http://add-adhd-education.suite101.com/article.cfm/individualized_education_plans

Renton School Districts policies for - 504's

http://www.renton.wednet.edu/resources/RSD%20504%20Manual.pdf

Today - First appointment with Dr Dassel

We finally met with Dr Dassel today, the pediatrician who specializes in kids with ADHD. Firstly what a wonderful man, kind of like the sweet old grandpa who loves kids. He has specialized in this field for over 40yrs and you can tell he still loves what he does. He really enjoyed chatting with Harry and was full of smiles and compliments for him. He said to Harry "you're a smart one aren't you?" Harry slightly blushed, very cute.

The purpose of our appointment today was to have a medical opinion and diagnosis of what Harry has. He is positive Harry has ADHD but can not 100% say that until the final stage of the diagnostic procedure is completed. This is a survey that needs to be completed by Dave, myself, his teachers and Master Chung. Once those come back he will be able to confirm the diagnosis.

He suggested 3 different styles of treatment:
- Behavior Therapy
- Non stimulant Therapy
- Stimulant Therapy

It feels so amazingly wonderful having a direction and a team of dedicated professionals in his life.

Behavior therapy is effective in helping manage symptoms of ADHD in children. A reward system is implemented with input from the child and new behaviors are taught to replace the old, maladaptive ones. When setting up a behavioral program, it is important to remember the “Three C’s.”

1. Clarity of Expectations
Keep rules and expectations simple, concise and clear. Make sure they are easily understood by the child.
2. Consistency
Follow through with consequences in a consistent manner.
3. Calmness
Approach situations calmly. Take a deep breath and make sure you are in control. Take a brief “time-out” if you need to get a better hold over your emotions. Children are especially sensitive if we lose our temper. A calm approach is most effective and won’t overstimulate the child or escalate the situation.

Two ADHD experts, Peter Jensen, Ph.D., a professor of child psychiatry at Columbia University, and Patricia Quinn, M.D., a developmental pediatrician in private practice in Washington, D.C., explain the importance of the Three C’s in this video interview:
Click on ADHD: Tips for Parents and Teachers to view video.

Additional Reading:
Parenting a Child with ADHD
School Tips for ADHD Kid

New Real food Blog.....

http://hellorealfood.blogspot.com

Real Food for our Family!
In our efforts for healthy living through food and helping Harry with his ADHD diet, all dietary finds will now be posted here instead of Harry's - one day at a time blog.

The goal for this blog, researching the effects of food on ADHD behavior, what is good for him and brings out his best in all aspects of growth. As well as the flip side, with what has a negative impact resulting in symptoms and behaviors associated with ADHD.

Our new passion, Real Food...mmm

Silly sounds, rude faces and talking back....
A sign of an episode?

I have really been watching for any patterns in Harry's behavior lately, to see if we can determine an episode of ADHD coming.
Something I have noticed....

Trigger
Milk? he had milk today for first time in 3 days (could be a coincidence)

Signs
Silly sounds, like bla bla bla bla, neh neh neh,
Along with silly faces, sticking out the tongue, the rolling eyes
His work becomes less focused, scribble and "out of control"
He will talk back and call names
Seems to have more energy, spins, flaps, rocks on chair, can not sit still
Everything seems to be more exaggerated, the voice is louder, the movements bigger, the emotions and drama over the top.

Interventions
At this point, short direct directions are the best for him.
Settling him in an activity that he enjoys, like drawing (maybe with a new book or crayon to make it seem exciting) TV is a great downer for him, the soothing effect is great when things are getting really high.

In an effort to keep this a blog about Harry and not a diet blog I will be starting....wait for it....Another Blog! One aimed at just our quest for a healthy diet. This will contain all the great info we come across out there on the web! I'll update soon with a link to our new blog.

But for now here is one more website I have come across....

http://www.becomehealthynow.com/faq.php?cat=conditionchildren&id=6

This has a great Q&A about the Feingold diet and his ideas behind the diet, really everything we want to know about it...good read!

Some interesting articles!
as if we didn't have enough to read on the topic already, right?

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/adhd/

http://newideas.net/adhd/adhd-diet

Allergy testing!

Harry had his appointment today at the Northwest Asthma and Allergy center. Talk about fun...NOT! trying to explain to him that this won't hurt like a shot and that it needs to be done so we can see if he's allergic to anything, not easy! Finally we got through to him with what worked. He wanted to see it, which I was a little worried about, but doing it on his back was stressing him out because he couldn't see it. so the arm it was. He now shows off a beautifully inked arm.

It was hard explaining to him today what was going on, he was very anxious as anyone would be, but was not wanting to listen to us. Its funny because he really does get it, you tell him not to scratch his arm and he won't do it. Even 3hrs later when we tell him its ok to touch he still won't touch it.

Anyway, his allergy testing came back negative. He was tested for all the perenial allergans in this area like dust, cat, dog, mold as well as some seasonal, Alder and Cottonwood trees.
Everything came back clear. Which I guess is good. Still no answer though as to why he has this horrible postnasal drip? At least we can now tick this off of our list of tests for him.

Now to do some food elimination testing at home to see if we can figure out if there is anything there acting as a trigger for the sinus and ADHD.

A rough start to the day!

Harry will have long periods where he is the normal, sweet, helpful, child that he is. Then every so often out of the blue with no warning he is completely an ADHD case.....

Today started out with yelling, nothing could be said in a normal voice, every thing was screamed even though the person he was speaking too was right next to him.

Very demanding, wants things then and there. Like breakfast, he appeared to be frustrated that I was doing something and not getting his breakfast straight away.

It was all about him this morning, if he wanted something he demanded it, if he was talking then he demanded to be listened too, if he was sitting at the table then Thomas could not sit there too.

He was all up in Thomas face today, with sounds and silly faces, just needed that attention.

Now he is running around the house, its like he has so much energy he has to burn off.
Eating breakfast he needed to stand next to his chair and shake around.
While not talking or having anything to say, he would continue to be vocal with silly sounds.

He wanted to be hit by his brother, he said he loved it and wanted him to keep doing it.
There was a cushion on the ground which he ran circles around for a few mins then ran out of the room, raring ready to go, like a race car!

He is now upstairs throwing toys around the playroom making more verbal noises.

This has been our morning!

I have just turned the tv on and ahhhhh, Silence! First time this morning. TV really is a grounding self soothing thing for Harry.

5mins while typing this and he is still sitting quietly on the couch watching tv, it really is this mama's saving grace this morning!

Because of the ups and downs where for a week he is fine and then a few days he is off the wall, it really is saying to me that he has triggers to his ADHD. What are these triggers? food, environmental, sleep? Maybe once we find these triggers we can better handle and predict his ADHD moments.

He hasn't been sleeping well, having late nights and not winding down at night, could this be a sign that he is about to have an ADHD episode? or could this be a cause? not enough sleep.

Yesterday he said he drank a lot of milk at school. Could he be lactose intolerant? Another trigger maybe? was there a color or flavor in a food yesterday? Something really did trigger him off yesterday....but what? Maybe when we find out this we can really help him.

10 Reasons Why Your Kids Don't Listen to You

November 9, 2009

Do you feel that your kids never listen to you?

Do you need to ask them to do something 5 times before they acknowledge the request?

Does it take your screaming your head off to get your kids to do ANYTHING?

There are 10 reasons (at least) why your kids aren't listening.

In no particular order:

1. They don't hear you. Really. Some kids have processing disorders that make it difficult for them to register that you are asking them to do something.

2. You talk too much. Are you a parent who likes to work things out or process issues verbally? If your child has any LD or ADHD he isn't processing half of what you say. Use. Fewer. Words.

3. You are not giving them enough lead time that you need them to do something. Kids often get very absorbed in what they are doing. If you walk into the room and ask them to set the table and you have the expectation they will do it immediately, your expectations are way too high. Better to say, "I need you to set the table in 5 minutes, " and then remind them 2 more times before you absolutely need the chore done.

4. There is no consequence for not getting the chore done. Kids know when they MUST do a task and when they can get away with slacking off. They will tolerate your nagging all day long if they know they can watch TV, have friends over, play video games regardless of whether or not they listen to you.

5. There are no positive outcomes for getting things done. Your child will be much more motivated to listen and follow directions if after they get something done, you acknowledge their efforts in a positive manner. When my son puts silverware away, I give him high fives and thank him for being so helpful. I do *not* reprimand him for putting some spoons in the fork slot. Cheer on their efforts and they will continue to try to be helpful.

6. They know they can wait until you are screaming and freaking out before they need to move it. Kids learn quickly that you will give them 3 (or 4, 5, 6) chances before you "really mean it." Mean it from the get go and avoid the ongoing nag fest.

7. You make too many requests. I know it may not seem like too much to ask your child to get dressed, make their bed, get the backpack, do a few chores, walk the dog, be polite, turn off the TV on time, eat their veggies..... But kids can only do so much correctly and on time (add ADHD or executive dysfunction in there and the ability to balance all these tasks is diminished further). Pick a few things you absolutely MUST have your child do every day and hold them to it. The rest is "nice to do" but not something you will demand of them day after day.

8. You are too critical. I know your child can be frustrating. I know you're tired. But sometimes we can get in a cycle with our kids where everything we say to them is a correction or "constructive feedback." No one will listen to an ongoing litany of what they can't do or what they have done wrong. Be aware of what you are saying and how you are saying it (tone of voice) to your kids. If your criticisms are more than your compliments, immediately start to turn that around.

9. You're yelling all the time. Kids quickly tune out yelling. It just becomes background noise. Plus, when you're yelling, you're not saying nice things and no one wants to hear that. Yelling accomplishes nothing. Ever. If you don't have any other parenting techniques, it might be time to consult a professional to develop a wider range of discipline and parenting skills.

10. Your kids tried to please you at some point, but realized it wasn't enough. Here is a secret: ALL kids want to please their parents. No child starts life saying, "Screw it. I'm just not going to listen to you." They want your approval. They want their efforts recognized. Kids often fall short of our expectations, but we need to always celebrate that they TRIED. If your kids tried and didn't do things exactly right, did you thank them for the effort or criticize their attempt? If you are more critical than complimentary, kids eventually say to themselves, "Why bother? Mom/Dad won't like what I do anyway. Better to stay watching TV and listen to their complaints than try to do it and STILL listen to complaints."

How do you turn this around?

Talk with your kids (no yelling). Set clear expectations. Have consequences for not following through (TV goes off, no video games, etc.). Reward effort with compliments and thanks. Never criticize an attempt, no matter how small. Give them time to transition and check for understanding of the request.

Even when you do all the techniques above, there will still be times when your kids don't listen. That is when deep breathing and meditation come in handy for parents :-).

ADHD diet

http://www.everydiet.org/diet/adhd-diet

Scary what we eat!

In my efforts to find a diet that is doable and will make a difference with Harry's ADD, I have been coming across some pretty alarming foods and additives that we put in our body!

http://www.everydiet.org/diet/feingold-diet

Here is a list of things that we will never eat again! I will be adding to this list as I come across things, scary to think so much coloring and flavor is a derivative of poison, crude oils and chemical waste....see above link

Red 40
Yellow 5

Explanations Appointment...

What happened? Dave, Harry and myself met with Cindy Dupuy to get further help with Harry.
She sat with him and interacted one on one with him, asking him questions and getting to know him. After about 20mins Harry went to the next room and played with her assistant so that Dave and I could talk to her. Straight away, she brings up ADD. Did not even ask us questions, or look at past evals, just straight away, it was that obvious to her. As it was becoming that way to us too. Finally someone who has hit the nail on the head who can help us!!!

Harry has huge problems with focus and attention that effects every facet of his life. And until we get this under control we will not be able to evaluate him properly. His school evals are miss leading his true potential as they are language based tests, which comes to his next problem area, Language!
Language is a huge problem as well, he's got it all in there but just does not know how to get it out properly. His comprehension is a real problem for him.

Cindy states though that we can not do anything until his focus and attention are being addressed. Her advice was the med route! Scary!!! She said until we get the ADD side under control that the rest will just fall to the way side.

Client consultation outcome...

1. Get the attention and focus issue under control
2. Get the help with Language and Speech
3. Come back and get him evaluated again with an appropriate test

Steps for us to take....

1. Make an Appointment with Dr Dassel - Pediatrician

2. Call Deb Cooper/Sonja - Speech Pathology
Rose Mary White - Sensory Integration
Dr Kwon - Psych

3. Hold diagnostic testing for 6mths

4. 6mth mark come back to Explanations for an IEE



Dr Dassel - Pediatrician
Ph:206 525 8000
Address:Sandpoint ped
Appointment:
website:

Deb Cooper/Sonia - Speech & Language Pathologist
Ph: 206 232 2046 /
Address:
Appointment:
Website: www.mispeech.com

Sonjia Bradford
Ph: 206 232 2046
Address: Mercer Island (same building as explanations)
Mercer island speach pathology

Rosemary White - Sensory Integration
Ph: 206 367 5853
Address: Shoreline
Appointment:

Dr Kwon - Psychologist
Ph: 425 454 2911
Address:
Appointment:

Dr Klokeid - Family Doctor
425 271 4910

Northwest Asthma and Allergy specialist
425 235 1716

All-Natural with ADD

http://www.all-natural.com/add.html

http://www.add-adhd-help-center.com/attend_formula_highlights.htm

I would like to give something like this a try! What do you think?
There are hundreds of these type of product out there, its finding the best and most trusted one!
The more I read about the Rx Meds the more I am convinced that we are not taking that path!!!

I would love to look into, what causes ADD to see if we can prevent/change it, not just mask it with drugs.
This is the start of a long but exciting path honey, I am excited to working on it with you =)

Time for an update!

Volunteering in class
It was a good day...call from Mrs Baumgartner
A better understanding....things are clicking
Appointment with Cindy...plan to get things going! ADHD

A Harry funny....

This Halloween, one of his favorite costumes was the Harry Potter one. It came with a pair of reading glasses, that when worn, amazingly helped him read better! He was so funny, at night time when reading his school book, he decided to ware them. Look mommy I can read, he tried extra hard to read the words and was getting quite a few of them right without any prompting...way to go! He would then take them off and pretend that he could not read or sound out at all, it was very funny! He's totally convinced that they help him read and is now taking them to school to wear in his reading class. I'll have to find out what his teacher thinks of that...lol!

Harry is also now taking Omega 3 supplements, he asked us what they are for, so we told him what they do. He call's them brain candies and will not go to school unless he has them. It will be great to see what kind of a difference these can/will make. He's been on them for 2 weeks now400mg a day, twice as much as the recommendation on the bottle, but when there are others out there with 1200mg I think upping his dose is ok.