01-28-15, 07:31 PM | |
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Join Date: Dec 2006
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I only wish mine had been diagnosed when I was a child. But there were other factors in my life that hindered me too. In college, I talked to my doctor about it, and decided I didn't want to take stimulants to treat it. My doctor told me about neurofeedback to treat it, referred me to a practitioner in the area, and it helped me a lot.
Since then I have explored other ways of dealing with my attentional issues (yoga, meditation, core exercise) but I don't think they would be as effective without having gone through the neurofeedback treatment in the past. If this is something you want to explore, here are some resources: EEG Spectrum: The psychologist who treated me was part of this network. Les Fehmi: A pioneer in the field. I used his Open Focus meditation tapes after about 10 sessions of neurofeedback (at the recommendation of my psychologist.) Definitely saved me money, and was very effective. He has a book that has a CD in it with an introductory meditation: Open Focus Brain. As a side note, I really like the Open Focus Long Form meditation for exercise recovery after a tough workout. I almost always beat soreness with it, if I do it right after my workout. A Symphony in the Brain by Jim Robbins: Kind of dated at this point, but when it first came out it was all there was. There has been a lot of research in neurofeedback since this was written, but it might still be a good read to get started. |
01-28-15, 08:18 PM | |
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Canada
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We *just* went through this with my 5 year old who is in kindergarten. She is also very bright but cannot stay on task, as well as some other difficulties. What was heartbreaking for me was that she told me tries to listen and be good, but she just cannot, and asked me not to be disappointed in her. She was diagnosed with something, though it wasn't ADHD. Some things look like ADD or ADHD but can be something else. I think the only way you will know for sure what's going on is to have your child evaluated by the paediatrician and psychologist/child psychatrist. Even then it may not be black and white. I wish you all the best, I know how difficult this can be. Hugs.
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01-28-15, 08:43 PM | |
Join Date: Jun 2003
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A neuropsychologist can be extremely helpful. They do really thorough testing. I am not saying that other experts do not.
Some schools and pediatricians are quick to diagnose issues as ADD when it is actually something else. We went through this with our son. The evaluation with the neuropsychologist actually showed he had an excellent attention span!
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"Say you are tired and you will be. Believe you are strong and you are." (Sean O'Malley) The cat in my avatar is my sweetheart named Bonkers |
01-28-15, 09:13 PM | ||
Join Date: Nov 2004
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Quote:
i hope they get what they need! |
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01-28-15, 11:05 PM | |
VF Supporter
Join Date: Nov 2001
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I encourage you to read up on ADD or ADHD in girls as it can be different than boys. I would also really strongly encourage you to find out the root of the problem. Add is the common diagnosis but it could many things sometimes as simple as hearing or vision issues. I did karate with a young lady who was a speech therapist and she talked about some of the kinds of diagnoses that had speech therapy as part of the remedy.
I had a somewhat longer ramble here, but my personal experience was too vague to be helpful and I don't want to share a whole lot more. But this is what I was trying to say. And on a final note, it is never going to get easier to get a child to cooperate with therapies. Young and eager to please is a really good age. |
01-29-15, 06:55 AM | |
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Ellicott City, MD
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Your pediatrician will gave you and your child's teachers a survey to fill out and based on the overall results of the survey, will determine if you child has ADD. Once you know for sure, then you can explore your options. Regardless of the treatment, it's important to know so that you can pursue a 504 or IEP at school to provide accommodations for your child which will help such as extra time for tests, reminders, and teacher notes.
Elementary school is tough for kids, I think even tougher than middle and high schools in terms of development for kids, not school curriculum. The classes are very structured with little downtime and they have a lot of material thrown out them, they have to be 'on' constantly. It's much more regimented compared to when I was in school. My son has ADD with Anxiety and Tourettes but even when I volunteered at school, he isn't the one who stands out. I think it's just hard for kids to be still and focused for long. I am working with both his pediatrician and a psychiatrist and right now, he is only on a prescribed natural supplement called http://vayarinflipsthescript.vayapharma.com/ that is specifically for ADHD. We didn't have good success with other medications. He is in the 5th grade and on grade level. I have an IEP meeting today and I suspect they are going to suggest we take him off the IEP and go to a 504. |
01-29-15, 07:16 AM | |
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Massachusetts
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Thanks everyone for all your feedback! I do appreciate it!
I am not all surprised at this, but am sad for her as she can't help it. I don't want to compare her to her sister, but can't help it since they are twins and are such opposites. They are two different kids and have their own unique personalities. I am going to call her pediatrician today and go from there.
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The first wealth is health – Emerson Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. ~Attributed to both T.H. Thompson and John Watson |
01-29-15, 07:40 AM | |
Join Date: Jun 2003
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Patty-good luck with the IEP meeting today. They always give me anxiety, even though I've been through them before and we have been very fortunate to have great people to work with at my son's school.
Isebelle-hugs!! It might be a good idea to explore other areas as well as ADD. Does your daughter have trouble staying focused on things at home, or just at school? If you don't want to go into anything publicly, I totally understand. My son's school and pediatrician thought our son had ADD based on the teacher's observations, and the school faculty thought so also. I had a gut feeling that was not the case, and I was right. I point blank asked the school psychologist if it could be a learning disability, and he said he did not think so. He had NONE of the behavior they said he displayed at school at home. We had him evaluated by a neuropsychologist, and they found he had a learning disability. There are also other reasons a child could have trouble focusing, such as trouble with vision or language or auditory processing disorders. I hope you can figure out what is going on and get whatever help your daughter needs. It is really good that if there is something that she can get help with, you would be starting that help at such a young age. That makes a big difference. Hugs, Sherry
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"Say you are tired and you will be. Believe you are strong and you are." (Sean O'Malley) The cat in my avatar is my sweetheart named Bonkers |
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