The Home-remedy Version Of What Mom Can Do

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a problem with inattentiveness, over-activity, impulsivity, or a combination. When your child is diagnosed with ADHD, they are given an imaginary ADHD kit that consists of psychotropic medication, more teacher-parent conferences, and ongoing memos concerning disruptive behavior. Since mom typically knows best, you can conduct your own assessment to assist school staff and health professionals. Follow these steps which will lead to a more thorough treatment for your childs ADHD symptoms.
Observe Your Child at School for Three Consecutive Days
Why: Even though ADHD can be medically diagnosed, children and parents are still being held accountable for unsatisfactory behavior in school. One concern that is expressed frequently by school staff is that your childs hyperactivity blocks the teachers from educating the remainder of the class who are focused and paying attention.
School administrators are concerned that your childs behavior could be a liability to their business. Your purpose of observing your child in school is to conduct your own parental assessment. Your assessment will be free from any biases educators or health professionals hold in order to protect their own livelihood.

How: Visit your child at school on three different days in a row. Since children have a tendency to be on their best behavior when they see their parents at school, make the first two visits discrete. The best settings to make a hidden visit are during gym class where your child is too active to notice whose watching outside the door and lunch time.
In your observation, you are looking for answers to the following questions:
What is my child doing, thats considered hyperactive?
In what way is this a disruption to the teacher educating the students?
Is my child not focusing in this setting because the work is difficult?
If so, how many times did my child ask for help and did or did not receive it?
Are the other students affected by my childs behavior?
If so, in what way?
Is my child affecting other children by using physical or verbal gestures?
Do the other children feel safe around my child?
Are there other children in the class whose behavior similar to my child?
On the third day, monitor your childs behavior by sitting in the same class. See how your answers may differ between the first two days and the third where your presence is fully known. If you are a parent who may find it difficult to take three days off of work, its understandable. No need to take the entire day off. Thirty minutes of observation is sufficient.
However, put in perspective that these three days may prevent your child from having years of low grades and frequent suspensions. Also remember that reputations follow children even if school records dont. So three days may turn into a huge investment for your child.
Observe Your Child at Home for Three Consecutive Days
Why: Its quite common for you to receive notice about your childs behavior at school, but hardly see these behaviors at home. However, in order for your child to receive a diagnosis of ADHD, they would have to display this behavior across more than one environment. At home, your observation is not to prove whether or not your childs diagnosis is accurate, but to observe in what ways their behavior is different at home than at school.
How: In your observation, you are looking for answers to the following questions: How is the structure at home different from at school? Is my child more focused with less people in the environment or more? What needs do my child have at home compared to the needs at school? Are the ADHD symptoms triggered when these needs arent met? If so, in what way? When is my childs attention deficits and hyperactivity not displayed? How does my child interact with siblings at home compared to peers at school?
Observe Your Child with Treatment Team
Why: There are variations of the specialists title. Some are referred to as, Psychiatrist, Therapist, Behavioral Therapist, Child Psychologist or Counselor. There may be a slight variation in their function and technique but their overall purpose is to treat your childs symptoms of ADHD.
Its very easy for parents to fall into the habit of coming into treatment and reporting a long list of problems to the treating provider. On one hand, this is admirable, because you feel comfortable sharing your concerns with them. On the other hand, this can be counter productive to the treatments plan because the time is monopolized by your venting.
How: When in session, take note on the direction each treating provider is taking. Are you working with a problem-seeking provider who can only tell you whats wrong with your child? Or is your provider more solution focused? Your provider may also have a sense of balance where they seek problems as equally as they seek solutions. For instance, a problem-seeking psychiatrist may keep increasing your childs medication with the belief that it will get rid of the problem. Increasing medication may not be the solution if your childs symptoms are triggered by a bully at school or academic challenges.
Record your observations in each environment. No need to be formal, simply jotting down of notes is suffice. Use this as a guide for yourself and the involving parties. When you have a thorough assessment, from your own parental perspective you will also be less defensive with school staff because you are now well equipped with your own abundance of information. Stay away from the desire of wanting your child to be normal. Normal is a standard put in place to measure whats acceptable within an institution. Pressuring yourself to follow normalcy may take away attention from your childs special needs.
Resources for Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) will be available at Lets Enjoy Being Young! Family Expo in Miami Florida Saturday January 28, 2012. www.letsenjoybeingyoung.com