What do you know about ADD?

[TanksHill]

Me&thegals it went way better than expected.

We mainly focused on the the strategies being applied to some of the issues he is having. ie.. pencil grip for penmanship, larger graph paper for messy work. The kid has awful writing and they gave him that paper with tiny squares. Duhhh!!! She also gave him something best described as a hacky sack. You know those little balls filled with beans. It's for him to hold and manipulate instead of playing in his desk, fiddling with water bottle etc.. I am not to sure it works.

He is actually not really behind at the new school. I would say the private was about 1/2 a year ahead so that works well in his favor. In Ca. your child has to be a full two years behind in grade average before they can qualify for testing. We did agree that in Jan when all the new work hits that things could get really hard for him. We will meet again then to discuss further options.

I don't think I like his teacher very much. That may be part of the problem. No love there. She is new to teaching 4th grade so not all that great. The other teachers and psycologist involved are really nice and helpfull. I am happy to have them involved.

We are just going to keep applying diferent ways to help him and see how it goes. he does have some kind of disconect. When coppying from the board or another paper to writing it on paper. I have been reading about Dysgraphia. I need to speak with our pediatrician about it. See what he can do to help.

Just one thing at a time.

Thank you for the book suggestions. They look very interesting. I hope things are going better for you and your son. Insurance sucks is all I have to say. I fought with them for two years after my dh had his cancer surgery. I kinda lost.


Gina

 

[big brown horse]

There is an awesome program out there called "Handwriting without tears". Anyone with a child that has major handwriting issues should visit their website. They have a wonderful, positive approach and cool tricks and tools. LOVE IT! (And you can do it at home.)

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Oh thank you, Sally! I've been looking at that site for several minutes now. It looks like it will help DS. We have the hardest time with his handwriting. He has Down Syndrome, not ADD, but that looks like a good program we can use.

 

[me&thegals]

Me&thegals it went way better than expected.

We mainly focused on the the strategies being applied to some of the issues he is having. ie.. pencil grip for penmanship, larger graph paper for messy work. The kid has awful writing and they gave him that paper with tiny squares.

I keep reading about horrible handwriting being associated with ADD. I'm not diagnosing here, but just staying.

She also gave him something best described as a hacky sack. You know those little balls filled with beans. It's for him to hold and manipulate instead of playing in his desk, fiddling with water bottle etc.. I am not to sure it works.

My son's teach let him bring one from home, too. It was great until he poked it full of holes with his pencil. :/

He is actually not really behind at the new school. I would say the private was about 1/2 a year ahead so that works well in his favor. In Ca. your child has to be a full two years behind in grade average before they can qualify for testing.

My goodness!! At that point, poor kids are SO FAR behind! That doesn't seem like a very proactive policy! Glad that your son is not behind, though.

I don't think I like his teacher very much. That may be part of the problem. No love there. She is new to teaching 4th grade so not all that great.

That's huge, isn't it? There's such a trust issue, as in trusting that the teacher cares about your child, wants the best for them, is being fair with them....

We are just going to keep applying diferent ways to help him and see how it goes. he does have some kind of disconect. When coppying from the board or another paper to writing it on paper. I have been reading about Dysgraphia. I need to speak with our pediatrician about it. See what he can do to help.

My son's friend struggles with this and has huge math issues. From a young age, she noticed he would not willingly allow his hands to cross the midline of his body. He would eat with his right hand and rather than cross his midline to get food on the far side of his plate, he would put his fork down, pick it up with the other hand, and continue to eat. She has him in violin lessons simply to force this physically and (I think) create those neurogenic connections. Would you like me to get any info from her for you? She is THE best researcher and is the one who gave me my favorite ADD book (see above).

Insurance sucks is all I have to say. I fought with them for two years after my dh had his cancer surgery. I kinda lost.

I'm so sorry for you! I'm getting frustrated, and this is still really pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. But a spouse with cancer! Our insurance used to be excellent, but with costs skyrocketing my company had to switch companies and plans, so it's definitely not as great of coverage as we used to get.

Anyway, good luck!

 

[Ldychef2k]

One of the manifestations of ADD in my life is the inability to recognize certain social cues. It has been a very distressing thing for me all my life. As a child, I was punished frequently for saying and doing the most embarrassing things...like walking up to my dentist and reaching out and ruffling his shiny black hair!

Generally what happens is that I enter a group, either in real life or online, and after a time I THINK I understand the dynamics...but in reality my perception is skewed. I believe that I am communicating clearly, but the content of my communications is based on an altered understanding. The way my brain goes from Point A to Point B is completely different from the way others reason. And I end up being inappropriate, frustrated, angry and embarrassed.

This has happened a couple of times here at SS. Each time, I have taken a break for a few days, once for a month, until I had the courage to try communicating again. I know that no one has a clue about this struggle, and that it seems perhaps silly or petulent. But I assure you, it is a serious, ongoing and debilitating social issue for me.

That said, I wish to apologize for the misunderstanding I created in another thread. I am aware that I have somehow been inappropriate, but I don't understand how. What I said and how I titled the thread made perfect sense to me, but I irritated so many people that I realize I have missed a cue again. That is VERY difficult for me, and I feel terrible about it. I simply do not know what I did wrong, and why the post and it's subject line were such a problem. In my mind, I spoke the truth and did try not to make it controversial. I had JUST learned the information I posted, and I was, and am, scared to death by it. The responses were kind of shocking, and they caused me to realize that I had once again missed something. I just don't know what.

These things happen frequently to me, and I have not been able to correct the behavior. My reasoning seems to make sense to me, while it offends many others, and I can't seem to discern the difference.

ADD is very difficult, an insidious and destructive disorder. It has cansed me to spend long periods of time in isolation simply to avoid the feelings I am feeling right now--confusion and humiliation. Please know that these feelings come solely from inside myself, and that no one causes them but me.

All that said, since this disconnect has occurred several times in the past months here at SufficientSelf (even though no one but me probably noticed it), I have decided to suspend posting. As soon as I post this, I will change my password to some kind of gobbledygook that I will not be able to remember. Thus, I will be able to read what you all post, but I cannot post and thus cannot embarrass myself.

You all have so much to offer, and I am selfishly going to glean from you as a lurker. I do not trust myself to post in a clearly understood and inoffensive fashion.

 

[Dace]

Don't you dare vanish! Who is going to help me with canning and inspire me to be creative with it?

Please stay

 

[Lady Henevere]

Ldychef2k,

Don't go. It was just a misunderstanding. No need to leave. Heck, you just got a new title! You don't want to leave that, do you?

 

[TanksHill]

Ldychef2k... Your not the only one who put her foot in her mouth now and again around here. I think it is very hard to tell tone in typing. I too have a hard time communicating what is in my head. Maybe thats where my son gets it from.

Anyways we all have rough days and that is no reason for you to leave. Those of us who are getting to know you are learning to understand your issues. I for one am learning a ton from you.

Reconsider your decision. Take a break if necessary but don't cut us out all together.

Hugs,

gina

 

[me&thegals]

ldychf2--I know you and I are on opposite sides of the political aisle. Even so, I found NOTHING offensive about your thread! We all have the right to be upset about things and post about them, and you were completely appropriate in the way you did so.

I really, really have appreciated your input on this thread. You can so clearly explain what it is like for you to have ADD, and you also give us parents hope who may have children with it since you are obviously an intelligent, well-spoken, extremely productive person.

So, sometimes other people are the ones who have misread social cues, not you.

 

[big brown horse]

Look at my "custom title" ladychef!! "Hoof in mouth"?! Yeah, that's me. Sometimes I read a post and take it completely the wrong way and that combined with a crappy day will immediately get my fingers moving. It isn't until later or with some kind (or not so kind ) reminders/corrections that I've realized I misunderstood a person's post. (My mom once told me the longer my mouth moved the closer my foot got to it. )

I agree with everyone else here, you have enlightened us all with your personal stories about ADD and have shared wonderful tips, ideas and opinions in the other areas. I would be very sad to see you not participate in the future.