My son was recently diagnosed and not on meds YET.... but the key thing the doctor kept indicating to me was that finding the right meds is an "art form" NOT a "science"... maybe it's time to let the doctor know and see if you can try other medications.

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Please read The Gift of ADHD. With every "gift" the author attributed to ADHD, I could see how my son's actions we're products of those "gifts." It was a window into his little brain, full of "Ah-ha!" moments. Not only did I begin to recognize why he did the things he did, but that knowledge has helped me predict when and how he's going to react to some things, and understanding has, of course, helped me to be more patient with him when he's acting on an impulse he can't refuse. My son is 4 and the book is geared toward the 7 and up crowd, but give it a chance. The author is anti-meds, but if you are not, don't let that turn you off the book. Just skip that chapter, because the rest of the book is worth its weight in gold.

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I have one of those. He is my first born. I put him in day care at 2 years old at my mother's suggestion. The teachers (caretakers) have better skills with discipline than I did. I never was able to control my sons behavior and by 9th grade it escalated to real ugly. I too have ADHD but am the sluggish cognitive type - never hyper, but I feel so bad for these poor kids with ADHD. My suggestion is keep him busy, busy, busy. My son plays soccer and is now 17 on a premier league and is the goalie! Someone along the way told me that many goalies are indeed ADHD. Who else would throw themselves through the air to either get smashed with a ball or fall in a pile on the ground with bruises? It is his life. He eats, sleeps and drinks soccer. He practices 2-3 x week and travels on weekends. I know your son is young but find his passion young. My son definitely settled down as he got older. Not hyper anymore. Thank goodness.

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We have tried putting him in T-ball, but he was bored with it. We have decided to try soccer since it is more active and involved. Thank you for the advice and I am definately going to try and keep him busy. And I am looking for the the book as well. Anything to help me better understand what he is going through.

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We moved to Greece when my ADHD son was 3, but before we left, we took lessons in Greek. Our instructor described our son as an "andartist" which translates to Terrorist! This type of ADHD individual must have an outlet for all that extra energy. IF you have it available, one family we knew had their kid swim laps every morning before school, which in his case totally worked. Jogging for 20 minutes before school has been successful with other busy kids we knew. Baseball is fun, but your kid spends a lot of time sitting and waiting for his turn to come around - very exasperating for ADD kids. Soccer is best because your kid will get to run non-stop for about 90 minutes - while you get to rest and Not have to chase him, stop him, reprimand him, or remind him about appropriate behaviors. By the way, Soccer Mom's Rock!

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I was in the same boat as you and this program worked wonders for my son: http://www.add-treatment.com/total-focus-program.html

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I knew by the time my grandson was two that he was going to be a different challenge. LOL His energy was endless. We purchased an exersise trampoline, the small in the house kind, and he would jump without stoping for hours! He would also turn in circles non stop to the point that he was a danger to himself. We tried the no die, no preserviative route until he was 4. We then added the caffene thereapy. They all helped some but they did not make school a possibility for him. We then noticed that cows milk set him off too. Even with all of the diet changes by the time he was half way through kindergarden he was about to be kicked out of regular classes for disruptive behavior. We folded and went to meds for his own sake. He excelled the last half of the year and was graded as well above average in most tested areas. He takes focolin rx twice a day and it is working for now, however I had to change my expectations for him and learn his triggers. I found it to be my job to not put him in avoidible situations that I knew he would fail in. An example would be dining out in public at 5-6pm, not our best time of the day to learn appropriate eating out skills. We have also noiticed that "team" sports are not always an option. We just this past summer discovered his passion for jumprope. It is indiviual, physical and requires the same dicipline as other sports without the down time that happens alot in team sports. I beleive it is Micheal Phelps the swimmer who said that swimming played a huge role in his coping with ADHD.He thrived on the individual ability to accomplish his own goals, be successful on his own terms. Hang in there, open your mind to different solutions and above all have faith that you are not alone and they want to "normal" as much as we want it for them!

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Try martial arts--it teaches discipline, self worth, etc.

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Www.adhdingirls.squarespace.com

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I have found the nurturing heart approach. It has really made a big difference in my son's behaviors. The concept is around rewarding good behavior and introducing immediate consequences for inproper behavior. Clear rules need to be established that have clear rewards and consequences. At first it was hard because my son would cry or yell when he received a consequence but since it was consistant it became easier. He truly prefered the positive reinforcement so would often try to model the right behavior to get that positive attention. I learned to be very specific in my requests and to give him time to process it. It takes lots of patience but I am learning to work at it.

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ourlittleangel said: My son is 5 years old. He was uncontrollable. Right now is taking intuniv and focalin xr. But he is SO unpredictible. Yesterday he was throwing a bunch of toys in the fish tank, drawing on the wall with permanent marker, and just bouncing off the walls. We have tried time outs, spankings, talking, taking toys and privledges away, and all combinations. But nothing seems to be working. Two seconds after his discipline, he is right back doing exactly as he was before. I am at a total loss on how to deal him. My wife and I exhausted everthing we can think of. ANY advice or ideas would greatly be appreciated.

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ourlittleangel said: My son is 5 years old. He was uncontrollable. Right now is taking intuniv and focalin xr. But he is SO unpredictible. Yesterday he was throwing a bunch of toys in the fish tank, drawing on the wall with permanent marker, and just bouncing off the walls. We have tried time outs, spankings, talking, taking toys and privledges away, and all combinations. But nothing seems to be working. Two seconds after his discipline, he is right back doing exactly as he was before. I am at a total loss on how to deal him. My wife and I exhausted everthing we can think of. ANY advice or ideas would greatly be appreciated.

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