How did you get your child with ADHD to play more independently?

[Magcitrate]

I'm looking for strategies to help 7 year old DS. We have no diagnosis, but there are certain behaviourial tratits which make me think he could have ADHD, so I'm looking to implement some strategies and see if they work better.

Am I posting in the right place?

You've posted a few threads now, why don't you have your son diagnosed so then he can have specific interventions that are absolutely relevant to him, rather than you guessing that he has ADHD and using a host of trial and error which may or may not work.

I say this because inability to sit still and inability to concentrate for long are not only indicators of ADHD, they can be present in kids who have several other diagnoses. That's why it's important to have professionals diagnose a child's strengths and challenges, so that the correct interventions for that child are implemented.

If you want to help him, first find out from professionals what condition(s) he has, then you'll be directed to the right interventions.

Self-diagnosis for your own child isn't a great idea, you could miss something crucial and educationally some schools won't help unless there's a medical diagnosis.

If he had pain in his leg, you'd not diagnose that yourself, would you?
The treatment would be very different if it was muscular or skeletal, but you'd not ask online for advice or just guess which cause was right then treat him yourself. You'd go to the doctor to get the right treatment, surely?

I find the tone of your post unnecessarily aggressive and rather patronising.

I'm not flaying around trying to self diagnosis. I have read about, and spoken to paediatric OT colleagues about what his traits are and what I'm thinking.

I'm completely aware of what is age appropriate and aware that, if my diary about him over the next two months stacks up, that I'll speak to the school and the SENCO.

In the interim, I'm trying to see if strategies for kids with ADHD might be useful. It certainly can't hurt, in my opinion.

But hey, that clearly got your goat!

I won't post again.

No goat was got, I assure you.
You've taken meaning that was never intended, please read more of my posts on these boards, no-one's ever responded in the way that you have just done.

I've previously recommended Additude to you for strategies to help with ADD/ADHD. www.additudemag.com/
It was on this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/3351118-suggestions-of-resources-for-parenting-child-with-possible-adhd?msgid=80637156

There's a mine of information on these boards, please don't stop posting.

I apologise if I took it the wrong way. You were very helpful in suggesting Attitude - I've gone through it carefully. There just wasn't much about independent play, hence asking again.

No need to apologise, I will too, unreservedly, sometimes the written word doesn't come over in the spirit it's written.

These boards can be slow sometimes, but the advice is great. The main boards are much busier, but threads about any SN tend to end up in a bunfight and have lots of disablist comments and comments from people who don't know about SN asking basic questions, so they are often sidetracked or derailed.

Even in this day and age there are plenty 'There's no such thing as (insert acronym of SN) , it's poor parenting, if he was mine I'd make him behave, his mother panders to him, he's such a baby' type comments which for a parent just starting out on a possible diagnostic route can be very hard to hear and upsetting, especially if some friends and family also express those opinions.