Please or to access all these features

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Tips for ADHD without meds?

8 replies

twosquared · 04/02/2013 11:16

Anyone have any hot tips for dealing with twins with ADHD (without medication)?

I'm now a single mum of four young kids. My five year old id twin old boys are lovely but hard work. My ex-husband will not allow them to have medication (yet surprisingly he never looks after them - he's seen them only once, for about four hours in the last month). Their latest report card says they are failing their year at school as they can't focus. Today they were kicked out of their regular sporting activity.

My home is chaos with the boys shouting and running around and breaking things (including my nose!), they just fire each other up all the time.

I want to try medication and will take it to court if necessary, in the meantime if anyone has some sanity saving tips I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks

OP posts:
MadameSin · 04/02/2013 18:34

Uh ho ... double trouble!! Diet, diet, diet and throw in a few supplements e.g. Omega fish oils & zinc. Absolutely no fizzy or sugary drinks, keep chocolate and sweet treats to a minimum, no processed foods (ready made meals etc) - cheaper to buy fresh anyway. Plenty of sleep if they are able to and run them ragged!! Let their dad have them for a long weekend and see what he thinks then. I find it hard to believe he has to give permission if he sees so little of them??

Ruggles · 04/02/2013 19:12

Twosquared - you have my sympathies - I have been there with one, and can't imagine with two! Agree with Madame about diet and supplements. We have been doing the Tinsley House programme (see separate support thread) for a couple of months and have had some great results, and I hope more to come. It's basically a homemade diet, vegapa fish oils and some other supplement drinks and daily exercises. We've been to see the clinic but the books are on Amazon - Is That My Child? and The Brain Food Plan. Lots of people have recommended a trampoline - don't know if that is an option? Also, Epsom Salt baths. Good luck!

MadameSin · 04/02/2013 22:09

Ah, yes forgot about Epspm Salt baths, but be careful with qty as it can have adverse affect .. also, a suck it and see treatment .. you may have to give it a go for a couple of weeks or so umtil see any changes (if any). Ruggles Yes, trampoloines are great (even small indoor ones used for excercising) Smile I've read 'Is that my child?' ... are there any other books that show more of the excercises he uses?

goshua · 04/02/2013 23:50

Hi have two children with Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders both adopted , they have multiple problems SID's ADHD , FASD is an umberella term but
the early interventions work, not saying yours have FASD but the interventions are good. Mine are now adults both in work, driving ,and are Independant. www.fasaware.co.uk have a good book can download "Reach too Teach" both were medication free , are very sporty, We encouraged them in all sports outside of school. They even went into coaching. Think all
ADHD Children are effected in different way's , all need understanding of people around them, a good school and parenting partner ship , mine used too blow off after school untill we got a balance. Are your children on a sensory diet at school. for example.

Ruggles · 05/02/2013 06:39

Madame - will check the second book later for exercises and report back. We are doing the stair (up and down three stairs, one foot on each step, eyes shut, hands at side) and spinning on a chair (anticlockwise, three slow spins, check eyes x3) although DS is 4. Older ones seem to do left hand tooth brushing while standing on one leg. I guess the amount of Epsom Salts I use Hmm - how do you know the right amount and what adverse results can there be?
Thanks goshua, hadn't come across this before, will check it out. Your kids sound fab.

HecateWhoopass · 05/02/2013 07:15

I find vigorous exercise helps mine. I don't know what it is, maybe it's the endorphins or something, but a run on our treadmill does result in a temporary change in his behaviour.

Also works for my eldest (also autistic but no ADHD)

We looked into medication, but, like your ex, felt it was not right (for our child, at that time, not extending that to a judgement on the choices of others) because after reading up on the side effects and risks, we felt his behaviour was not extreme enough to make those risks worth the benefits, iyswim.

They both have a gluten free diet, and that really helped them both.

BiddyPop · 05/02/2013 14:06

We have done medication, but before we got it prescribed, we found days she went on the trampoline in her friend's house up the road helped, lots of exercise generally, she tends to relax in the bath (she still has the baby bag of plastic blocks, stacking tower and a few plastic ducks etc and can splash about with those, but ends up relaxing in the heat and having done the splashing around) so that was always good for nights that were particularly fraught or any Sunday night.

We also started omega oils (we are using MoreEpa mini ones).

Reduced processed foods (we have to maintain some as DH and I both work FT and have totally full-on lives)....

Routine helped a lot too. Especially a wind-down routine after tea for bedtime.

BiddyPop · 05/02/2013 14:53

Sorry bit manic at work so shorter than I meant to be. DD is 8.

Sticking to unprocessed as much as poss has seemed to help. But we do still allow some treats (including bedtime snack).

Setting a routine for bedtime - including relaxing together, drink of milk (sometimes warm, not a hot choc fan) and a snack (we do allow a cookie or a mini caramel slice for this to encourage eating it without delaying and having some food to avoid the "I'm hungry"'s), bathroom and pjs (calmly and quietly), then either a story or a few minutes of a quiet activity together (like colouring in once in bed, or giving her a sudoku, maths problems, word mining, word search or other mental activity sheets) could help to distract her brain and allow her body start to relax for sleep.

Dimming lights, playing music (gentle rather than boppy) or audio (audio books - DH has always had to go to sleep listening to R4 since about 10 yrs old and we are about to introduce DD to that).

Badger balm on wrists, lavendar oil or Neal's Yard aromatherapy roll-on oil for sleep over wrists, teetha granules (chamomile - she isn't a fan of Ch tea but happily takes granules) are all helpful for getting to sleep (not all at once though). If having a bath, sometimes we'd use lavendar or other relaxing types of aromatherapy bubbles, and DD also has a lavendar shower gel for shower nights. (Dozol has been used too on occasion, usually when we have either a cold or pain so the antihistamine or pain relief part are needed as much as the doziness part).

DD does now take concerta, and also has melatonin to help her sleep. THat suits us and we noticed a big difference (we are dealing with more than 1 Dx, so needed help in one area before we could tackle others).

DD does a lot of exercise (swimming, GAA, hiphop dance, athletics) and exercise days, especially later in the afternoon, do seem somewhat more relaxed in the evenings. Cycling to school or walking, rather than going by car (so she gets rid of some excesses first thing).

Only giving her a choice of 2 things (max of 3) rather than open-ended options to think herself and decide between loads is much better too.

While we haven't had to introduce them in school, my Bro's fiance (trained teacher) has said that often giving things to distract while getting them to concentrate can help. So she'd give some kids an exercise ball (stress ball) to squeeze with one hand while doing writing or something else with the other hand. Or put some kids sitting on "wobble chairs" (I believe it's a specific type of chair) or small exercise balls (yoga balls) while sitting at their desks working helped a good few (the "hyper" went into keeping them sitting when off-balance and they were able to concentrate on work rather than constant "jiggering" in their ordinary seat).

As there are 2 of them, is there anything you can give them to do with (or against) each other rather than trashing everything around them? Can you "release" them into the park to, say, follow a matching obstacle course with 2 footballs around cones or trees (or even plant pots in the back garden)? Are there any yoga or martial arts type classes they could do locally? (Helping to learn about controlling movement as well as actually doing lots).

And would either of them concentrate on "quieter" activities at any stage, like lego-building or computer games (there are plenty of educational types available). Set them competitions to see who can colour in the most sheets of paper (can be wildly enthusiastic about it) or build the highest tower with playing cards or lego or loo roll inners...

Oh, I just remembered, we also had a sand pit when DD was that age, and she used to love going into it and digging loads, making castles etc - but it all HAD to stay in the hippo pit or it would be got rid of. It was a handy thing to get rid of excess energy some days. And we are looking at getting a small trampoline for our tiny garden.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page