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I am wondering because I have tried all the kid formulated vitamin supplements for ADHD/ADD that I think I can try and nothing works.
When talking with someone at Mother Earth it was suggested that they don't work possibly because they don't have ADHD or ADD.
So is there anything else that that mimics this?

I have heard that allergies can do that to a kid!! I feel HORRIBLE when mine kick up but if it's a food allergy - supposedly - this exact thing can happen...

My oldest son has ADD and one thing I wanted to throw out there is to keep an eye on your child. Is his/her behavior consistent with ADD at all times, or does he/she have moments when they are displaying ADHD/ADD symptoms?

That might give you a clue as to wether or not your child truly has ADHD/ADD. My 4 (almost 5) year old daughter sometimes mimics the same behavior, but it is often when she is very tired or simply bored. Some children just have a lot of energy and need some kind of activity to keep them occupied, (which I think many teachers tend to mistake as ADHD).

Hoodmama also has a very good point as far as food allergies are concerned! It might also help to keep a food diary to see if certain foods trigger certain behaviors. Like I said, my son has ADD, and even with the ADD, we notice that sugar completely throws him off. Even at almost 15 years old now, his body just doesn't respond well to sugar and we can always tell when he's been sneaking it because of his behavior!

And if after all this you discover your child does have ADD/ADHD, and the supplements simply aren't working, don't despair. One good friend of mine has ADD and her parents put her on medication as a child. Today she is a wonderful mother to 4 children who does not require medication. She does have a prescription for those days she feels she needs a little help in concentrating, but I never would have guessed she was diagnosed with ADD had she not told me!

I would have never thought about food allergies. How would I go about trying to figure out if that could be it?

I know for my daughter it doesn't take much sugar at all and she is bouncing off the walls...she is crazy with energy, lol.

Maybe my son could be bored at times in school? I know that sometimes he tends to daydream. At home, when he is engrossed with something it is hard to get his attention, but I think that could be true of any child.
I always get reports of how my daughter seems to have the inability to sit still. I have even tried giving her those vitamin supplements that are used to calm kids down at bedtime and it doesn't seem to affect her all.

Spirit, are your daughter and my son twins, separated at birth? LOL! Coz my son is in a whole 'nother sphere, most of the time. He doesn't seem to lack concentration so much, as he just has endless, ENDLESS, E N D L E S S energy. I've done the food monitoring thing, and that doesn't seem to help...he has no sugar at all to speak of. No caffeine. But what's the scoop on these vitamin supplements to calm them down (and I'm wondering why my pediatrician didn't them me about them)?

Try keeping a food journal. Be sure to note anything that has red dye, additives, or artificial flavorings in it. You could even do an online search for things in foods that may cause hyper-activity.

Also, are your kids physically active? I've noticed that it really helps my kids when they can get that energy out, and it's much more fun when they get to do it with other kids! It makes me dread those cold and rainy days! ha ha!

I've also heard of a chewing gum sold in healthfood stores that's supposed to help calm children down. My sister has used it with her step-daughter and claims it does wonders on her. I'll contact her and see if I can find out the name of it. I've even considered trying it on my daughter.

I did a search online and did find a couple websites.

Bright Spark

This next website gives very easy guidelines to follow for an ADD diet which will help you determine if their diet helps or not:

http://www.oneaddplace.com/add-diet.php

It gives instructions on helping you determine what foods might effect your child. Hope that helps!

We've done the food journal thing, but your mention of red dye is new to me...I'm going to pay attention to that. And while generally, yes, my oldest is physically active, in recent months, during our move and all that that entailed, our time with him out of doors has been limited just because we've been inside unpacking. Hopefully, with settling in and the spring weather arriving, we can head back outside a lot more very quickly. But I'm also going to head to Mother Earth market this weekend, and check out that gum (he LOVES gum) as well as anything else they may suggest.

Wow, moms, you all may have provided me with a life (well, at least sanity) save with this forum! Thanks and blessings to you all!

Just another thought...whether your child truly has ADD/ADHD or just mimics a lot of the signs. In my classroom, I have many kids that have the inability to sit still and so there are a supply of "fidget" items that are made available to them to help release that energy in a non-disruptive way so they can sit still. My supply contains things as simple as that ticky tac that you use to hang things on walls. Kids usually stick it under there desk and when they feel antsy they can grab it and just stretch it, roll it etc. (anything that isn't disruptive) under their desk so they are getting some energy out through their hands. Koosh balls, or stress balls are great because they can still write and work while using them. They just squeeze it or whatever with their other hand.
At our school we also have some special seating accommodations for some of our students, especially those who have trouble sitting still. There are these wedges or wiggle cushions that go on their chairs. This lets them have a little wiggle room on their chair. Some kids use a ball chair (looks like the big exercise balls) which is allowed to any student. We actually have a schedule in my room for the ball chairs. That way the kids feel it is more fair and not "Why does she always get the cool chair?" Some kids actually prefer to stand and are less disruptive standing and working then when the teacher makes them sit.
Other things I would have suggested have already been said but I didn't want to leave this information out. It really helps my students to be able to focus better. I have 3 ADHD students this year who are not on medication or diet restrictions so this helps keep us all sane!

We move a lot (every 18 - 24 months) and my kids get pretty antsy during that transition time. It's always a big adjustment for everyone! Once we are able to get back into our normal routine they do settle down a bit. Hang in there!

quote:

Originally posted by TripleAmom:
And while generally, yes, my oldest is physically active, in recent months, during our move and all that that entailed, our time with him out of doors has been limited just because we've been inside unpacking.

Found this interesting, though I can't imagine it would apply to the children of any of the mom's on these boards, but perhaps to the students of some of the school teacher moms on this board. Just an interesting read.

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/adhd/articlepage.as...100191637>1=31001

scrappingmom:
Can you tell me what school you teach at? My kids go to Shell in Hawthorne and I am really frustrated with this school.

My son has epilepsy and his absence seizures make him seem as if he is not paying attention, easily distracted, and wont listen. his teacher in prek was convinced he had adhd because he would sometimes wonder away from the table, couldnt concentrate on his work, etc. turned out all of that was due to his seizures NOT adhd.

I wonder how many kids are being misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD...

quote:

Originally posted by Suzy Richardson:
I wonder how many kids are being misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD...

i wonder the same thing. the teacher kept saying that she had several family members that had adhd and she KNEW ryan had it too. we went to the doctor and kept asking him about it. he said NO absolutely not. ryan is your average 5yr old (at the time) boy. i just wonder how many docs give in to parents who think their kids have adhd because a teacher says he or she has it. what exactly does the testing consist of? my husband's ex-wife's daughter was diagnosed and he said that really all it consisted of was a few questions. shouldnt it be more extensive than that?

Yeah, the dr tested my son, and it consisted of a few pages of questions in which you generally rate your child on different types of behaviors.
It reminded me of some of those quizzes you can take online to find out if you are this type of person or that.
Since ADHD/ADD is considered more of a mental diagonisis, there isn't any lab type test for it. From what I understand sometimes even trained psychologists can't accurately say that a child has it.
I remember when I took my daughter into the dr's for her annual check up, I talked to the dr about other things that can mimic ADHD/ADD and she wouldn't not give me an answer. She just kept talking about ADHD/ADD. It was frustrating to say the least!