Add symptoms

[mar]

So I am been researching add in adults and as I am reading this it's my DH to a t. Dd is exactly like her dad. Is there anything I could do to help her without putting her on meds! I do sugar free as much as I can and the sugar she gets is very minimal. She is dye free and preservative free. She is calmer on this diet but she still has the impulsiveness and forgets thinks like DH. Like seriously she is a mini dad. I have been with dh for 17 years so i know him very well. I am seeing her act like dh and it freaks me out! Is there anything I could do to help her with this?

Mar

[LNN]

From what I can tell, the ADD mind works best when it's multi-tasking. It drives me nuts when my DS fidgets with something when he's supposed to be doing homework, but to him, it helps him focus. He's allowed to chew gum in school if his concentration is waning and he chews gum during homework. He uses fidget items (tennis ball, paper clip) to keep his hands busy when he's reading or concentrating. Listening to music ironically helps. It's counter-intuitive. But I think if the ADD as something that's bored and wants in on the action. If we give it something to play with while DS is trying to focus, it seems to help a lot.

 

I've never read this book but bookmarked it because it seemed to address some of the ADD issues. http://www.amazon.com/Fidget-Focus-Boredom-Sensory-Strategies/dp/0595350100/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329751649&sr=1-1#reader_0595350100

 

Tyrosine also helps my son's brain fog, but that may be a different issue than his intermittent ADHD issues.

[MomWithOCDSon]

Like LLM, we find with DS (and, frankly, with me, too), multi-tasking to an extent that makes some people think "How can they possibly get anything done that way?!?!" is more productive than desperately trying to focus on a single thing and accomplish it.

 

DS does most of his homework and reading while rolling around on a yoga ball. I know . . . not the way you or I would probably chose to do it, but he swears it helps him, and given his progress and grades, it's hard to argue that he's wrong. In school, I'm told he frequently does a "balancing act" with his chair while, at the same time, doing complex math problems or exploring the Middle East peace solution. Hey, whatever gets the job done!

 

Since college, I typically have to have a television or a stereo/radio going while I work; working in silence does not help me focus, it makes me less so. Adaptation on my part, or ADD? Don't know, but I know what works for me, and thankfully I can usually grant myself the opportunity to do two things at once (listen and work or watch and work), and that helps me achieve the primary goal faster and with less drain on my focus and energy.

 

So maybe we need to think outside the box a little, or give people with focus issues the opportunity to solve for themselves what works for them, instead of imposing a rigid set of conditions/expectations that what works for us, or even what works for the majority, will work for them? Maybe start with some of LLM's ideas . . . chewing gum, squeezing a squishy ball with one hand while writing with the other, etc. . . . and let your DD and/or DH see what works for them?

 

Just want to add, by the way, that we've tried one of the non-stimulant ADD/ADHD meds (Intuniv), and it really didn't do anything but make DS tired, so I can't recommend them. Meanwhile, if another of your DD's PANDAS behaviors is OCD or anxiety-based, the stimulant-based meds (like Adderall) aren't a good option, either, since they can push anxiety up.

 

Have you tried taurine? It's an amino acid supplement that's supposed to help with short-term memory and similar brain functions. We've been using it for over a year with DS and we think we see some attributes, though it is admittedly hard to tell. It's inexpensive and, best we can tell, has no side effects either, so we just keep rolling along with it. Might be something to look into.

[mar]

Thanks for the replys! Even thought I was consitrating on dd I learned some things about ds. He is going into fifth grade but last year him and I struggled with homework he always did it at the kitchen counters and dd would get him going and with me cooking dinner I felt it needed to change as he got older. Got desk in basement and has room in bedroom but he would be upset and say he can't go in basement ( I think he is afraid) but anyway would say he can consitrate and is fine in kitchen. But he was always off task and doing other things while doing homework. Wow I totally see this in ds! I would try for hom to get most of his hw done before dd would get home b/c then she distracts him and it's a fight for time. So dd has been getting straight A's with a B here and there which amazes me. But over summer he mentions that it's hard to stay focused some time at school. He has mentioned the rocking in his chair which I do see at home. I just wonder how this kid puts it together at school but is different at home. Now going back to dd who I fear about at this time. She comes home and would do her homework right away. She is very bright but has these foggy moments and impulsive and clumsy. Its weird but has read chaper books in first grade but has this what where" which reminds me of DH. She still lies and ag times seems confused. This is what scares me. It's the whole look in her eye of what? I am not into add meds and hope to find something to help them.

Mar