ADHD: To distracted to...oh look, a blog!...what was I saying?

My son was diagnosed with aspergers disorder back in 2006, when he was in the 2nd grade and struggling with basic reading skills. Now, it came as a HUMONGOUS shock to me, and to my family, because we'd always seen how bright, curious and open he is. He's not "withdrawn" like kids with autism are. He meets your eyes. He gives you big warm hugs and snuggled in my lap for hours on end. But something was wrong. He was a BUSY boy, something I just simply chalked up to male exuberance for life. He still wakes up each day with GUSTO, ready to go, explore and conquer. But he struggles with attention. It's become more and more painfully obvious, the further along he got into school. So, we ran the gammut of medications like you're supposed to. Started with the stimulants (ritalin, concerta...) moved onto the non-traditional (Strattera and tenex..) and finally added in an anti-psychotic (risperdal...). By the time we got to this point, I was freaking out.

I'm a nurse, I do that. Nurses do make the worst patients...and patients parents..after all.

I did give the medication months to see if it worked, then finally, we took him off them. Everything. And following that, we pulled him from a brick and mortar school and started home schooling. Well, my mom did the schooling, I was working. It was a hard decision but we felt it was best for him. The medications made his emotions run out of control, frustration and anger mixed with nausea, headaches and the "buzzy" feeling of being over stimulated. Off the medications, he's a HANDFUL. It takes somebody staying on top of him pretty much all day to keep him out of trouble from his impulses. But it's also worlds better. His moods are more..normal. He's happy, carefree and playful where on the medications he was frequently depressed, nervous and frustrated. Homeschooling affords him plenty of time to play, in the middle of the day and allows for breaks, snacks and tailoring the curriculum to focus on his needs. He's currently working on reading, but is excelling in science and math.

So, all this being said, I know MANY parents of boys struggle with ADHD and/or Autism symptoms. I'm not at all advocating going off medications for these kids, but I do want people to know it IS an option, though not an easy one if you do go that route. Many kids do find relief on meds, many more...do not.

I also wanted to share some tips our family has found helpful in reducing distractibility and other ADHD symptoms:

1. Allow for outdoor play time, as much as possible whenever possible! Get the squirrellies out! Let them rip, run and expend as MUCH energy as you can, it will help improve focus! Plus the exposures to sunlight (vitamin D)  has been shown to help improve focus and calm. This is something I've experimented on with myself, in struggling with anxiety disorders.
(Playing outside and ADHD: http://add.about.com/od/researchstudies/a/adhd-nature.htm)

2. Reduce screen time. Seriously...this is a LOT harder than it sounds, especially when much of school these days is done on a computer, with lots of online work. But TV, video games, internet usage, Ipads, phones...all of this has been linked to decreased attention. Studies have been done that directly link the number of hours spent in front of a screen with decreased function on administered tests. The basal ganglia portion of the brain becomes very active when a person plays video games and watches TV. And the body releases a chemical called dopamine. This also makes TV and games ADDICTIVE to people who struggle with ADHD or autism, so limiting screen time is best for everybody around. (Here is a good article on the link between Dopamine and video game addiction: http://www.hooked-on-games.com/blog/31-dopamine-is-linked-to-video-game-addiction.html) We try to stick to games only on the weekend and TV only for a little bit after dinner. But it's hard, everybody in this house loves their screens...
(Here is another article, with research by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Screen time for the very young. My son is twelve, but this article is still useful: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/health/19babies.html)

3. Pay close attention to how what your child eats makes them behave. We found for my son, that sugary carby breakfast, like cereals, drastically make the day go worse. He can't function from the start. Where as when we start with a breakfast high in proteins and low in sugar..eggs and sausage with no toast...he functions worlds better and it seems to last him throughout the day. Of course everybody will have different "trigger foods". It may be a good idea to discuss an elimination diet with your doctor.
(Elimination diets and Autism: http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/gluten-free-casein-free-diets-for-autism)

4. Advocate. Advocate. Advocate. If your child attends regular schools...FIGHT for everything you can get for them in terms of services and help. Do not let your child fall through the cracks, like mine was. Even though...or because he had an IEP (individualized education plan) they were letting him slide in areas like reading and writing, using his IEP as an excuse not to keep pushing him. YOU know your kid better than anybody else and YOU know what they are capable of.  My son can read! It just took finding the right way to teach him. Don't let them give up.
(IEPs: http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/iep.html)

5. Omega fatty acids 3-6-9. We, in America, following a standard American diet (SAD) are deficient in omega fatty acids. These are important to brain function and mood, amongst MANY other things. There has been a lot of good research done showing that a supplement of Omega 3s in children with ADHD is helpful with their symptoms. We use a gummy form, found at walmart. I also try to sneak in foods like flax seeds and chia seeds..when I can.
(EFAs or essential fatty acids and Autism: http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/essential-fatty-acids-efa)

6. Caffeine. Wait..what? Yes, I said it. A small amount of caffeine, (one cup of coffee) in the morning seems to be really helpful for my child. Now, he is not on a stimulant medication at this time, and coffee is a stimulant...a cup of coffee has about the effect of 5mg of ritalin I've read. I let him have a cup of the general foods instant coffee blends (yes..with sugar, but it's one cup) in the morning, and we see improved concentration. Now, don't go overboard with this, or you'll have your kids climbing the walls! (Sugar AND caffeine? Oh my...)
(Caffeine and ADHD: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/caffeine-for-adhd/)


7. Consistent routines. But mix them up! My son craves a routine, and for the most part, we stick to one. His autism demands it, he likes predictability. But we do purposefully shake things up from time to time...not to frustrate him into a fit, but to let him learn to be flexible. I'm not talking huge drastic changes, just small things. I want him to be functional in the real world, and the real world is all about changes!

8. Increasing the number of commands given... but do it slowly. It is really hard for my son to get a series of instructions to follow through with. For instance "go make your bed, get dressed and brush your teeth" on some days is WAY to many things for him to be able to focus on at once and he'll get lost somewhere after making his bed. We try to take it step by step...but at the same time slowly increasing the number of tasks. He still needs follow through on each of them...meaning I have to go back and check that the bed is made (and am likely to find him playing with toys or with cartoons on...) but we're working on it, like daily exercises, he has to use those follow through muscles.

Parenting these children is immensely challenging, but also immensely rewarding! I wouldn't trade my kids enthusiasm for life and spontaneity for all the "normalcy" in the world, I simply want to channel it so that he can make it through the day with relative calm. He will describe the hyperactivity as a "buzzing under his skin" and I know that can't be comfortable for him to live life that way. And who wants to be followed around constantly and nagged at to complete your tasks? I want joy for him, and laughter and love and light. We are always seeking out new ways to help him out and I'm open to any and all suggestions, questions and ideas!

(He's doing his best "80s" look for a youth group event. Pretty dashing, I think!)