From rough housing to name calling and everything in between, children showcase a spectrum of aggression. While it may be for fun, it can be downright vicious in certain circumstances. Babies start showing these behaviors around 8-12 months of age to express their frustrations; but it starts to diminish when they learn appropriate means to express and acquire their wants/needs. However, school-aged children can take it to another level.
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I’m not gonna lie, completing this ADHD certification and writing these posts has driven me down a rabbit hole. “Do I have ADHD? Does my son have ADHD?”
While he is a 7-year-old, his past teachers have mentioned focus issues and recently, he’s been forgetting items to either take to school or bring back home. Is this something I need to be concerned about or is this just an age-appropriate phase?
For Patti, ADHD runs in her family. So even though she does not have a diagnosis, she has been on the lookout for flags since the beginning. You can imagine how these coffee chats have gone between us…
If you suspect your child’s inattention or impulsivity may be more than the norm, or you notice that it’s affecting parts of their daily routine, here’s what you can do.
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This is a good time to reiterate that our Course Notes series is just that. Occupational therapists need to take a certain number of continuing ed classes each year. These classes are geared toward therapists, counselors, practitioners, etc. But from these classes, there is a ton of really great information that I think can be helpful for parents as well. I am in no way diagnosing, prescribing or treating a specific person. Now that that is covered, let’s get to ADHD, Part 3.
ADHD affects how information is taken in and processed due to its alterations in brain structure, neural connectivity, and neurotransmitter levels. These changes impair the executive functions, resulting in difficulties with attention, recall, and self-control. While there is no “cure”, it is considered one of the most treatable conditions out there. So, what are the most effective management treatments out there for child ADHD these days?
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This year, I started the process of becoming an ADHD certified rehabilitation services provider (ADHD-RSP). That means a bunch of certification courses on the disorder, the latest research, meds, and management. Let me just say that the lecture content has been quite eye-opening. ADHD is way more complex than I previously thought and it’s generally misunderstood, even with the decades of research and the ever-growing amount of information available these days. So for the next two weeks, I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned and hope that it will shed some light on what ADHD is, how it affects our kids, and effective ways to address it. Today, we’re breaking down the disorder; from its name, misconceptions, and how it’s diagnosed.
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Back-to-School came after a whirlwind three weeks for us. We had the tail end of summer camps, hosted family, a birthday party, quick trip to Grandma’s, and then came right back for Open House.
In between the extra planning for fall sports, we did the school supply shopping on the down low as well as the Costco run, the consignment sale, the haircut appointments, etc. It’s a To-Do List person’s dream.
Throughout the summer, my kids tag-teamed feeling anxious about first grade; whether it was about their own readiness or missing their teachers from last year. They’d go through spurts of “needing” to practice their reading or doing their workbooks. Thus started the cycle of reassurance: You aren’t expected to know everything immediately. Your teachers would not have placed you in first grade if they didn’t think you were ready. If you think you need help, just ask.
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Child(ish) Advice 