Article: "Easing ADHD without meds" (American Psychological Association)

[Guest]

Just an FYI for anyone interested:

 

 

Article: "Easing ADHD without meds" (American Psychological Association

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/02/easing-adhd.aspx

 

[sbgrace]

Thanks for posting. I wish there was more of a focus on behavioral approaches to ADHD. I had trouble finding any professionals even remotely near us to help with that, and our pediatrician and no clue who might even do such a thing.

 

We've had a marked deterioration in ADHD control, even medicated control, as my son began to struggle with insomnia. The sleep loss has had a huge negative impact on his executive skills. I'm reading the Spark book now an exercise, which backs up that section. I've seen the parenting approach they mention and the immediate rewards help as well. All that is a good reminder as I try to figure out how to manage going forward with my son's particular set of issues.  

[Guest]

Thanks for posting. I wish there was more of a focus on behavioral approaches to ADHD. I had trouble finding any professionals even remotely near us to help with that, and our pediatrician and no clue who might even do such a thing.

 

We've had a marked deterioration in ADHD control, even medicated control, as my son began to struggle with insomnia. The sleep loss has had a huge negative impact on his executive skills. I'm reading the Spark book now an exercise, which backs up that section. I've seen the parenting approach they mention and the immediate rewards help as well. All that is a good reminder as I try to figure out how to manage going forward with my son's particular set of issues.  

 

You mean John Ratey's book! I have had that on my long list of books to read.

 

Behavioral interventions for me, to be effective, have to be specific to the child. It is why I am doing so much personal research. My research is following a Developmental/ Cognitive/ Social Cognitive direction. I am not a proponent of Operant Conditioning. So there's that to factor in as well. Behavioral approaches stem from different psych theories. A lot depends on which route you choose as the best for your own child. 

[Guest]

Sbgrace, another angle to research, if you haven't already, is diet. For my 8 year old who was practically born with sleep issues, his sleep improved after we went gluten and dairy free. I have seen the effect gluten has on him and we are not celiacs. As a newborn and infant, I held him in my arms while homeschooling his brother. He would sleep about 20-30 minutes at a time and then stay awake for hours. In an attempt to total how much he was sleeping with this fragmented sleep pattern, I found that he was sleeping a total of about 9-9 1/2 hours a day, as a newborn/ infant! As a toddler he slept for about 3 hours and was awake for about 6-7. This went on night and day. I was a nervous wreck! I put both boys and myself on the diet shortly after my 8 year old turned 3. Within months (it takes about 6 months for gluten to clear the system, per Dr. Kenneth Bock, author of Healing the New Childhood Epidemics) he was sleeping 91/2 to 10 (sometimes a bit more) consecutive hours for the first time in his life. Now, he does try to stretch his "time for bed" time, I'm still working on that, but it was a huge improvement that helped his health, behavior, and my sanity. 

 

I am not saying that the diets help everyone but it is an angle worthwhile exploring, if you haven't already. Also, if the insomnia is anxiety induced, that is another angle to look into. This is why I always say that everything depends on the root causes and the specific child. 

 

Edited to reword certain parts of this post. 

Edited August 6, 2017 by Guest

[Guest]

Sbgrace, if you are dealing with anxiety/ negative thinking with your son, one book with CBT strategies that I have found useful with my own boys (my 13 year old especially) is: Overcoming Anxiety in Children & Teens by Jed Baker. It is a practical and straightforward book, and the strategies are designed for a parent to be able to implement as well. If you are stuck in finding suitable professionals at the moment, you could take a look and see if you find it helpful. You can see from the description on Amazon what it covers. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Anxiety-Children-Teens-Baker-ebook/dp/B01KC29T7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501986086&sr=8-1&keywords=overcoming+anxiety+in+children+and+teens

 

Here's a quote from the book:

 

Who should read this book?

 

If you are a parent, teacher, or therapist with a child or teen whose anxiety interferes with the ability to function, then this book can help. Children with anxiety may not simply present with anxiety issues alone; they may have social or learning challenges that can lead to anxiety. They may have difficulty controlling impulses and their attention, which can lead to school and social difficulties that, in turn, lead to anxieties. A child may have an autism spectrum disorder that can contribute to difficulties with change, sensory challenges, and social and learning challenges. These can all contribute to heightened anxiety. Many of the treatment strategies described in this book are appropriate for use with verbal children. You can use words to help them understand their anxiety and manage it. Exposure therapy (gradually facing one’s fears) is the core component of anxiety treatment. For this, a facility with language is not needed. Chapter 6 shows how to adapt treatment to help children with more language challenges face their fears and lower their anxiety.

 

Baker, Jed. Overcoming Anxiety in Children & Teens (Kindle Locations 127-131). Future Horizons. Kindle Edition. 

 

[sbgrace]

Sbgrace, if you are dealing with anxiety/ negative thinking with your son, one book with CBT strategies that I have found useful with my own boys (my 13 year old especially) is: Overcoming Anxiety in Children & Teens by Jed Baker. It is a practical and straightforward book, and the strategies are designed for a parent to be able to implement as well. If you are stuck in finding suitable professionals at the moment, you could take a look and see if you find it helpful. You can see from the description on Amazon what it covers. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Anxiety-Children-Teens-Baker-ebook/dp/B01KC29T7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501986086&sr=8-1&keywords=overcoming+anxiety+in+children+and+teens

 

Here's a quote from the book:

 

Thank you for your ideas for me, and for sharing your research with us here. I really appreciate it.