I am at my wit's end and so ready for school to begin. I have a six year old boy whom I'm thinking has ADD or ADHD just by his behavior. I don't want to put him on drugs. Does anyone know what I could do for him as far as his diet or vitamins goes?
There is several books by Dr. Fiengold, I have read two of his books so far, and it explains what certain foods do, and how the react with certain people. I haven't tried it yet, but I need to my 3 year old son sound's exactly like your 6 year old, and the stress is awful.
I wish you luck
Kim
My seven year old has ADHA, I talked with her doctors and they all told me they wanted to put her on drugs. I am not a person or mother that thinks a pill should solve everything. After doing a lot of research and talking to a few more doctors I have figured out what works with my child. At 4 years of age we started her on a low carb., 0 trans fat, highly organic diet. As a result she has calmed down greatly, she has more focus, and is doing amazingly in school. She has became accustom to her diet and will help me do the shopping, she reads labels and if there are more than 3-4 carbs per.
While good nutrition is good for any child, even more so for an ADHD child. But please remember that if a child is truly ADHD there is a biochemical reaction in his brain. You can't fix that with food. I fought drugs for my son for 1 year, I regret it because it was his kinder year, that with an awful teacher made for some really bad memories and lots of trouble. Once I put him on meds, (after finding the right ones) it was like night and day. He even said he appreciates not having to whirl like he was.
Believe me, as I am ADD (no hyperactivity) there is nothing worse than your mind whirling and you can't stop it. I would always say Good Food First, but if that doesn't help, please don't deny your child what can make them better.
My standard answer for people who say "no drugs", "Would you deny a diabetic his insulin? A heart patient his nitro? No, then why deny a child/adult their medicine? It's not THEIR fault, their brain chemically works different, we can't deny them something that could help them!"
Sandy -
I have raised two boys, one of whom wore Good Nights until he was 12. Although I still don't know all the answers, I can tell you that I too failed to listen to teachers' advice. When I look back I wish i had. They're professionals and they look at the situation without bias.
Been there - done that!
Sandy -
i have raised two boys, one of whom wore Good Nights until he was 12. Although I still don't know all the answers, I can tell you that I too failed to listen to teachers' advice. When I look back I wish I had. They're professionals and they look at the situation without bias.
Please, heed their advice.
Good luck.
Been there - done that!
A suggestion: I would listen to the school about holding him back in Kindergarten. Many children are held back (and this would be the grade that would least psychologically hurt him). Many children are not developed emotionally to go on. It is so much better if a child is one of the older ones in his class. My son was 6 when he started Kindergarten. Because I started school in first grade at age 5, I couldn't understand why he had to be held back.
Please give it further thought.
At the risk of raising someone's ire, I would not be quick to think that he might have ADD or ADHD. Many deportment problems can be solved with correct diet and love and discipline.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My 8-year old has ADHD. Wednesdays and Thursdays of EVERY week he is just impossible to deal with. However, he maintains the same schedule every single day and everything is always fine every other day. It's just those 2 days out of the week. Does anybody at all have the same problem? Does anybody know what i can do? Please help.
Wow that's a tough one. Something has to be different, even a tiny little detail. You may not see it since you spend so much time with him, maybe a relative can try spending the day with him. Does he go to school?, is there a class/event/person that occurs on those days? Could it be a food allergy, something he might eat then? or Is there something that you do on those days that might differ from the norm? Or he could be letting off some steam from the week? Anyway I would try doing something completely different on one of those days, keep him out of school for the day and go to a park/ class / anything different this may help you figure out the significance of the days. I hope you find your answer.
Exercise and nutrition are the two most important factors in managing ADD. Make sure your son gets plenty of omega oils, and plenty of exercise.
Is he eating something different that day? The less processed and less chemicals and unpronounceable things in the things he eats, the better.
There has to be something different. Does he sleep the same on those days? Is there someone different in the house? Does he drink dairy products or eat cheese? Is he going through puberty? If he uses dairy products this is possible because there are growth hormones and antibiotics, and other things in them. I wish you could contact me directly, perhaps the Thrifty Fun people would find out if you wish to do that and they can arrange it. Good luck--Dotty
Does he take other medications?
Some people have drug metabolizing deficiencies and they do not process AHDH (or other meds) in the "normal" fashion. You can see a list of meds that apply by visiting http://www.pgxlab.com. he may need to have is gene metabolizing enzymes checked-this is a new field...but has very promising results (Check your package insert to see if his drug is metabolized by 2D6, 2C9, 2C19, etc) or call this lab-they are VERY helpful. Good luck
I have been a spec. ed teacher for over 30 yrs. An ADHD child who is worse on some days and not others is reacting to something in his environment that is likely stressful for him. Does he have a class assignment or a test on these days, a class or assembly or after-school activity. Is his teacher different on these days? It appears that he is reacting to a situation and on these days he is having more problems than usual managing his behavior. This isn't only true of kids with ADHD, it happens to lots of kids who have a stressor or situation at certain times or days of the week.
Wow. Thank all of you so much for responding. He is on Adderall XR, 5 mg. He was on a higher dose, but he became very emotional all of the time - crying in class for no reason, or when somebody tried to correct him. He keeps the same schedule every day - getting up at the same time, going to bed at the same time, doing homework at the same time. He has a routine that i make him stick to because i've heard this was what you were supposed to do.
Dotty - I had no idea about the dairy products. I would love to contact you to know more. I'll see what i can do. Thank you so much.
Thank you all for being so understanding and being there.
There must be something or someone different on Wed. and Thurs. Different bus driver or teacher that he doesn't like? You have to be so careful these days.
I'd also check for allergies, esp. food allergies. If all is ok, how about a special treat on those days that he can look forward to? Reward him for using words to tell you what's wrong, if he can.
Does he have any extra sugar on those days or eat anything different?
I know this might seem hard to believe, But the child's diet has a lot to do with his behavior even if he has ADHD. I did a study on it, The study said to cut out all sugar of any kind, And junk food. The diet must contain, vegetables fresh fruit and white meats and fish twice a week. Plenty of water, fruit juice and milk. I know it sounds to strange to be true, But it is what I found in a study. There where many children tested and put on this diet, not only did it keep them healthy but it increased intelligence and controlled the ADHD. They seemed to improve. I hope this helps.
Were there any major changes (deaths, divorces, moves) in his life around a year ago??
Several things come to mind --
-It could be that they are into the "heart" of the week and there are many expectations of him. The spelling test is looming, the math that was introduced at the beginning of the week is expected to be understood, etc.
-For many ADHD kids (and adults) this is a "messy" part of the week -- we start off clean (desk, room, etc) and pick up again on Friday to go for the weekend. The middle of the week cleaning isn't our priority -- especially for ADHD people (at least in our case). This REALLY takes its toll on my two (ds & dh).
-Often our ADHD people are stressed with other complications (OCD, processing disorders) that prohibit them from dealing with events that occur throughout the day. Maybe a journal?
-And like others have stated -- certain foods and food additives can be a huge problem! Caffeine, colorings, sodium, nutrasweet (aspartame), and all the processed flour (white/bleached) and sugars in our food can all contribute to ADHD problems.
A great book to reference is _Delivered from Distraction_ by Edward Hallowell, M.D. and John Ratey, M.D. My dh finally bought the thing we'd checked it out from the library so many times.
Blessings!
Does he stay home with you or go to school? Does he take medication? Is it possible someone is stealing his medication? There may also be someone he doesn't like at school on those days.
does he take the medication every day and not skip out on it on the weekends?? it could be a reaction if he taken off of it. the other thing is what specials does he have at school that day. or does he see some one different those days.
I have to ask, does he go to his Dad's on the weekend? My son is ADHD, and medicated, and even with all this, he tends to be more difficult when the weekend gets near. Just a thought. God bless you. I know exactly what you are going through.
I am a teacher who truly believes in what this site has to say ~~~ if only more parents took the TIME and found the TIME, YES, THE TIME, TIME that worked rather then meds.
Gee, there was NO ONE TAKING MEDS when I was in school. and no they weren't all in trouble.
They went and FOUGHT WWII. THE BRAVE men who fought and DIED for us, not the DRUGGIES OF TODAY!
THEY LEARNED HOW TO BEHAVE. YES, IT'S IT CAPS BUT COME ON PEOPLE, TAKE THE TIME FOR YOUR CHILD. NO ONE IN 1930 HAD ADHD, THEY ADAPETED!!!
I know it is so hard for people with the really "hard" kids (drugs, anger issues etc) , so don't jump all over me.
I have found with real life experience that diet and expectations of the PARENTS make 100% difference. My nephew has Apebergers and without this type of research, he and his family would be a mess.
You need to find what works for your child. MEDS ARE NOT THE ANSWER. Let me ask you this ~~~
how many kids in 4th grade did you know had to go to the nurses to get their meds after lunch??? I had never had heard of such a "thing" until I was in grad school.
LET ME FILL YOU IN ~~ my fourth grade class, I have 24 on my list, and on Friday 14 are there and 10 of these have to THE office for meds. SO I HAVE 4 THERE ARE NOT ON MEDS. Ok, they are ALL ESL - -- oh this helps, my kids that read at 3rd grade are given pre K work.
yeah, let's us support no child let behind act....sacracram is screaming here
I wonder if you had the same thing for meals that day. Additives, etc in the food. Sugar (more than normal, etc) Does he go to a different class in school, taken out of the class those days, another child, teacher, etc come into the class that day. Does he have a drug holiday to prevent medication build up (only your doctor can tell you that).
I see others have given great ideas. Hope you let us know if you find the answer. Best wishes for all.
Well I for one don't believe in the NO ADHD concept, because I didn't even know what ADHD was when a DR mentioned it to me about my son 14 years ago. He IS and always will be, I AM and always will be ADD (we have to remember that "way back when" we spent way more time outside, doing chores playing etc. made an ADHD kid much more calmer as their energy was used). So anyway.
The only thing I can think of, is no matter what you have to have a different schedule on the weekends, NO SCHOOL etc. So maybe by Wednesday he is tired and getting restless for the weekend. They don't called it getting over the HUMP of the week for nothing!
If you aren't on it yet, you may want to join a group that deals with these types of issues in children:
VerbalBehavior@yahoogroups.com
Good luck!
Margo R.
I am wondering about the lunches and/or snacks he might have on wed./thurs. Lots of ADD can be controlled through diet. A big culprit setting off kids with ADD is the yellow and red food dye additives in food!! I knew one mom who successfully kept her child off ritalin or any of the meds through diet exclusion.I know his behavior was awful and her methods which she read about proved to be a life saver. Get you a book from the library on ADD and diet and behavior training. My son was ADD also by the way.
Hello all. Thanks again for all the advice. Let me answer some questions. He does not and has not seen his "father" since he was 4. He just left with no contact at all. My son never even talks about him or asks about him. He only takes 5mg of Adderall after breakfast every morning. I'm starting now to watch his diet, avoiding certain dyes after all the advice i've been getting. I do know for certain that he HAS to be on the medicine. When he wasn't on it, he couldn't stay focused, he was very hateful to everybody - kicking, yelling, hitting. I am considering talking to a different dr. and maybe even some counseling. I just know there's more there than just what the dr. sees and what i see. It's very difficult explaining things to him, because he just sits and stares at you, almost looking right through you. I just don't know what else to do.
Thank you all again. It's been very helpful so far.
To the person who doesn't believe in meds--I will try to respond in a dignified, non insulting way (unlike you). ADHD is a medically documented condition, although you probably believe in a secret plot shared by scientists, Doctors, psychologists, and pharmaceutical companies. I would LOVE to have you over for a day to observe my son ON medication, then OFF. He is only medicated for school. My child went from nonsensical gibberish, zero eye contact and constant movement, to full sentences, full eye contact, AND HAVING THE ABILITY TO PROCESS AND LEARN WITH MEDICATION. We tried Feingold, wheat-free gluten free, organic, you-name-it diets. It didn't work. Only non-statistically significant success has been achieved with diet. We as a family are disciplined, loving, attentive, firm and we work hard WITH him to control his behavior. At this time, he needs medication in order to learn and function with any quality of life. Everyone should be aware of the difference between anecdotal, flawed studies and true scientific research.
To Mene19:
THANK YOU!!!!!! I am soooo glad that you posted that. It is the EXACT same way in my household. My son before meds was off-the-wall. By this, i mean he was completely uncontrollable. He would scream at people, hit them, run away crying. He couldn't stay focused for more than a minute. He couldn't even talk to you without starting a whole different conversation in the middle of a sentence! With the meds he's not at all hateful any more, and he can stay focused. Some "people" just do not realize the importance of certain meds. If they think it's so easy to deal with, then by all means - get over here and help out!!!
Huge hugs to you, Mene19!!
ADHD was around along time ago. I am 37 and I had to take meds. when I was younger and so did my brother, and a lot of people did. It just was not advertised like it is today.
My son is 10 and has been on meds. for 4 years. I kind of believe in the diet concept, but not sold. I do not think you should give anyone a ton of sugar. I took a course before putting my child on meds. and believe it or not, caffine which is a stimulant calms my child down when he does not take his meds on the weekends. In the course I took, it was brought to my attention, that when we grow up to be adults, many of us self medicate ourselves, with smoking, drinking, caffine. This is how many people get through the day.
Is your son on Meds.? Maybe it could be that you need to change the routine on those days, not by much, but maybe make those be a night that is something you don't normally do, and keep that up. Maybe if he has something to look forward to on those days, that might change his attitude. Also, I notice with my son, if I yell a lot, or am stressed, he seems to pick up on it, and those are horrible days. I try not to yell, and I walk away, when he does do things that he is being not so nice, I think they like the attention they get when we yell, so they continue to try and be nasty and negative, and want everyone else around them to feel that way. So take a deep breath, and hand in there. It is hard, everyday is a challenge, and on certain days it is almost impossible to do the right thing. Good LucK.
I have the same problem. I take adderell xr. Maybe talk to your doctor about your childs problem.
Does anyone know of any natural ways to treat hyperactivity in children?
By Debbie Dzurilla from IL
I found out my son has ADHD, we are a family of 5. Myself, hubby, 3 kids (Brandon 7, Angela 5, Jessica 1). I am learning to cook all over again and I am so overwelmed, it is not funny... We can no longer use canned goods so I am learning to cook from scratch. Can anyone grab my hand and tell me it will be ok and help (lol)? I am looking for all sorts of recipies.
I have never heard about the no can diet but whatever works is good. I have come across these little bits of wisdom in living with and dealing with the same condition.
Red food coloring is out a lot of the time
Sometimes sugar helps when a person gets shaky.
Adderral doubles the half life of caffeine.
Cafeine relaxes most adhd persons
Adhd usually does not come alone but comes along with other conditions.
Antidepressants and lithium are helpful in most cases.
Potatoes are very calming.
Mercola.com is a great website to go to, I follow almosts everything he says to a T except for raw foods.....
Rocking chairs are very soothing.
Learn to accept limitations without stressing out about it....this is where antidepressants come in handy.
Remember mecola.com
Good Luck and lots of love and best wishes!
Racer
Jean,
You are not alone. My son is ADHD, DD, and Autistic. It is possible to feed your family and not go nuts. What I found very helpful was growing the veggies myself then canning them. Giving up flour was hard but workable. If you want recipies check out a book by Lisa S. Lewis, PH.D. called Special Diets for Special Kids. Another Book that has a lot of recipies in it is called "Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder...by Karyn Seroussi. Good luck and Don't give up...your child is worth it. Jamie
I tried the mercola.com website--they have several books you can order but no online reciepes. Am I missing something?
Try to get your hands on a cookbook called The More With Less Cookbook. I think the author's name is Doris Janzen Longacre. There are two great recipies in there-- one for homemade "Bisquik" (called Master Baking Mix) and one for cream-of-anything soup mix (called White Sauce Mix) that you keep in the fridge. I would type the recipes here but I can't seem to locate my book. My husband may have hid it... he calls it "More OR Less Cooking" LOL. Honestly we haven't enjoyed every recipe I've tried out of that book, but those two mixes are staples at home now.
My son also has ADHD. We were told when he was young. He is now 28 years old. He just got married last year and has purchased a new home. He holds a steady job in manufacturing and has been there for 8 years. Kids can lead a productive life with this.
We kept all oranges, artificial food colorings, salicilates out of his diet. The food colorings are in EVERYTHING. It will take time but you can learn to cook from scratch and it is cheaper. Best of luck to you. When things get you down remember in the end with lots of love and support from your whole family he will turn out great.
Go to your farmers market or large supermarket produce section. Anything except lettuce can be steamed in your microwave in meal quantities then seasoned to your preference.
My husband has been on diets for his health that required fresh food with no or very little preservatives. We both became fresh fruit and veggie friendly. Meat and poultry can be easily sauteed, baked or crockpotted (is that a word?). And gravy over stuff is a real meal stretcher.
Good luck to you. My grandson is adhd and bipolar. He takes medication and is 19 now, happy, healthy and active in good ways.
The years may seem long but the days are short. Don't stress, just enjoy his creativity if/when you can.
Feel free to email me if you would like recipes or just to chat. lol pomoth1@aol.com
I don't have anyone with ADHD. But I do cook from scratch. Don't be fearful. It is very easy. It won't be long until you won't even use cookbooks - you'll become an 'intuitive' cook and will throw delicious things together without even thinking. It's easy - I'm living proof, if I can, anyone can. :-)
You can get fresh vegetables at your farmer's market (in season) and in the produce section always. The food really DOES taste better, too. In the summer buy (or raise) fresh vegies and freeze. It's easy, too. Often you really only have to wash and freeze. Sometimes blanching is required, but even that isn't hard.
Here is one hint that will also save you tons of money. You will be AMAZED at how many "free" meals you get when you do this. When just little bits are left over from meals - little enough that you throw them away, or put them in the fridge and they grow hair - put them in a jar instead. Just about everything except lettuce, fish, and breakfast food goes in there: gravy, mashed potatoes, other potatoes, tablespoons of vegetables, macaroni, etc.. Save all the water that you cooked your potatoes and vegetables in and put it in this jar. At least once a week, or when the jar gets full, dump it in a slow cooker and fill out with anything else you want. I usually add tomatoes and tomato sauce (which you can easily make too). If potatoes, carrots, or other things are getting to the end of their refrigerated life cube them and put them in too. Add water - just put it in according to if you like your soup thick or thin. Add salt and pepper - and spices, if you want - and let simmer all day. This is the best soup in the world, and seldom do I get less than 2-3 meals from it. To special it up a little I usually make hot homemade bread in my breadmaker to go with it (if you don't have one, you can now get one for about $50.) And a cup of fresh fruit for dessert. It's very inexpensive, very easy and goes over quite well.
And .. finally .. go to the internet. I like Google best. Go to www.google.com, then type in "cooking from scratch" You'll find more than you can work with. If you want something special try typing that it, too, followed by "from scratch".
You're going to enjoy this - and be surprised at how much money you save!
Don't panic. I have never liked the taste of canned foods. It's a LOT cheaper buying fresh vegetables and fruits in season. U-Pick farms or local vegetable stands are fun and cheap. You can take your entire family to pick them and everyone helps prepare them when you get home. We shelled peas, shucked corn and broke beans when we were little, so your kids CAN help (no knives involved) and learn something. If you clean and cut up the veggies as soon as you get them home from the store or garden and either freeze them or put them in containers in the refrigerator, it helps a lot. I don't feel so overwhelmed when I'm tired and want to make dinner if I know I can just dump some veggies in a stir fry or microwave them and toss with brown rice or pasta and have a nice dinner in 10 minutes. With vegetables that turn brown if you cut them up, like potatoes, just go ahead and cook a bunch of mashed potatoes or your favorite dish and freeze it in small portions. "The Joy of Cooking" is a GREAT cookbook with a lot of hints about preparing vegetables and making your own sauces, dressings, just about anything and is pretty easy to follow. It also explains different cooking techniques and every recipe I have tried has been good (family liked them, too).
I have an autistic 4 yr old. I don't really modify his diet, but I love experimenting in the kitchen, which just may be a good thing.
At wal mart, in the MICROWAVE section, there are now two CDs called One Million Recipes by Easy Chef (EasyChef?) Anyhoo, I have the first volume. Literally almost every recipe you can think of. Kids friendly recipes, diabetics, vegetarian, ethnic, no bake, low sodium, also cateogorised in breakfasts, appetizers, soups/salads, sandwiches... I paid 9.99, so it may be very close to that. Also, you can print them in a full page or 3x5 (at least on my volume, I don't know what modifications the second volume may have). My son that has autism loves fresh fruit, especially peaches, pears, some fruit cocktails, cucumbers, strawberries, he doesn't care for hamburgers, but loves chicken fingers. I also buy Wal Mart sugar free drink mix (1.76 for six pre-measured powder servings. All you do is add water)
He loves apple juice, lemon-aide, cherry and fruit punch (sugar free).
I also buy fresh broccoli (he'll eat in SMALL doses). Bananas, cut in little round disks, carrots, I use a potatoe peeler if we are travelling, so when he is in a car seat, there is less chance of choking, or disks if we are home.
You say you cannot use canned goods, but what about boxed? If you make mashed potatoes, instead of water, use chicken broth with your milk and butter, etc. There is one brand of chicken (and beef) broth that comes in a waxy box (like a very large juice box drink type.) I also will add a bit of broth to rice, and it is wonderful. I put milk in my water and butter for boiling corn on the cob. It makes the corn even sweeter.
If you are on AOL, there is an autism chat that meets every Thursday night. Contact me and I'll send the link. It is for people who have a loved one in their lives who is autistic, or has asperger's. VERY helpful.
Best Regards
go to www.wwrecipies.com He has loads of great recipies and from scratch substitutes for canned stuff.
enjoy
Rose
Anyone have a good recipe for spaghetti sauce without using canned tomato sauce, or paste? I grow my own tomatoes, sage, thyme, oregano, etc, but everywhere I look they say used canned tomatoes, even the real Italian recipes. Help!
geoffrey.robinson4 AT us.army.mil
Thanks.
Has anybody ordered and used the "Total Transformation System" it is a video/or audio course on how to gain control of a child with behavior problems and "bring sanity back into your home". I've seen the commercials and seen people auctioning them on eBay (because it didn't work or because it worked and they don't need it anymore, I don't know). They are pretty expensive and I don't want to buy it if it doesn't work. If it does, then price is almost no object, I''m that desperate.
My son is ADHD and bi-polar and out of control. If anyone has used it and can give me a review that would be great. Maybe even someone has one to sell me, if reviews are good. Thank you and God bless.
By amy from Rochester
