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Originally Posted by JHD
My son is 8yo and was diagnosed with ADHD. No meds recommended right now. We are working with his diet, consistent routine, consistent bedtime with adequate sleep, and one ongoing sport per season. His teacher also makes sure he gets a snack I send to school in the PM to help low blood sugar, and has him sit on a exercise ball in class. He isn't the only one, and he likes sitting on it. She also lets him be the errand runner when anything needs to go to the office, just to let him get up and move when he needs to. Rather than handwriting assignments, anything over a paragraph he types in on a computer. Lots of patience (on my part) with homework needed, but with plenty of time and directed focus, he gets it done. Consistent punishment and follow through when he misbehaves is crucial, but that is the case with any child.
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My boys are similar ages(nearly 9 and 7+).
Our kids are exceptionally active(like their parents) and can quickly push boundaries.
Big boundaries(safety/ethics/morals stuff) are easy for us to manage, but the small boundaries are time consuming for us to enact/enforce/reinforce.
We want to raise a couple of respectful but assertive boys willing to make good choices and take calculated risks.
This may sound a bit strange, but in some respects we see raising active boys(little girls seem like a completely different cute little alien species to this fella) has some similarities with raising dogs.
Leave active boys without enough physical/sensory input/output and they will start tearing up the place like leaving a Malinois in a one room apartment and expect it to follow a sedentary life without going off like wet dynamite.
When my boys and/or dog push the boundaries and start driving their mother nuts, I take them to the beach behind the house, throw them in the water(year round) and make them race until they're exhausted.
Modern pharmaceuticals are like little miracle pills for many people, but I view pharm as closer to the final tool(and an important one) in the toolbox for kids/ADHD.
And I'm concerned with the incentives by big pharm, medical community, schools, parents, etc to use pharm to excess due to the profit motive and a crutch for lazy teachers/parents.
As a layman/parent I wonder about the possible long-term effects on child/adolescent brain chemistry after years of prescription ADHD meds, but defer to any SMEs.
When teachers and other parents comment on how "full of energy" our kids are(code for going off like wet dynamite) that just tells me I need to dunk them in the ocean longer and run them faster and farther.
I've noticed some personal comments about perceived ADHD in posters themselves.
I have to admit to gaining a bad habit of reading multiple books concurrently. I have had increasing difficulty in starting and finishing individual books, particularly on Kindle/Ebook/PDF.
I find it a BIT easier with physical books, but still find myself doing it a bit with them as well.