All About ADHD : Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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Renowned Harvard Psychologist says ADHD is largely a Fraud
https://curiousmindmagazine.com/harvard-psychologist-says-adhd-largely-fraud/ -
double post for some reason
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As a parent of a child with ADHD, that is a very misguided article.
ADHD may be overhyped to sell drugs. However, it is not a fraud. Lol. I would think I know if ADHD was a fraud after 6 years of living with it in the home. FWIW, I do not medicate my son.
I would agree, however, that classifying kids with ADHD etc as having an illness or disability is dreadfully wrong. -
subbuteo3:
Generally, I've nobossue with abv advice except 4) & 6).Some tips on how to help a child with ADD (ADHD)
1) There are 7 types of ADD (ADHD)
Classic ADD - Most common. Impulsive, easily distracted etc
Inattentive ADD - Mainly girls. Easily distracted, daydream etc
Over-Focused ADD - Getting stuck in negative thoughts
Temporal Lobe ADD - Quick anger
Limbic ADD - Low energy, low self esteem
Ring of Fire ADD - Sensitive to noise, touch, speaking fast, unpredictable behavior
Anxious ADD - Anxious, stress, headaches
2) People with ADD (ADHD) have low levels of Dopamine. In class, they might, daydream, walk around the class too much, keep asking to go visit the toilet so they can take a walk, do impulsive things like stealing.
3) Since they have low levels of Dopamine, you need to help them raise their Dopamine levels. One way is thru food. Search for foods which boost dopamine levels.
4)Another way to boost dopamine levels is thru medications like Ritalin. Not recommended for long term use though.
5)People with ADD (ADHD) have problems in their Prefrontal Cortex of the brain. Its the part of the brain when controls how you behave. For example, you should be doing your homework because its the right thing.
6) Here's how I work with my ADHD kids in class. For example, when asking to do worksheets, tell them how many pages they need to do. Start small. Assure them its easy to do or not too difficult. Then tell them that if they managed to finish their task, you will give them a reward. In my case, my reward is they get to play games on the iPad. Educational games of course. Limit 5 to 10 minutes. Then get back to another few pages of worksheet and reward them with games at the end of the day. The iPad is a great way for kids with ADD (ADHD) to learn because it grabs their attention with all the animation and colours and instant rewards. It also helps raise their dopamine levels. One more thing, don't stick to the same game for too long or they will get bored.
7) Remember to give them tasks to do which are not too long. Their brains get tired easily so give them water breaks or snack breaks
8)For parents who want to help their ADD (ADHD) child at home with their homework, make sure you give them positive psychological support. If the homework is easy, tell them its easy. If the homework is slightly difficult, tell them its slightly difficult and tell them not to worry as you will help them. Remember to give them breaks before their brains get tired.
9)I use games like Splash Math for the iPad. Kids also like Minecraft but this one if only they managed to complete major tasks.
10) Give them good food for breakfast like fruits (Bananas) and green tea. Never give them milo or fruit juice or bread for breakfast as this is bad for their brains as their sugar levels will rise too quickly.
Hope this helps.
4). I'll caution on any medication esp for young children. Even when doc suggests my child takes I was against & look for other remedy
6). Again, rewarding with playtime is OK, but any screen contact at young age is not nec. When they return home & don't get, will they perceive parents as not good & outsiders like teachers are good to them & love them more? Get them to read more story books or build lego or playtime with other kids as part of fun & social interactions. As educators, there are plenty of healthy resources to engage kids.
To add on tonitem 10), besides bananas which is good in calming nerves & good sleep, the enzymes of papaya are good for kids.
For lower primary kids, took the adv of a doc for my very active & restless kid who is always complaining bored easily, wld not even stand listen to instructions without swaying his body constantly. I used to bring my DS for chess, swimming, tennis & keeps paper, pencil & a hardboard for support in the car for him to draw all the ideas that come to his mind. The idea is to expand his excessive energy physically & he'll hv good slumber. During slumber, after a happy, constructively spent day, he'll sleep well & hv good dreams - a time when his brains develop, sort out day events, compartmentalise, etc. I used to hear him mumble abt his tennis game with his cousins, grandparents names all out in his sleep... Give them active time if they've the energy. Some of neices no energy type.
I learnt that this 'disability' can be redirected energy to support furthering their interests & learning. This is why being parents, we need to guide their early childhood years.
Usually, I'll entice the kids to sit still to finish their work & some reading with me before our outdoor fun. By P4 onwards, their activeness become more well directed & I can see some ability to cooperate & discipline themselves.
Working with kids is a journey, not an overnight project for immediate results. -
Great post above! I use many of the same ideas with my boy.
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Eldest child had adhd, early diagnosis is always good so that we can understand the child better.
Before he was diagnosed, we would lose our patience with him a lot, we couldn’t understand why he was behaving in certain ways, it was only after he was diagnosed that we were able to help him better as well as understand him more. He’s doing very well now, studying in NUS! -
bellej:
My girl started P1 last wk. She was not able to complete her worksheet in class for whole 2 periods this wk. Her form teacher mentioned that she could be ADHD. Stressed!!!As I know that is not true at all. She just not knowing how to go about doing the worksheet.
Really hate it when teachers try to shift the blame from their own incompetence to your child having a problem! Really just giving parents scares. -
I wrote a series of articles a few weeks back, sharing some of the tricks that I use during therapy to regulate the behaviour of students with ADHD:
https://swordsandstationery.com/stationery/what-adhd-means-myths-and-truths/
https://swordsandstationery.com/stationery/condition-kids-with-adhd-to-behave/
https://swordsandstationery.com/stationery/volume-regulate-adhd-behaviour/
https://swordsandstationery.com/stationery/appealing-to-a-child-with-adhd-to-behave/
Hope you all find them useful, or at least inspiring. -
It is parents’ need to explore and eliminate any suspicion of learning delays. If we respond & write-off suggestions ESP by educators, and not attempt to help investigate thro medical professionals’ help, we are the ones delaying the early chance for our own kids to overcome the hurdle.
A lot of these can be mild hurdles, unless diagnosis as serious end of the continuum, and can be helped if we are quick & early to discover. We do dis-service to our kids by thinking others are out with ill-intentions, suggesting things that we hv never encountered & do not believe it’ll happen to our kids. Some parents shut their minds off in denial & it’s sad. I always hope that parents can see it as their responsibility to watch out for potholes & lift our kids fr it - my analogy for helping overcome learning disabilities. -
Esteema, I see the point of early intervention.
Sometimes, though, the educators who “diagnose” the child:
- are not professionally trained to accurately spot ADHD, autism etc
- do not think through carefully how to convey their “diagnosis” to the parents
I have some mummy friends crying when confiding in me that their DS’ kindergarten teacher has put to them in a complaining manner that the child is disruptive/uncooperative/hyper/lacks concentration/hates writing/anti-social etc etc, without any suggestion of how to help the child improve. Merely throwing out the line “you better send him for some testing”. When prodded “send where?”, they don’t even know the answer. And the parent got the impression that the teacher is trying to get the child to quit the school so that the burden is off their back.
I’m all for early intervention, if the teachers and parents are sufficiently educated and coached to truly help the child.
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