My son is 6 and in Kindegarden. I was diginosed with ADHD at age 4 and has taken Concerta 18mg, which has worked great. About a month ago the doctor put him on a second dose at 2:00 in the afternoon to make the calmness effect last longer. That also has made a great difference for the better. The only draw back is that the teacher is now telling me that he needs more self controll. I don't know how to do this. She has told me that he tends to answer questions out loud before other kids get a chance and will interupt. He also will not sit still while in a group on the carpet. At home he likes to play out side so I don't get to see the things she is talking about. Maybe someone would have some suggestions, to some things I could try to get him to dispaly more self control at school.
Tell him over and over and over again that he needs to control what he is doing wrong. It's not going to happen over night. It's going to take weeks or months. It's something you have to teach him.
i have two children with ADHD ages 6 and 10. Both were diagnosed at an early age. i waited with both of them until they started school and started having problems to begin medication. just recently my 6 year old who is in kindergarden started daytrana. she had been having alot of problems in school. blurting out answers, not being able to function in group settings, not being able to follow instructions. She has been on daytrana for 2 weeks and as soon as she started taking it she was a different child. Her teacher said it is a miracle the difference it has made. Daytrana is a patch that is worn under the clothes and can be put on and taken off at anytime needed.(should not be worn for more that 9 hours) I put it on right before she goes to school and take it off as soon as she gets home. i agree with some of the other parents that maybe you should talk to your doctor about changing medicines. with my oldest it took several different times before we got the right medicine and dose
A.
I had two children diagnosed with ADHD. They wanted to put them on medicine but I chose to avoid that route and try alternatives to help them.
My 9 year old was the easiest. It turned out to be just watching his diet and changing it up. We found citric acid triggers alot of the affects that cause the chaotic behaviour to begin. I talked to the doctor about it and he told me that was common in children with ADHD. When he does have anything with citric acid, it is at home and before bed. Orange juice, orange. Or even at dinner I'll give him it but I'll cut back on the amount he gets. Hamburgers he only likes mustard so that was easy. Spaghetti, I put his portion to the side and add sauce to it before putting it into the families food. Pizza gets half with no sauce or very little.
My 7 year old has been alot more challenging. We found out that there are multiple problems with him and so the process is still ongoing.
If the meds aren't working, try other alternatives with it. Keep a diet journal of what he is eating, find him a hobby that he really enjoys. Something that takes alot of focus. If he can find something to focus on he'll relax alot more. legos, game systems (believe it or not, it helps), coloring, drawing. All work for my kids. The doctor even recommended a game system for use for my 7 year old. That and the computer will keep him focused for a good amount of time. So you don't have to worry about him vegging out to junk, get educational games. This way it is fun and he is learning at the same time.
C.,
You and the teacher might try a reward program with your son.
Every time he doesn't answer out he gets a sticker on his sticker card. When he reaches ten stickers, he gets a note sent home for having a great day. At home he has a chart on the refrig that gets him a star. When he get five stars he gets to go out to a movie, or McDonalds, or someplace that is special to him. This way you are both rewarding his good behavior and he will work on what he is rewarded for.
Yes it takes extra work for both of you (teacher and mom) but it will be worth it for all concerned.
Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
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C.,
I have 2 brothers with ADHA and I don't know if this will help your son or not but it sure helped my brothers. My dad found them hobbies that asked for self control. Nothing hard at first. Base ball cards simple stuff. Something that he likes and will make his mind focuse on what he is doing. For one of my brothers it was sports. For the other it was card tricks. One brother is 37 and the other is 25 and both of them still have hobbies that force them to focuse. Also, neither of them now take medication for their ADHD. They have found was to control it. If he likes air planes try simple model airplanes. Just an idea for you.
well my 5 year old that is also in kindergarden went through the same thing and eventually with giving him insentives and working with him at home(like making him stop and think how he should react or handle certain things.) it has worked great. they also have put him on resperidol becasue of adhd , depression and one other thing. and it has worked wonders with his self control. but in some kids i think it has to work itself out , no matter how frustrating it gets. because sometimes no matter what punishment you use for your child or the teacher uses it doesnt help it just adds fuel to their already lit fire. soetimes finding new approches to the situation is a very good idea . i hope i have helped you in some way. good luck!
My son was just diagnosed before Thanksgiving with ADHD and they have just upped his meds for the 3rd time. He is on Focalin 15mg now. The Dr is very supportive and says that he thinks that my son should be on 20mg for his size but that he is willing to let us take this slow. We really did not want to put him on meds to begin with but I am happy that we did. He is doing much better in school. We just upped the dosage while we are on Spring Break so that I can keep an eye on him and see how he does on the higher dosage. The reason that we upped his meds is because he started to fall into old habits and started to get into trouble again at school. My son loves legos and can sit for hours and play with them but that is the other side of the brain from school according to the Dr.
my first suggestion is spend a day at school with him so you can get a better idea of what is going on. I did that with my son last week (I though you know I'm here, he is going to be on his best behavior...and I won't see what the teacher is talking about...) but unfortunately I can now see what he does and doesn't do... (I comend his teacher though, cause I don't think I could have delt with those kids that easily)
maybe he needs to be reevaluated for his medication, he may have become iminue to it, and it isn't working as well as it was in the beginning... but the best thing to do would be take a day and see what he goes through on a daily basis at school...who knows you might be able to make a suggestion to the teacher on something that would help him out...
I have a son who was diagnosed at 4 and we went through tons and tons of meds. It actually sounds like he needs a stronger medicine. The concerta should last him all day with a follow up later but if it is not doing that...talk to his doctor about increasing or changing his medicine.
I know what your going through my daughter is 8 yrs old. She has been on Concerta for about a year. She did well for a while then she was back to being all over the place. My daughters DR up her dose from 18 mg to 27 mg every morning. She is doing much better but she to jumps the gun and blurts out everything too . It has been difficult to control her blurts. I just try to explain that she cant do that. I don't know what else to do . I am lucky that my daughter has such a great teacher she has been so understanding. I wish I knew the answer to you question . I'm sorry that I don't. You will find something that will help . And if when you do will you please tell me? Good luck!
