ADD and ADHD
How is it possible to treat ADHD in a 6 year old besides Ritalin and Omega 3?
At the Nitzan Association, even in cases where medication is given, we recommend learning assistance according to the need and also leveraging the strengths and talents of the child in order to strengthen his self-image. Similarly, paying attention to the social aspects is no less important than the learning aspects and allows a broader frame of reference.
The Nitzan Association has intervention programs for parents of children with ADHD whose goal is to assist the parents in the daily coping with their children.
If a child has been diagnosed with ADHD, is an alternative educational framework offered? Or maybe the child stays in a regular class? If it's recommended for him to take Ritalin, but the child's parents strongly oppose this treatment, does the teacher have the right to take the child out of class? Are there other/additional treatments for ADHD? From which age is ADHD diagnosed? When is it possible to begin treatment?
The trend today is to integrate children with special needs in regular education and within this setting to try to provide for their special needs. In general, the fact that there is a diagnosis of ADHD or learning disabilities doesn't necessarily warrant placement in special education. It's important to create a cooperative relationship with the school and to try to find the way in which the child can fit in the school and fulfill the school's expectations, and on the other hand to receive maximum assistance and understanding of his difficulties. We recommend for you to join one of the Nitzan Association's parent's groups, in which you can learn a lot about the school system and to learn how to create cooperation with the school and to influence the teacher for the child's good.
ADHD can be diagnosed from a very young age. There are a variety of treatment methods. Sometimes, there is in fact a need for medication, but it's always recommended to combine medication with additional intervention methods to help the child. It's recommended to seek professional counseling for this issue by a psychiatrist or neurologist who specializes in ADHD. You are invited to come to the Multi-disciplinary Evaluation Center at Nitzan.
Are the teacher and principal allowed to force a mother to give her son Ritalin even if she isn't interested, when the neurologist recommended giving the medicine? Are there schools for ADHD and learning disabilities without giving Ritalin, because the mother is absolutely not willing to give the medicine?
In principle, the school cannot force parents to give their children medication; however, it's important to stress that the most effective treatment for ADHD is medication, accompanied by parent training and in coordination with the school. Therefore, it's very important to consult with a professional (child psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD), and similarly to consult with a professional about effective dialogue with the school, for the child's good. From past experience at the Nitzan Association, children who suffer from ADHD have improved as a result of training and support that their parents received through our parent's groups.
My son is 7 years old and learns is in 2nd grade in a public, religious school in a small class. He took the TOVA test but it came out borderline and there was no clear answer since there weren't improvements in the results, even though he was diagnosed as suffering from concentration problems. He's like they say, "Doesn't fulfill his potential". His grades fluctuate between very high and average, and the teacher also says that he has "ants in his pants". Despite everything, he doesn't receive any sort of assistance. Is there another evaluation that can be done in order to receive a clear answer? I'd appreciate a response.
It would be worthwhile to seek advice with the school psychologist or counselor and to check what the possibilities for help are at the school. According to the report of the school staff, you can in cooperation with the school build an intervention program in order to help him. It's a good idea to clarify what are the reasons for difficulties in concentration and focusing and according to such to determine the type of intervention. Since you note that the results of the TOVA test were not absolutely clear, it's recommended to seek a neurologist or child psychiatrist who specializes in the field of learning disabilities for further consultation and clarification. You can also refer to the Multi-disciplinary Evaluation Center at Nitzan.
What can be done so that a child won't feel different or strange? How should we behave with this ADHD when he doesn't want to take his medication but can't concentrate for more than 15 minutes while reading study material? When it's an interesting movie or a computer game, it's seems like there never was ADHD; maybe it's just the studies bother/bore him?
The ability to concentrate during an interesting movie or computer game doesn't negate the possibility of the presence of ADHD. The functioning required in these situations is different than those required in learning tasks. From our experience, in many cases, children with ADHD feel different than other children, especially in light of your description that the boy cannot concentrate for more than 15 minutes while reading learning material.
First of all, it's very important to assess the causes of his difficulties in reading if they are only a result of a difficulty concentrating. Problems reading are caused frequently as a result of a learning disability in this area. Similarly, perhaps there is a combination of ADHD and learning disabilities. It's very important to help the child cope with his different feelings that are caused by his difficulties. This can be done through different interventions, for example: psychological treatment, art therapy, therapy with animals, etc. according to the child's preferences.
It's recommended that the parents seek advice and receive training how to create dialogue with the child and to encourage him to receive help. For parent training, you can be in touch with Nitzan and join one of the parent's support groups or individual parent coaching.
My 11th son was diagnosed with ADHD and it was decided to treat him with Ritalin. For medical reasons we were forced to stop the Ritalin. The child is aware of his situation and also that because of his health situation he cannot take Ritalin. It should be noted that he tries very hard and makes noticeable efforts. As far as grades, you could say that he's o'kay, but he disturbs in certain classes with certain teachers with whom he doesn't get along. The homeroom teacher lets him go out of the class for 10 minutes when he feels that he needs a break so that he doesn't disturb the class, but there are certain teachers that he simply can't deal with. These are teachers who yell, don't pay attention to him and he has a lot of trouble getting along with them and he simply disrupts the class.
You didn't specify the medical reasons for which your son was forced to stop taking Ritalin. There are many different medications that can be used for treating ADHD besides Ritalin. If until now you haven't consulted with a child psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD and learning disabilities, then it would be advisable to do so.
It's very important to find alternative methods to help your child cope with his difficulties and to function his best in the school setting. An intervention program should be built for your child in order to help him. It's important to do this in cooperation with the school staff and with the relevant treatment providers. The school counselor and psychologist can help you with this and in giving emotional assistance for the child himself. We recommend seeking parent training in order to help you help your child. Parent training is given in different places, among them, at The Nitzan Association where there are support groups for parents and also individual parent coaching.
Mother's Response to the Above Answer:
Thank you very much for your answer. The medical reasons why the Ritalin was stopped are a weak immune system and frequent pneumonia. After consultation with the family doctor it was decided to stop giving Ritalin and other medicines cannot be given.
As far as the school, the teacher is involved, school psychologist, and even the principal. The greatest difficulty for the child is with teachers yelling. He can't deal with this. It's enough that he says something inappropriate and he's thrown out of the class...or if the teacher answers him by yelling, then he loses his bearings and starts disturbing in class.
I'd appreciate it if you could do something and help, in addition to your recommendation to consult with a child psychiatrist.
Continuation of the Response:
It would be worthwhile to involve the relevant figures at the school in collaborating with the teachers who have the most problems with your child. It's advisable to request the intervention of the principal to give assistance to teachers in order to teach them alternative coping methods and in order to explain your child's crisis and difficulties. You can think of creative ideas, such as a lecture at the school about difficulties like that of your child, a meeting with a professional who treats your son, etc... From our experience, creating the personal connection by means of directly approaching the teachers with whom he has trouble can help to recruit them to help him and to build the beginning of a different connection with him. The power of the parents to influence by means of dialogue with the school is immense. A change in the relationship between the child and the teacher can begin with the small step of a conversation, a gesture, etc... and lead to significant change in the relationship with that teacher and with other teachers as well.
My son is 8.5 years old, is in 3rd grade, and is diagnosed with ADHD. Already in preschool there were problems of "annoys others, hits, doesn't pay attention, does things intentionally..." And it's the same thing today at school; therefore, after endless assessments, consultations, occupational therapy, group and individual therapy, and neurological monitoring, we're giving him Ritalin. With Ritalin and without Ritalin there are ups and downs. In other words, there can be a situation where I forgot to give him Ritalin and they'll tell me that today he behaved wonderfully... and there are day that I give him Ritalin and I receive just negative criticism... Maybe his problem isn't ADHD at all and the Ritalin doesn't even help him???
After consulting with our psychiatrist at Nitzan, we recommend that you seek a new diagnosis by a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD in order to examine if in fact the problem is ADHD.
This service is given through health clinics and also at the Nitzan National Center in Tel-Aviv.
My oldest child is 6 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD half a year ago. I give him Ritalin every morning and when he comes home from preschool and its effect has passed, he simply drives me crazy, jumps all over the house, hits, and bothers everyone. My middle child imitates him. I don't know what to do already. Sometimes I feel hopeless against my 6-year-old boy. In general, I try to let go, but there are situations that I lose my patience, and I simply speak with him inappropriately, for example: I'm fed up with you, and afterwards I'm just angry at myself and sit down and cry. I am pleading with you if, is there someone who can help me? Thank you.
Indeed, it seems like your dealing with situations that aren't simple. As far as the medication, our opinion is that you should return to the child's doctor (we recommend a child psychiatrist) in order to change and adjust the dosage.
In addition, we'd like to recommend for you to join a parent's group. The Nitzan Association operates parent's groups intended for parents of children with learning disabilities or ADHD.