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A view on ADHD from other christian parents?

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I have two children diagnosed with ADHD. I have heard so many different opinions on this subject and it's validity. How many of you out there, as christians who love their children and are rasing them in the admonition of the Lord, are dealing with this issue in your own home? What are your thoughts on the subject and what have you learned from it. Also, do any of you have an ADHD child with behavioral issues and what have you learned through that?
 
It's hardly ever the kids. It's us. We start them off with Cheerios, hyper cartoons, and way too little sleep..... only to mention just three.... and then we drug them up because their tiny bodies react to all that.
 
The public school system wanted to drug our son 1970s ... took our kids out ... The catholic school with its fair and strong discipline did not have a problem...
I totally agree with Willie
 
I appreciate the feed back from both of you, reba and Willie T. I too shared your opininion on the subject at one point in my life. I surely wish the answer was as simple as a poor diet, too little sleep, and a lack of discipline. If that were the case then we certainly wouldn't have the issues that we deal with today. I make no claims to being the most consistent parent in the world. I realize that I have made my fair share of mistakes. We have been dealing with one child for 11 years now. When we realized that there was something definatley off with this child at the age of three we took drastic measures to eliminate all red dye from their diet, greatly reduce their sugar in take and continue the strict nightly routine of their 7:30pm bed time. We are not huge junk food consumers, if we want cookies I bake them, and soda is the rare treat. We actually didn't get any help with the issues of the first child until their grades took a big dive in the fourth grade. That is when I accepted the ADHD diagnosis. I am not satisfied with it, but it is the first answer to any bit of help that I have gotten for this one. As far as discipline goes, again I don't claim perfection, but my husband and I, as parents, are as consistent as can be. I do however find it quite unfair to immediately blame it on poor parenting. I was really hoping to maybe hear from some parents who are, or have been, going through this issue. I don't say any of this in sarcasm or with anger. I do appreciate any feedback. Thank you.
 
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:) i understand and do not blame parents ... been a parent and now a great grandma! I do believe there are people who have a real medical problem... I also believe many teachers would be happy with a room full of drugged up zombies. I would bet you have considered allergies to mostly wheat and corn?
Sounds like you have done about every thing a parent could think of....
Something else that help our son was NOT sending him to his room for 'time out'....Sent him out to run laps ... pull weeds...some activity ...he moved a pile of bricks more then once...
 
Thank you Reba. Yes diet is a big part of the hyper-activity. We have found that alot of rtificial coloring, namely red dye for some reason, is a big factor. It varies with the child. But there are definate yesses and no's as far as food goes. That is more of the issue with the second child though. Although with that one we fought that battle out (hyper-activity) until the grades were affected. That was second grade for that child. I am not a huge advocate of drug them so I don't have to deal with them. Parenting is hard, weather it is with a "normal" child or a "needy" kid. Yes, I have sent them out on many occasions to burn off the energy. With one that works wonders. With the other it is usually a case of over stimulation and separation to calm down is the answer there. One responds very well to firm punishment and the other would take a spanking just to get it over with. Grounding is the answer then. It is tough and I guess I was looking for someone else who might know what I am going through. But thank you so much for caring to respond, your kindness helps too :).
 
My grandson has ADHD.He is older now so it is not such an issue.He was a nightmare.Very,very difficult to deal with.My daughter decided not to put him on medication but she was exhausted from caring for him.Some parents put their kids on meds and are very happy with the results and some do not.Do your homework.Look up all the side effects on the medications.Talk to your child's doctor or even a pharmacist about the medications and then your child will need to be closely watched while on the meds.The goal is not to have your child feel like a zombie and that may be the results if they are not on the right dose.Look at all of the natural ways to treat ADHD with diet and other sources.This works for some but not all.I am happy to see that teachers are now observing children well and not constantly scolding them and realize there is a problem.
 
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Thanks for the advice Kathi. We are closely connected with our pediatrician on the subject. We have chosen medication, but of the non-stimulant variety. It is exhausting. I just think that if it is so exhausting for me, what must it be like in their young minds? It is actually quite different in the schools these days. A teacher is not allowed to even suggest that a student be diagnosed. I actually refused to send my second child to the dr until thier grades began to fall greatly. The diagnosis really changed everything for that one. That child went from hating school, and their own self, to loving learning. Our big emphasis is that the medication is just a tool, not the answer. THey must learn to cope, and over come, in order to prosper. All of which can be achieved through Christ. I agree with you about the teacher's treatment of the students. It is hard for my guys, and it helps so much when the teacher is understanding of their behavior and helps to direct them in the right way. Thank you for your response, I hope things go well for your grandson.
 
Thanks for the advice Kathi. We are closely connected with our pediatrician on the subject. We have chosen medication, but of the non-stimulant variety. It is exhausting. I just think that if it is so exhausting for me, what must it be like in their young minds? It is actually quite different in the schools these days. A teacher is not allowed to even suggest that a student be diagnosed. I actually refused to send my second child to the dr until thier grades began to fall greatly. The diagnosis really changed everything for that one. That child went from hating school, and their own self, to loving learning. Our big emphasis is that the medication is just a tool, not the answer. THey must learn to cope, and over come, in order to prosper. All of which can be achieved through Christ. I agree with you about the teacher's treatment of the students. It is hard for my guys, and it helps so much when the teacher is understanding of their behavior and helps to direct them in the right way. Thank you for your response, I hope things go well for your grandson.
It sounds like you have a good Godly grasp on things.Before I proceed with anything in life I pray to God for guidance and direction.My grandson is doing much better.He is now 14 and is very smart and it very serious about robotic engineering.
 
From my experience children being hyper is normal. I guess there is a certain level of being so hyper that it becomes a problem and needs to be addressed in some way. I am not sure how ADHD meds are supposed to help with that part because most of them are stimulants. The other part is not being able to focus long enough to get homework done, study, write papers, etc. I was diagnosed with ADHD for that reason when I was in highschool. Back then the dr. put me on Ritalin and it made a big difference in my grades because I could study for hours, but looking back I probably could have done without it had I addressed other areas of my life instead. My opinion overall about those types of meds is that they will work for focus and studying for anybody, but it's probably not worth it, because of potential side effects. I could be wrong but I think I read somewhere that stimulant medications were originally made for people with Narcolepsy. If your using the non-stimulant variety and they are working then I don't see any problem there.
 
Jeff, having been diagnosed with ADHD do you feel like you have grown out of it or maybe that you were misdiagnosed? Yes, most children do have high levels of energy.Hyper truly is not an issue with me. My second child is a typical hyper kid. I have been good with that from the day they first ran, lol. I only considered there to be a problem when they began to falter in school. At that point I was not quick to jump on the ADHD band wagon. I took the time to talk with my husband, ofcourse, and pray a good long time on it, ofcourse. I do believe that with age and maturity that this might be an issue that this child can work through. Perhaps even so without any medication in the future, beyond school years. I do not think this can be the case for the older child. But I also am not satisfified the ADHD diagnosis for that child. It is just the first beginings of an answer for that one. But I believe a step in the right direction, for us anyway.
 
I'll give my 2 cents on this, although thankfully I never had to personally deal with this, but know people who have.

While diet and drugs make a difference, and as much as I push nutrients and eschew drugs, I fear the problem goes deeper. The ladies and I were mentioning this at bible study. It goes back a generation or two with the foods, medications, injections, etc that are basically changing the genetics of the parents and giving offspring with these types of issues. For example, have you ever heard of so many kids with peanut allergies as there are today? Heck, in my day, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was a kids' staple -- we all had them in our lunches. Now half the kids can't eat them, and heaven forbid if we serve a pack of peanuts on an airplane.

Yet, nobody asks the question why this sudden increase? Same with autism, and the same with other childhood medical issues. I know of a case in our church where the boy had such issues, and the mother herself, at only 40 (generation x) was diagnosed with melanoma. Kind of supports that theory of the genetics being messed up. I never (as a kid) remember people that young getting that sort of stuff.

Now for some more pragmatic information. I heard various reasons for kids with autistism including the mother being diabetic (more of that these days), iodine deficiency, vitamin D deficiency (we are told to take our cholesterol pills and stay out of the sun -- since cholesterol is basically vitamin D, people who do that tend to be vitamin D deficient which can cause heart problems, depression, diabetes, etc). All this was probably brought on with our famous highly processed diet. Generation X on down to Y and soon, Z are probably the most overly-medicated generations. And these are the generations where the DNA damage seems to be starting. I never saw so many young people almost half my age on pills.

The bad news is that if there's genetic damage, then diet and natural methods will only go so far and be supportive to minimize the problem. As much as I hate to admit it, some medications may be in order, but be careful. This is a case instead for guided mega-vitamin therapy for sure. Not the do-nothing Centrums A-Zinc multi-vit nonsense. They are basically worthless (and then doctors say vitamins don't work; no wonder with those small dosages).

Wish you the best, and do some research along the lines I mentioned. It may greatly alleviate this, along with faith can do wonders.
 
Jeff, having been diagnosed with ADHD do you feel like you have grown out of it or maybe that you were misdiagnosed? Yes, most children do have high levels of energy.Hyper truly is not an issue with me. My second child is a typical hyper kid. I have been good with that from the day they first ran, lol. I only considered there to be a problem when they began to falter in school. At that point I was not quick to jump on the ADHD band wagon. I took the time to talk with my husband, ofcourse, and pray a good long time on it, ofcourse. I do believe that with age and maturity that this might be an issue that this child can work through. Perhaps even so without any medication in the future, beyond school years. I do not think this can be the case for the older child. But I also am not satisfified the ADHD diagnosis for that child. It is just the first beginings of an answer for that one. But I believe a step in the right direction, for us anyway.
Probably just misdiagnosed. Sometimes I wonder what people did about ADHD type behavior before there was medication for it?
 
Thanks for your response Jeff. I guess that's why there were such things as lobotomies and mental institutions. There was a time when the mind was so misunderstood that people with autism were locked away. All I know is that I am one mom with a couple of children touched with something very real. While I may not have all the answers, and I know it is a sensitive subject for some, this is my life evry day and it hurts, some days worse than others. Thanks everyone for trying to impart what knowledge you might have.
 
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