4 Yrs Old and ADHD

I don't usually say try a diet but the foods you say he is craving makes me wonder if he has a gluten issue. Glutens, if you have a damaged intestine, don't fully digest and are leached into the blood stream as a psudo drug. Kids will actually crave the high. It produces autistic like symptoms and if you didn't know there is only a small difference between ADD and PDD the latter being an Autism spectrum disorder.

My son was also diagnosed at 4. He also is bipolar and I'm not convinced that diet has anything to do with it because my son has always eaten healthy/organic foods when possible. And still has extreme ADHD. As far as meds go I'm not a fan of ritilin either so I would ask about others. There are some good non stimulant ones like intuniv which worked well for my son. He has also taken focolin, and concentra but since he's bipolar is was messin with his other meds. A lot of people will say diet is everything well like i said I have done all the allergy/sensitivity testing on him and nothing came back. So I would discuss with the pysch dr that your child is seeing. And find a good behavioral therapist they are vital parts of treatment and management. Good luck

I don't think it's what he's NOT eating, but what he IS eating.

I would highly, HIGHLY suggest the Feingold Diet. We're coming up on our one year mark with my 6 yr old who was diagnosed as ADHD prior to the diet and now no longer fits the clinical criteria. It eliminates all artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Your kid won't have to give up Cheerios, just choose a different brand (we use Whole Os) that don't spray their bags with BHT, which is a nasty chemical preservative. We took it a step further and eliminated gluten, soy and dairy. My son was in the principal's office 2-3 times a week for behavior issues, including distraction last year. This year - on the diet - not a single incident. He's a "normal" kid.

We had him tested for sensitivities and allergies and he showed zero reactions to anything. But after 6 weeks on the diet(s), we tried to allow dairy, gluten and soy back into his diet (one at a time). He had huge meltdowns and tantrums after eating a small amount of dairy and soy, and the school called to ask what changes there were at home after we tried 3 small gluten-containing crackers - he was completely out of control there. When I first heard about this diet, I thought it was some off-the-grid, crunchy mama sort of deal. But it isn't. Some kids are just more sensitive to chemicals than others. And it makes sense as well - how many chemicals were in our food back in the 1950s, when ADD/ADHD was unheard of? Almost none, compared to today when they're laden with it and ADD/ADHD is skyrocketing. These products aren't necessarily safe because the FDA allows them - ALL artifical dyes have been banned in Europe. Did you know you can buy Starburst over there and it's colored with natural fruit juices instead of chemicals? There are too many corporate hands in pockets in our country for that to happen, unfortunately.

Anyways, it might be worth a try. There are a lot of people I know personally who have gone with this diet and have had their previous ADD/ADHD kids off meds. It works.

You must read the book "What's Eating Your Child" by Kelly Dorfman. She is a nutritionist and has many cases in this book one of which is about a boy who was diagnosed ADHD and the nutrition component of it. I have read it because my son has Aspergers. We also struggle with eating and my son has gone through feeding therapy which helped (a little) but we continue to work with him daily. I am scheduled to see a nutritionist so I have many questions regarding supplements how zinc factors into the equation and whether he is deficient in anything (I know test will follow). I know what your going through and good luck. There is also a book called "Food Chaining which helped me as well.

please dont put him on ritalin! i am so glad your gut is telling you thats not the answer right now/yet. i would definatly try getting some protien and vitimans into his system. we notice that if our son goes too long with out eating (he is a c*** little 3 1/2 yr old and the pedi says every time we wont put him on a diet -yet) that his behavior is horrible. also if his sleep is messed up or lacking he is harder to control. then he is so hungery that he wont eat so we give him a pedi sure which he drinks and with in a few mins feels better and perhaps will eat something. there are also ways of sneaking veggies into your sons food. deceptivaly delicious is a cook book based on that. i make pancakes with wheat flour and put sweet potatoes in the batter. i would just buy baby food to start out sneaking it into his food. if he likes it then you can go big with the pures. we buy turkey hot dogs he might try those. also i find that if my son helps cook he is more willing to try it ...he would not eat mac and cheese until he helped make it! please go with your gut on the ritalin my sweet little cousin went from extrovert to introvert after being on those meds. it might be teachers having a harder time, lack of nutrition, or sleep. it could be he is just four and thats what four year old extroverts do! i also make cute lunches like a owl shaped sandwich with m&m eyes and pretzles branches with green grape leaves. cute food usually wins them over. here are some sites - and you dont have to be a detailed either (deli meat cut into teddy bear shapes with star apples or star cheese) http://www.anotherlunch.com/

http://littlenummies.net/

my kids will also eat the heck out of yogart. dannon makes little cups that you can cut slits in the top put some baby spoons in them and freeze they eat them like popcicles, dannamilas ? . both my kids will eat yo-baby yogart with fruit and veggies in them (not fozen)

My son started really showing signs of ADHD when he was 4, and was diagnosed with it right at age 5. My husband and I neither one wanted a to give him Ritalin or any of the other narcotic drugs because of the side effects. So, I went to our local health food store (Peak Nutrition) and looked into what they had that was herbal. I chose Attend because it said it was homeopathic, and he had responded so well as a baby to Hyland's Teething Tablets.

He is now a 4th grader, still takes 2 Attend along with it's companion meds, 1 Memorin and 1 Extress each day. Sometimes, he still has issues with attention and impulsiveness. But, he is not a zombie either, like some other meds make kids.

I will NEVER put my child on one of the narcotic drugs. I have seen too many children with the bad side effects from it. As a sub, I have seen children who won't eat breakfast in the morning, then get a tray at lunch, but haven't eaten a bite of the food when I return to pick them up after lunch break. It's sad. They're tiny and malnourished. Your son sounds like he already has eating issues, Ritalin or any others would only add to it.

Look into the suggestions you have been given and then show them to your husband. Don't say, "See, I told you we need to..." Just show him and ask what he thinks. Don't give your opinion. Then after he gives you his opinion, then suggest you try a diet like the Feingold Diet so that you can do everything possible before drugging him.

Kevin Leman, author of books like "Have a New Kid by Friday," suggests putting the food on the table and not even inviting your kid to eat. If he wants to eat, great. If not, fine. No drama, no raised voices, just present what you are eating and let it go. He will not starve himself.

If he asks for something else, just repeat the same thing over and over, calmly that this is what we are having. Don't describe it as good or healthy, just that it is a ___ salad or whatever. Hide all other foods in large boxes if you have to. Take all cold foods to the grandparents' house or a friend's house. Somehow your son has learned that good food only tastes like pb&j, cereal or carbs. It will take a while for him to adjust but his body will start craving healthy foods if that is all there is.

I don't like the idea of Ritalin for my 4 yr old either.

So here's what we do in our house. We eat balanced and healthy. I start the day with a "monster shake", which is a smoothie made from milk, baby spinach, a banana or two, maybe some pineapple or strawberry, LECITHEN (I'm so into it right now), and sometimes a drop of Greek yogurt (honey flavored). Flippin' tasty and it really feeds the brain.

I give my kids vitamins (decent quality), get them a lot of liquid, and generally try to make sure they are getting enough fresh foods.

Why do I do this? To give our brains brain food. It doesn't matter if a person is neurotypical or has a neuro disorder. Good food is like greasing up the wheels on a track.

But here's the thing. A greased track makes the machine run more smoothly, but it doesn't change the "shape" or direction of the track. It makes the whole system run smoother, but we still have a brain that operates differently than someone who is neurotypical.

What REALLY helps me with my four year old is understanding how she ticks. For example, there are activities that really help her come into herself, and utilize her differences. For HER, those activities include,
- Conversation and story telling
- PLAYING it out (she will spend hours and hours in hyperfocus (and relaxed) while singing to herself and playing out scenes with her toys.
- EXERCISE. Oh boy. This is such a big one. We've got to have a few hours outside at bare minimum. Her favorite is hiking, biking, and playing in/around water. It helps her to not struggle, transitions are easier, and she becomes more fluid and relaxed. She can focus (on what *I* want her to) more easily.

It's important to eliminate allergens (if there are some), nutritional deficiencies, and other things that will mimic or exacerbate ADHD as well.

That, and finding ways to get my four year old TO eat. She's not a very picky eater, but she's a nibbler. It's difficult to get her to focus on her food. Same with me.

It helps if we eat our food together. Talking while eating is impossible. For us, BOTH of us will forget to eat if we are talking ;-) So, we will talk for a few minutes and then try to really reroute back to the meal. When she first came to live with us (I'm a kinship care provider), she had lost a lot of weight. She's already in the fifth percentile, so loosing weight isn't an option. I'd make a "game" of eating and feed her, keep her attention on it with play and humor. It worked!

Also, I give my kids little boosts where ever I can. Spinach in our PB and J, for example. Fruit or vegetables all day, throughout the day AND protein boosts on the hour. I also accept that we are grazers. That's how we eat. Small meals spaced every two hours with a snack in between.

My four year old can't handle being hungry or tired. She just can't hold it together. So, I try my hardest to have her rest enough, and I make sure she gets something fatty and filled with protein, along side her fruits, grains, and veggies, every hour or so.

That's what works for us. I find I have to add or switch up my tool bag really often, as my kids (and I) grow. Good luck finding what works for your family!

Some will tell you that 4 years is too young to be diagnosed with ADHD. That being said, yo know your son has issues.

There are several things you can do... you can supplement with vitamins, high protein/high calorie drinks or just plain take the carbs away and he eats what is on his plate or he doesn't eat. No argument, no fuss, just put it in front of him and tell him that's all there is.

I am sure there will be a battle, but don't deal, cajole, bribe. Eat what he eats, feed him when you feed yourself and the rest of the family. You are not a short order chef. You make one meal and if they don't like it they are welcome to starve. BUT, if they don't eat their meal, there is no other food. Period.

Good Luck.

Also, check out ADHDdiet.com (it may be .org)

Strict routine (nutritious brekafast, lunch and dinner, and snacks) at the same time every day, bed time at the SAME time every day. Not too much carbohydrates, lots of fruits and veggies, let him choose what he likes most and give it to him even if you have to repeat the same every day.No Juices but Water. Vitamins, choose those that have not corn syrup (most of them has it!). Exercise a lot, running, tumbling, etc.
FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS and always consult another doctor if you want to. ASK many questions as possible, remember is YOUR son.

good morning,

Our son also has ADHD, and had problems with aggressive behavior. It took til age 5 to get him diagnosed, you should be thankful you have a Dr. Who listened to you and you have a diagnoses already.

medication is not always the answer, and we had a very hard time with feeling like it was ok to put our son on meds. Remember, ritalin isn't the only drug out there, today we have several choices. Intuniv was the right choice for our son. The dr. Put it to me like this, if he was sick, would you be againse giving him medicine? I said no. He explained that the medication could really help him, and that if not we can always stop. After about 3 weeks of a sleepy child, and very worried parents, he adjusted, and it's the best thing we have done for him. He is able to do so mich more, make friends, get school work done, talk and we can understand him. Before, he talked so fast you only understood the first 2 words.

as far as eating, I don't know, we didn't have that issue, but is it a texture thing? I have herd of some kids being picky over texture more then taste.

good luck
K.

sadly, no help on this direct 4yo adhd question but my son is 4 with it as well ... maybe I can help with something else/

My son was similar at that age, and he would only eat cheerios and peanut butter and a few other things for a while. Our pediatrician at the time told us his daughter only ate a slice of American cheese some days, and not to stress out. We didn't, and he gradually started eating more balanced meals. (The hard part was that that we were living in France, and it wasn't easy to find peanut butter and cheerios!) Please be sure that you and your husband are on the same page with whatever plan you come up with.
We had great success with occupational therapy and speech therapy at four or so. My son graduated from UT Austin last year, so a limited diet at age 4 is not as huge as I know it feels right now!
Good luck!

Fish oil is a supplement that's supposed to help with ADHD. My son takes it with the approval of the neurologist, who also recommended olive oil. We noticed that some allergy medicines helped. I don't know if that was because he felt better or if it was an actual chemical interaction. Rhinocort Aqua worked the best but then our insurance stopped covering it. We tried a gluten free diet and it didn't help much. But at least it added some new foods to my son's diet. Higher protein grains like quinoa and amaranth and noodles made from beans or rice. I came across an article on the web about how soy sauce can increase the appetites of cancer patients, so we let him dip everything in it.
The last time we saw a nutritionist was when he was a year old, so I just got info on increasing calories, not specific nutrients. Most of the suggestions didn't work for us because of the textures. They told us to add mayonnaise, powdered milk, and peanut butter to his food, and feed him smoothies or nutritional supplements. He wouldn't eat any of it because it was too sticky.

My son is a picky eater, but will still try a wide variety of things. My husband has tried "sit there for an hour until you eat 3 bites" but we've never let our son go to bed hungry. If he doesn't eat much dinner, we'll try something else for a bedtime snack. If he wants plain boiled potatoes instead of mashed, or his spinach, tomatoes, and cheese as a raw salad instead of on a pizza, I don't make a big deal about it. It sounds like you have much more limited options with your son.
My son made it halfway through second grade without ADHD medications because the school was able to provide an aide to keep him on task, work with him one-on-one, and take him out of the classroom if he became disruptive. Then we started him on Concerta and his behavior improved dramatically. Unfortunately the side effects are loss of appetite, stomach ache, and insomnia.