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She really might need some type of medication to help her focus, if it's that bad.
She may need that, but I still think she needs to very carefully look at environmental issues before going that route; the OP noted in one of the earlier posts that her daughter says they rarely get recess. There's ample research out there to show that getting activity is vital for kids; the "recess not Ritalin" issue sounds like it could fit here.
If she's not getting the chance to move around during the school day, then the problem, or at least part of the issue, is with the school, not with her.
If she isn't hyperactive, then she doesn't have ADHD. The H in that stands for Hyperactive. She might have ADD, or, she might just be one of those remarkably brilliant kids who are so above the level of their classmates that they act out as a result of sheer boredom. Or, she might just be chock full of kinetic energy and needs an outlet.
Also, if you have to -schedule- cuddle time, then something's not right. No child should have to make an appointment with her mother for a cuddle. Those should be coming spontaneously, for any reason, and for no reason other than "man this kid is awesome, I gotta give her a squeeze!" I don't recommend scheduled cuddle time. I recommend generous cuddles, any time.
She may need that, but I still think she needs to very carefully look at environmental issues before going that route; the OP noted in one of the earlier posts that her daughter says they rarely get recess. There's ample research out there to show that getting activity is vital for kids; the "recess not Ritalin" issue sounds like it could fit here.
If she's not getting the chance to move around during the school day, then the problem, or at least part of the issue, is with the school, not with her.
Excellent advice. Thanks for the links.
My son has exactly the same issues. We have steered away from medication, not because we are altogether opposed, but he is on a bunch of medications for seasonal allergies as it is. That's the first thing to exclude. My sons only symptoms of seasonal allergies is noticeable neurological stimulation. He doesn't sleep well, talks a mile-a-minute, almost as if he's ingested caffeine, and absolutely cannot concentrate for even a second during his peak allergies. After 5 years of treatment, we are finally seeing some improvement.
Now on to the exercise, this is a biggie for us, and not just any sport program, but real regular cardio. We bought a trampoline, and before starting homework he jumps for about 30 mins. We set up a mini trampoline in front of the TV, and he jumps on that when he watches TV. Our school has a walk-fit program every morning before school, and he walks fast around the track (or gym) for 20-30 mins every morning before school. After homework every day we play basketball, ride bikes, and go for long walks. He runs twice a week with my husband. On top of that he plays soccer and swims. If we are consistent with the exercise, he does much better at school. It sounds like lots of work, and it is, but it's good for all of us anyway.
If she isn't hyperactive, then she doesn't have ADHD. The H in that stands for Hyperactive. She might have ADD, or, she might just be one of those remarkably brilliant kids who are so above the level of their classmates that they act out as a result of sheer boredom. Or, she might just be chock full of kinetic energy and needs an outlet.
Also, if you have to -schedule- cuddle time, then something's not right. No child should have to make an appointment with her mother for a cuddle. Those should be coming spontaneously, for any reason, and for no reason other than "man this kid is awesome, I gotta give her a squeeze!" I don't recommend scheduled cuddle time. I recommend generous cuddles, any time.
I can't imagine elementary school kids not getting recess every day. There is something wrong there. In my son's class they have "study hall" during recess if they don't finish their work. I wonder if that is happening with this girl.
There is a boy in my son's class that obviously has some issues. Every so often an aid will come take him for a walk. This is what an IEP or 504 plan is for. The OP's child most likely needs one.
There is a book called Women With ADD, that explains how ADD/ADHD is manifested in girls and women. I think it's worth a look, because ADD/ADHD is completely different with girls than with boys. Girls are also severely underdiagnosed.
I can't imagine elementary school kids not getting recess every day. There is something wrong there. In my son's class they have "study hall" during recess if they don't finish their work. I wonder if that is happening with this girl.
I agree, study hall because a kid can't concentrate or finish their work seems like a poor solution to the problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rkb0305
There is a boy in my son's class that obviously has some issues. Every so often an aid will come take him for a walk.
There is a kid in my daughter's class who regularly goes walking around the track. Either the teacher sends him, or sometimes he will tell the teacher he needs to go. Seems to work out for them.
I can't imagine elementary school kids not getting recess every day.
Heck, I had an "activity block" during my junior and senior year of high school! You could do anything you wanted. Play basketball in the gym, study, sit with your friends and talk. Me and my girlfriends would "tan" on the quad and chat about our day.
I was another one who did not like sitting in a classroom. I just about kissed the feet of the first college professor I had who took us outside to sit under a tree and discuss American government.
To the OP: Don't rely on one diagnosis. Get a second opinion. Not all kids learn the same way and some are just so bored they act out. I have a brother who could not keep his mouth shut in class. He was also the smartest kid in the school.
Second opinion before you do anything drastic.
Exactly. I suspect private schools have fewer kids diagnosed with a disorder because the work is more stimulating.
Bright children who can learn and obviously are learning but are unable to sit through mundane crap day after day do not need to be drugged. They need an environment that suits them more.
I would also guess that schools in Europe where the kids are at a significantly higher level than those in the USA have much fewer diagnoses of ADD and ADHD. Our pharmaceutical companies are making a killing on all the drugs being handed out right and left.
With my oldest, when he was getting very poor grades - even the bottom grade in an extremely easy public school, I got to the point that I could have considered just drugging him so he could get better grades - when it seems a kid about to flunk out of 6th grade and the child fails even the easiest classes, it can be very frustrating to parents.
Luckily the pediatrician was smart and said that his scores on the standardized tests were too high for him to actually have a learning disorder, he was obviously learning but didn't care about grades. This doctor wasn't a pill pusher - and now that same son is excelling in college taking physics, biochemistry, has finished all his calculus courses with great grades.
Now another son just went from failing just about everything in 10th grade to getting the top grades in chemistry and precalculus in the 12th grade. No drugs - drugs cannot improve an IQ, but drugs can make boring teachers more exciting and make kids sit and behave like good zombies.
What seems to have turned around this other son is better teachers and a different kind of math program where they can work at their own pace, so in a very short time, he's gone from being the worst math student to the top.
Sounds like my whole life. Though I am not ADHD.I just can't pay attention. Sitting in school is awful when the rest of the world is so much more interesting. Sometime if I am getting distracted I go to the bathroom just to walk around and it helps a little.
Parents should look at their own ability to sit through 3 hours boring meetings before jumping to the drug solution.
Some people can sit for hours and listen to the same thing over and over, or a bunch of boring stuff. Others get antsy after about an hour and have to get a change.
Some people are multi-taskers, it's just the way their minds work. Some people might do better in a quiet room with no distractions doing their math drills, but others have brains that need the interruptions.
The other problem for the more active brains, the multitaskers, their minds will drift off to what is more interesting. So they may be paying attention to the teacher, the kid behind them, the birds outside the window and the fly on the wall. But if the fly on the wall is more interesting than the teacher, they will stop paying much attention to the teacher and then not have understood the assignment at all. So now they have to do the assignment, they don't know what it is and it's just too bad that the teacher was the most boring thing around.
Give them a more hands on classroom, a dynamic teacher and they'll still pay attention to the teacher, and to the kid behind them and the birds outside the window and the fly on the wall but now the teacher holds some of their attention.
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