Helping to increase attention span? i am looking for books to read on this or,

[PentecostalMom]

activities, but preferably books. I have a SIL whose ds is being looked at for possible ADD. She asked if I knew anything about increasing attention span without going down that road just yet and I told her I didn't. I then told her I have a fabulous wealth of hsing ladies who would have some info. Help me out if you can please! TIA!

[PeterPan]

We're pretty au naturale in our house, but it's like hiking through a forest with NO MAP when you don't have evals. It's not about going on meds, even though there are some docs who push that. It's about getting a road map and knowing what all you're dealing with, finding the things you don't realize you're dealing with. The dc with adhd will typically have low processing speed, working memory deficits, EF (executive function) deficits, and possibly more. Some of those things can be worked on therapeutically, either at home or with an OT or SLP or even sometimes a VT doc to get them to improve. Some of those things are harder to get to move. There are also dietary measures.

 

If you come over to the LC/SN board, we've had some book lists. Holloway's books are a good place to start.

 

Is the dc ps/cs or hs?

 

If she only goes to the ped, yes the discussion is limited to meds. If she goes to a psych and gets a full, proper eval, she's going to get a LOT more information, information that would be EXTREMELY valuable to her and might change how she's teaching the dc or help her target her efforts. It's also possible to get an INCORRECT diagnosis through a ped, because they merely use a screening tool and symptoms. The psych eval (through ps or private) will typically be several hours and give a lot more information to help them make changes. If they don't want meds, spend extra time finding the psych.