4yr. old diagnosed with adhd/odd...
my daughter has cp, got married to man who's family has mental disabilities, he does but now he's gone she and i are left with two children. the 4yr. has been diagnosed with adhdodd.the 10 month old has been showing signs of anger and is slow in learning even tho he has not been diagnosed. my q? how can i help ggranddaughter? i dont know how to deal with the odd. i want go into detail about me but i will say that i am her caretaker and I need help.so does her mom please advise me.HELP. there's more but not enough room. HELP PLEASE.
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Be sure he is eating pure foods, organic if you can manage it. No dyes, no white flour, no non-naturally occuring sugars or sweeteners. Ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist who is familiar with and equipped to advise on the needs of a child with his diagnosis. If his diet has included any school lunches, eliminate them. Pack his lunch, and monitor his intake at home. If he has had a "typical" American diet, there is a strong possibility that he is malnourished, even if his weight is normal. Ask your pharmacist, preferably one who has experience with complementary medicine (not just your doctor) about potential long term effects or contraindications of any medication(s) your boy is prescribed. Make sure he is receiving the appropriate supplements as he needs them. Throw your TV and any other video based equipment (well, maybe not your computer), out the window. They have no place in the life of a 4 year old anyway, and produce inappropriate stimulus. Run his legs off - he should be outside about 4 hours a day, and make sure he is in bed sound asleep by 8:30.
The smart gal who mentioned that part of his troubles may be exacerbated by a traditional classroom setting is on to something....be your child's advocate in this area. There are a lot of public schools that have experimented with separate boy and girl learning environments - get informed now so you can act on his behalf when school starts next year, and do not let them assign him to "special ed" under any circumstances. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the website, but if you go to family.org I think you can search their site and find the link to the program that is advocating separate classrooms for boys who act like boys (and girls who act like girls, for that matter).
There are three books that are worth reading - The ADHD Myth, The War on Boys, and Wild Colts Make the Best Horses. They all have underlying political bias, but they are very informative with regard to how the current educational system has made it a priority to push boyhood (and manhood) into the category of fringe behaviors.
I certainly am not a medical professional, and perhaps there are legitimate reasons for the diagnosis your boy received, but don't buy it hook, line and sinker. Please don't assume that medication and traditional "therapy" are the only means available for a happy outcome for your family. I wish you the very best! Your vigilance will pay off for your son.
ADHD is usally diagnosed because a child does not function or learn in a class room how the teacher/ school would like them too. Usually they say the child is disruptive if they do not follow orders or sit quietly like the other kids. Schools can only deal with kids who learn buy lecture. Not everyone learns this way! most are hands on and this may be the case for your child. Really there is nothing wrong with your son. He just has energy and a lot of curiosity! As for OCC( which is what i think you meant) this is a nervous condition. It is stressful for a child who feels left out because they are different ( or so their teacher may say). This can translate into complusive things. It will get better!!
Its so hard to hear this. The ADHD diagnosis is a very very hard one. Oppositional defiance disorder is a diagnosis that hurts a mothers heart.
The truth is, there is no way to know if this is something you did, you ate, you gave him to eat, or any other scenario. There is no way to know if this is vaccine caused, food allergy, genetics or just the roll of the dice.
I would try to cut out all food dye and processed sugars. Its very hard but it has shown some success. You've done a great job by already getting him in therapy. Be strong - having a child with " issues " can be trying.
Okay, I'm going to say something that i know you do not want to hear.
This attention disorder stuff is generally a big piece of crap that doctors diagnose children with so that they can make the pharmaceutical companies a bunch of money on the meds that they prescribe for your child for the rest of it's life...it's best to get kids hooked on meds when they are young so they will be lifelong users...
What you need to do is take an active role in your child's life rather than just let the kid play video games or watch television (even if they are "educational" games and TV shows). Before putting your child onto medication and wasting a bunch of money on that stuff, get your kid enrolled in some outdoor activity, like soccer, karate or football or anything else that he is interested in. Get him interested in arts and crafts...something productive and fun at the same time. the kid needs a creative outlet, not a sedative.
four year olds are too young to know how to channel their energy into something productive, so you need to guide him.
(and whoever said that ADHD and ODD are genetic is full of baloney)
my soon to be nine yr son has been diagnosed with adhd and ocd since he was four and started school i kept telling everyone when he was non-school age that something was wrong with him and nobody believed me. once they started testing him and his teachers about his behavior they were finally able to help not only him but me as well. i blamed myself for a long time but in the end i know that its nothing i did or have done and now even though he still has some bad days we have everything under control and his is one of the schools best students. with the proper treatment and therapy you and your son will be able to conquer this and just a little hint my Dr says that most kids treated early in age will sometimes out grow this. or not require meds.
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