Waiting diagnosis for ADHD in daughter - help wanted now!

[Lowbattry03]

It has been surgested that my daughter now 15 May have ADHD, I am not sure. I am trying to understand ADHD but find it confusing as so much conflicting and vage information. I want to help her and ultimately that’s all I care about.

She has been treaged and is on the waiting list to be seen, my son has been on the same waiting list for comming up to 3 years. I am looking for help for her now.

I have read that supplementing can help and have been giving her Theanine, B2, and B complex since December. This is as well as the usual Vit Dk3, zinc and magnisium, that she has had on and off over the years. I have seen a significant improvement in her since adding these supplements and wonder if there is more I could be doing.

I am keen to improve concentration for school and also She gets tics that are quite distressing to watch and would really like to know how to help with these as worried she will hurt herself as the tics involved her head and neck.

I have seen adds for mushroom gummies by Ankhway and wondered if anyone has given them a try and if they would be suitable for a teenager.

Thinking they could help with both but a little scared to try.

Any help, suggestions or signposting would be greatly appreciated

thank you

[Mamamichl]

I wouldn’t do the mushroom stuff. It’s a fad but you would be giving a child psychedelics. There are vitamins called smarty pants that some people say is good.

[Lowbattry03 in reply to Mamamichl]

Thank you

[Onthemove1971]

Thanks for joining us on this journey!

While on the waiting list, you could have her school do an assessment by writing a short statement requesting an assessment on different areas like academics, social emotions, etc. and giving it to her school (not now since summer break is soon).

She could benefit from accommodations such as seating in best location near teacher, breaks when needed, chunking material, etc.. this could be written into a 504 educational plan to support her learning in school.

In addition thearpy/counseling might help. One of the benefits to this is providing a space to talk about her struggles and help her learn solutions to these struggles.

Hope some or these suggestions help.

We are always here to help you.

[Lowbattry03 in reply to Onthemove1971]

Thank you- the school have already done that, she has a time out card, and there is a place she can go to when feeling overwhelmed. she sees a councillor once a week at school but she does not really like talking to her. They have put things in place which have helped her manage a lot, thank you for the message, at least I am on the right path.

[Onthemove1971 in reply to Lowbattry03]

I understand your concern about concentration, which is also focus. If your child gets a diagnosis of ADHD, mostly they will recommend medication. There are non-stimulant medications like Guanfacine (Initiv) which can assist with focus/concentration. I wish you the best and hope you find some answers soon.

Best..

[Lowbattry03 in reply to Onthemove1971]

thank you

[Aspen797]

That’s great that you have seen such good improvement with the changes you made. Three years is a really long time to wait for an assessment! Are there any advocates for children or GP/therapists in your area that could help them get assessed more quickly?

Our son also responded extremely well to B-complex—methyfolate and methycobalamin. We learned that he has a genetic difference that causes him to process less than 30% of the folate he takes in. Supplementing made a huge difference. He has high functioning autism and struggles with focus/impulsivity at times too. He also has tics on occasion. It’s so hard to see. There is an online therapy for tics called Tic Helper. It is based on CBIT (Comprehensive behavioural intervention for tics). We haven’t tried it yet, but the studies are promising. I also recently read about a very small study on lemon balm and theanine for boosting GABA and reducing tics. Seeing you mention theanine has me wondering if I shouldn’t look back into that—thanks!

[Lowbattry03 in reply to Aspen797]

Thank you, I will look into the CBT and look more into GABA and lemon balm. My son is also on methyfolate but he has IBS so not sure how much he is absorbing. I have found an improvement in him when I can afford to give regular probiotics- I have him on simprove because he is intolerant to gluten, dairy, and nightshades. May I ask what test he had please as GP tests only tell me what he is diffident in and not why. Thank you for responding and sharing.

[Aspen797]

Our son’s doctor did pharmacogenetic testing to determine which medications he would best tolerate. One of the genes evaluated indicated he was homozygous for a polymorphism that results in significantly reduced processing of folate. Genomind and Genesight are two common pharmacogentic tests, but there are others. We had to pay out of pocket.

We haven’t looked too closely at probiotics and prebiotics but probably should. Our son doesn’t have gut issues, but there is so much research and information emerging about the gut brain axis and how important particular gut bacteria are in producing necessary precursors or signaling of neurotransmitters. Im sorry to hear how expensive it is though. Hopefully with more research will come more availability and less cost.

[Lowbattry03 in reply to Aspen797]

Thank you, will look into those too.

[LuvBiscuit]

Hi there! Came across your message and in full disclosure I am an ADHD Coach with a coaching practice but I am a mom of 3 kids with ADHD (13, 17, 20) and passionate about helping other parents raising kids with ADHD. I remember being totally overwhelmed when my first child with ADHD got diagnosed. I have felt the pain 3 x over - which is how I birthed my ADHD coaching practice and why I built a team!! We focus on practical strategies you can teach your child/ teen . I know coaching can be cost prohibitive - I do have a free guide on my site you can download for practical tips- I also am in the midst of creating a more affordable than coaching - a DIY comprehensive course to help your child/ teen with all things ADHD. It will probably be ready in July so feel free to check out my site then. I would not recommend psychedelics - in the US (are you in the US?) it is illegal on the federal level. Natural strategies would be Omega-3s, 30 min-60 minutes physical activity a day, protect sleep (8-10 hours if possible), get outdoors - nature boosts dopamine! And there are focus strategies that may help. Check out lifeanchoredcoaching.com to download the free guide 😍. Hang in there!

[Lowbattry03 in reply to LuvBiscuit]

Thank you so much- will look into these.