Help 8 Y/o Adhd Behavior Probs at School

M.,

I work and also have my 9 yr old ADHD daughter training up here as well at Legends Martial Arts. look at the website at www.legendsmartialarts.com. This has been a huge way to channel energy and anger that my daughter has experienced. If you would like more information please feel free to contact me at ###-###-####.

J. T.

Hi M.,

You have a lot of great advice suggesting focus on the entire person, not just the symptoms. In that vein, I want to tell you that I am a licensed Yoga For the Special Child (LLC) practitioner who sees children with special needs for private yoga therapy. If you are interested, you may visit my website and contact me from there.

Peace and Joy,
M.
www.yogapotential.com

It sounds to me like he is frustrated at school and may not understand the material being taught. If you think that may be the case then maybe another form of schooling (whether it be the alternative school, home school or a montessori type program)or repeating the second grade would help him. Has he given any explanation for his behavior? If this was my situation I would determine why he is behaving this way and then do what is best for him regardless of what I think others may think. Best of luck to you!

Just this past Saturday, I went to a free lecture by Dr. Sharon Price hosted by Central Market in Southlake. Dr. Price spoke on the relationship of vitamin and mineral deficiencies in children and the links between observed deficiencies and neuro-developmental and behavior disorders. It was a fascinating lecture! Wish you could have been there.

She talked about Vit. D and how a body low in Vit. D might not be able to rid itself of toxic heavy metals. She also mentioned how most of us are low in Magnesium - - so that previous suggestion from another Mama about using CALM, may have some merit.

And the most important thing she told us about was "adrenal burn-out." It happens when our adrenal glands pump out the stress hormones until our bodies just can't take it anymore. These fight-or-flight hormones were good for our ancestors when faced with the creek a'risin once a year, but they are bad for us with everyday stress of traffic, work, the TV news, etc. And now our kids are stressed, too. So, biofeedback was another good suggestion - - kids need to learn how to de-stress, too.

If I were you, I would take my son to a clinical nutrionist and have his hair & blood tested for vit./mineral deficiencies and heavy metal contamination (like Mercury or Lead). Then work on his DIET to eliminate yucky chemicals like NutraSweet (aspartame) and Splenda (sugar-molecule with the -Oxygen-Hydrogen ions replaced by Chlorine!) and Red DYE #40 (added to some children's yogurt).

Dr. Price has a new office in Southlake. I think her website may be www.nutrionaldirection.com Another doctor that I've read about is Dr. Kotsanis in Grapevine at www.wellnessmetabolic.com

Good luck! Oh, one more thought, lots of my friends homeschooled their kids. The kids loved the one-on-one time, learning from their parent, and I can always spot the well-behaved, polite home-school kids when I am out and about. You could join one of the local groups and go on field trips with them, attend their PE days in the parks, etc. So, the "socialization" excuse for NOT homeschooling does not exist anymore.

Hi, I dont know what meds your son is taking but our son is ADHD combined type SEVERE severe severe! and he is on Trielptol and Abilify (he is only 5 and his adhd is very aggressive meaning he is aggressive and not just hyper and the adhd meds make it worse) we have tried ritilan and concerta and those mad him more aggressive.

any way, trileptol is a seizure (sp) medication but its also used as a mood stabilizer (in our case) and it works real well. he also takes Abilify and that medication has changed him into an entire different kid. he is able to focus, and he doing so well we could not be happier. we are so thrilled with how well his meds are doing.

Hope that helps.
Ps we see a neurologist that specialized in behavior disorders.
HTH
A. J

Hey, I have friends who used nutritional food supplements and got off meds for both ADD/ADHD and epilepsy with the Doctors approval. Let me know if interested, you can reach me at ###-###-####.

I am a mom of 2, love nature and helping others in all I can.

M.,

Have him tested for a gluten problem through www.Enterolab.com. This is a lab in Plano. Both ADD/ADHD and epilepsy are often related to a gluten problem. The reason is that the gluten causes neurological problems.

This is a stool test. No doctor referral needed. Order test kit online, send in specimen, they email you the results. Easy. See FAQ section of website for list of problems related to gluten.

Don't go to a conventional GI doc. They use blood tests and invasive endoscopies, which are not reliable. Dr. Fine explains the reason for this on his website under Research section.

For a pediatrician, try Dr. Deborah Bain in Frisco, wwwlhealthykidspediatrics.com

Good luck.

There was an article in Woman's Day magazine about a case similar to your's (the son had ADHD but not epilepsy). He told his mother "I want to die." The ADHD meds kept him calm, but they also made him depressed. She wanted him off of his meds. A friends of her's confided that she had ADHD and controlled it with her diet. She did research and found that eating foods free of preservatives, artificial colorings, and fillers showed a possible connection between these things and ADHD. She then discovered Wildtree, which is all natural herbs, spices, culinary blends, and more! Wildtree is free of BHA, MSG, nitrates and food dyes. Her son's teachers noticed a difference in his behavior, and now he's medication free and makes good grades!

If you would like to hear more about Wildtree, or a copy of this article, give me a call or email me, and I will send you a cataolog!

B. Barnhart
Wildtree Rep
All Delicious, Nutritious -- Naturally!
###-###-####
____@____.com

Have him tested for food allergies or do a simple pulse test yourself at home. Simply remove one suspected food item form his diet entirely for 10-14 days. Have an hour set aside for him to sit quietly watching a movie or reading. Take his resting heart rate. Have him eat a concentrated form of the suspected food. Take his pulse every 5 minutes for the next hour while he rest comfortably. If his heart rate goes up, he is having a bad reaction to the food. Be sure to watch for reactions like mild swelling on the tongue (look for tooth imprints on the edge of his tongue before and after), redness on the palms or ears, dark circles under the eyes the following day, sickness, rashes, mood swings or behavioral issues.

Common allergens that can and do affect behavior are quite often common foods that they eat every day such as wheat, dairy, corn, eggs, sugar, food dyes (especially Red 40), or additives like MSG. I would suggest reading Dr. Doris Rapp's, "Is This Your Child?" and "The Food-Mood Solution" by Jack Challem. Any effort is worth seeing your child do the best that they can.

Also, be sure to talk to his psychiatrist who prescribes his ADHD medication about the issues he is having and see what suggestions he or she has. It may be as simple as switching the medication he is using.

Best of luck to you!

I doubt if you could start over in a new school where no kids knew him,it could be the invorement for him at this particular one. A private school is more expensive, but cheaper than an alternative school, and he wouldn't be with kids that had behavior problems, if he doesn't have this problem at home. My cousin had a boy that acted out and he had a vision problem like dislexia, and was fine after they gave him glasses, as he was so frustrated he acted out before, and it wasn't like he needed glasses to see, he passed that test fine. Also I read an article in Guideposts, and Ty Pennington the host of Extreme Makeover TV show, and he said he had problems in school, and had ADHD, and he said the only time he felt focused as a child was when he could build things, he got a set of tools and did all sorts of things, and it helped him very much as he didn't want to be a problem child, and felt bad, but was always in trouble. The article is in the August 2008 issue if you wanted to read his story, I think it may help also. I'm assuming the Dr. checked out that the combination of the epilepsy and ADHD meds are not working together to make things worse?? I don't like the idea of home school, as I think kids need to cope so they aren't being out among other people when they are grown and not knowing how, as we can't over portect, but in certain circumstance with a certain problem, it may be something you could try for a semester, an then maybe he would be able to go back to school the next one. Certain foods really make an ADHD kis much worse, have they gave you a list of things to avoid?

M.,
My son is the same age as your son and also has ADHD. It sounds to me like your son's not on the right combination of meds. The reason you're only seeing problems at school is because it's the only place they're asking him to sit still and focus on things THEY want him to learn. When he's at home, he probably gets to move around AND do activities HE enjoys, so there's not much for him to get irritated about.

You need to find out what the kids are making fun of. In my son's case, he would talk non-stop in class. The kids would make fun of him for this..."You talk too much", etc. If his meds aren't keeping the ADHD symptoms under control, you need to talk to his doctor NOW. Being made fun of for something he can't control could permanently damage your son's self-image…ADHD is a chemical problem and your son can't control the impulsive behavior on his own, no matter the consequences.

If you're not happy with your physician, I'd recommend you visit the Holiner Psychiatric Clinic. I've tried practices closer to home and have returned to them (even though we live in HEB and they're by Medical City). They have practitioners specializing in child/adolescent psychiatry, so they have expertise with these issues that most doctors don't possess.

Best of luck to you and your son! Feel free to e-mail me if you have questions. I know how frustrating it can be...the school wants you to do something about your kid's behavior and you're not even there with him!!

When my 9 y/o was still having behavior issues with taking medication, we had him in counseling as well. She was very good with him and he was able to talk to her and learn how to keep his behavior in control.

I'm a teacher. I know several moms in your position that have decided to home school their children after the problems you have described. Most ADHD children are very bright which means they notice that everyone else learns differently than them. Therein you find the problems of frustration in the classroom. Often homeschool gives them the success they need to learn and build self confidence. Every ADHD child I know matures and can hold his own in the real world at an older age. However, this is a crucial time in life. Alternative school is not your answer. You do not want him there. The atmosphere at an alternative school is more restrictive about sitting still, peer interaction, etc. He will not be successful there. If the schools press this issue I would remove him.

My own son is almost 4 and shows classic signs of ADHD. He does many of the things you described when he gets frustrated. I am not going to send him to a classroom for the very reason that he can already count to one hundred and read small words while bouncing up and down, but he'd never be able to sit in a Kindergarten classroom.

Also try to remove all artificial colors and flavors from your son's diet. We did that and saw amazing changes in his behavior. He still gets frustrated, but not as much or for as long. Frustration doesn't ruin our day anymore.

If your son hasn't had counseling it is time to check into it before his acting out gets worse and/or ingrained. His school should also have some suggestions and know some resources that could help. We experienced the same thing with one of my grandsons and after testing was placed in a different school that had a program to deal with exactly this kind of situation. It took about a year and a half but I'm thrilled to report that he is now doing great and overall is a much happier boy. God bless

Something you and your husband might consider is homeschooling your son. If he only acts this way at school, it may be because of low self-esteem and feeling self-conscious about how the other children are doing in comparison to himself. You could do this for a year and get him built up in his confidence so that he is ready to go back into a classroom setting, or you may find that this method is what works best for him. Below is a link with some helpful information if you're interested.

http://www.thsc.org/FAQ/default.asp

I pray you and your husband find the solution that is best for you and your son.

God bless you,
D.

Good morning, M.,
You need to contact Ditt Welch at the Oxygen Therapy Clinic in North Dallas as soon as possible. He has an excellent biofeedback treatment that is very effective on ADHD, no pills, no drugs. This will help your son tremendously and help him feel better about himself and about school. His number is ###-###-####.
Also have you had your son checked for food allergies or hypoglycemia?
These often cause mood swings and/or difficult behaviour.
Also have you tried counselling? Linda Alexander in Richardson is excellent and helped our troubled son a lot.
It's worth a call. Her number is ###-###-####.
Good luck! I look forward to hearing back from you.

Hi M.!
I use nutritional product that works great for ADD problems and many more helath issues. My friend daughter is ADD free after 2 month of using this nutritional supplement. Her daughter doesn't need ADD meds and her behavior is great. Eamil me if you want to find out more ____@____.com. W.

Did you ever think of Homeschooling ?

Hi M.,
I have some behavior problems with my 5 year old. 4 months ago I was recommended to start giving him a nutritional shake. It helps with ADD, ADHD and even with Autism.
The company has several stories of children with seizures,how they improved or recovered. I will be glad to connect you with a Naturapathic doctor,who uses this product in her practice. We have special going now- a free phone consultation with ND if you are interested.
Please call me at ###-###-#### after 7p.m. and I will be glad to help.
S.

My daughter has adhd, I homeschool (not because she has ADHD) and have realized that it is a wonderful environment for her. She can work as fast or as slow as she needs on individual things and she doesnt have to worry about social anxiety.

The reason I responded was to tell you to call our doctor! Max Health and the Neurofeedback Clinic of Colleyville are awesome! I drive all the way from Grand Prairie.

They take a whole health approach, using medication and other alternatives, in our case the goal is to get off medication by the first of the year. I have talked with different moms inthe waiting room and have heard so many wonderful testimonies on their success with neurofeedback!

Because research is showing that neurofeedback works, it is covered under a lot of insurances now!

GL!

3930 Glade Rd
Max Health Family Medicine
Colleyville, TX 76034

Good morning ladybug. I can totally relate. My son was diagnosed with motor skill dyslexia and ADHD. He started his medication for the first time today. I was also against meds., but I see now that he needs more help than what I can give him through positive reinforment and encourgment. I am anxious to see how he does at school and how he react to the medication. You may want to talk to your doctor about changing your son's meds. I don't know what medication your son is on, but read the Adverse Reactions and see if aggressive behavior is one of them. Check with the school to see if they offer a service called Community in Schools, this program helps the children with self estemm issues and behavoir issues. My son will be starting this program at his school today as well. Good luck and I can totally relate to what you are going through. You described my son to a "T" when you were describing your son's behavior. Let me know how thing go for you. Good luck and hang in there, our sons are totally worth the extra effort. God Bless!

First, I suggest a supplement called Calm (Kids version or adult version that you can cut the dose for). It's a powder, dissolves in water, tastes great, and can be purchased at Whole Foods. Ask anyone in their nutrition section to point it out to you and to find out about its use with epilepsy. Not CalmesForte, but the Calm brand magnesium powder. One container will last for months, cost 25.00 and is a low, risk place to start that may really help soften the behavior. Then I suggest finding a good therapist and considering other learning environments that may best support your child. Not necessarily an "alternative" school, just one that may better fit with your child.

I saw improvement in my son after I took him through NAET treatments. This focused mainly on the nutritional aspect, clearing up any food intolerances that he had. This certainly didn't solve the whole problem with his behavior, but it helped. Since then, he is rarely sick. Dr. Steve Homoky is at Coit & Spring Creek, and specializes in helping children. He is an acupuncturist, but doesn't use needles on kids, so no worries there. ###-###-####. Take the meds your son is on to the appointment, so he can see if they are fighting against each other. He uses muscle response testing to do this.

You may need to change schools once you get your son's problems under control. Children don't like it when their peers suddenly start behaving and taking their entertainment away. That's been hard for us. My son is an 8th grader now, and his classmates still try hard to push his buttons to see him "explode". It's a learning opportunity for all of us! Good luck!

My suggestion is to try Love and Logic (www.loveandlogic.com). It is a consistent, choices and consequences approach that helps build a strong relationship between the child and parent/teacher and helps them learn real world responsibility. As a L & L parent and 4th grade teacher, I think it would be perfect to have the consistency of the approach and it would really help your son to have a behavior plan at school where you and the teachers are on the same page. If you'd like to email me I'd be more than happy to give you more details on my opinion from the teacher and parent perspective. Hang in there and remember that you are your son's most important advocate.

One thing you might consider is asking for your son to be tested for special ed, and you may not even have to go that route. When a child is diagnosed with a health issue by a medical doctor, such as ADHD, they can automatically qualify for special education services under the diagnosis of OHI (Other Health Imapairment) and can receive the special education services that the committee deems reasonable. He could go to smaller classes and still get the same work, but in a smaller environment, which may be easier for him to deal with. You can also add "modifications" to his work in order for him to be successful. That is the goal.
Also, you may want to talk to your pediatrician or psychiatrist, whoever is writing his prescriptions and see if maybe a change in medicine is due or maybe he's grown and he's just not getting enough for his weight...just a thought.
I wish you luck.

~B.

My son also experienced behavior problems in the second grade. We first did the behavioral class at school and the counseling at school. They also said that he we was a great kid with a good personality but could not handle when kids picked on him. He throw any thing he could get his hands on. I called my pediatrician and he referred me to an outside counseling center. They found out he was ADD and ODC (oppositional defiant disorder). He is now taking 15 mg of Adderal and he was talking with a therapist twice a week then it went to once a week and then it stopped. Even though we still have our days, I found that this method did work for me.

Is home schooling an option for you? If so, there are some fabulous networks of moms in the area for support. Good luck.

I know an alternative school sounds bad but I chose to go when i was in high school. I probably would not have graduated if I hadn't. You might want to look into it, or just take a tour. It never hurts to look. I have a friend whith a son who had severe adhd and depression they ended up doing nuerofeedback and he does not need any meds now good luck

This brings back lots of memories for me. My second son was just like your boy. There were times I wasn't sure we would survive with any sanity intact. Keep reassuring him of your love. Punishment doesn't work well, because the behavior of an ADHD child is so spontaneous there is very little thought involved. Future consequences just don't cross his mind.
Talk to your doctor, see if there is a possible change needed in his medication. I understand you not wanting to use the medicine, but it may be the only way he has a chance to listen enough to comprehend instructions. There is so much mental "noise" going on in their heads, it is very hard to focus.
We also used dietary changes and that helped the most. I know the medical community doesn't agree, but we saw too many good results. He craved sugar. He would climb into the cabinets to find it and eat it by the spoonful. I severly cut back on his sugar intake and made sure he couldn't get to the sugar when I wasn't around. We read labels and cut out anything with red dye in it. The fewer the additives the better. He also broke one arm and then the very next summer he broke the other one and it took all summer and into the first month of autumn for it to knit together. We realized that his body had trouble utilizing calcium even though he was getting "enough" in his diet. I started him on a natural calcium supplement, made from plant sources. The added calcium helped a lot. The combination of things made a noticiable difference.
My husband and I also took a parenting class specifically for parents of ADHD children. We gradually taught him to recognize when he was getting out of control and how to calm himself down. In public we used gentle hand signals to tell him he needed to calm down. We also became very vocal advocates for our son with the school. I volunteered at the school often and peeked into the classroom from time to time. Teachers didn't like it, but not knowing when I might look in, they treated him better. How a teacher treats him in class makes a big difference in classroom behavior. Not all teachers have the patience or training in how to help ADHD children.
My son is now forty. There are still some problems, but he is aware of them and works to keep on an even keal. He still can not have much sugar, it affects him like too much coffee does other people. He has a good job and takes good care of his family. It was a challenge but the good times do outweigh the bad in the long run.

Hi M.! You are smart to want to tackle this now- while you can - when they are older it will be harder to control or to get them to try anything. The first thing I would look at is his diet- also Chiropractic care has seemed to help for some people that I know. Try contacting Ryan Price and see if he can assist you or direct you to someone that can -
###-###-####
Also= is there a chance that the cross of meds- for epilepsy and the ADHD may be counter acting with each other?
I know of a pediatrician that actually does house calls- she may have some good advice www.kidcalls.net ###-###-####
I do know that Diet can definitely make a difference-if you doctor hasn't suggest that - try a specialist and strt from there- just hang in there- I know its not easy.
D.
(tell them D. from Party Angels sent you)

Have you tried any nutritional intervention? So many of the symptoms you are describing can be attributed to kids lacking certain vitamins or not processing them appropriately. You may even be able to stop the ADHD meds if you get him on the right vitamins and eating properly.
If you need a good recommendation email me privately and I'll give you our nutritionists' information.
K

I have a friend whose daughter had a similar problem. The school and parents worked very hard to determine which children and which behavior really set her off. They also worked with her on her reactions, giving her alternative responses so she could feel in control, but get along. They seperated her daughter from the children who were most likely to get her going. It has been something that they have had to watch constantly, but she is doing well. She is in 6th grade now. Good luck.

You might want to check into Great Lakes Academy, a small private school in Plano that specializes in teaching kids with ADHD and various learning differences with average to above average intellegence. Their number is ###-###-#### or visit their website at www.greatlakesacademy.com. Kids like your son don't wake up in the morning trying to figure out how they are going to ruin the day. They are happy and energetic and are extremely excited about life when they are understood. GLA is just the place for him and others like him. Good Luck.

i hope this will help. i have a 10 year old and 5 year old boys and they are adh!!!!!my oldest son was in private school and when we put him in public school there was a major adjustment. one reason we put him in public school is because he needs social behavioral control and boy in public school it was a crash course last year. if there was a good private school for older kids i would put him back there. he does great in small classes, more one on one help, the children are usually kinder to other children. my 5 year old is in private school and God willing he'll stay there until 3rd grade. my oldest son's couselor told us it is easier for children like mine to adjust to public school better in elementary. i am worried about next year. I just pray. i can 't help youi with epilepsy but i do sympathize with you. my oldest when he got mad or got his feelings hurt he would say things that were wrong but he didn't mean it. do not put your son in alternative school unless an educated counselor or doctor suggests otherwise. this could be very denimental to your son. the public school is over whelmed and wants to pass him along. keep in touch if you want.
SAHM to two wonderful but active boys.

Does your child get occupational therapy services? Has he been evaluated for sensory processing disorder? Many kids that have ADHD/ADD have sensory processing probelms and also some seizures canbe triggered by overstimulated sensory systems. You can go to SPDnetwork for more information. There is a great facility in Denton. Their website is www.hopepediatrictherapy.com

There are alot of helpful responses, please check out the site www.newideas.net. Take some time to read it and look at all they have to say. It is really helpful. Also www.thetotaltransformation.com. I pray you find the answers you are seeking. It is not easy but worth the fight. My son is also 8 and struggles with some of the same issues. These 2 sites have the best info and all natural approach, as all medication has side affects. Good luck and many blessings.

Is there one youngster at school that he pals around with. Is there someone special in class that he likes a lot. What I would do is have that person over after school for a play date and let them get to know each other very well. Then ask the teacher to sit the two of them together at school - maybe across from each other. Having someone close by that he likes and likes him could really help his self-esteem.

I have a similar situation with my son - he's always gone to private school until this year. When he entered public school it's like his brain left him. He has no confidence, doesn't do the work, and says that he is dumb. It's all new to him and he's not adapting very well.

Good Luck - I know how frustrating this must be. My prayers are with you.

L. D

My daughter and I are both on anti-convulsants and meds for ADHD. She is 14-years-old and was diagnosed at age five or six. A couple of questions come to mind - what type of doctor is prescribing his meds? You won't get any argument from me about the effectiveness of ADHD meds. We've used them for years and they make a world of difference. I think a lot of people who come out against them haven't faced some of the issues we face. However, if you are not seeing a specialist, you may want to consider it as a child neurologist has a greater knowledge of the effects and benefits of various meds. Some effect the child's behavior in a negative way and all that is needed is another med. Because of the short half-life of these drugs, trying a new one (under a doctor's care of course) is not a long, drawn out process like it is to try a new anti-convulsant. I recommend Texas Child Neurology. We have had great success there and so have many friends. I also recommend that you look up Shelton School,a private school geared to intelligent children with learning differences like ADHD, dyslexia, etc. It has been a real God-send for us. It is pricey but if it is a little too steep (with today's economy a loaf of bread is too steep!) you can find some resources through them. The school is the oldest and largest school of its type in the country and has many resources and programs for children who do not attend there. My best to you and know that you are not alone in all of this.