Help - son started noticeably ticking this week......

[loofagirl]

My 8 year old son was "diagnosed" with ADHD last year. I put it in quotes, not because I don't believe that it's possible that he has it, but because the child psychologist diagnosed him after talking to me for about 5 minutes and him for about 10 minutes. Anyway, he seems to be doing well in school so I didn't pursue the doctor's recommendation that he must be medicated (when the doctor initially suggested medication after his speedy diagnosis, I asked if behavior modification or anything else could be tried first - to which he replied "sure we could try something else but you're just wasting your time.") School doesn't come easily for him and keeping himself focused is definitely an ongoing struggle (for him as well as his teacher), but he is doing well enough to where I'm not ready to medicate.

 

Anyway....for the past week or so, I've noticed that he has developed a tic/nervous habit. It's hard to describe but it's sort of like when your shoulder is sore and needs to be stretched so with your elbow out, fist in front of your chest, you shrug your shoulder back as if to stretch those muscles. As he's doing this motion, he quickly turns his head and looks to that side.

 

Thinking back, I can recall him doing this for some time but I never thought anything of it other than he was readjusting his shirt/jacket/etc. - until last week. I was watching him play basketball (which he vehemently hates) and all of a sudden it struck me that he was doing this way more often than I remember. Since then, I've been painfully aware of it. Just in the past week, he has gone from doing it every so often to every 10 minutes or so.

 

I haven't said anything to him for fear that bringing attention to it will only make it worse but I'm afraid that if I let it go, it's going to become a much harder habit to break the longer he does it.

 

I've only spent a very short time looking at some of the posts on this website (I just found it about 30 minutes ago) and I have to be honest, I find the thought very overwhelming to have to do some of these things that I'm reading about (from the most specific like extensive testing and special vitamins to the most ridiculous like not being able to go to McDonald's for a treat).

 

Where do you start when you first begin down this road?

 

His pediatrician? No more red dye #9? Where do I begin?

 

Thanks for any help/information that you can provide.

 

Loofagirl

[Newtothis]

Hello, my eight year old son recently began having an eye rolling tic along with some OCD symptoms not so long ago. It is overwhelming at first all the information here. However it is very helpful and supportive. I can tell you my son responded well to a well rounded multi vitamin, a cleaner diet meaning mostly organics and whole foods. The one mineral that made a big difference was magnesium taurate. Use the website to search around.

 

Here are some links I found helpful:

 

http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/te...s/pam_ferro.htm

http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...794&hl=diet

http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...687&hl=diet

 

As for my son, he has his good days and not so good days. As time progress I think we are getting a better handle on it all. He goes for an MRI in just a couple of weeks to rule other illnesses.

 

The other option is grim, doctors pills follow the link to this program which was on PBS's Frontline it is about medicating our children. My favorite scene involves some poor kid that is on like 8 different meds and while he downing his meds he eating corn dogs and drinking gatorade. Anyway here is the link. -Matt

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/medicatedchild/

 

 

Loofagirl

[CSP]

Welcome,

 

My son was very active as a child. I think a Dr. would have said he was ADHD, if I had thought he was hyper. He didn't like to sit and watch tv, and always wanted to be playing. However he was never bouncing off the walls. He did very well in school and was a great athlete. Now that I have seen kids with ADHD, I can say my son never acted like some of these kids. That being said, when he exploded with tics, and I changed his diet, added vitamins, he has slowed down. But can still play all day if he wants to. He has a friend who comes over almost everyday and they play outside non-stop. This boy in no way has ADHD, but is just as active as my son. They go to the high school on the weekends and kick fieldgoals at a practice field. My son has never had a friend who could keep up with him when it came to playing, untill this boy entered his life.

 

I can understand how you think the ADHD was a rush dx. Give the diet change a chance and add vitamins and I bet you see a calmer child. Natural Calm worked wonders for us. Comes in kids calm too.

 

Good luck

C.P.

[faith]

hello loofagir, welcome,

First, I must say, I'm appalled that doctor said he "must"? be medicated?!! I am assuming you saw the psychologist after a recommendation by his school maybe from what they have been observing? I would think you should have at least filled out (don't remember exactly what its called) a questionaire, Connors hyperactivity score or something to that effect? Well, whatever is or is not, I'm glad you found your way here before making any decisions....

 

As for the shoulder stretch you have observed, perhaps it is a nervouse habit or tic, but I am thinking it will probably resolve in time. I sure can understand you questioning how you will be able to implement some of the things here and I really did get a chuckle out of the way you put it--I guess it does sound a little rediculous for a child never to be able to go to McDonalds!! But seriously, that is just something that some here have had to limit due to finding that certain food ingredients seem to adversely affect their child, wether it be msg (loaded in restaraunt food), or high fructose syrup (evil, as one parent put it), caffeine, etc. etc.

 

Now having said that, chances are you may not have to do anything so drastic, maybe just some simple changes for now would be a good thing, and my first suggestion to you is just try to limit the stuff that we all know is, well, junk, in plain english. Since you are possibly dealing with a hyperactivity issue, try going a week or two by, not totally eliminating, but just reducing his intake of sugary cereals, candy, especially things with the dyes, soda, and maybe no MCD for just a couple of weeks? I would be surprised if you did not see some sort of difference. Perhaps make a daily note of his behaviors? And the natural calm that CSP suggested is magnesium drink that many of us here use and feel it does help. You could also get some epsom salts and put a cup in his bath as it seems to calm some kids down and some of the adults here like it too.

 

As far as the other things you will read on this board, try not to concern too much with the more in depth topics (unless of course you want to!) and just focus for now on a little diet clean up. Its not really that hard, try giving healthy alternatives. Well,that is the basics, eventually you will just start picking up on topics that interest you.

 

Okay, so really just start with some simple changes and see how it goes. If you have any more questions, there will always be someone around to try with some answers.

 

Faith