Anybody's kids have ADD?

[Jason1212]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

In many situations medication is needed in others the child needs to become more active. The doctor that delivered my daughter firmly believed the best cure for ADD was an ass whoopin. My daughter has issues focusing and when she does we cut TV out totally. Kid's senses are overloaded these days with technology and media of all types. The only problem with that is the real world does not move at cartoon or video game speed. Like was also stated kids are inactive and getting them active helps as well. That is hard to do in Texas though given the extreme heat we have here. Going for walks in the evening and riding her bike at that same time has been a big help for my seven year old.

[donf]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

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The doctor that delivered my daughter firmly believed the best cure for ADD was an ass whoopin

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Didn't work. (One of my stops in my full circle). [img]/images/graemlins/poke.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[sully]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

em, my g/f has a skating student that has ADD and his parents are very involved with helping him manage it. they've noticed that their son does better in school on wednesday; partially because he's skating his ass off tuesday night and is worn out. i know that part has been mentioned and addressed in the thread, and that's cool that she's active.

the other thing that i can think of is that the family's daily stress is finally having an impact on her. it's awesome that your family is loving, etc, but this could be where the effects of the military life (or at least the stressful situation that the family has to deal with) is rearing its ugly head. like donf, i've raised my son on my own since he was 1 and 1/2 (the nursing was such a bitch - i was chafed for months!)and he started to show the stress of not having his mom around right when he was your daughter's age. i took him to speak with a therapist, and it's helped.

it's awesome that you've gone to the extents that you have, and as an herbalist, i'm sure that the conventional medicine route isn't something you have a lot of stock in, but i applaud your open mindedness.

sully

[scaristei]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

I so totally agree with Horns666 - Everything he stated ! ! ! Establishing "routine" and being "consistant" with it are soooooo important! I did forget one other aspect to investigate...that being "toxisity"....Led poisioning in particular....or perhaps an allergy to some plant (mine was "night blooming Jazmine" - gave me violent asthma attacks - and it took over a year of detective work to discover it....I mention "tox" only because this behavior that you described, seemed to come up rather quickly. But I still am leaning towards the elliviation of "stress" and creation of a strong and balanced "routine"!
Good luck !
Isn't it amazing how important our kids are to us.....And we used to complain to our parents how "overly protective" they were!!!

[donf]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

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(the nursing was such a bitch - i was chafed for months!)

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[img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Jason1212]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

Oh I hear ya on that my nephew was the same way. He had to be medicated there was nothing else that worked. There really is not a silver bullet for these situations. You just have to stay open to suggestion and stay flexible.

[donf]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

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You just have to stay open to suggestion and stay flexible.

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Your right. That why I recommended to Emmy to educate herself, listen to suggestions and observe. I found the most helpful weapon I had was knowledge of 'what it is' or 'what is is not'.
Before that I was pigheaded (nothing really changed much over the years either [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]).

[Newc]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

There is not one man-made drug that is not found in safer form in nature, and except for the convenient "all-in-one" packaging, synthetics have no benefit over natural substances.
Don't go for Valium, go for Valerian Root.
Drop the Lipitor and grab some grapefruit instead.

Your daughter is not only bored because she's smarter than her teachers, she's also had the will to care about doing her best sucked out of her by the one teacher who kept shooting her down out of petty ignorance and jealousy.

There's a vast difference between being physically unable to maintain focus and simply not giving a shi*, and when a child learns to not give a shi* from an authority figure like a teacher, it's actually worse on them than being physically unable to maintain focus. My brother and I went through the same crap as kids - being smarter than the teachers, much less the other kids around us. Years after we left school, the Louisiana Board Of Education made all the teachers in the state take the same tests they had been giving us for years, and 90% of the teachers in the schools we had attended failed!

I was reading and comprehending on a College level in 5th grade. Math was always my weak spot because every year we had a different teacher and every one taught it differently, so it became impossible for me to grasp because I was getting conflicting information - the book said one thing and the teacher said the opposite, but if I didn't do it the teacher's way, I failed. If I can't do it like it says in the book, what's the point of the book?
So I stopped even trying at it.
Everything else I could ace with no problem, mostly without studying for a test, but that one subject and the inept teachers I had to suffer with scarred me for life. Even now I can sit down with someone and have them explain Algebra to me and it's simple as falling off a log. Give me a test on it and I immediately flash back to what those 'tards drilled into my head.

Whenever the school says your daughter has a problem, THEY are the problem your daughter is having. Their backwards, close-minded, limited-intellect, worthless, petty little "skool sistum" is a detriment to the kids that go there, and they're "another brick in the wall".

Your daughter is smart enough to understand when you explain things to her rationally, right? Explain it to her rationally that despite what the idiots she has to suffer with tell her, she should always do what YOU tell her to do, and what is right. Also be sure to teach her that someone else's opinion of her means absolutely nothing.

[~K~]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

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My brother and I went through the same crap as kids - being smarter than the teachers, much less the other kids around us.

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Jesus, WTF happened between then and now [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[donf]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

Could very well be Newc, but I wouldn't set my site on one target.

I don't know what kind of behavior she's diplaying on the homefront. If all seems 'peachy ' when she is home, then it would definitly narrow your options.

In my scenario, both school and home life was of concern. (not that he was bad, but I noticed other than normal changes).

[Emthrax]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

[ QUOTE ]
There is not one man-made drug that is not found in safer form in nature, and except for the convenient "all-in-one" packaging, synthetics have no benefit over natural substances.
Don't go for Valium, go for Valerian Root.
Drop the Lipitor and grab some grapefruit instead.

Your daughter is not only bored because she's smarter than her teachers, she's also had the will to care about doing her best sucked out of her by the one teacher who kept shooting her down out of petty ignorance and jealousy.

There's a vast difference between being physically unable to maintain focus and simply not giving a shi*, and when a child learns to not give a shi* from an authority figure like a teacher, it's actually worse on them than being physically unable to maintain focus.



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Newc, you freakin' RULE, man! [img]/images/graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]
You described the situation perfectly, that is exactly it. She does not give a shit, and I do know why.
"There is not one man-made drug that is not found in safer form in nature, and except for the convenient "all-in-one" packaging, synthetics have no benefit over natural substances." That is absolutely correct.

Quick herbal lesson:
Western medicine is derived from plants/flowers/roots etc. The main active constituent is removed and made into a drug. Or is created in a lab (synthetics) to mimic the actual thing. But the problem is that when this constituent is removed and isolated it is no longer balanced by the other chemical constiuents that make up a plant's healing properties. This is where the side-effects come in.
Okay, yes, some plants do also have side-effects... if you are experiencing them you are using them wrong. Classic example... Ephedra.
Anyway...
The problem with western medicine is that doctors treat symptoms. Holistic medicine looks for the cause and heals that way. If you put a band-aid on a symptom, perhaps it will go away. But if you do not treat the cause, it will manifest itself in another way. I have seen it, this is fact. The very first thing I do with my clients is to sit down with them and have them tell me about their nutrition and their lifestyle. That is always always key.

The big ADD debate, yes, I am familiar with it, I've read journals on it from the holistic world. I'm otherwise not familiar with it.
I used to mentor a 10 yr. old girl who was on Ritalin. She would complain to me about how horrible it made her feel, like she wasn't herself. Her family had major major issues, it was just a fucking mess.
I agree that for some children/adults, this type of medication may be very valuabe. Most definitely. But I also think that there are other alternatives, I'm exploring those now.

Yes, our lifestyle has been hell. No doubt about that. Now that our kids are older it is affecting them more when their Dad is gone. How would you feel as a kid if when you came home from school your Dad was gone and you didn't know where he was and when he was coming back? Or if he would come back? It's fucking scary as hell.
I keep it together for them and give them hope and let them know their Dad is okay. We're not in a situation where he is going off to war anymore, but that is hard for them to understand. All they know is that their Dad is gone a lot.
Everything we do we do together as a family, we make a huge deal out of our togetherness. Still... therapy with someone who is impartial may very well benefit Khosi. That is a good idea. Self-expression is a big part of who we are as a family, especially being that Keith and I are both musicians. Both of our kids have every avenue open to them to explore their creativity and vent and do what they need to do in a healthy expressive way.

Being non-partial in our observation is an excellent point, Don. We'll do that.

Khosi's behavior at home is fine. She definitely has an issue with authority, but that is something she has always had since being in the womb. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] What a little tiger!
But I don't see her issues at home as being out of the ordinary, her behavior compared to her peers (even at school) is well above and beyond. She's well behaved kid.
She sleeps well, eats well, and is otherwise healthy.
At home she does not act out and she is not malicious, she gets frustrated just like we all do, but she deals with it well and gets over it quickly.
She's not fidgity or nervous or anything, just spaces out and has problems committing herself to anything.

At school her behaviour is also fine, she just gets bored and when she's bored she pulls a Calvin and will say "This is boring. I'm not doing this." Or, "I already know this, this is a waste of my time". The latter being her favorite.
To get her to do her work her teacher will remove priveleges but Khosi honestly does NOT give a shit. She does not care at all. A lot of that I think is genetic because Keith and I are just like that. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Anyway... this is long and rambly. [img]/images/graemlins/sleep.gif[/img]
Thanks for letting me hash this out here and for your continued replies. Don... shoot me the name of that book if you find it. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

-Em

P.S. Sullymonster, too bad I didn't know ya when you were nursing! I have just the thing for chapped nipples! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[atomic charvel guy]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

my mom still does not know what to do with me, and i have every confidence in the world that you will solve this EM. i did not read this thread but put a softball in her hands or a tennis raquet, ya never know. i still use the raquet to hit things and i feel better after i thrash the living room-lol. you'll know what to do in time. i think she will be o.k. under your fine tutelage.

[ozzuk1]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

Hey Em I think it coudl jsut be that last years teacher being so bad put her off she should be back into the swing of things by crimbo....(Xmas)

I had a similar experience with an old english teacher, severely messed me up for my last english exam as she was so awefull...

Ozz

[fett]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

I just may be an old fart. In the 50's and 60's there was no such thing as ADD or any of the this "my kid can't cope and neither can I" stuff. Children react to their enviornment. When it is good, life is great. When it is "bad", not to their liking, kids rebel. They are telling the parents something. It is up to the parent to get from the kid what is the matter. Then, it is up to the parent to work out with the child what will make everyone happy. It is also up to the parent to treat a youngster with a lot more respect. That is, they see everything with no blinders. Drugs let the patents off the hook. I know I am going to be slammed on this. But what has changed in 20 years, my kid's age,? Has the gene pool of all you young parents been so compromised that you are giving birth to ADD kids? I think the whole ADD scam has been foisted on us by a bunch of school administrators that have no budgets and underpayed teachers and are trying to "Crank them out". If it takes drugs to do it, they will.

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Anybody\'s kids have ADD?

Some of that may be true fett. But I really wonder if the chemicals that have been appearing in all the foods we eat dont have repercussions with our kids.

I assure you that the growth hormones in beef and chicken are affecting them. Some 12-13 year old girls PHYSICALLY look like 18 year olds nowdays!

I think the kids are quite affected by all this stuff that is in the food we have to eat.