Very good idea, I wish there was more like you. But most ADHD's will see the second part of your blog as you labeling them as "retarded", even though you are not. I have seen it before. Just a heads up.

Good suggestion as well, but I am telling you... it will be much harder to teach the child ANYTHING, but this is the best route for long- term. Don't drug hium, hel will become very dependant on it. Teach him to control it. It is hard, but is works, and if successful. That kid will excel in every task. Focus on self- relaince and people skills. These will be the hardest things for him to learn, and it is best taught at a young age.

I heard that it can be cured by meds . The problem with meds is that some of them will be addictive since they act on the nervous system .
WRONG! IT IS NOT SOME DESIESE THAT CAN BE "CURED" To "cure" him you have to change his mentality, NOT DRUG HIM UP.

There is no "cure." Some people need meds to function, but it's my personal opinion that alternate routes should be tried out first. It does take a LOT of work and sometimes no matter what you do, things don't work out. Then, meds can be helpful. They can get the person to a place where they are able to function "normallly" so that alternate behaviors and learning can be taught. Every child is different and what works for one, may not work for another.

It is a mental disorder and if one has it in a severe manner I see nothing wrong with the meds to help him or her . Saying that meds are bad for anyone does not confront reality as it is . Of course meds have side effects and some dependency but if they are a necessity then I think they must be given to help .

I think the operative words here are "severe" and "necessary." Sometimes, it's not necessary, even in severe cases. Kids and adults CAN manage the condition without the drugs. I've been doing that for almost 8 years without my son. It's not easy but it IS possible. But, he did choose to go on medication for a while, it helped to some extent but the side effects were very uncomfortable for him. He chose to go off them and is now working harder. But, as I said before, every kid is different and needs to be treated as such. I think non-medication is best to start off with as medication can cause delays and impairments with their growth and development. It takes a real commitment on the part of parents and teachers and doctors to make it work, though.

Well it can't exactly be cured... ADHD is something they will have there whole life.. Meds just helps it and usually when a child gets older the H part of ADHD drops off usually but there's no cure for ADD

<< teacher just giving you a brief overview of it i'm not labeling them as retarded, because children are very bright as are children with ADD/ADHD infact they have a lot of energy and if that energy can be used effectively they can get more done than most people. However, if you research it like a book that I have on it "including children with special needs," i believe is the book it labels 3 sections as inattentive, hyperactive, and another one I forget where children most often have problems at who have this proble.In then in the academic hemisphere ADHD is under IDEA individuals with disabilities education act which provides children who have certain problems ADD/ADHD being one an IEP individal education plan every plan is different as all children are different and thus have different needs that must be met. Therefore in the classroom there are different procedures that teachers can use in order to aid children in feeling industrial. Additionally these are often the children who do get in trouble the most in class esp. when not medicated, medication is not a must bt for some it is a good option, otherwise if its not to severe with say a change in diet, getting lots of exercise, and the teacher and parens working cooperatively it can be helped as can most problems that occur like this.

If you'd like more information there are many websites about it I'm sre there is a kid friendly website as well, cdc- center for disease control will have information, school guidance counselors, resource teachers, and developmental pediatricians i'm sure would have more information on it!

Good luck with your pursuit

To the rest of you, yes it IS diffrent in every case, for people are all diffrent. What works for some may not be so with others. That I can understand, because I have severe ADHD. The only reason why I can type this long is because I am so pissed off. But please, don't say that you need to "CURE" ADHD. It really does make the people that do have it feel like it is a desiese or something, evrn if you don't mean it. ( I know I can't spell, don't ride me on that.) sorortiy girl, I don't like being mean but saying "I'm sre there is a kid friendly website as well" is just being a Bi**ch, you may have some good points, but the only way you know of this stuff is because of your books, mabye because you feel like you are teaching some of them. I know of it because I been through that IDEA crap. I sat in rooms filled with kids just like me,who fail because not that they do not understand, but because they feel like they are being treated like dribbling idiots. And the teacher treats us as such. This is B******it, I have a friend who has Severre ADHD, is 16 and writes re-writes software programs. In 11th grade, the teacher would give us problems desigened for 8th graders. Example: if the teach asks : what is the recopical of 1/2? and when we awsner her, she spits out a long list of questions : Are you sure, how did you come up with that? DO you want me to repeat the lesson? And then they act all excited and say: YEAH!!! YOU GOT IT RIGHT!!.... how does that make you feel?" My god,they treat you like you are in special ed. This does not teach them how, in any way to " feel Industral" and I gotta tell you - to hell with your books, certifics and programs, you don't have it- you don't know S**t. So get the F**K off you pestadal, stop being a B***th. It's NOT a disability, and you can't "CURE" it. Got it?

All right, I can see where you are coming from, and yes, in some cases it is nessacry. I'll give you that.

To all of you, I am sorry if I sound mean, I do not mean it, andI apoligize if I do offend you. Also, Mabye, but that is how they become addicted, by becomeing reliant on the medication. Tip : ritilan is good for some, but not all, And adderall is actually a medicated dose of speed, Do you want to give a hyper, spastic kid speed? Sure it makes them focus VERY VERY INTENTLY., but also it make them MAD AS HELL FOR NO REASON!!! Imagine... what kind of damage would a hyper, spastic kid on speed who is MAD AS HELL would do if something rubbed him/her the wrong way? I have seen it, it's not pretty. Please, if you are going to guve your kid meds, at least look up what the heck it really is.

ritalin is speed too

when you give speed to a hyper kids it seems to calm em down

I was the most relaxed kid in town on meth...



WOW! LOOK! A TREE!

To some it does, but not me. Then what is the diffrence between the two?

You need to grow up and learn how to control yourself. You don't have to curse or get defensive I listed resources for people to use. Did it ever occur to you that I put that there because some parents may want to help their children understand the problem they are having? or perhaps help the child's siblings understand why their bro/sis is now seeing a doctor? My list was a source of resources where you could get information for anyone. Additionally, kid friendly websites usually have an education link or a parent link on them some even have support groups where parents and children with ADHD can go to talk about the problem. ADHD is a disability because it is a brain imbalance hence why it is covered under the IDEA individuals with disabilities education act. There is nothing wrong with it and children are normal besides being hyperactive you are trying to hard to pull something defensive out of something that isn't meant to be defensive. Additionally, you can talk from your perspective of having the problem but some children are very different from you as all children are. There are differentiating strategies that teachers use in the classroom to help each child meet their needs. I believe you may think negatively on your problem and that is why you are trying to pull something negative from my post, but there is nothing negative there just some information that I thought would help " parents" in the "parenting" section of this forum.

You're makin this fun, you know.

According to a specialist that I know, AHDH condition can improve with meds up to 75% in few months if taken as prescribed . Some kids get some side effects and some get none at all .

Yah, I get severe side effects,(mainly uncontroable burts of violance) and others I listed in the rants above. But normally, the kid will be fine on meds, and good luck to ya if you have one on such...... you're gonna need it.

I'm brand new on this entire site, but this thread caught my attention as a parent of an ADHD teenager. I'm also a teacher.

No, ADHD cannot be "cured". Whoever told you that is wrong. We have tried just about every ADHD med out there - most are amphetamine based since it reacts differently in the ADHD brain than others - with not much luck on the meds we've tried. When I say that, I mean that it is very clear that my son needs meds, but they are kind of like what aspirin is to a headache - takes the edge off, but that's about it.

The ADHD brain functions differently in many ways, and that is a biological difference. They do not need to be "cured". Brains that function in this way are brilliant in many, many capacities. However, in our society of school and work (moreso school), we have it structured so that kids are not usually successful if they have difficulty controlling impulses and sitting for 45 or 90 min. classes and concentrating on mostly audio and visual work.

ADHD also is usually accompanied by other issues - many ADHD kids are also learning disabled, or have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or a varying degree of Oppositional Defiant Disorder or have difficulty socially with peers. But it is hugely, hugely individual as to whether or not these other things are comorbid or not, and to what degree.

In my son's case, we are extremely lucky that he does not also have to deal with a learning disability or social difficulties, but he does have a degree of opposition. Meds have unpleasant side effects for him, and Ritalin was the worst. he is now on Adderall, as those side effects (nausea, weight loss, trouble as meds wear off) were the least on it. They are still there, and he still needs to take it to help control impulsivity and increase concentration at school, but it doesn't have the effect of making him fixate on any one thing, as one poster said.

He has a 504 for school, not an IEP, which is entirely possible NOT to need the full blown IEP. A 504 allows for modifications in the classroom. I just wish the teachers would follow it. there is an appalling lack of knowledge of ADHD kids and their mods by teachers, and yes, he has had teachers treat him like he is an idiot, although his IQ is near 140.

he was diagnosed in 5th grade with ADHD and anxiety. I got him into counseling immediately and he has been in counseling steadily until this past year, with not too stellar results. His meds and how he is doing with his anxiety and focus/impulsivity is constantly monitored by me as mom, and by a psychiatrist, and until recently, a psychologist. The goal is to give him strategies he can use to help himself with time management, responsibility and other organizational issues.

I think this will be a struggle for him all his life. It has had a huge impact on our family and it is a very real issue. I get very upset when people suggest that it is due to poor parenting, as a recent msn.com article mentioned. It is brain based, biological. As parents, we pull out all the stops and expend a huge amount of time, money and effort to help our children, who being children, sometimes do and sometimes don't do everything they can do help themselves.

Stepping down off my soapbox now.

@kds 1 :
Thank you very much for all this info and for sharing your own experience with us .
.

Thank you.