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ADHD -VERY VERY HYPER
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I have posted about this issue before but my 5 year old is so hyper. His pediatrician wants to put him on medication but I don’t want to go that route. I don’t allow him to have artificial dyes or colors and now I am trying to eliminate chocolate from his diet. When my son is calm, he does well but he is rarely calm. He does well in Taekwondo and well at his 2-day a week preschool but other than that, he is so hyper he is extremely difficult to deal. He has been allergy tested including for food and doesn’t have any food allergies. Also, he has been tested and does not have a gluten/wheat, dairy or corn allergy. I really am at my whit’s end because he is getting more and more out of control. He has sensory issues that he has had OT for and we have a trampoline, spinner, swing set and climbing wall that he uses but none of that calms him. In fact, Taekwondo makes him more hyper rather than wearing him out. I really really don’t know what to do and do not want to use medicine. I have tried a couple of natural remedies but haven’t found anything that works. Please help!! (You may recall from prior posts that I adopted him from Russia at 13 mths and he had prenatal exposure to drugs).
Thanks in advance for any help. My son is sweet and brilliant but he is so hyper that everyday life is really hard and chaotic. Just getting him dressed and out of the house sometimes makes ME want to have a meltdown.
Rhonda, Have you looked into Neurodevelopmental Therapy? It’s also sometimes called “brain training.” We started out speaking with Little Giant Steps and the local evaluator they use is Hope and a Future (Linda Kane). We’ve been doing the program for a little over 1 month and it’s amazing. If you look up the sites and have more questions feel free to pm me and I can share a little more.
My daughter has more complex issues than your son but I can relate to mommy meltdowns with just trying to get out of the house…even if it was for something fun for her!
The book Stop A.D.D. Naturally talks about diet and amino acids and vitamins that can help an ADD (ADHD) child. You can get the book on Amazon for about $6 including shipping and might find it for less on bookfinder.com
You might try to keep a really good food journal and do an elimination diet for a while. Some friends of ours have a child who is very ADHD and used to get violent. They found that he was reacting to cucumbers, vinegar, and blue berries besides the food dyes. Also, the preservatives BHT, BHA and TBHQ have been linked to ADD behavior. They are in all sorts of foods. They should even be avoided when used in the packaging because they can leach into the food.
Also, they do have natural vitamins at co-ops that help. I had my one son on these around 4yrs till 5 years and then slowly, oh so slowly weined him. And very recently I have started using essential oils and they are wonderful. So easy to use. My son who is 6 and very high strung, never stops moving, if I have him sniff a little lavender or peace and calm oil he is like night and day. Sometimes once a day 1st thing in the morning is good sometimes a couple times but its’ easy and safe. As they get older they have more natural things also. That same son is now 14 and had some hyper/anxiety issues and we use some natural co-op vitamins when the need arrises. Good luck I have been in your shoes and I just refused the meds and kept on praying. My saving grace came when I took him (as a very last resort) to a chiropractor. After the x-rays I learned his spine/neck was so out of wack that it wasn’t talking to his brain. 2 adjustments a week and after week 2 he was like night and day. Still hyper compared to most kids but I could deal with him now. Skip ahead 10 years and we still go in weekly for an adjustment and praise be to God not only does it help on keeping us all balanced it helps to keep my kids & me sain! LOL So anyway my point is there are lots of options beyond food, but food is most definetely the 1st place to start. A bunch of ramble but I have 1 minute till 7 when the troops arrise and had to write quick sorry.
Chiropractor is our first stop when we have an issue that we can’t figure out. Ours has helped us tremendously!
I highly recommend Gut & Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. You can find lots of info about GAPS, as it is referred to for short online, but the book in invaluable.
He does well in Taekwondo and well at his 2-day a week preschool but other than that, he is so hyper he is extremely difficult to deal.
Little boys need LOTS of physical activity. That’s the way they are designed.
Could he just need more exercise and maybe more structure (with frequent exercise breaks)?
He does get exercise and we do the best we can with structure. My mother lives with me and she raised two kids by herself (including a boy). She has two other grandsons and she has never seen the likes of my son. I would love for him to spend hours outside but I am a single mom and I have to work so it isn’t possible for me to do that. My mom is elderly and there is only so much she can do. But even after he has spent hours outdoors, he doesn’t calm down.
I have had several medical doctors (including a neuropsychologist) diagnosis him with ADHD. I understand that boys need a lot of exercise. I have worked with small children in Sunday School over the years, have worked at a daycare in the past and been trained as a Guardian ad Litem. I get that boys (especially toddlers) can be hyper but my son goes beyond the norm. Even his Taekwondo teacher (who is himself ADD) has commented on how hyper he is. I have had to pull him out of Little Gym in the past due to his hyperactivity and inability to comply with the rules. He has been pulled out of Vacation Bible School for the same thing.
Can he sit still while he’s being read books or while watching TV, playing video games, or anything like that?
TV and video games, yes. He can sit still and look at a book for a while but it eventually gets to be too much for him. He is 5 and reads on a 2nd grade level and really does well. But he can do video games for hours if I let him. However, I have recently stopped him from doing his Leapster Explorer and basically any computer games (he only does the ones on PBS kids or Nick Jr) because he loses control if he loses a game or doesn’t score a point. He will actually start calling the computer or Leapster names and throwing things. I told him until he can learn to control that behavior, I won’t let him do it. We are now also limiting his TV watching to Christian videos.
I would like to make the same suggestion as Amber. The GAPS diet has helped thousands of children like yours and even worse. My dd had several issues (some even deadly) and GAPS was the key for her. Dr. Natasha McBride (author of the book Gut and Psychology Syndrone) speaks of how unreliable testing is. The only sure fire way of getting to the bottom of things is by ellimination. AND most likely curing the gut and replinishing good gut flora. It is all spelled out in laymans terms in her book. There is also a GAPS diet loop you may be interested in. When my dd was at her worse, I was able to lean on the ladies there and everyone helped to hold each other’s hands when working thru the diet and the physical and psychological issues.
Here is the loop for support:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/GAPShelp/?yguid=343936306
There are 143 ratings at Amason with an overall 4.5 rating. You may be intested to hear what other moms have said and how they mirror your own.
http://www.amazon.com/Gut-Psychology-Syndrome-Natasha-Campbell-McBride/dp/0954852001
http://www.gutandpsychologysyndrome.com/
Thank you all again for your responses. I am going to try changes in his diet. Someone also suggested that I try a higher protein diet (even in the evenings) and I tried that yesterday and he seemed calmer and more able to go to sleep. I know many people suggest more carbs in the evening but quite frankly, my son is so hyper he doesn’t need more carbs.
I so appreciate the responses!!!
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