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Regular Features

THE PARENT COACH
Dr. Steven Richfield provides articles on many different aspects of raising a child with ADHD.                                   

ASK THE ADVOCATE
Each month we our advocate will be answering questions from our visitors about yours and your children's rights in the educational system.    

PARENTS TALK
A mother is trying to help her teenage son learn anger management.   

MOTIVATION TIPS
Five great ideas for motivation, including The Shoe Race, Trading Places and more.  

ORGANIZATION TIPS
Organize your child at home, and maybe find some tips that will help you as well.  

ADHD IN THE NEWS
Headlines about ADHD, Learning Disability and Mental Disorders


Study on ADD and TV
The recent study published on watching television between the ages of one and three and the possible link to ADD/ADHD did not take many considerations into account. The author of the study even admits that he cannot conclude that television watching and ADD/ADHD are linked.

Read the Article

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So You Think Your Child Has ADHD?
by George and Eileen Bailey


So you think your child has ADHD! Teachers tell you he is easily distracted. Friends shy away from activities that include your child. Other children make fun of your child. Relatives say he is immature for his age and will snap out of it. You've checked the lists and he fits the criteria. Now what?

Your first step is to contact the school guidance counselor and begin a relationship with those that are in a position to help. Set up a meeting with the guidance counselor and the teacher(s) to discuss your child's progress. Make it clear that you want positive steps to ensure your child's progress. This is not a "bash your child" session. DO NOT allow it to become one. Take notes and ask for specific examples of misbehaviors:
Walking around during class
Sharpening his pencil often
Looking out the window, at the other kids, at the floor
Losing his supplies
Not handing in homework you know he has done

Get as many specific examples as you can.

Next, ask the teacher what special adaptations she is willing to put into place. Some examples are:
Seating him in front 
Tapping his desk when his mind seems to wander
Writing homework assignments down 
Giving extra time for homework/tests

Set up a meeting the following month. Use this time to look objectively at behaviors and come up with some possible solutions. Review what is working and what needs changing. If necessary continue monthly meetings. Once you receive an official diagnosis, bring it to the school to be kept on file, should special education be required.

Start the process with the school as soon as possible. Many teachers are willing to make reasonable adaptations. It is in the best interest of your child if all the major adults in his life are willing to work together. 

The second step you should take is to read the symptoms of ADHD. Keep a checklist of what symptoms you feel your child shows and write down examples. 

The third step is to make an appointment with your pediatrician/family doctor. Be armed with your checklist and notes from the school meeting. Thoroughly explain the reasons you feel your child has ADHD.

Your doctor should do a thorough physical exam, testing specifically for thyroid conditions, allergy problems and rule out all physical causes. Some physical problems can cause hyperactivity and/or inattention, mimicing symptoms of ADHD. A thorough exam and a correct diagnosis is important in receiving the proper treatment. 

Ask for a referral to a child psychologist that specializes in ADHD. Talk with the psychologist by phone and ask about their experience with ADHD. The meeting with the psychologist should be to rule out any emotional problems and to set up a course of action.

At this point, you will want to begin educating yourself (if you have not already started) on all of the treatment options available. 

Your doctor and the psychologist might recommend medication. Consider a trial period to see if it will help. There are many different medications available today and children react to each one differently, so it may take awhile to find the appropriate medication and dosage. Observe your child on and off the medicine and ask him to read a story about an hour after he has taken it. Then ask questions about the story, determine if you notice any difference in reading retention. Ask your child to complete 2-3 tasks and see if he is more able to remember all the tasks.

Medication alone, however, does not make a successful ADHD child. Create an ADHD Friendly House. Take a proactive approach. Think of everything that could possibly go wrong and make up rules to combat them. Expect the worse and determine your response to that action. For example: how are you going to react if your child is caught stealing? This approach is used so that you will be calm during all situations and provide support rather than negativity during a crisis. Write down all rules, rewards for following them and consequences for not. Make sure that this is done when the house is quiet, the kids are asleep and you can think rationally.

Now that you have your complete list of rules, look at them again and take out what is unnecessary. Keep it simple. 

Keeping an ADHD Friendly house also requires reorganization. Provide materials to help keep his room organized. A clear hanging shoe holder hung over the closet door works extremely well. It keeps all of the "junk" off the floor but allows your child to see everything.

Continue being proactive in your approach, objectively seeing problems and finding solutions and changing the household to work with and for your child, rather than against him.