How can I help my child study? ADHD and food intolerances ...

[Hemingwayway]

My son is in Year 5 and just turned 9 years old (summer born). He is bright but is lagging behind at school because he struggles to maintain concentration and focus. It's not just at school - he is the same when studying with me at home. He can focus on occasion, but he has to really want to.

I am looking for ways to help him. I am reluctant to look into medication because I don't think it would necessarily be right for him; I don't think his struggles are serious enough to warrant it. But I am keen to do what I can for him with diet, exercise, supplements, - basically anything that will help him.

I think there is some link to his gut health. After weaning he had problems with his gut health (white poos, frequent stomach aches). We saw a specialist who carried out tests and identified a Vitamin D deficiency.

He no longer seems to have stomach aches but has less energy and is more lethargic than my other children (getting out of bed in the mornings is a really struggle - I usually have to dress him or we just wouldn't get out of the door). He is also quite fussy around food and prefers white carbs and sugary foods (whether that be from fruit or refined sugar). I know the white carbs will also turn into sugar ....

He sometimes looks pale. We are of Mediterranean heritage and have the thalassemia trait.

Back to the focus and concentration, he can learn something and forget it the next day. It's a struggle for him to maintain knowledge of times tables and spellings. He frequently gets things back to front. We've had an assessment and diagnosis of dyslexia, but I think the dyslexia is a result of his inability to focus and concentrate. He's capable of emotional insight and working out inference beyond his years, and on occasion can work out fairly complex maths problems in his head.

I would love to hear from other parents in similar situations with advice for what might help and any helpful reading and resources please. Thank you

What kind of paediatrician do we need to see?

You need a referral to a paed who specialises in childhood developmental disorders (ADHD, autism, dyspraxia etc). The pathway might vary depending on your local authority - but GP would be a first port of call for advice.

Does DS have a formal ADHD diagnosis? If not, then get him tested.

There should be a section from the dyslexia diagnostic report which details DS’s difficulties and the clinician’s recommendations.

He does have dyslexia and therefore should have an IEP (Individual Educational Plan). This is a statutory (legal) requirement.

The school SENCO should write it. It should include whatever the diagnostic report recommendations were and any input from school. The IEP includes educational, behavioural and social issues. This should be reviewed termly with any adjustments if the interventions aren’t working.

Dyslexia is a group of learning difficulties grouped under the heading “dyslexia”. There can be overlap of outward behaviours between dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADD, ADHD, ADS etc…. Inability to concentrate could be part of DS’s dyslexia rather than another condition.

Most children ‘learn’ something one day and ‘forget it’ another. Learning isn’t linear. The difficulty can be separating out normal age related learning problems from issues arising from specific learning difficulties (SpLDs). These are two very different problems, which school should be planning for (IEP).

The Helen Arkell Centre have courses for parents and excellent resource materials.
www.helenarkell.org.uk/

So has he not been diagnosed with ADHD then? You just think he has it..

Correct. He has not been diagnosed with ADHD - I suspect it's a possibility. I have 3 children and DS is markedly different when it comes to emotional responses (managing impulses) and concentrating.

I have asked what might help him (diet, routine etc) to study because he is lagging behind at school

I can recommend a clinical psych (specialist in ASD and related conditions and SpLDs) in East London.

My DS was diagnosed with ASD and dyslexia via a Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT). This is the NICE gold standard for diagnosis.

The clinical psych was the lead with an Ed psych, OT, SALT, behavioural optometrist and specialist hearing tests.

With any medical conditions you would include in the team a specialist paediatrician.

Ideally I would like to see a paediatrician who specialises in gastroenterology for the issues I've mentioned above, and neurodisability to rule out/diagnose anything else that may be going on, ADHD or otherwise

Then a MDT would be the best approach.

A specialist paediatrician and clinical psych to lead.

I am thinking about his dyslexia diagnosis and how DS's behaviours and traits which led me to seek as educational psychologist assessment, could also suggest ADHD.

Concerns are:

Quick to anger - shouting, slamming doors, fuming

Difficult to regulate emotions - easy to cry or feel hurt about something

No real interests other than Lego

Loves nothing more than 'zoning out' in front of TV

He is bright - he learnt to read music very quickly, is very empathetic and good at maths (when he can remember simple number facts and untangle the steps of a problem)

His bring gets frazzled when doing school work - can almost see it happening. This leads him to say work is boring and he doesn't want to do it.

Can focus for a couple of minutes then day dreams, gets distracted, mind wanders off

Defiant and oppositional almost every day

Issues around food - partly sensory (he will gag or bring food back up if he doesn't like taste/texture). Mostly I think he craves sugar be it from carbs, fruit or sugary snacks

@danni0509

Those above who say their children take meds and it’s been the best thing for them etc, how long until that happened? How long until you noticed a difference?

Ds (7) has a severe adhd diagnosis (aswell as autism) he’s taking methylphenidate x 3 a day (third week) and honestly he’s no different at home at all. I’ve had a terrible weekend with him and it was our last option to put him on meds and we’ve relied on it working..

Sorry @Hemingwayway to gate crash your thread, fish oil, Zinc and magnesium are good supplements for adhd after all my research over the years x

My child is on methylphenidate 15mg per day. Been on it about 10 months now. It did take around 3 weeks to work, it made her very emotional and irritable to start with, but once she got used to it it was amazing. She's honestly like a different child. I held off for months because I was so worried about medicating, but it's been life changing for us. I would persevere a bit longer

Bump

@lollipopss ds is only on 7.5mg a day atm, he’s on 2.5mg 3 x day. (I know it’s only low as it’s a starting dose) he’s 7, how old is your dd? And how did her dosage start / increase etc? I have another appointment in 3 weeks. Thanks.

@Hemingwayway how does he behave at school?

Also thanks to those who answered me earlier.

[quote danni0509]@lollipopss ds is only on 7.5mg a day atm, he’s on 2.5mg 3 x day. (I know it’s only low as it’s a starting dose) he’s 7, how old is your dd? And how did her dosage start / increase etc? I have another appointment in 3 weeks. Thanks.

@Hemingwayway how does he behave at school?

Also thanks to those who answered me earlier.[/quote]
My daughter is 6, we started on 5mg twice a day and after a few months went up to 10mg in morning and 5mg at lunch. Have found this dose to be very good for us. Maybe he needs an increase/review?

I would have described my now 10yo exactly the same way OP. I tried every single non-med option, and they were all an absolute waste of time. He started on methylphenidate in the summer and the difference is, well let's just say I wish we had a year 5 do over, I feel I let him down massively fucking about with fish oils, retained reflexes and probiotics.
He's now on 30mg Equasym and I feel like he's now able to start learning. He's always been bright, now he's able to show it in a formal school setting.
I can recommend Dr Giaroli's clinic in Harley St.

Thank you @PenguindreamsofDraco. How did you come across Dr Giaroli yourself if you don't mind me asking?

And how long did it take from initial consultation to find a medication that worked for your ds?

Have you considered asd instead?
Sensory, better at maths.
How was he when younger?
There is oppositional defiant disorder or pathalogical demand avoidance.

My dc are both very difficult in different ways.
Eldest y5 very dmand avoidant which affects her school work too. So avoidant more with maths as doesnt like it. Struggles with friendships. Not empathetic. Gets anxious but that is then resistant and difficult rather than crying. Then doesnt sleep so everything worse.
Was difficult toddler very impulsive. Never slept. Issues at school with behaviour.

Dc2 y1 also sensory issues. Hair.
Used to bolt as a toddler.
Avoids demands a bit. Very loud meltdowns several times a day. Ok at school i think, but as soon as out for any minor issue. Yesterday it was having hair tied back wrong.

We have dyslexia and adhd in family and maybe asd.
For my y5 i think she is just not doing as well as she could. School arent great with sen. Is meeting all targets but thats lower than i would have expected as she seems very bright.
However school difficulty has increased since i was there and i wouldnt be surprised some struggle as it's too much at a young age. (I was tired doing the homeschooling maths)

@Hemingwayway you have just described my son
We are just at the start of the pathway, referral to CAMHS etc, but thinking of you, hope you find something that helps.

I'm just trying to get my head around ADD/ADHD and haven't considered other things. I think your best next step is to see a consultant paediatrician specialising in neurodisabiilty and take things from there.

We have some defiance too, reluctance to leave the house often. Some difficulties with friendships though I'm not sure why. Perhaps just that he often goes off and likes to play alone, digging in the sand/soil for example. Seeking some sort of sensory time or even down time. He is a very loyal, loving and funny boy who makes his friends laugh and always takes care of them.

Sorry I meant our best next step, not yours!

So your DS has been diagnosed with dyslexia. So you do need to tackle that with the school and set up accommodations for him. I have a DD with severe dyslexia and poor focus/concentration does not cause dyslexia at all. Dyslexia is caused by different brain development. His dyslexia is definitely contributing to him lagging behind. And if he has trouble with reading/writing it’s dyslexia no amount of focus, concentration or really wanting will make the dyslexia go away. For my DD I did also pay for private cognitive training utilising the Linda Mood Bell method and that was invaluable to her ability to academically succeed.

In addition, you also suspect ADHD. So yes, if you can, get him assessed for that privately. However as pp have suggested, it may not be ADHD but ASD. So a proper assessment is needed to determine what else is going on in addition to the dyslexia,

If it is ADHD, don’t dismiss medication. I have ADHD and am medicated for it. There are good medications that really work. Good diet etc etc all well and good, but they won’t cure ADHD which is caused by different brain development determined by genetics.

His bring gets frazzled when doing school work - can almost see it happening

This reminded me of my DD. For dyslexics reading and doing maths is equivalent to a NT person doing the same but in code. A code you have constantly decipher to determine what it means. It then understandably takes longer and more effort just to read/write and do calculations. This wears them out and after a certain point the brain shuts down and if no rest is taken, can cause migraines. So even though my DD is very successful, it does take her longer to do the same work as a NT person and she has to pace herself and rest when her brain has had enough.

What has helped her immensely was to learn through oral means as much as possible. Like watching educational videos and programs on YouTube. Instead of reading an assigned book for school, she’d listen to the audio book. If she was studying a play, again, we’d get a video version of the play done on stage and she’d watch it.

Assuming you are in the UK the priory clinics have specialists in this just do some research. I took my DD to Dr Chakraborty at the Oxford one for assessment and appointments. You'll need a referral from your GP.

Hi Op

I'm watching this thread with interest as your list of concerns are very similar to mine in relation to my dc (aged 8).

I get the impression I will need to pay for a private assessment but trying to gather more information from school via the Sendco/class teacher. Also querying dyslexia. There are no physical support groups locally...I feel a bit isolated because I don't know anyone who has been through the process of diagnosis, it feels daunting.

@Hemingwayway

Thank you *@PenguindreamsofDraco*. How did you come across Dr Giaroli yourself if you don't mind me asking?

And how long did it take from initial consultation to find a medication that worked for your ds?

Personal recommendation for the clinic. It took about 3 months from the first call to the first dose. I noticed a difference from that first day tbh. There have been a couple of wobbles, a week of heightened anxiety, some later nights, but it's all settled quite quickly. They're not magic and there are definitely issues but he is just happier.

My twins both gave adhd, we tried all sorts of other things to help ds1 when he was dx at 7. Diet, vitamins, probiotics. Changed the way we parented him...

Nothing changed in till we put him on medikinet for a trial month.... the change was instant his reading/writing improved his relationships with peers Improved. He was no longer disruptive in class so tbh it helped the other 29 kids in his class as well.
We couldn't not continue on with the meds, when his brother got his dx he went straight on to meds and again improvements all round.

Both boys said it school was easier with medication.