Question on ADHD

[MoonOverWater]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone with a child who has ADHD wouldn't mind giving their opinions on what triggers it?

Also can you please tell me how old was your child who has adhd when you went back to work and what did you do with him/ her when you were at work?

Thanks all :)

What do you mean by what triggers it? The meltdowns, or the condition itself?

Mine was 11 mo (and obviously we didn't know at that point) but DH and I worked shifts around the children so no-one else (except GPs) actually had them.

No offence but you sound like a journalist.

Thanks for replying Sabriel. Ah ok I mean what do you think triggers the condition itself? But now you mention it, what do you think triggers the meltdowns also?

"No offence but you sound like a journalist."

Lol. No, I'm not a journalist. Just a mother who is concerned that her baby girl may develop the condition as her father has it. I want to find out as much info as possible about possible prevention strategies and also what it's like to actually have a child with ADHD.

... I did write an article for a Universities newspaper once though

So sorry I shouldn't post before 9am I'm a snarky moo in the morning! Have you thought of posting on the sn boards I've had lots of great advice over there. Although ds has asd not ADHD.

I'm just starting the brain food plan with ds. The book has just arrived it makes for interesting reading but I think there is a lot of merit about diet and how it can make a difference. Fortunately the diet is actually fairly straight forward just simple healthy eating really, plus supplements and some exercises.

My dd has ADHD she's 8 now she was born premature and we were told that's probably why. Although I was hyperactive as a child but back then no one really bothered much. I went back to work part time when dd was 6 months fulltime when she was 3. She was dx at 6. She taught herself to read at age 3 and now excels at sports is average at academic subjects, talks wayyyyy too much her teacher describes her as "an endearing, cheeky, charming child with a great lust for life"

DD has ADHD, we were told it could be partly genetic could be just coincidental. I went back to work when she was 9 months, but then stopped working for two years after DS was born prematurely 10 months later (19 months between DD and DS). DD (and later DS) were looked after by a family member until they started nursery at age 3. She was diagnosed age 7, but the signs were there from much earlier on. She was an exhausting baby and toddler.

I don't know whether you can prevent ADHD, but you can do a lot to manage it - I know that DD does best on a combination of lots of exercise and fresh air, routine, (she doesn't really like routine, but it calms her down), being very understanding, and remaining calm. Also, making sure to chose a nursery/school that is understanding and supportive and has experience of children with SEN. It is early days for you as your DD is still a baby and you can't be sure she will have ADHD, but if you want to do some reading, then some books that could help as a start are Christopher Green's book 'Understanding ADHD' and Ross Green 'The Explosive Child' www.amazon.co.uk/Explosive-Child-Understanding-Frustrated-Chronically/dp/0061906190

Like Chundle, my DD excels at sport and talks way too much. She also fidgets a lot and struggles with academic subjects, mainly because she has poor concentration and focus and is constantly distracted.