Ideas for ADHD Children?

shazrobo

hi alex, concerned that the job centre is giving you the wrong advice, i myself claim CA as well as IS, as do many others, yes you do lose a little bit of IS, but CA covers that plus a bit more.
have you tried posting this on the benefits board, they seem to be able to give links to the right sites for advice.
big hugs, try not to make yourself ill over worrying about this, you need your strength to carry on caring for your ds
shaz x

blue_monkey_2

Hi everyone, thought I would open up this thread again, I hope no-one minds. My 4 year old son has behaviour problems, oppositional dispute disorder (doc said she would not diagnose ADHD and meds before age 7 and I have to return to the clinic then as they will then discuss medication), ASD and social/communication problems. Eczema added to the list now as well as if there was nothing else to worry about!!

One thing I wanted to add to this thread, if you are in receipt of DLA for your child then you can go places like Theme Parks and Zoos and you can take your paperwork and your child gets the disabled rate and you get in free. Most places do it but not all so please check before you go to be sure. This year we went to Drayton Manor, Legoland and Chessington - places we would not have dreamed of trying to go before. We went to guest services and got 'Exit Passes' or bands which enable the child - and up to 3 carers - to get on the exit of the ride so you do not have to queue. We use them if the queues are longer than 5-10 minutes as DS will not wait much longer than this without freaking. It is a bit weird getting on before everyone else and you do overhear some comments but so many parks are bringing the system in I think there is more understanding. It is just great to be able to escape the house for a few days!! Also, you can get a carers pass from the cinema so you can get in free too.

We also went to Westfield (shopping Centre in London) to see Santa and told them about DS, they were letting groups in to see Santa but let us go in on our own so that DS would not be too overwhelmed by it all and so many people.

Also to add, my kids are lucky enough to have a 'playroom' (we gave up our dining room for this) and today in Aldi we found a motorised mirror ball and ceiling light which has a rotating colour circle so the light changes colour and it was just £12.99, it runs from the mains so has to be celing mounted. My husband put that in the room and the kids loved it so much, they closed the curtain played for over 2 hours without fighting and they had the radio on and were dancing around. That is an absolute first for us as they have to be supervised the whole time because of the fighting.

I thought I would share my little nuggets of advice as it might be of interest to someone else.

And if you have a Blue Badge and are off on holiday to the US they recognise the badge over there so take it with you. If I think of anything else I will let you know.

jenhug

Hello, I have a 9 year old daughter with Asperger syndrome so I can sympathise with many of you!
I hope all of you with school aged children have a copy of the Special needs code of practice? Its what the schools have to adhere to and its always handy to have a copy, its very helpful!
Our local indoor play centre (you know the ones with slides and ball pools) has a special needs evening once a month where they can have the place to themselves without anyone judging them, maybe somewhere local to you does this or might be willing to try it for you???

jenhug

alexcross wrote: »

well there has been some good news .......I think......the school have decided to apply a CAF form (although Im not altogether sure what this means I) I know that it will involve all of the agencies that deal with DS which means the one agency that has kept letting him down will now be accountable to the others and me.
shame I have fought for this for over 4 years and its only now being applied for...........................still it might get something done.
I have bought DS an xbox360 for xmas.....bit of a con as it was one price online so I reserved it but it was dearer in shop when I went to get it........apparently the price online was for a better type so tell me how can the better one be more expensive than the not so good version?????????????????????????????

School are about to do this for us (So they tell me, beleive it when i see it!!) I am assured I will be in the driving seat for this.
http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/deliveringservices/caf/
explains more here.

jenhug

also, have you informed the tax credits department that you have a child who gets DLA? you will get a disabled premium added.

I am a member of the raising kids forum, there is a section on there for autism and aspergers (quite a few peeps with ADHD children use it too) there is a section for money you may be entitled to.

spudson0

I have 2 Teenage boys with ADHD and oppositional defiance disorder , and i am amazed by how people think giving them organic diets or restricted diets helps , it does not work for every child . I have had to live with the this for a long while , i have excellent support from the Local Hospital .
The boys are both very different one is into games and movies the other is football mad but the common enjoyment is a trampoline. I bought one nearly 3 years ago and when ever the weather allows it they are out on it they use it as an arena to wrestle as it has a safety net and they burn off so much energy its great. I also insist of the children walk every where no taking rides to school in the car, even though its half an hour walk there and half an hour back , again it helps to burn energy.
i have not joined any support groups as i do not see the point i get on with dealing with the condition i can read up about anything on line , i also i have an ADHD link nurse if i need support which in 8 years never asked for .

But i recommend a trampoline with a safety net , kids as a rule love it

Pug4

(hello all) I have been a fan of this site for quite some time now, but never have been interested in joining a forum - until reading some of the threads on here as regards ADHD and some of its associated conditions / traits. I probably would have commented earlier on this topic, but have not been able to pay as much attention until recent times (made redundant just before Christmas) and, yes like a lot of you, the money is getting tight. (Back to the subject.) Our lad, who is 13 now, was diagnosed with ADHD at about 6 - 7 years old; like most of you guys, we knew well before that! Remember all the quotes about this time? "He's just a lad! You were just like that at his age! He'll grow out of that when he gets to high school!" Yes, we've been through the lot. At 6 years, we attended the positive parenting classes (of little use to a child with this condition - and he still wasn't diagnosed at that stage.) Even when the condition was confirmed, because our son is not autistic or dyslexsic and, generally very bright, we were never awarded any financial allowances for him, and not given much advice. It has been, (and still can be) a nightmare for us. The problem that I am experiencing now is, after being in continuous employment since leaving school (1981) I am now getting a better idea of what my wife has had to endure over the last few years with our son - and it is hard work! (But enough of us - back to the original poster) We have found that one of the best ways to encourage positive behaviour is by reducing the time spent on the pc, wii etc and more of the Connect 4, playing cards type (mainly where there are just the 2 of you.) This is really difficult when you have other kids, but if the siblings are not of a similar condition, they're usually happy to get their bro or sis out of their faces for a while! Aside of all the above, you need some quality time to spend by yourself (even if it's an hour or 2) but spend that time away from your own house. Financial reward is a marvellous thing, but you cannot put a price on quality time. Friends, I wish all of you the very best of luck

FOXYLADY88

I am a single mum and have two ADHD & ODD children. I love them dearly but oh my how hard is it!! I have met very few people who agree that there is such a condition, including family. It is such a struggle to get through each day. School are no help, the Childrens Mental Health teams are even worse.........throw medication down their throats but offer no counselling or family support. Social Services dont want to know and I applied for DLA and was turned down flat. There seems to be no clear help for us at all.

I try to keep them mega busy with football and as many clubs and such as I can possibly afford, but its expensive. If anyone knows of offers/discounts that we can get because of it I would be grateful!!:j

Mine both have little respect for things so I too avoid libraries or borrowing etc, I am ashamed to say we hardly go out as a family because I am so anxious and embarrassed about their behaviour. Feel like a terrible mother but I am all they have.......their Dad is long gone. I recently managed to get off benefits and got a fab job in a school term time only, i love it, pay is rubbish but I get to be someone other than their mum for a few hrs a day:T ......it does help but I do struggle.
Who do I call when my son decides to lock me in the house and bang and kick all the doors and windows constantly for 30mins whilst swearing and shouting at me?? :eek: There is literally no one to help.:mad:

Is anyone else as frustrated as me??!!!!

xx

karendb

Hi - I haven't had time to go through all the thread but there are some really good ideas here. Freecycle, Charity shops, Car boots, Ebay etc. are all good sources of free & cheap games & toys.

Also, do let it be known that you are happy to take second-hand stuff from friends and relatives. Sometimes, they don't like to ask as they don't want to offend.

You could try putting some postcards out in shop windows for WANTED stuff - I know from experience that people like to give their pre-loved stuff to others who will really appreciate it.

Also, Cerebra is a fantastic free organisation to join -

www.cerebra.org.uk - They have an extensive free lending library, including software and sensory equipment. Also now have a purpose built & adapted holiday home for disabled children & their families (no charge for the week's stay but your application has to be approved first). In addition, they will provide help with things such as claiming for Disability Living Allowance etc. Well worth joining (free).

I know from having 2 autistic kids, with the attention spans of a flea, that being organised and having things to hand when you need them makes a big difference. If you can find the time when your child's in bed, make up some "entertainment boxes" with stuff in that your son hasn't seen before. Try -

Colouring stuff - you can download and print off tons of free colouring sheets - perhaps related to a favourite TV character?

Squidgy clay - very helpful for writing skills

A film and some sweets (no Es of course).

Also, keep a reward chart with stickers. Start off VERY small and slowly work up to bigger goals.

Here is a list of resources that I have found particularly useful for home-edding my 2 ASD kids and which I'm sure might help keep your child entertained:




www.abcteach.com - US website - great for free comprehension worksheets etc. - from middle to junior high (american version) kids

www.rhlschool.com - US site - loads of free worksheets for kids in upper elementary/middle school (american version)

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/ - UK site with loads of free printables etc. to use

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html - US site with loads of free worksheets, games etc

http://www.firstschoolyears.co.uk/ - one of my favourite UK sites - tons of useful free worksheets

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/index.htm - another of my fave sites with loads of free worksheets

http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/WordSearchSetupForm.html - great for making your own customised Word Searches, Mazes etc.

http://www.schoolexpress.com/ - another US site with loads of free printables/worksheets

http://www.superkids.com/ - particularly good for creating customised maths worksheets but they also have other free resources to use

http://www.handipoints.com/ - create your own customised rewards chart - can be maintained online or printed off.


Hope this helps & good luck!

karendb

Oh - meant to say as well - how about getting a small trampoline for indoors?

Exercise is such an important thing for our kids generally and plays an even bigger part for kids with SEN.

Crawling on all fours is an excellent exercise - your son will think it's hilarious to crawl after mum all round the house!

Also, doing pinheads, jumping up and making star shapes, marching etc. are all good exercises for co-ordination, etc..

Oh, and have you got Storynory? Free downloadable audio stories. Always worth a go...

https://www.storynory.com

Bye for now