Anyone with kids with ADHD? How do you deal?

It is not easy but you will get through it. Make sure you have a good support system, and have patience. It get's easier the older they get.

They can be such a handful.... Not just the hyperactivity, but the behavior itself.... I'm worried about the ADHD progressing to conduct disorder....

Mornin :)...Is this your child Pansy?...Your profile says no kiddies...Even so, parents need to stay calm...It's hard, but anger will only serve as a negative trigger to an ADHD child...Another thing, sit on your hand if that's what it takes to keep from doing everything "for him/her"...ADHA kids need to be encouraged to do things for themselves...They need continuity...The more structure, the less distracted they are...Educate yourself...And last, celebrate your child's individuality...ADHD kids are often very creative and highly intelligent little peeps who have much to offer....

Patience and respite. Consistency and token-reward system.

Oh, not my child, Leigh..... My nephew... His parents are great... I've been reading up on the condition and found some journals pertaining to it. I don't want to alarm his parents about something that may not actually be there. So I just thought to ask about actual experiences.
He's almost 9, very bright... Sometimes too bright, that it leans towards oppositional....
Thanks for your advice.... Like they say, takes a village...

Thanks Tanya...sounds like the way to go for any child :)

If he's nine they can request testing through the school.

My son has diagnoses of ADHD and Aspergers.

Both may have presentations of oppositional disorder.

Best to examine when the opposition happens. Could be sensory overload. Could be frustration. And not actually willful opposite.

If its oppositional disorder, it will be for nearly everything. If you say the sun is shining, they will say no.

An autistic\Aspergers kid, will say there is clouds too and explain that the sun can't shine with clouds covering it.

An adhd kid will probably stop what they doing and go look to see if the sun is shining and then want to go outside but then bounce on the couch because the window was near the couch and then see something on tv and ask over and over again for a new toy.

But there are wide variations of behaviors for each. That's why testing is important.

Thanks Tanya, that gave me a lot of insight...

ADHD AND Aspergers? I have nothing to say but salute to you. Takes a lot of patience and self control.

He also has seizure disorder... I think the meds help keep him less hyper than if without. We're just waiting for the end of the 2 year seizure free period... Just a couple more months left... Fingers crossed...

He doesnt oppose all the time, but he does have a tendency to get physical... Esp if he can't get his way, even if he knows it's wrong... And does things on purpose, even if he knows it's wrong... Sometimes to the point of daring you to try to call him out on it....

With the siezures, he will qualify for social security disability and many more services.

Sounds like he has more than ADHD going on. And what may appear as defiance, but my be overstimulation.

he is willful at times... hopefully the seizures are the benign type, Rolandic...

thanks for the advice... ill look into the matter a little more

Let me put it this way....

If someone tells you to put your hand on a red hot stove burner, you are going to say no because it will hurt.

When a child (with special needs) is over stimulated or in sensory overload, they will tell you no because they don't want to be uncomfortable either.

alright... im getting it

thanks for helping me understand better

My son is 32 now and was diagnosed with ADHD when he was three. Sure it is harder to raise a child that has problems. My son was more on the comprehension problems.. He was good in school no problems with the teachers.. Most of his acting out or anger issues was all done at home.. I was happy that it was just me seeing him like that instead of being disruptive in school.

As far as any meds it was not where I wanted to go and was lucky enough that where he was tested they did not recommend meds unless a child was totally out of control.

He was in some special Ed classes all the way through school.. Where they would sit down and read him the problems or stories.. He would read it and you could ask him what he read. He could not tell you.. But if it was read to him or showed how to do something he could do it without a problem..

The main thing I found that helped my son while growing up was finding what it was that really grabbed his attention and would keep him occupied. For most things he was not interested in. When I found what did catch his attention we made sure he had everything he needed to do with what ever it was..

The only time I put my son on meds was when he went into the 6th grade which was recommend. In order for him to make the transaction from Elementary school to Middle school and only had him on half a pill of the lowest dosage we could put him on..

Most boys when they reach puberty seem to level out on how they do things and able to control their anger. It is tough even at times when they get older.

Many boys with ADHD are very mechanically incline.. You can show them how to take something apart or how to fix something one time and they can do it again no problem.. But if some of them have to read instructions then it frustrates them cause they don't comprehend the instructions..

Not saying it was easy raising a son that is ADHD but now you would never know it if you met him... It takes a lot of patience and understanding.. They are normally kids that to discipline them spankings do not work..Taking things away only made him more angry. I Finally figured out the only way to get through to my son was sitting down and talking to him face to face.. Giving them more one on one time makes a difference.

By the time my son was 16 he started building his own race car. And did all the welding ect was ready to hit the track right before his 18th birthday..Honestly never thought he would finish it is why I agreed to let him build it. Due to that my brother called him and hired him in his machine shop... Now he works Pipeline and has his own horse carriage he does downtown Fort Worth in the Stockyards that he built all by himself.

I also keep him in sports starting at 3 years old started with soccer... Sports are great if they like them helps get all that built up energy out... Main thing is to find what it is that keeps their attention... and flood them with it...


Opps sorry for the book...

Kristi, my son sounds just like yours except he doesn't play sports. He is going to be 12 soon and I am hoping he mellows out because he has been acting out more.

not at all txsgal... i appreciate it much...
i always find that there is much to learn from parents of children with special needs or medical conditions... not just about the problem at hand, but life and love itself... i admire you/them for your resilience...

often times, social conditions preclude us from providing the best for these kids... thank you for sharing your experience with me.

we're also lucky that he doesn't become too distruptive at school... just mostly in the house, especially with a lower frustration tolerance...he tends to act out physically and verbally...

we do try as much to distract him away from things that may overstimulate him, like video games and too much tv, once he gets into it, it becomes very hard to make him stop...

thanks again!