coping with ADHD

My daughter was found to have ADHD when she was in Kindergarten. I was very surprised at the amount of time it took the teacher to diagnose her with it. I have to repeat things to her. I also use the reward system which did work for awhile and in public. With my grandson his PSR working has taught him what is called the Turtle. He has anger issues alot with the ADHD and mood disorder. The turle is hugging yourself basically and breathing, counting. Lowering the breathing helps him to calm down.

Prozac and duct tape. Nah, just kidding. My son was diagnosed with ADHD. As a matter of fact, his school refused to believe me when I told them that his pediatrician, who was also a child behavioral specialist, said he had ADHD. They refused to believe the letter that stated my son had ADHD. I had to take my son to Johns Hopkins Hospital's Kennedy Kreiger Institute (child behavioral testing/treatment center) and spent $2,000.00 of my own money to have him tested there. After two entire days of testing, it was determined by them that my son had ADHD. I took that letter to the school and they FINALLY believed me and altered my son's teaching methods to accommodate his short attention span, i.e., giving him tests in 3 or 4 parts, one at a time, instead of handing him the entire test at once which made him feel overwhelmed to where he would instantly lose attention, stuff like that. I had to help him with his homework the same way. He was also on medication for awhile but, when the strength of that medication was continually increased, I told the doctor that I didn't want him on it anymore. I also had ADD when I was young and still do have it, as a matter of fact. I was never officially diagnosed but I had/have the same symptoms as my son so I know I have it. I began to train my son in the methods that I found worked best for me. In trying to remember things, I use association and it has always worked for me. When he started doing that, he found he could remember much better. I learned to write down anything I considered important, to the extent that I always carry a small notebook with me. My son has done this, at least when he remembers to. Notes placed strategically help to get the ADD mind back on track, like putting lists of important things where you know you will see them, such as the bathroom mirror. I was kind of surprised that you mentioned your son absorbing information even when he appeared to be completely absorbed in something else. My son's teachers all told me that, even though my son was busy playing with his shoelaces, staring out a window, doodling on paper, he always had the answer when asked a question. He, like your son, appeared to be not paying attention at all but everything was being absorbed into that incredible brain of his. Oh, another coping skill I've used and still do is that I ask my son to remember things for me and I try to remember things for him. We're not always successful but having two brains trying to remember one thing makes it more likely that at least one of us will remember.

Hi, winterose I read about ADHD and other problems like it some years ago. The book was written by a Doctor Joaquin Gonzales Aragón, a Mexican doctor who knows a lot about brain related problems like ADHD, DAMP, dementia and even schizophrenia. This book shows how important it is to know what kind of fats we should eat to feed our brain. 60% of our brain consists of fats, and it is very important to feed it with right kind of fats. I did a search with his name and found the book! http://www.icpkp.com/Product?Action=View&Product_id=293 One woman, who is a nurse and has done a lot of research, told us that boys need three times the amount of Omega3 fats than girls. I wonder if these ADHD and other symptoms could appear more frequent in boys..?? After I started using Salmon Oil from gnld.com (I think that doctor is still using it too on his patients)together with other food supplements, my memory and concentration works a lot better..