This is a really common problem among ADHD families - your kid comes home from a full day of working really, really hard to pay attention, stay on task, and make it through the school day then she just loses it. And you're left to pick up the pieces, while also making dinner, cleaning up, packing lunches, doing baths...

Have you considered a short-acting stimulant for after school? Some children take them around 2/3 pm just to help get through homework and dinner.

Also, nutrition can make a big difference, so you may find that having a nutritious snack all ready to go after school helps to prevent a melt down.

Here are some other useful after-school survival tips, plus you might consider downloading this free Sample Routine for ADHD Kids.

You can find more organization tips online, too.

I hope this helps!

Quote

I have a 9 year old daughter who was going through the same thing. What is working for me right now is a small chore list. It has about 7-8 lines on it with a small box at the end of the line. I list each of the things she needs to do, for example..feed the dog, pick out her school clothes, do homework, etc. The last line is always something she wants to do, play outside, computer, watch tv, etc. When she finishes those items she gets the reward in the end. It has worked well for us. I truely believe she sees an end in sight and that helps keep her focused. It maybe worth a try.

Quote

Thank you for the advice with the chore list. That sounds like an idea that would work for her and I. Since I am plagued with ADD, I have a hard time keeping her focused while keeping myself focused. I do have a white board on my frig that I am trying to keep up to date with the things we need to do before school and after school, but I never put something on the list that she really likes to do like relax and watch some tv or go outside and play. I will try that next. As far as the short acting med, the neurologist really didn't like idea(I thought of that first since school is not the worst part of her day). We are going back to the dr. this friday and I am hoping he will extend her Med. trial to full time. I just feel that because the heart of the problem is at home, the doctor doesn't really even think it's ADD let alone want to medicate her for it. We'll see.

Quote

Just to support Anni's reply about diet. It may not be a cure but it can help in alleviating symptoms. I have posted on this on the site below and there is also an interesting video on the famous additives http://www.squidoo.com/ADHDnaturalcures

hope this helps !

Robert

Quote

I have an 8yo daughter with ADHD - inattentive. She is on metadate cd during the day and we have a short acting ritalin for evenings. Like others, she holds it together all day and completely melts down at home. Most nights I use the short acting, but on nights when we don't have much going on, I let it slide. Usually with not so good consequences. Last night I didn't use it and she threw a metal spade at her 2 yo sister's feet for taking her garden kneeling cushion. The nights I do use it, we have peace - dinner gets eaten in under 2 hours, homework is completed without whining, and she falls asleep quickly. If your doctor is not being supportive, I would seek a second opinion, or a consultment with a psychologist. Best of luck to you. Just remember to breathe!

Quote

Your daughter may be doing fairly well at school because the setting is much more structured. I often wondered about my own daughter too because she did so well at school and then fell apart at night. I still believe she has ADD, but it doesn't affect her as much within a highly structured setting. Come summer time, she can get lost during the day because of the change in structure.

Quote