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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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