking the ADHD person to SIT STILL and
concentrate is actually counter productive: rather, giving them
something to do physically helps them concentrate. (And if this doctor
is right, then it might explain the apparently counter-intuitive use of
stimulents to help the ADHD person settle down and concentrate: they
really DO need some portion of their brain MORE active.)

I know this seems true for me -- especially if I'm tired, or in a boring
meeting, I'm better able to pay attention to what is going on around me
if I doodle or if I knit. My oldest was taught a long time ago to take
"picture" notes, and it seems to help her concentrate.

Unfortunately, constant physical activity (drumming fingers, bouncing in
the seat, shifting around, whatever) seems to drive some OTHER people
nuts; even my adult version -- bringing knitting to meetings -- has
some folks convinced that I'm not taking the meeting seriously, instead
of understanding that it is a way to keep myself attentive.

meh
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

Brandy Kurtz wrote in message
I would like to find activities that involve
alot of use with his hands. That seems to keep him the calmest.

Brandy

My friend who has two children with ADHD and also works extensively with
these kids, says that there is a type of "squeeze ball" that is designed to
work off the energy in their hands. She sometimes lets the kids who have the
hardest time sitting still in class have these balls and she says it does
work. I could ask the specific name for you if your interested. The other
thought I had came from a Harry and Mudge book. The boy and his dog went
through obedience school and on the last day, the dogs were going to
"perform" their new tricks. The boy was nervous for his dog, so he liked to
get those paddles with the ball on the other end with a rubber band to work
off his energy. I know it sounds silly, but would that interest him? Good
luck.
--
Sue
mom to three girls