pls answer some questions about adhd

[elijahboy]

with all this talk about eliminating things i was wondering if there was something i need to elminate since my child is adhd

not officially diagnosed but it has to be as he nevers tops moving

i have never had this problem with my other 2 each a boy and a girl but this boy sleeps like 6 hours a day and is moving from the time he opens his eyes till the moment he closes them

i dont think he really has much sugar in a day

he wakes up and starts with an apple then for a real breakfast he has either a egg sandwich with cage free brown egg (2 whites and 1 yolk) a slice of cheese and whole wheat bread or a bowl of rice krispies no sugar if he is already going crazy and im already about to pull my hair out and dont want to cook

for lunch usually a sandwich maybe a pb&j or ham

dinner is 90% of the time cooked there maybe like 2 days that i dont actually cook an actual meal and dinner is meat carb and veggie

soda very little (by little i mean maybe 5 oz a week)
juice like 20 oz a week
the rest is water and lots of it

any help is appreciated cause sometimes i cant keep up with him and hes very aggressive

 

[Aidenbaby]

ADHD is tricky. I've found that with myself and also Aidy that most "reactions" work in reverse of what they normally would. That means that instead of getting hopped up when we drink caffeine it actually "calms" us. I feel like my body can keep up better with the rat-race going on within my mind. However, I do not take this as permission to drink as much pop/soda/coffee as I want. We are trying to eliminate all processed foods. There are some theories out there that some children are reactive to the preservatives in foods and I'd just rather not eat something that my body doesn't recognize as food. We're also "experimenting" by using recipes from a vegetarian cookbook. That ismostly because I don't feel like we are eating enough veggies.

Aiden is taking (although not regularly) adderol for his adhd. It has helped us to get a better grip on the behavioral issues we were having. He, too, was highly aggressive with frequent tantrums. While he isn't perfect, he is much better now. We were initially told to give him 1/2 a 5mg pill twice daily (breakfast and noon). I am currently trying him on a lower dosage of 1/4 of a pill twice daily as I do not want him overmedicated.

 

[Mackay]

The first thing I would do is add fish oils to his diet. a tablespoon of codliver oil a day maybe. Look into this as a treatment of ADHD. There are lots of articles out there.

Then start an elimination diet.
That is, remove one likely causative food for 2 week and see how he does.

Do only one at a time so you can figure out exactly what could be bothering him

you could start with dairly or wheat or soy.

Also be sure he eats foods with no additives of any kind.

If you can afford it seek out a private school that will cater to his needs, a waldorf school is excellent because they focus on creative play as the medium for learning... no sitting at desks but lots of activity.... elsewise the government will want you to drug him.

I wish I knew more about this perhaps others do.. If it were my child I would be taking him to a classical homeoapth. I had a head bagger child at age of 2.5 Homeopathy ended it in just a week or two

 

[Wifezilla]

i dont think he really has much sugar in a day

This is the biggest problem I see when parents asses their kid's diet. People think because the kids aren't eating sugar out of the bag they aren't getting sugar. Carbohydrates are sugar. A kid can not have a single tsp of actual sugar and STILL be eating a high sugar diet.

You have to look at total carbohydrate intake. Example...a sugar free Archway cookie has 16g of carbs. A regular cookie has 17g. Virtually no difference once the food is digested. They are still both sugar.

For one day, just to get a gauge, go to a site like www.fitday.com (it's free) and enter what your kid eats. Keep in mind that every 50g of carbs = 1/4 cup of sugar. See how many cups of sugar your kid is really getting. It can be quite shocking.

 

[Buster]

I wouldn't assume a 2 year old had ADHD just because he is active and has a different personality from his sibs. I'm also not sure sugar has all that much to do with it. It is a chemical thing with the brain.

And even if he has ADHD, it isn't necessarily a bad thing, if he is functioning well with it. The world is full of high functioning people with ADHD.

But, if you are concerned, have him tested. My guess is the doc will tell you it is too early to tell.

 

[Ldychef2k]

I have to agree that a toddler is not really old enough to carry this diagnosis. While it may be true, it may also be that this male toddler is just being a boy. He is far too young to be diagnosed, and hanging that label on him at this age is doing him an enormous disservice. I apologize if I sound terse. This is an important issue.

Here is a very measured and reasonable article that you might find interesting:

http://www.whattoexpect.com/toddler/ask-heidi/adhd-and-toddlers.aspx

 

[elijahboy]

he will be 4 next month

 

[Dace]

I agree with most of the above advice....really track what he is eating, do aways with sugary drinks, watch the carbs AND it is way too early for such a diagnosis.

My son is 14. Up until the age of 7 or so I would say "A is like a light switch, he is either on or off, no in between" either eyes open and moving or crashed out. He has no ADD/ADHD and grew into a perfectly nice well behaved kid.

 

[Woodland Woman]

I have the answer for adhd. Eliminate ALL artificial colors and flavors. Eliminate preservatives especially BHA, BHT, and TBHQ. Eliminate synthetic sweetners. And this one is the most difficult to understand but you have to eliminate high salicylate fruits on a temporary basis for 6-8 weeks and then test them back in individually. These include apples apricots, all berries, cherries, grapes and raisins, nectarines oranges, peaches, plums and prunes, tangerines and tomatoes. Also, almonds, cucumbers, all peppers, chili powder, cider vinegar, cloves and tea. Make sure your child gets protein at every meal. Eat more vegetables instead of fruits. A lot more people have problems with certain fruits than they realize. Especially small children. Eventually many children out grow these fruit allergies but unless you eliminate them at first you will never know which ones to avoid. I was really surprised to find that my children reacted to fruits. Tomatoes, apples, oranges, and berries tend to be the worst. I think kids end up with theses allergies because they consume a lot of fruit for their body weights. Another thing that causes adhd is artificial scents. Air fresheners, plug-ins, scented laundry detergent and dryer sheets, and scented personal care products. I know this sounds hard and like a lot of work but it is worth it. It has made a world of difference in my childrens lives. Now the whole family is so much healthier.

 

[mandieg4]

There have also been some studies that milk allergies can lead to ADHD symptoms, it may be worth looking into.