Hello All, New Mom Seeking Advice

[Butterfly091514]

hi everyone, i'm new here. and looking to improve and learn new things to better help my son with ADHD. My son was diagnosed when he was 5 years old, from pre-k up until now he has struggled with school. he is in extra help classes and the school has been amazing with helping me through each step along with his doctors and developmental specialist. We have only tried one medication with him last summer, and stopped it shortly after due to side effects. He is a kid always on the go and never really slows down much. He's a picky eater, and when its time for homework to be done its been a real struggle he gets very upset and overwhelmed easily. looking for tips or advice to make his life easier when it comes to getting work done. He was never really a behavioral issue. but lately hes been testing the waters alot.

i was also wondering what everyone thinks about the online courses. i'm very interested in taking them I don't know which one i should start with or where to even begin. I really want to learn as much as i can to better support my son. Some days i feel at a dead end and unsure of what to do. so i'm hoping all of you can help me, and lead me in the direction i need to be in.

Thank you.

[EJ_C]

Hey!I'm not a parent but a person who grew up with ADHD and dyslexia struggles!

What helped me was adventures and learning by adventures.

This is a short reply as I've written so much today and now have a fog. But message me if you have any scenarios.

Though I'm not a teacher now, I did train to be one before moving career paths.

[Butterfly091514 in reply to EJ_C]

thank you for you’re input, I definitely appreciate it. And will try to add little things new to our everyday routine

[kdali]

We are just starting, so I don't have much to offer except we are going to family therapy and play therapy. Our pre-k teacher took a course herself, but I would love to know if you find anything helpful for parents of littles! I feel the mealtime woes and have had several great suggestions from the group here. Does he have a special low distraction area for homework? We are there yet, but I'm thinking of a quiet organized designated homework spot and maybe having headphones for her.

[EJ_C in reply to kdali]

One thing I remember growing up, as I used to thrive on either helping someone or achieving something that had meaning.

I remember in my second year of school; a teacher told me she needed my opinion on these books to see if others should read them. Such a tiny white lie and I read all of those books!

Recently but I wish they were more popular when I was a child is Audiobooks- I love them. Because I can use my imaginative, I then learn from that.

When I was naughty and to this day, saying I've done something wrong doesn't bother me... What upsets me and made me learn was the impact on someone's emotions, so making them sad. But then I needed help coming out of that.

If your children's minds are anything like mine, they are super creative, spot problems, and love creating things. Again, some of my best learning was fixing things, etc.

One other thing that has come into my mind; out of sight out of mind has been so true threw my whole life.

Tedious tasks like homework and being tidy; I'm in my 20s now and still haven't succeeded here! I still lose everything.

[kdali in reply to EJ_C]

This sounds very familiar, ty for sharing!

[EJ_C]

No worries. If anyone has any questions, let me know. I try to be as open as I can be. What I've learned over recent years is the more people understand what goes on inside the mind of someone with ADHD, the more it helps. They work very differently from those who are not neurodiverse, and obviously, that is sometimes the challenge.

I never used to be but I'm a pretty open book now

[EJ_C]

Brain dump, I'm sorry!

Two other things came into my head;

Attachment: again I don't know your children but ive always struggled with attachment issues to items etc. If they break or I lose them I struggle. Even to this day, I often keep a spare of something, to help if I lose it etc. This even comes down to a pen.

Making mistakes: again, talking about my mind. I am my biggest critic. Always have been. I review everything in my head and look at where I made mistakes.

Over and over. As a kid, I already thought id failed an exam before even knowing etc.

If someone didn't talk to me, I had done something wrong to upset them

So another tip, if you feel your children may do the same, is to focus on the positives and help them process a mistake positively!

It goes back to helping them get themselves out of the pickle inside their brains! Help them slow it down!

If it's during homework, stop the homework and go on an adventure and then return to it.

Again I'm in my 20s and have a star skylight; I shine on my bedroom ceiling when I'm overwhelmed. (my other half always laughs)

[bear240]

hi

As far as online courses are concerned my daughter found Impact Parents online course useful. She also did a face to face pPositvie Parenting course when her twins were preschoolers. CHADD also has online courses.

I read a lot of books and online information from reputable sites such as Child Mind Institute and CHADD and it has made such a difference in understanding and supportinb these kids.

good luck

[Butterfly091514 in reply to bear240]

thank you for the information. I will definitely be looking into it