Advice on ADD?

My son has been diagnosed with ADHD since he was age 4. We went thru all the issues many of you went thru with our son. We refused to put him on meds instead structured our home activities, provided stability in our daily routines. If we knew ahead of time that an event was going to occur at school or perhaps away from home that we prepared him ahead of time. Coaching him about his mannerisms and behavior. This seemed to help some with his behavior but we still had to deal with those out of control hyperactive tantrums when we were not with him. He would throw a full fit screaming, crying, jumping and what not if he did not get his way not doing the same activities as the other kids. After much research we found a solution for our son.

Omega 3 - with DHA. Studies have revealed that many children who are diagnosed with ADHD lack in omega nutrients which you can get from eating fish. The omega with DHA has been found to help children focus better.

I was skeptic about this at first but decided this was a natural way to trying to help our son. We started to give him NORDIC NATURALS - CHILDRENS DHA on December 12,2007. The first few weeks proved to be unsuccessful at school but by the time we rolled around late January beginning of February its like something kicked in. My son has been doing exceptional in school, at home and in a lot of other areas!

Teachers have noticed a difference as well even sending letters of acknowledgment of great behavior for our son were being sent home. We coach our sons soccer we've noticed his involvement with other children has changed, no more need to feel to invade their space, overwhelming them with his hyper activeness, or constantly fidgeting or feeling the need to constantly grab onto peoples clothes or act out for attention. In situations where its loud, rambunctious as well as out of order my son would go bazirk now he remains by my side and all the chaos that surrounds him doesn't seem to affect him.

Patience is key but giving these fish oil pills a chance is worth it it worked for us but it took over 1 1/2 month later. My son doesn't mind the taste of these small pills as they are gluten free and coated to taste like strawberry. I give him four pills in the morning with his breakfast and keep him away from red dyes, sugar products as well as switching his milk to soy milk sometimes milk gives children allergies which affect can have some effect on his behavior.

I can honestly say living with a child that has ADHD is a challenge. Are we scared of a relapse of course but we know that all children have their days and when it does happen we will be there to encourage him and support him to get back on track.

My son sees a psychologist biweekly, is enrolled in scouts, enrolled in soccer and now football. Make sure your son gets out there to talk to a professional check out your local park districts sometimes they have some on site and base fee on your income. Don't give up hope. My son is 7 and it now feels like we are FINALLY having that special relationship that we strongly desired.

Good Luck!

First of all, I just want to say I applaud you for not reaching for the medication right away.Sometimes 10 year old boys are just very active. Have you tried getting him a big kid friendly planner? You could have the teacher write down what he needs to do that night, and you could help him with it when he gets home and initial it. If the teacher feels that he stayed on task in class he could get a gold star, or something that could eventually be exchanged for a reward ( a trip to get ice cream, ect.) If you have tried all other methods of getting him focused, then really but a lot of time and effort into finding an excellent psychiatrist who can do a full battery of tests on him before you turn to medication.Best of luck to you and your son!

I would talk to the child's doctor, I know that the medication can cause headaches if he is not on the correct dosage. They may need to adjust the dosage. My child was on strattera and he became depressed and cried a lot. They have other medications that work well. My son did well on adderall. Don't give up and you will eventually find the right one for him.

If he has trouble forgetting things, like i do...go to the store and get him this really cool planner a very colorful printed folder and some colorfull sticky notes,when he's at school, whenever the teacher hands out an assignment, have him write a sticky note, place it in his planner and stick the assignment in the folder! I'm a junior in highschool, and have the same problem sometimes, i have been doing this sence the 5th grade and it has helped me ever sence!

This is not a good idea at all. You want to make him happy. What about your happiness? Does he not care about that. Lets face it most men (if not all) fantasize about having a 3some at one point or another. That's all it should be a fantasy. If you were 100% on board maybe then it would be different, but its obvious you are not. The only person I ever knew that was involved in a married 3some. She was the other woman and the husband became obsessed with her. It was a horrible mess and ended in divorce and a restraining order on the hubby.

Are there any tutors available at the school? If not, I'd look into a "Sylvan Learning" or similar type program. My sister was like this when very young, she always needed someone on top of her. My parents put her in the after school tutors and the work/focus vastly improved. My nephew also has "ADD" (i am not one who believes in these diagnoses or meds) and they have him working with tutors after school, and of course, when he's home, his mom sits with him while he's doing his homework. If thats not an option for you, what about hiring an older student (8th grade or above) to sit with him either after school or on weekends and help?

I have two boys with ADHD. They both take straterra and both are on a behavior modification plan. The first thing is that drugs alone will not take care of the problem, he and you need to see a family counselor who is trained in dealing with ADD/ADHD kids, also have him evaluated my a neurologist. He may have a learning disability and may have been mis-diagnosed. My sister has a learning disability and when she was a kid they thought she was mildly autistic. Instead she had a form of dyslexia and childhood depression that caused her to get very frustrated and cry when trying to read. A neurologist can sort out all of the symptoms and administer a test that can narrow it down.

Have you spoken with the doctor about the side effects of Straterra, there are other medications out there that will help your child to be able to focus and keep on task.

Wow...Joe C above is crazy. I work at a pediatricians office and neither of those doctors think its a myth. I sure hope Joe C isn't a doctor!!

I can't really say too much except you should call his doctor and tell them you are concerned he might have ADD.

Good Luck!!

My 11-year-old stepson has ADHD. He takes Concerta, which seems to work better from him than Strattera. Different kids will respond differently to different medications, and you might have to experiment with the dosage. Your doctor should be able to advise you on several different available medications.

ADD is a myth. Get him out of that dumb public school and way from those pressure mongers. This "disease" is away of shifting the blame from the school system to the helpless student /victim.

"His teacher says this and that." Walk in there and take him out, giving people a football-style stiff arm if you have to.

NO NORMAL CHILD could sit through most of the educational environment today without being dianosed what THEY LABEL as "ADD" or "ADHD."

THIS "DISEASE" DID NOT EXIST 30 YEARS AGO AND CHILDREN'S proclivities to be normal was recognized as such, instead of a "disease."

SHE'S STANDING OVER HIM NAGGING HIM? GIVING HER A FEMALE VERSION OF A BUST IN THE MOUTH AND TAKE HIM OUT OF THERE!

GET HIM OFF OF THOSE ABUSIVE DRUGS AND SUE THOSE PRESCRIBING THEM. THIS IS CHILD ABUSE AND THOSE PEOPLE NEED TO BE ARRESTED AND JAILED! If doctors have prescribed medications, then they need to have their licences suspended and be sued for malpractice.

Don't listen to some of the other clueless posters on here. Many people on this board are not quallified to answer, and they have already sacrificed their children and to political correctness. There is NOTHING wrong with your son, except the abuse being inflicted upon him!