Quote:
Originally posted by ngdawg
I would like to mention one more thing. Look into food allergies. Food additives can cause 'behavorial allergies". My son is allergic to Sodium Nitrates-they caused temper tantrums, belligerence, inattention and occasionally he would 'space out'. We only found this out because, after daily consults with his teacher about his odd behavior and lamenting over it, a coworker who is into holistics mentioned how he liked hotdogs, etc. Then, after a pepperoni kick that lasted 2 weeks, we ran out of it and i didn't buy more....his behavior became normal, so i did a 3 days-on, 3 days-off test on him and that proved the allergy. Some doctors balk at behavorial allergies and you may have to do your own testing and observances, but it's worth it in the long run if it helps your child.
|
This is good advice. I had a lot of food allergies growing up. My mother found that corn products made it harder for me to concentrate. Also if there was something else I was allergic to that I ate and I wasn't feeling top notch it was harder. For anyone who isn't feeling their best it just makes it harder to concentrate.
There are some physical things that my mom did to help me learn to cope with my distractability. I have put them to good use in working with several of my own students who were LD or ADHD. Put their study desk in a corner of the room (at home or at school) with few pictures and things around. Keeping the child's study area clean, clear of clutter, and other knicknacks is best. Even if it's "educational" posters and things, they should be kept to a minimum. Giving the child something to do with their hands, feet, or even mouth (chewing bubble gum) can help them get their excess energy out. I found that pacing the hallway of our house while reading or memorizing things gave me an outlet for my constant energy and let me concentrate my mental abilities on the work at hand. Red cellophane has shown to help a ADHD child focus on the page they need to be reading. Cut a small piece or place a sheet of it on the page they need to study. Give them child some control over their study time by helping them set a time period for working and giving themselves a time to take a break. Let them - encourage them to take the break even if they are "on a roll". Otherwise they will see the break as optional and won't work as hard because it MIGHT not happen next time. Help the child learn things using as many sensory methods as possible. Get large flip books of poster paper for them to write out things or a small chalkboard or whiteboard. Writing out facts, figures, or dates that they need to learn gives them more avenues of learning. Have them talk out what they are writing as they write it as well . Then they see it, they write it, they speak it, and they hear it. It will stick with them longer. Also the actions of writing and saying it help them expend more of their extra energy. There are LOTS lots more things you can do. These are just some starters.
Children thrive on a regular schedule. Not necessarily an inflexible one but one that helps them know what to expect next. Give you child a schedule they can expect in the morning and in the evening. I may be more work getting it started but once they know what comes next and what is expected they will be able to channel their energy better and things will be easier for all involved. One little key my mother used to help us remember our morning and evening schedules was a list on our hands. Each finger represents one thing that needs to be done. Here is how it goes
The thumb - Wash my face and hands.
Pointer finger - Brush my teeth and hair.
Middle finger - Get dressed (Or get in my pajamas)
Ring finger - Make my bed (pick up my clothes)
Pinky - Do my jobs, we had 3 jobs that we rotated each week (get my school stuff ready - pack my backpack for the next day)
At first my mom traced our hands, wrote the items on each finger, and put it on our doors. When we were younger we got a star for each finger when it was done. Once we learned the pattern we eventually switched to just looking at our own hands and remembering it. My mom could tell us - go do your hands and we would do it all. She didn't have to dictate to us every little thing we needed to do. It gave us a sense of independence since she didn't have to tell us every little thing. You can adapt it to fit your needs but it's a handy easy tool for children to learn what to do. ADHD tend to forget what to do next. Following a chain of commands can sometimes be difficult as they get distracted. With the "hand" they can remind themselves of what else they need to do once they realize they've been distracted. Repitition is the key to learning and they repeat it enough they will remember it. some children just need more repititions.
Good Luck. These things can help whether the child is on medication or not. It can be especially useful when they eventually go off the medication if that comes about.