9yr old-ADHD/sensory and anxiety-tips needed

[nsr22]

Hi, I am a mom of a 9yr old boy that struggles with anxiety and fear of new places and new things, ADHD with flight more than fight tendencies now and sensory challenges, sensitive to touch but craves small spaces and pressure on body. He has struggled since he was 3.5yr old and we have overcome a lot but lately he has been going inward and becoming more fearful of the world, where vacations are cut short and eating out is a challenge. He has become more nonverbal and just shuts down. Sleep schedule is on track, screen time to a min and we watch for overstimulation daily. It can be frustrating but we just want to help him. Any tips to help him work his way out of his shell and enjoy the world more would be appreciated. He is already taking guanfacine for the ADHD. Thank you families!

[marinecyan]

You're doing so much to support your son.

My 6 year old daughter has been struggling with anxiety and we found a wonderful play-based therapist who has helped us understand more about what she's struggling with. The therapist describes levels of security beginning with "Is the world ok"? The next level is "Am I ok?" and so on. It sounds like your son would benefit from therapy to help him feel more secure in the world and in himself.

Anxiety (and ADHD) can be exacerbated by nutritional deficiencies in B vitamins (esp. B6, Folate & B12), Vitamin D, antioxidant vitamins (C & E), iron, zinc & magnesium. Here's a blog that discusses this.

rupahealth.com/post/an-inte...

If you're interested, there's an excellent book called The Anatomy of Anxiety by Ellen Vora - It's focused on adults but it discusses many things that can be done to ease anxiety. She also has a deep respect for anxiety in giving us direction in life.

Hope some of this helps!

[anirush]

Both of my now teenage grandsons have struggled with anxiety. The younger one gets overwhelmed at Walmart because it is so big and crowded. When he was younger he wanted pants that fit snuggly. Luckily I sew and had to modify a lot of his clothing to fit tightly. He has outgrown that. A few months ago his psychiatrist added an antidepressant which has helped some. He also sees a counselor.

The older one did well on Focalin in school but on weekends if we would go to a playground and it was crowded he would want to leave. He is now very outgoing and has lots of friends.

It is hard dealing with all of these side effects. Meds and counseling help.

Had he been diagnosed with autism or anxiety disorder? Talk to his psychiatrist about his problems.

[Aspen797]

There have been discussions in this forum recently on anxiety and adhd and when/whether to treat the anxiety with medication. Our son has anxiety but it comes and goes and is usually related to fear of pain (shots, bee stings, etc.). His worries seem to be increasing lately… I guess our philosophy has been that if we can manage what is making him anxious, we will do that (numbing things, giving advance notice, desensitizing, etc) but if it gets to the point that those don’t work, we might need to look at medication or therapy specifically for anxiety. So in your son’s case, is his anxiety able to be managed with routines/ his looking up and learning about new place/ his being in control of sensory options/coping mechanisms in those places to manage overload and if not, maybe look into talking to someone about directly treating his anxiety? It’s so hard. I worry that we’re headed in this direction ourselves.

[Mom-of-a-superhero]

You are doing so much to support your son! Have you looked at his diet? There are common nutrient deficiencies that can exacerbate both anxiety and ADHD. If you haven't yet, I would get his vitamin D tested. Supplement with Magnesium and omega 3.