Hello,

My son is as well is 9 and ADHD. During school year with all the pressure that he does not how to handle he becomes extremely anxious, aggressive and defiant. During his outbursts he had done awful things. So far, he hates doing homework and every night used to be a fight. We have tried mostly every alternative treatment with no very good results, I'm starting to thing about meds to set some success during this upcoming school year and to try to improve our family life. When he is not under any academic pressure he is a wonderful and enjoyable boy.

Make sure that your son is not intolerant to gluten. My son's behavior improved A LOT once he was diagnosed by his Naturopathic doctor (thru a blood work) as intolerant to gluten and eggs. He has been in a gluten-eggs free diet for almost two years now. I guess some of his acting up issues were related to his body dealing with something else than his ADHD. Now we have to deal mainly with his ADHD.

My best wishes for a better life. You are not alone in this journey keep doing your best :)

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The symptoms you list sound like Sensory Processing Disorder -- which can really mimc ADHD. In fact there's a lot of overlap with the two diagnosis. For my son - now 8 -- a gluten and dairy free diet, supplementing with magnesium and fish oil among a few other things has helped tremendously. He still lags some in school, but his focus is much better and the meltdowns are almost nonexistant Personnally I believe that the drugs may work ok initially but in the long run that do not get to the root of the problem, which is why you see so many posts from parents like you who say the drugs worked but now what.

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My son has ADHD and will turn 9 in September. He has been on medication for at least a year. Just when I think the medicine is helping, life happens. I was taking my child to a therapist, but it didn't seem to help. I knew that if I was going to help my child, then I needed help. So, I started counseling at Church. I have only been to counseling two times, and have already been given valuable insight. I have learned that THE HEART determines my behavior. This is true of my child also. Instead of addressing my child's behavior, I need to get to the root of the problem(which is in his heart). When I'm addressing my child's behavior, its like I'm sprinkling water on the fire. If I address his HEART and get to the root, then its like pouring a bucket of water on the fire. Also, when my HEART is changed, that in turn, will help change my son's heart. In order for our HEARTS to be changed, I must look to God's Word The Holy Bible to guide us and change us.

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Everyone's reaction to a treatment option is different. Omega3 supplements made my son uncontrollably aggressive. We used two different kinds and there were no other changes in his diet. It was very strange. We are currently using Intuniv with wonderful results.

I agree with the previous poster who wrote that this seems more like a sensory processing disorder than ADHD.

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