I have a 6 year old son and an almost 4 yearl old son. They both have always been extremely hyper and have trouble following directions, staying on task, and lack impulse control. I'm honestly worn out and am nearly at my breaking point. My 6 yr old is having problems in Kindergarten with his behavior. He is extremely sweet and caring, but he is constantly being too talkative and unable to stay on task. He is disruptive to his classmates and teacher during learning time. At home, he can't even take a pair of shoes to his closet without getting distracted and moving on to something else. My 4 year old is always bouncing off the walls, will often shout for no reason, and can be extremely defiant or rude to everyone, no matter the consequense (discipline). We've suspected for some time that this might be an ADHD issue but have not had formal testing. The more research I do, the more convinced I am that we need to modify their diets. I am happy to do that, the problem? We are a blended family with 6 kids. In addition, I watch kids out of my home. The boys are at their dads house 2 days a week and I'm not sure if I can get him and his wife on board with a strict diet. And when they are here, with their step siblings 3 days a week, how do I maintain this? They don't seem to have reactions to food? How do I implement a program with so many kids? 6 kids and daycare kids? I'm so lost.
My brother has tried lots of dietary changes with his kids to see if it would help with ADHD - no milk, soy milk, raw milk, and all that other kind of stuff but they never noticed a difference.
The reply from CAWriterMom is SPOT ON.
You MUST see an expert. AD/HD is a MEDICAL condition, it is not just a behavior. See a specialist, a pediatrician should not be diagnosing AD/HD. This is the time to see a psychiatrist or trained psychologist.
There is absolutely 0 conclusive evidence from experts in the field that diet impacts AD/HD. Again, this is a medical problem. If a kid is misbehaving and it changes when you change his diet, then he had a food intolerance or behavior problem, NOT AD/HD.
If you "thought" your kid had a medical condition such as diabetes, would you "try and change his diet to see if it helps" or find out for sure, with tests, and then seek medical treatment?
That being said, AD/HD kids should eat healthy and fulfilling meals (which is extremely difficult). Caffiene can help these kids, but again, shouldn't be used without consulting a doctor.
CHADD.org is a great resource for finding help.
For starters, get professional help. If it is ADHD, you need to know so you can develop the right treatment plan in conjunction with a medical specialist. This is a serious medical condition and one that can't be self-diagnosed or treated.
Honestly, the research into diet hasn't shown much promise with ADHD because it doesn't target the area of the brain that hasn't developed normally. It can be a useful supplement to regular ADHD treatment just in case a child does have food sensitivities, but I would talk to a specialist once a diagnosis is made and make sure a dietary change would be appropriate for your child specifically. It sounds like it would be quite complicated to implement a Feingold diet for part of your life and do different foods for other situations such as daycare, so I wouldn't take this step unless a doctor advised it.
As the parent of a child with ADHD, I urge you to seek the proper medical attention. With treatment, kids with ADHD really can fit in with their peers, act normally and thrive in school and at home. Also, check out the website for ADDitude magazine (www.additudemag.com) and CHADD for some factual information about the condition. Be very leery of any dietary, vitamin and detox claims when it comes to ADHD because you can easily waste a lot of time and money without really helping your child. The medical professionals really do know how to manage this condition effectively.
ETA: You can get help for kids at a young age. Our son was kicked out of preschool at three for his ADHD symptoms and we started therapy then until we could get more significant help when he was four.
I'm not sure what the Feingold program is. My son is the same as you're describing, can't get the dishes to the sink because he gets so distracted. He has a good diet, and I did decide to take him off of cow milk, which he is very sad about. I told him that during winter break I'd let him have cow milk so I can see if this makes a difference. It is hard for him because his siblings can drink cow milk.
As far as eating better, I'd opt to get the whole family and daycare involved. No processed foods, food coloring, soda, sugar....these things are easy to take out.
Good luck.
My son woke up one day at 3.25 yrs old and was acting like he had aspergers. We took him off all dye. Nothing with red, yellow or blue in the ingredients. You have to look at all labels because even marshmellows that are white have blue dye in them. My son eats a strict dye free diet and he is a different kid. He is back to himself again. One day we forgot and he had a few sips of a slurpee and he was bouncing off the walls like a child with ADHD. I swear by a dye free diet for our kids atleast. He is allergic to LOTS of foods so he is used to not eating what everyone else is eating. If someone offers him a cupcake he will ask me first if he can have it or if it has sye in it. If I say he can't have it he will just say okay and walk off. He is really good about it.
You should consult your pediatrician but you could always try this in the mean time and see if it helps.
Good Luck
yes my husband was on it almost his whole childhood - it was the only way he could keep on track, the ritalin used to make him dopey so he begged his mother to take him off it - another thing that really helped him was caffeine - it works the opposite way with adhd kids, instead of revving them up it calms them down.
really though they are probably always going to be a little more offbeat than most kids - hubby still is, and also my son who is 7 is following in his footsteps - we keep him off additives, we don't follow the feingold, but we tested him to see what would affect him, the answer, blue dyes, MSG most other colors, but not as much as blue, vanillin - which is artificial vanilla. try cutting those out and see if there is a difference.
kroger has a good whole foods section with natural cheetos and the like, it doesn't have to be strict to be natural, veggie sticks and dips, cheese sticks, fruit, toast... also I find that the effects are pretty immediate when he eats blue stuff - so maybe when they are with you they will be good, and when with dad horrible - that make him sit up and take notice!
also there is always chores, my son is much better when he has tasks to do - one at a time - ok son, take your dish to the sink, ok, time to clean the toilet (yes really I make my son clean the toilet!), he likes to have tasks - and a schedule, and also he likes his downtime a LOT - either reading or playing the computer.
6 kids though? ooohh thats tough!
I'd look into gluten too, sounds like tons to do but VERY possible, as far as your ex and his wife... see what information you can gather COLD HARD FACTS. see if your doctor agrees with your ideas, if not, find one that does. talk with the teacher, see if you can arrange a meeting with everyone. if your ex and co. can see that your boys NEED this change and that it is not as difficult as they may think then they may be more willing. I'd bet they are more afraid as to HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING TO COST THEM and how much effort they have to put in. but when you do a Healthy lifestyle change like this you should see results within a few weeks. OR LESS, and if they see the change to... you know. well... you may have to start on your own for 2 weeks and see if the dr. and teacher and dad see a difference. and then arrange a meeting and create a plan of action together. I wish you the best of luck and strength and I sincerely would make this a whole family change. Look into the Fresh Start Lifestyle it is very simple and omits everything you omit in the Feingold Program and much more it is simple because you do more whole foods, and you know what to omit and what you can indulge in it's for people who want to lose visceral fat but has a TREMENDOUS effect on ALL SORTS of other issues including emotional, mental, and other physical aliments... I think I still have the packets my friend e-mailed to me if you cannot find it online, message me and I will e-mail them to you. best wishes. -N.
Implementing the food? Not difficult, just takes some planning. Only serve veggies, fruits, whole grain breads, meats, and minimal dairy. When doing your shopping, buy produce first, grains second, then meat, then everything else. Try to keep 80% of the load produce, grains, and meat.
No sodas, white flour snacks, sugar snacks like cookies/gummies/cake/etc, and try to stay away from food coloring, hydrogenated oils, artifical sweeteners, corn syrup, and msg. Pretty much means you have to make everything from scratch - but it's easy once you get going with it. A typical family meal: seared chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and garlic toast. A typical snack: sliced apples with peanut butter OR mixed nuts with dried cranberries. A typical breakfast: scrambled eggs and canteloupe. A typical lunch: leftovers! or whole grain toast with smeared avocado and salt, and a light salad or fruit.
Message me if you'd like to know a few local secrets on where to buy product and whole grain breas for cheap!
As for the behavior - I have a wild boy too. I don't consider them ADHD though. More of an agressive personality. If I keep him occupied all day, we have very few issues. If he is left to do what he chooses for more than 30 minutes, things can get wild. He repeated kindergarten and is still having some issues in 1st grade. I voluntarily suspended him for the rest of the week since chose to punch another student in the face (afterward learned that a few students pushed him down and were sitting on top of him prior to the incident - remember there is almost always two sides to the story).
Try to be more involved in his classroom / recess time. Then you'll get a really good picture of what is going on and how you can help.
Good luck!
