Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi Alleycat3212,Welcome to HP... MY son who is six years old also has problem with short attention span since he was three and Efalex is good. But we found that was not just the problem. Very fussy with food..... take words litually......cant ajust to sudden changes......get very upset easly......its look sometime like there in a world of there own and trying to get there attention can be hard as you say...... they can talk about a certain subject for hours......but are very clever in many other thing for there age.....have a couple friend they tend to stick to...act like naughty children.....
Dose any of the above apply to your daughter?
Will pop back later as got to take son to school.
love and blessings
lightwinds xxx

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi

There have been a few posts previously about these conditions. It sounds very familiar to me.

My daughter has Attention Deficit Disorder and this has been treated by medications via a psychiatrist, and they have really helped her. We also give her oils which seem to help. The psych recommends 'Udo's choice' oil as an additional help. A.D.D. is different to A.D.H.D. (Hyperactive variety) and affects girls more often than boys.

The school were well aware she had some sort of problem but didn't refer her to the child psych, there are many more children who are also disruptive and they are given priority.
They did send her for extra help which helped a little. The main problem was lack of written output.

All we ever had were helpless shrugs and the feeling that we were failing somewhere. My daughter was at senior school before we went to the GP in despair (some other behavioural problems too) and she referred us to the child psych privately. (although she would have sent us via the NHS it would have taken so long). ADD was finally diagnosed and the medications really helped at school, she was also given extra time in exams, although they tend to wear off in the afternoon. She doesn't take them at weekends quite often or on holiday. They dont seem to be addictive. She was 13 when she eventually had them so her growth was not affected much.

Anyway if its any comfort she is now taking 4 A'levels. Its still really hard to get her to do homework and everything is left until the last minute has already gone!! It is a strain and I will be really glad when she has left school, as we still seem to be always nagging her to get on with whatever. She says she wants to go to Uni too, help!!

There is a website called I think that may be able to give you more info. My daughter is also a bit dyspraxic and the 2 conditions often go together. There are several other posts on this condition.

There is so much pressure on young children these days. I was often tempted to take my daughter away from school to educate at home but she was actually quite happy socially, I think we were more worried than she was at the time. The teachers were kind to her and only complained to us fortunately.

Jan X

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi Allycat3212, Jan... yes there quite abit about this disscusion on HP and i had loads of help about my son here. The doctor thinks he might have Asperger syndrum(slight autisum) and it was the school that had him sent to hospital......but been up and down hospital since he was 3 years old. But he has oils and extra help from school, he brings home work and he learning all about himself at the moment. I was not happy so i went in and had a long talk with special need teacher and since then thing have been looking up.
As mum we know are kids better then anyone, and it the teachers that need to learn from us........ about are children that need extra help. So now i keep well in touch with the school and we learn together. He dose'nt have medication thou and has been going forward. My sister daughter has three children with Autisum and two are educated at home.
love and blessings
lightwinds xxx
Wendy

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi All,

This is a really int subject so thanks for starting it.
Firstly i just want to say i have a 10 year old son, he is my middle child.

For two years he suffered with night terrors on a nightly basis. It was an awful time. He can be extremly aggressive. He has a very active imagination. He constantly talks/yells/cries in his sleep. He takes things very literally. He is very sexually aware. His school work in general is around 2-3 years behind his peers. Gets confused very easily. Very easily distracted. Has been labelled by some teachers disruptive. Can be the class clown. Is on school action plus.
But he is very switched on in other ways. He is also very kind and caring.:)

Sorry if im taking away from original post just wanted to say i identifiy. My son can be very hyperactive. In fact today he has gone to school with an unbelivable eye where he was charging round the house and ran straight into a door. Before now he has broken his ankle. Broken his fingers. Hit his head, plus numerous other accidents.

All i can say is i have had to fight for any attention from doctors/schools etc and it is very draining.

The one thing i have learnt is to let go of other peoples attitudes. People come to my home and at times have left in disgust at my sons behaviour. But i refuse to be bogged down by other peoples prejudices.
There was a time when i would hang my head or refuse people to my home, because i was embarresed. But now LOVE ME LOVE MY SON, warts and all.

I refuse ,because society says children should be such a way, to bend to there pressure because he is different. I also do not want him to have any medication, but that is only my choice.
I Also refuse to have his wild spirit tamed.

We need in my opinion kids like ours to give us all a wake up call.
He constantly makes me realise we dont have to conform. Its children like ours that will hopefully make the education system rethink its policies on learning.
Good luck on our kids i say!
(Mind you, im dreading secondary school)

Cor, i could really feel the energy flowing out there. Anyway i will get off my box now!!
(Sorry if i have taken away from main thread it was not my intention, but i do have rather a passion for this subject)

Good luck and warm energy to all.

Spirit xx

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi,
My son takes GLA oil and zinc.

The GLA oil is made by Solgar, and very concentrated. (It's not recommended for anyone with epilepsy by the way - I checked with the pharmacist before giving it).
The zinc is also made by Solgar and is Zinc Picolinate. The picolinate form of zinc is most easily absorbed.

My son has a diagnosis of dyslexia but I suspect there are traces of ADHD too. His cousin is dyspraxic and mildly dyslexic. I believe there is an overlap betwen these conditions.

The more I learn about zinc, the more I marvel at its properties. It has calmed my son down within an hour when he's been having a 'wobbler'.

We also discovered that he was reacting to Acetylsalicylic Acid. Oranges, tomatoes and E122 would trigger a mood of intense hyperactivity.

The good news is that he is now almost 18 and no longer appears to need these supplements. He does avoid eating oranges and tomatoes though!

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

I have been told that fish oils have a really good effect. You should also make sure that she drinks plenty of water which has been proved to help children's attention span during the school day. Speak to the school, if they want an improvement they should be receptive to making sure she is drinking throughout the day.

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Alleycat, Oil deficiency as well as general nutrition deficiency seems to be prevalent. The scientific studies that show that oils can help with ADHD etc are there and the recent well publicised one used 'Eye Q' with great success. It has a slightly different oil balance than other formulations and as Ive seen the results of the study thats the one Id recommend you went with.

Spiritsaver, while I can wholeheartedly agree with your views that people need to take your son, warts and all- do you really think if his behaviour is as you describe that it is actually good for him? What about missed close contact with peers and later with intimates? What about what is going on in his head that may not be comfortable? I dont think taking the free spirit attitude will do him any good at all- I took a laissez faire attitude with my young son and not only did he start having problems with people, he also became unhappy. It took a while to reintroduce a sensible discipline but it made him alot happier and able to relate more to other people- and he didnt lose his abiltiy to think for himself and rebel when needs be.

You say you refuse medication and I can understand that as I am quite anti medication myself but I have to say for some people it is the answer. Alternatively have you tried the oils mentioned above and a high dose vitamin and mineral supplement? I would recommend going to see the Institute of Optimum Nutrition as getting this right can be a maze and it is easy to say this doesnt work when a full knowledge of the interactive chemistry and appropriate dosages arent clear.

I think an intervention such as this and maybe some other changes may help but I fear you will see this post through the eyes of anger as it will trigger off the filter of all the fights you have had in the past over this. I do hope not tho because it is obvious you love your son very much and want the best for him.

Take care

Idiot

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Dear Idiotsavant,

Im not angry at all. In fact the opposite, i always think if someone has something to say, then that must be for a resaon. If i do get angry i take it that its hit a nerve and thats probably cos there is some underlying issue i havent dealt with, but who knows.

On reflection, i think the real problem with my situation, i became sick of hearing or people implying it was down to me being a bad mother. How easy it is to judge others when you have little or no knowledge only a society that has shaped you. I think thats what makes me angry. I have two other children who do not display the charecteristics of my middle son.

I think maybe what has happened is that i have relaxed on myself and stopped trying to prove to others i am a good mum and just be happy in the knowledge that i am.

However, thinking of your post has made me think that maybe the flip side of that is i have not thought too much into the future with my son. Thinking on his friends of which he has many, it is the parents again that find him intolerable, due to his childish pranks. But my fear of looking too far into the future is possible my way of denying the enevitable. I am very well aware that without caution my on son could cross over the barrier of wild spirit to law breaker, but again i think this is done to the constraints of the education system as much as anything and the pressure of making him achieve in an academic way.

Sorry im going off on a tangent here.

To get to the bottom line, yes maybe now you have opened my eyes, i have dealt with my own inadaquacies and now need to in some way preapare/help my son so he does have a happy balanced life, and i will most certainly look into the ideas on here. I had never really thought about herbal remedies, funny enough.

A greatful spiritsaver xx

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi Spiritsaver

I am so glad my post didnt offend you. I wholeheartedly agree that people make judgements about us without understanding that things are rarely as simple as they seem and am glad you have found that peace within yourself over it.

Going off on a tangent but my personal view is that there are always causes for 'badness'- people are not inherently evil. there is evidence amongst young offenders that they are generally nutritionally deficient and also a study into crime that found offences generally committed when the offender has low blood sugar. I think that in many cases normal brain function is affected by bad biochemistry that can at least in part be due to diet. I know this is not what we are discussing here at all but I wanted to demonstrate by an extreme example what awful things can be linked to nutrition.

I agree that the education system sucks- becoming good little workers may unfortunately be necessary in our capitalist society but at the expense of creativity and higher values is disturbing. My son wanted to protest about the recent war on the day it was being done nationally and I gave him permission to leave school and go down to the local demo- after I had ascertained that he could make a good argument for why the war was at the very least immoral as I wasnt prepared to support him if he was just after getting out of lessons. He decided to stay on school premises and do a sit down on the playing fields and not move for the duration which I msut admit I found very responsible of him- he didnt give the teachers any doubt to where he was and what he was doing. In the end he was given a detention that I refused based on his right to demonstrate peacefully against serious moral and political situations. I tried to make the school understand that they should have been proud of him rather than punish him. They started to quote the law at me- parents rights being less important than schools powers. It is a sad day when bravery, moral fortitude and commitment to high values are seen as being troublesome. He missed two lessons as it happened and when you look at how many lesson hours are lost by absent teachers with no adequate cover it makes those two lessons a drop in the ocean. (Right off my soapbox now 🙂 )

If you wish to discuss the nutritional stuff further or need any help accessing resources then please PM me.

Take care

Idiot

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi again,

I do find this subject fascinating.

Firstly, i agree with the whole protest thing. There is no room for youngsters to be creative or to be individual and there are some things like a protest by a student that actually could be used by the school on an educational front. But rather than deal with these issues they just want to stamp on them. Which is a lost chance in my opnion.

Going back to nutriction, my son does have very poor eating habits. I would like to think we have a balanced diet in my home. Yes we eat McDonalds, have fry ups, but we eat loads of salad and fresh veg. We also eat a wide variety of foods as i like my children to have at least tried different foods.(yams, courgettes, mango, avocado, cous cous etc...)
In fact my children prefer variety rather than chips with something every night.

However, My middle son is terrible. He is a very picky eater to say the least and becomes obsessive about sweets. (I stopped him from having sweets along with the fizzy drink thing etc only to find he would just get the sweets from his friends at school, he even took to hiding them round his bedroom).
We now have sweets about once a week and that has been for awhile. He now doesnt really bother about them, (Although i do still get him squirrelling them and find wrappers in his bedroom).
He is underweight to the point that his ribs stick out unbelivably and everyone comments when he takes his top off.

I have never sought advice purely because my son is very, very rarely ill. He never has time off school due to illness only accidents cos he just isnt ill. So i dont know if its naivity on my part but I have thought that if his weight was an issue he would be sickly, when in fact the reverse seems to be true.
He is also extremly active.
I also have thought that i dont wish his food to become an issue and am aware of what he eats even if its a small portion.

Am i wrong in my thinking?

Actually, im really not sure now.

So any advice on the nutrition thing would be great.
My son loves sea food of any description. Prawns, cockles, jellied eels, any fish etc..
Wont eat anything sloppy i.e cottage pie, lasagne, beans etc
Not overly keen on chips.
Loves salad.
Yoghurt.
Milk.
Ham.
Crisps
Most def biscuits and cakes!

Sorry prattling again!

Spiritsaver xx

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Spiritsaver

Have PMd you

Idiot

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi All

I don't have much to contribute except my own humble opinions, namely that:

a) A lot of people seem to be having good results with Omega 3s (whether from fish oils or flax oil or just eating walnuts or whatever);

b) Children need firm boundaries, but should be allowed to have their own unique personalities, thoughts and feelings just as long as they respect other people's rights to their thoughts and feelings (and personal safety);

c) Sometimes it doesn't matter how 'good' their parents are, children are still likely to play up at the most embarassing and inconvenient moments (because they can);

d) Nutrition does definitely seem to affect behaviour (food additives certainly seem to affect my daughter - especially orange squash, chocolate, cows milk and ice cream);

e) An education psychologist or a CAMHS worker should be able to rule out clinical causes for unusual behaviour, such as ADD, ADHD, Aspbergers, Autism etc.

f) Accentuating and praising positive behaviour helps to phase out undesirable behaviour, but it takes time and effort.

Sweetheart x

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Dear AlleyCat3212

This is is subject that crops up quite often. If you hover your cursur over this link & click - it should take you to the last discussion on this subject.

You'll also find several others if you scroll down to the bottom of the General Health Forum - you'll find there are several pages. Browsing though the other pages for subjects like ADHD & ADD & that sort of thing will give more ideas & info.

And.

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

I agree with all except that I would have an issue with 'e)'.

I would challenge anyone, especially an education psychologist with little or no medical training to offer any 'so called - clinical cause'! [sm=banghead.gif]

Yes with a few of these conditions there are genetic precursors, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the person has the condition. [&:]

I also, object to the idea of labelling & putting these children in a pigeon hole & limiting their potential by imposing a Western medical diagnosis & likely outcome. Therefore assigning these mites to a diagnostic dust bin, so that no one need expend anymore effort or finance to getting to the root of the matter. [:-]

To me the ethos of HP is that of taking a more holistic view. 😉

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

I find, working as I do within Education, that it's often the parents that are desperate to pigeonhole their children whilst the professionals resist their attempts to press for a 'diagnosis'. The parents often do this in the hope that more time and resources will be expended by the school/education authority in the hope that they can let themselves off the hook and absolve themselves of any perceived blame for the child's behaviour.

Most clinicians that I have encountered do actually take a holistic view of the child and understand that we humans are the sum total of our experiences, upbringing, genes and nutrition. They do tend to treat the children as individuals, not stereotypes.

Personally I think that any 'clinical disease' is just a convenient way of labelling a collection of symptoms. Surely this can also be actually be helpful for holistic practitioners to help pinpoint the causes. Whether the child has "ADHD" or not they are more than likely to be showing hyperactive behaviour and have poor attention etc if they have been labelled as such. Whether the prescription is Ritalin or Omega 3s is down to the practitioner, not the diagnosis.

Sweetheart x

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Well what can i say sweetheart,

QUOTE:
I find, working as I do within Education, that it's often the parents that are desperate to pigeonhole their children whilst the professionals resist their attempts to press for a 'diagnosis'. The parents often do this in the hope that more time and resources will be expended by the school/education authority in the hope that they can let themselves off the hook and absolve themselves of any perceived blame for the child's behaviour.

I find this statement infuriating to say the least and maybe i have misunderstood, but your stereotypical educational theory of parents wanting to let themselves off the hook is not only appauling but just confirms my earlier statement of how easy it is to judge others!!!

I too worked in education with the education welfare service for exactly the kind of parents and kids you mention.

It was my role to work alongside parents with their children to improve situations within the home and the school. I have too say i come across your kind of attitude so many times within school, and maybe if you stop throwing stones not only at the children but parents too and looked a little closer to home, the situation would improve all round.

I would also like to say having worked in a number of secondary school it is apparent to me the that schools neither have the time or resourses to cope with children who do not fit the so called norm so parents are left with no alternative to get further funding but to have their child labelled.

Good teachers are few and far between and maybe its poor teaching that wishes to get off the hook!

My own son went through three years of dismissive teachers, who muttered under their breathe, who dismissed my pleas for help with or without a label, who put it down to him being a boy, problems at home, whatever they could grasp at. Thankfully after i myself had stopped fighting because of attitudes like yours, feeling guilt, blame and failure a fantastic teacher came forward and informed me my son had serious problems. She pushed him to the top of the list to see the ED P and within months he was on stage 4, now school action plus. (Without any pushing/labelling from me)

THANK GOD FOR HER!

So do we pigeonhole children into a system that is so damned structured that is leaves little or no room for indiviuality or do we pigeonhole just the one that wont conform!!!

I forget these are children who have to follow a strict regime regardless of where their abilities lie. Its only as an adult that we get to choose our career, and if we dont fit or dont like it, we can change it.

I appologise to anyone if i have caused offence that truly is not my intention but really felt as a parent of a child who has been labelled at the request of the school i had to respond!

Spiritsaver xx

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

So are you trying to say that the problem is at home??? AFRAID NOT! I'm not one of those parents that just let their kid do whatever or pawn their child off on whoever! So try again. We have a very open relationship. I posted on this board from some ideas and and support, not to be bashed as a mother!!!! So easy to point a finger HUH!!!!

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi Alleycat3212

There is lots of support on this board for you as you can see by the number of replies you have had, please try not to take this personally....I am sure Sweetheart was not directing the post right at you as a mum.

So to get this thread back on track.......out of some of the wonderful suggestions here do you think you will give some of them a try, if you do please let us know how you get on it is ever so useful to gather this info so it helps us to help others.

Hugs to all
T
x

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi Alleycat and Tigerbee,

Firstly i would like to appologise to you Alleycat cos it was intially your thread and i seem to have become over entusiastic and taken over, so sorry for that, it was unintentional.

Secondly i agree Tigerbee, there have been some fantastic suggestions on here and i would like to thank alleycat for starting it in the first place, there will be some things i will def try.

I am glad to have found this site and the suggestions but a little saddened i did not get the info sooner, particulary as my son has matured, he has changed considerably and it would have saved unimaginable stress in our house a few years back.

So thankyou to all who posted and good luck alleycat. Please keep us posted on how you get on.

Spiritsaver xx

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hiya
Are you going to give it a go, i think you said he was 10years...may still make a big big difference especially as that testosterone starts to hit...Im a mum to two young boys so have it all to come!!!
T
x

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi Tigerbee,

I had a private e-mail which suggested some fab sites, which i have only briefly looked at but i did a test for my son on one and the results where fascinating. I also have been looking for some of the remedies suggested but need to find a herbal shop or someone that specialises.

After discussions on food i really think this has a lot to with my sons issues. I did the usual stopping sweets/fizzy drink but didnt really seem to do much. I never looked into other foods or even thought about it.

I am going to make it my goal next week to do some more reasearch into the things suggested then follow them through.

I also think i was rather naive with some of my thought processess on his weight but no one tells you these things, he is just never ill so thought he was ok.

There have been so many issues though and it is damned hard trying to get to the bottom of it all. But hopefully im getting closer.

So thank you all.

Spiritsaver xx

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi all,
thought I'd join in the debate!
well I thought I might just drop in another thought....... being the mother of an 11 year old girl, who I suspect to be an "indigo child" ( but then I think I may well be an early Indigo myself LOL)I started to read some stuff on the subject that I found interesting...... Doreen Virtue has written a very interesting book on the subject "The care and feeding of Indigo Children" in which she discusses the subject of administring Ritalin and other medicines along with a more natural approach. The book is very "Americanised" as Doreen's books are, but there are some very interseting case studies and interviews included. Whilst it may not give all the answers, it does add an interesting slant on the topic being discussed. I try to keep an open mind on these things, I think its useful to look at all angles.

love,light and always healing,
Lisa x

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

ohh,
forgot to add..... has anyone tried Metamorphic technique with their children?
this can be very useful in moving and changing patterns.
Lisa x

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Of course I wasn't getting at you personally Spiritsaver. I actually think that all children deserve a lot more one to one attention, whether they are pigeonholed or not, and that it's tragic that the only way that struggling parents can get help is to have their children's individuality labelled as a 'disorder'.

I also think that parents, even if not consciously, at some level blame themselves for their children's behaviour. I certainly feel terrible when my daughter has a complete fit and starts screaming and biting her dad in the middle of the high street. I would be very relieved if someone could wave a magic wand and make it all go away for me.

I would love to have the opportunity to work alongside the parents more with the aim of helping the whole family, but I find that some parents do not want help at home as they see the 'problem' as being the responsibility of school/doctors.

Obviously this does not apply to all parents but unfortunately there are actually some that do fit the stereotypes.

I'm not trying to judge anyone. Every situation is different. I just get frustrated sometimes that I cannot help the children because their parents do not really want them to get better because they will no longer get special attention/understanding/resources/ support that 'normal' children don't get. And who can really blame them. It's the system that's screwed up, not the people who have to adapt to it.

Sweetheart x

P.S. I think that this thread just proves how easy it is for words to portray the opposite of the sentiment behind them. It will also teach me not to rush posts and re-read what I wrote properly as I can see how my post caused offence. I was thinking of one particular case which I have found extremely frustrating and I really do sympathise with (and spend a lot of time trying to help) parents who need a proper diagnosis and support. Sorry if I have upset anyone.

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hiya Sweetheart, beautifully said mate, i agree some parents are just a nightmare and it is so easy to get involved and it all leads to so much frustration when the parents (i guess the situation you were thinking off) do not want to help!!! aarrrggh

Love
T
x

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Hi sweetheart,

Thankyou for taking the time to reply.

As with all things there are good and bad. Teachers, parents, policemen etc.. the list could go on and on, and some parents for various reasons fail to see the help that is needed or fail to see that maybe they to a degree are causing some of the problems within their children.
I think i was more put out because your post seemed to make a generalisation of parents but that possibly again comes down to interpretation.

I personally am always ready to learn something and try to change areas that i think could be improved or could be dropped altogether.

Being a parent i think is one of the hardest things in the world, and there is always someone willing to criticize, but I have also been on the other side of the fence though and it can be very frustrating when you are trying to put things into place for a family and they seem to want to sabbotage it.

However, I am fairly sensitive to this subject and have possibly over reacted to your comments.

It is always difficult to get people to read somthing the way it was written.

Anyway getting back on track, was disappointed today to find health shop shut, but have subscibed to a site that is researching the effects on children of Eye q (hope i got the name right) and they are going to e-mail the result to me. Its a six month trial and the results should come through shortly. I can wait to see the results.

So when all said and done lots of positive things have come out.

Spiritsaver xx:)

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Good for you Spirit saver, it sounds as though you are on the right track to help your son.

I think the food link is well worth pursuing. My extremely stubborn daughter has eccentric eating (or not eating) habits. She wont eat breakfast and I dont think she eats at school but spends her lunch money on chips, cakes etc on the way home. She refuses sandwhiches. Also the water thing is very valid. Most schools dont have water free now. (water fountains fouled or vandalised).

Too much processed food altogether. Far too much sugar in diets. I buy fruit and unless its on the table in front of them it all moulders away in the fruit bowl.

Lack of good exercise can really affect boys (mostly), A really good run around and football or swim can really affect moods and use up excess energy. Our kids spend much too long indoors these days.

Serious TV addiction very common now, (opiate of the masses) why are kids programs on so much, when they should be out exercising and reading etc. I know I'm guilty here of allowing it and try to set boundaries but they sneak off to other rooms as houses have so many sets these days.

I was really worried about the medications but cant deny that they do work. She feels much better when taking them, she complains of having a fuzzy cottonwool brain otherwise. There are quite a few meds available and she has tried several, starting with small doses.

The oils do help too, but not enough sometimes.

I've also worked in schools and really dont envy the teaching staff, many of them do a good job, some dont, just as in everything else. But I do know that they have feelings too and dread some classes as they are hard to cope with. It only takes one disruptive child to cause a whole lesson to be really wasted, and the other 25 or so children lose out. It seems much more prevalent now so I think the problem is partly due to current environment and diet. There was one class at Primary school in my daughters year that had about 5 children with these problems, I wonder what was in the air or water that year. More research could be made into this.

As a mother, guilt tripping, I often puzzle over this and wonder what I did differentlywith my eldest daughter, so much easier than the other 2. Pre Chernobyl ??? You never know.

Jan x

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

Gosh. This is a difficult subject and people are bound to get upset. I have experienced it at all sides really. I had twins (a month prem) and they were a nightmare. They didn't sleep for two years (no matter how nicely I asked them!):D and one friend said 'I wouldn't have that'. As if it was my fault. One of my twins has been a right little ****** to be honest and has only just started to improve at almost 13. In fact, they were slow to do everything, but the minute they began to crawl they headed towards each other and bit each other - hard! I went through the whole awful supermarket stuff, playgroup stuff the lot. In fact, I don't tell many people this, but they were expelled from Montessori nursery school at the age of 3! How bad is that? I was speechless and very hurt.

On the other side of the coin I have a nephew in the States who was on Ritalin and he should not have been. It was purely bad parenting. He couldn't even sit still in a restuarant at 12, until I told him to and that seemed to work. There are bad parents, I have known them and they are to blame for some of the things that happen....but not always and the same goes for teachers. I worked for five years as an unpaid volunteer in junior school in London and believe me, they have a tough job and do their best, though some are awful.

If you go to our website (in my signature) you can follow the link for NAET. I am not advertising here, coz you're not close by to use anyway, but I think you might find it interesting as regards food intolerences etc.

I do hope that I have not upset ANYBODY at all, being a mum myself.:)

RE: Child with short attention span? I'm looking for suggestions!

I would just like to pop in here briefly. I had a client, a very disturbed lady. Her husband had numerous affairs with other women, and they had two kids between them. a boy of 10 and a girl of 7.

The boy was diagnosed ADD. He was on Ritalin.

His mother came to me for advice and help, primarily for herself. I also subsequently treated her son. He was normal, but suffering from the fallout of his parents grief.

I gave him 20 reflexology treamtents, also his mother. and I involved his father as well.

I suggested a complete change of diet, begining with Omega 2 Oils, and taking away most sugar and introducing fresh or frozen (just as good) steamed vegetables, and meat reduced to 3 x per week. Fruit was restricted for about a month and a Vit C supplement took its place and still does.

Pasta and rice was brown, in fact the whole caboodle with diet. The entire family LISTENED, and went on the diet together. That is what made the difference.

They were not prepared to go entirely vegetarian.

Cheese was restricted also to x 3 per week.

Milk was changed from cows to soya.

No supermarket fruit juices were allowed. The only fruit permitted were forest fruits (frozen) or bilberries etc.

Water was increased.

They took packed lunches to school and were only allowed pocket money at weekends so they could not 'swop' money for junk food.

After one week this boy began to sleep at night. After two weeks he was holding intelligent conversations without interupting every 2 seconds. After a month he was as we all think young lads of 10 should be.

He did need counselling about his parents problems, which he thought were his own, he took them all upon his shoulders. But we have only really begun to understand the effects our lives have upon our children.

The reflexology did nothing more than help him to be balanced during the change within his bodily systems. Perhaps it also relaxed him to the extent where his subconscious realised there were people willing to listne and help.

ADD, caused by 1) Diet and 2) Trauma.

Love

Gillyxxxxxxxxx