Undiagnosed ADHD

[OneCoolMintMember]

Hi, my son is really struggling to concentrate although not diagnosed with adhd he has been referred. Just wondering if there is any natural remedies etc that he can use to help him ? Thanks

How old is your son?
At primary school my son had a wobble cushion, he also had frequent movement breaks. He was diagnosed at 6 years old. My ds is also autistic so had other things in place but these were for adhd I believe.
At secondary he has nothing and isn't medicated as he also has touretts and anxiety and medication can make these conditions worse. He does struggle at secondary but he's also a teenager with hormones running through his body and a little shit.
Dd is medicated but wasn't diagnosed till secondary and didn't start medication till she was a adult.

So....as I understand it stimulants work differently on the ADHD brain. Calming and focusing the person rather than amping them up. The medication you would get from the doctor is a mild stimulant.
With that in mind....I have seen on some forums parents give coffee or caffeinated drinks.
My son is diagnosed ASD but I do suspect undiagnosed ADHD as well. We home school and I often give him a glass of diet coke before a lesson and it does seem to work.

Exercise, and lots of it! Hours daily. If they have high intellect, then find something to challenge the brain as well.

How old is he? This is important, as I remember the paediatrician saying that a slot I f children under 7 exhibit ADHD traits, but for the most part, they grow out of them (eg inability to concentrate, fidgeting, impulsiveness). Which is why they don't usually diagnose until they're over 7.
For my son, he needs constant movement breaks. The best thing we bought was a trampoline (no good for school, obviously, but it helped him at other times get rid of that excess energy). At school, fidget toys, allowing moving in the classroom (so he is allowed to pace up and down the class at the back where he won't annoy anyone - he does listen when he's doing this).
But maybe speak to the school and see how receptive they are to trying techniques.

I wouldn't mess around with any stimulants until you've got the diagnosis as all brains different. Making adaptations to lifestyle, organisation at home and plenty of exercise is usually the best. My daughter doesn't meet threshold as she masks very well at school and is highly intelligent but to supplement her diet she has Vitabiotics Well teen PLUS which contain Omega 3 (EPA) as there's some limited evidence this helps the adhd brain. They're not cheap but usually on offer or cheaper on subscribe and save through amazon
Best of luck :)

There are lots of things that help with adhd symptoms. Russell Barclay is the doctor to watch for adhd and has some great videos on youtube. We used to take DS for a bike ride before school before he was medicated. Exercise is the closest thing to meds for effectiveness, so daily at least an hour. Plenty of sleep is really important. Good diet. Being really organised and having plenty of time to do things like get ready for school. Having a set place for things, and plenty of routines, so you're not putting so much pressure on working memory. Making things fun. I used to race DS to see who could get dressed first every day, as that would motivate him. Separating the behaviour from the child when they mess up or kick off, and being really problem solving rather than disciplinarian, as adhd kids often end up with low self esteem due to all the telling off. And before a test a high glucose drink. Caffeine does help, but needs pretty high doses, which aren't great for kids if they're young.

If you are prepared to try natural remedies think about changing his diet.
Remove all processed food including processed carbs like rice, pasta and flour.
Go old school with food, meat and three vegetables. Meat, full fat dairy and eggs.

Caffeine may help for ADD but will make ADHD symptoms even worse. Unlike ADD, the ADHD is hyper.

Caffeine works for ADHD too, caffeine is a very mild stimulant, it works the same way as the stimulant drugs do for ADHD. I have ADHD combined type, and before I was diagnosed I was inadvertently self medicating with coffee due to the effects it has on my hyperactivity, not just on my inattentive symptoms.

DS is medicated, which helps get him through the school day, but we do rely on a lot of "focus gum" to get him through tricky periods in evenings when he is tired and less focused and NEEDS to revise. (GCSEs are an absolute "joy" for a child with learning difficulties... 😞)

Extra Bubblemint is our "drug" of choice.

Why to stimulate overstimulated? hyperactivity, that H in ADHD indicateds restlessness, hyper.
ADD may need stimulation but adHd?

I struggling SO much with my 6 year old. At the end of my tether. He has a lot of support in school. I can’t get him assessed for ADHD as his attendance is over 70% at school. I’m at the end of my tether, can’t cope any more.

@Mummame222 The SEN department at your school can refer your child to CAMHS for ADHD assessment regardless of his attendance.

No honestly they can’t. I have the email to prove it. They are not seeing anyone in this area with attendance over 70%.

I believe you. That only encourages homeschooling ng and dropping attendance. Thank God we don't have that

@YouDeserveSomeCake I’m seriously considering it but to be honest I don’t think I’d cope. I adore him, obviously, but I don’t know how to parent him.

If you can afford it go for private diagnose, nag your GP for the referral.

Could you go through right to choose?

I was literally just looking at that. I went through that to get my ASD diagnosis and didn’t have to pay. Can you do that for children as well?

I apcant see relevance attendance has to adhd.
I could see for asd.
Dd has been referred by gp her attendance has been 100% some years. And its not even been asked for on forms.

I totally agree @Eaterysarnie but unfortunately that is the case here. I tried to attach a screenshot of the email but for some reason I can’t.

I feel disbelieved on the thread but at least it’s reassuring to know how ridiculous that 70% stance actually is.

I think so yes!

Could you go through right to choose?

In our area, if you pursue private diagnosis you still have to go on the list and get diagnosis confirmed through the NHS before they will accept it and prescribe meds. We got a private diagnosis from a very reputable doctor who had worked in NHS for decades. Our local commissioning group won't accept it and we are stuck paying £38.00 a month for private prescriptions of stimulants for our DS. (My kid is not a borderline ADHD case either - he scored 9/9 on the scale for inattentiveness....)

In answer to your original question Op - I second daily exercise and omega 3 supplements. Also keep an eye on iron levels as iron deficiency makes symptoms worse.

It’s counter intuitive but it works for me. Not massive does though, just like a cup of coffee.

@fightingthedogforadonut right to choose for me was getting a diagnosis from the NHS from another part of the country that had shorter waiting lists. They also do private diagnosis.

There’s also been some pushback in my area regarding the private diagnosis and LA not accepting it and the LA have been loosing and being forced to. I can’t afford it though, I’m on benefits.