Hi! I have a 13year old. No, he has not been diagnosed or testing for ADD/ADHD. However, I recently had a parent/teacher conference and we all are on the same page, and are just trying to figure out or come up with some ideas on how to motivate my son to do better in school. He is a smart kiddo and does well when he wants to. Unfortunately, he often, "zones" out or is too busy socializing to know what is going on in class, when called upon. I feel that if he would simply start writing notes that the teachers write on the board in class, that alone would make a difference and he wouldn't be so lost. We have trying incentive programs that only work for very short term. The teachers in fact, are currently setting in place, goals (that he helped to come up with during our meeting), and he will be rewarded based on how he meets these goals. I am hopeful that this will help. However, I am also concerned that if it doesn't, there might be something else going on. I am not considering getting him tested at this point yet, but am wondering if any of you have given your child any sort of natural homeopathic things that may have helped with focusing, as well as any other ideas you may have since we are running out. Thanks so much!!
He is 13. Boys at this age, including my grandson, decide school s not all cracked up to be what it used to be lol. Tough age. It will get better. Be patient and work with his teacher.
Two things that work for me - regular exercise and protein in my diet.
Is he getting regular, vigorous, exercise? 30 minutes of exercise gives three hours of focused time for learning. Read "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain" by John J. Ratey for the scientific studies that have shown this to be true. I need to either run 3 miles, or go to a Karate class (martial arts have been helpful to a lot of people with ADD/ADHD), or bike/swim/walk briskly every day or I can't focus enough to do my work.
I also try to get enough protein at every meal, including breakfast. I drink a protein shake every morning because I don't like eggs/meat first thing in the morning.
Coffee?
I wish I had answers but everyone is different. The problem is it is a chemical imbalance, nothing natural corrects that.
The problem with school is very few teachers or subjects can stimulate you. I love math but in class I would just read the textbook and doodle equations. Granted if the teachers weren't so into catching you not paying attention they would get better answers.
That is one of the things that struck me as odd growing up. They would call on you knowing you weren't paying full attention but they wouldn't tell you the question or give you any information. It was like they were jazzed at catching the little nerd unable to answer. Yet if they gave me a clue I would have rattled off the answer as I always did.
Yeah, that more than anything drove my teachers nuts, how did she get 100s on tests when she isn't listening to me. Because they guy who wrote the text book is smarter than you and apparently more interesting. :p
Then there were teachers I would have followed off a cliff, none of them taught English mind you, what an icky subject.
Really if you aren't going to go the route of meds then you need to sit down with your son and help him isolate what brings him in and what shuts him down. He also needs to figure out ways to cope when he brain is rejecting what is being said because it is painfully boring.
Perhaps you can find a tutor that specializes in techniques to keep ADHD kids on track. My oldest saw one during high school.
My son has been diagnosed with ADHD/Sensory issues.
We went Gluten Free, and that made a big difference for him. I have also noticed that when I eat foods like, Pizza (with gluetn for us) I tend to zone out and have issues concentrating.
It is pricy, and a pretty good challenge at first, but so worth it in the end.
Others have gone, milk/caesean free in conjunction with the gluten free.
We also take Fish oil viatmins as well. I was reading this book to find out some of this.
Author DeMaria, Robert, 1954-
Title Dr. Bob's guide to stop ADHD in 18 days : stop medicating treat ADHD, ADD, ODD--hyperactivity naturally!
Good Luck.
I'm not any help on the natural things you can give him to help his concentration, but I can suggest that you make sure his diet is low in sugar, and absolutely no artificial color in anything he eats. It's been linked to problems focusing.
My 10 year old son(5th grader), who was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5, has been on the homeopathic medication Attend since he was a kindergartner. In 1st grade we added Memorian and Extress, which go along with the Attend. My husband and I did not want to put him on the narcotic drugs with all of their side effects. These 3 have no side effects.
We get these 3 medications at our local Peak Nutrition.
Depends on whether you think this is an issue of will or skill (is he CHOOSING to socialize rather than take notes because it's boring or does he not KNOW how to take notes or ignore his peers)?
If it's an issue of will, no amount of supplements or remedies are going to help more than the incentive system and run of the mill behavior modification.
If you think this is a skill issue the question becomes is it HARDER for him to do these things (a neurological issue) or did he just never pick up the skills.
The only scenario where a supplement (or medication) is going to make a difference is if you believe this is a natural, chemical, neurological issue. In which case, you think he has a real issue and should seek medical input. Otherwise, all the supplements in the world aren't going to change his personality, work ethic, or skill set.
My advice would be to address possible behavioral issues first. Limit screen time; make sure he gets plenty of sleep (make a note of how long he sleeps without being woken up on the weekends... try to adjust his bedtime to get him that much sleep EVERY night); if he has trouble settling down at night, Melatonin is supplement that might help him and is linked to reduced symptoms in children with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders; get serious about the incentives and keep the goals attainable so he sees some success; research some note taking and binder organization methods, and teach him ONE method to use, then monitor him and support him and reward him for consistently following the program; fish oil helps some people with concentration.
Good luck in this process. I hope your son finds some success.
I would do an elimination diet. Cut out gluten, diary, anything processed or dyed, ect, and see what happens. Then slowly add things back in and see what he reacts too.
In my opinion, there is too much focus the goals - if your child pays attention then he will reach his goal. No no no. You need to focus on developing the skill of paying attention...the actual steps and thought processes it takes to actively "pay attention" to something.
Don't get me wrong, goals are great positive incentives. But some kids who have a hard time with attention see the incentive only, and don't really gain the knowledge or skill of learning, and that is your ultimate goal.
I'm totally not saying your child isn't bright or smart.
This is what I suggest: Have him describe something simple, like a table - shape, color, material, position in the room - anything he can say about the table. Maybe make a game out of it - you make a list and he makes a list, and then comare. Have him do that several times a day about anything - your car, a book, the front yard, the parking lot at the grocery store, your family pet, a can of peas from the pantry, his toothbrush. Get his brain to start noticing all the details about something . Don't have him do this with everything...that will be too overwhelming.
As he gets better at this, then have him start detailing different parts of his homework. Say he brings a math worksheet home. Instead of working on it right away, have him list details - how many questions, what color ink, small or large font, any pictures? how many odd numbers or even numbers he sees...you get the picture. After doing that, then have him start on the actual work.
good luck!
ADD/ADHD is a biological brain disorder that foods and discipline have no effect on. If he is one of these then he cannot make changes himself. It will take medication.
If he was having seizures he would take meds. If he was diabetic he would take medication. If he's ADD/ADHD he may need meds to fix it.
The medication for ADD/ADHD speeds the brain up to a point where it syncs up. It starts functioning the right way and the synapses happens the way it is supposed to.
So if he is ADD/ADHD then he may need meds to help him. It won't hurt him to do an evaluation to see if he has this proven medical issue going on in his brain.
