Homeschooling the ADHD Child
Is It ADHD?
NOTICE: The following posts are taken from the Christian ADHD Homeschoolers List. The names, e-mail
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Kind.
I have a question for those of you moms with ADD/ADHD. I am still trying to
figure out if I have it or not. My ds and I are very borderline. Anyway, does
caffeine ever make you feel sleepy? Sometimes eating, or coffee will make me
sleepy. Other times if I don't eat much and drink way too much coffee I get
jittery. I just thought it was weird to get sleepy from coffee or food in general.
I had heard many years ago that kids with it sometimes stimulants work
opposite. Just wondering.
Caffeine is a stimulant and can work differently for an ADHD child or mom
than it would for a normie.
Caffeine will have a calming effect up to a point. If you get too much it
will cause an opposite effect, causing the jitters, or for some ADDers it
could put them right to sleep.
The stimulants help the brain wake up so it can better filter all the stimuli coming in. This
helps focus on school work and tasks that are not stimulating in themselves.
I allow my 12yo daughter and 13yo son to have 1/2 cup of reduced caffeine
coffee every morning or right before they start doing their school work. It
really does help, but I limit the amount they get.
Some ADDults drink a cup of coffee to go to sleep at night because it slows
down the mind enough for the person to fall asleep.
I have known since dd(6) was about 2 1/2 that something was "different" about her as she is adhd and has a bunch of other issues. My question is about dd#2 who is 4 (5 in March).
While dd#2 is able to recall things better, has better language skills than her sister, and can sit still during schoolwork, watching tv, etc. She is constantly talking, making noise, running, touching things, wandering away in the store, etc. I thought perhaps she is just an "active" kids vs. hyperactive, but the thing that has me now wondering is that while we are trying to work on getting her to read (sister was reading before this age) she "forgets" her letters and when I ask her to tell me what sound we are listening for (after repeating it 10 times) she says "I don't know"
I originally thought that she was "acting out" trying to get my attention because sister is more difficult all around, but I'm starting to wonder if she doesn't have some add too. While sister met nearly all of the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD (both types) this one only barely meets the criteria for hyperactive/impulsive type.
The possibility exists that dd#2 is just trying to get my attention and/or that she is simply not ready to read (which doesn't seem likely to me as she is always trying to read books and answers her sister's schoolwork questions correctly most of the time), but then I do believe that she really doesn't remember what I just asked her to do for the 10th time...
Any comments or suggestions? I know part of my problem is comparing the two girls, they are very different. Does anyone have more than one add/adhd child that have very different manifestations?
I have 3 sons. My first (12) and third (8) have almost the same
story as yours. First was easy to diagnose, 3rd was very
different....always sweet and happy and very smart, but can't focus on
formal learning or his sports until we tried meds with him. Now we use meds
for him as needed (for above type reasons). I always think the alternatives
to meds (Feingold diet, etc.) would work better for kids like that (which I
think have more "mild cases") but that's my opinion and I haven't noticed
the difference yet with what I 've tried.
>>Some ADDults drink a cup of coffee to go to sleep at night because it
slows down the mind enough for the person to fall asleep.<<
I don't know if I'm ADD (on the right brain/left brain spectrum, I fall
right in the middle), but I can relate to this. I work one night shift a
month, and when I get home from work in the morning, I have to have one cup
of coffee to relax enough to go to sleep. My husband thinks that's crazy.
I, too, have a daughter who is ADHD, predominately inattentive
type. She is eight years old too.I have sent her to the public schools for
3 years and have found that they are just not wanting to help her in any
way. I would strongly suggest having her evaluated. I am so relieved that
we did! I called Focus on the Family and they gave me such encouraging
advice on the subject. They spoke with me for over an hour one day. I was
at my wits end and needed answers. God laid it on my heart to give them a
call. If your daughter does have ADHD, there is a wonderful book I highly
recommend you to read. It is called Why ADHD Doesn't Mean Disaster!
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