ADHD and Homeschooling

[Starr LaPradd]

Anyone out there dealing with this? My 5 year old has just been diagnosed within the last three months. We are learning as we go, but any advice from an experienced mom on this subject would be greatly appreciated. God is good and I know He is going to use my son for His glory. I want to make sure I keep my little one pointed in the right direction.
Blessings,
Starr

[Judy]

Hi Starr,

None of my children were ADHD but I do have several little boys in Kids Church who are. I also would love to have some pointers in dealing with it. You are right, God is indeed good and He does have plans for your son.

Blessings,
Judy

[Jill]

Starr,

Is that your real name? My oldest daughter is named Star with one r. Not a very common name which is why we love it and kept it! My 2 oldest are adopted and we kept her birth name. My 2 oldest have ADHD. ds 7 and dd 4.5. I also prior to homeschooling worked in Occupational Therapy and dealt with ADHD alot. Not saying I have all the answers but maybe I can help some. We have been through multiple meds with the oldest and now we are starting with the the younger one. I'd be happy to try to answer any questions you have or just chat about life with our overly energetic kids!
Blessings,
Jill

[Starr LaPradd]

Oh, thank you, Jill! Sometimes I really just need someone to talk to who understands. This has been a really hard week for us. We were supposed to go on a fieldtrip tomorrow, but I have opted out because I just cannot go through another embarrassing day. Some people just do not get it! Any way, any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. I am trying really hard, but sometimes I feel like I am not a good mom because I can't always figure out the best thing to do. My husband is behind me 100% and that is a blessing. Let's please keep in touch if that is ok with you. Oh, and Starr is my real name!
Blessings,
Starr

[Jill]

Starr,

My daughter is so excited that there is someone else named Star(r). I definitely get the being embarassed in pub;lic you do get over that after awhile. My husband always says that people at the store always look at us like we are crazy and now I just tell him well we are aren't we. With both of my kids we are going the medication route and since I've seen the benefits of in my oldest. We tried public school first grade and that was a nightmare. He was in the proncipal's office everyday. I knew I could give him more at home than he was getting there so we started homeschooling this year. It has been such a relief! I guess one of the most important things I can tell you about it is that kids with ADHD do not have a learning disability they just learn differently than alot of people. This doesn't mean they can't learn or focus. They just need to do it in a different way. This is why the normal classroom doesn't work so well for them. The learn and absorb theings better while moving around and being able to so-called fidget. most kids with ADHD/ADD are very intelligent despite the running around the room and not seeming to pay attention. I think once you can look at everything from this presceptive you realize there is noting worng with your kids just different! Hope this helps I'd be happy to keep in touch with you and we can even exchange emails if you want so that we don't overload this site with our issues. I also can give more advise about how to enable them to learn better in a controlled situation/environment. Is your son in public school? Is he in Kindergarten yet? Hope you have a blessed Sunday!
Blessings,
Jill

[Starr LaPradd]

Oh Jill! You are a God-sent gift to me! I do homeschool my son. His name is Austin. He is 5. We also are going the meds route as of now. Still not real comfortable with it, though. Doesn't seem to make a very noticable difference. He is highly intelligent, so I do believe these are gifted children. They just handle things differently.Let's do exchange emails if that is ok with you. I could certainly use your hints on keeping him under control in a more formal environment as we are very active in our church and he is in class there at least 2 times a week, sometimes 3. Tell your daughter I am pleased to "meet" another Star too! You don't hear our names too often.
Love and Blessings,
Starr

[Sandra]

I'm Sandra and my son Michael is a special needs child.
He has learning disabilites and has Asperger's syndrome (a form of Autism).
I have used theme units with him since he learns best when it is something that
interests him. Now that he is odler I am thinking of using more of a bible based curriculum.

I would say that you can keep each lesson short and simple.
Try to use file folder games for learning math and language arts
since most of our special children are visual learners.
We used math manipulatives and they helped.
I also an using Pocket Charts for phonics and reading.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

__________
Sandra,
Homeschooling Mom to Michael and Matthew
Wife to Timothy Lee

[Jill]

Hi Sandra,

Glad to have you join in. I know I have 2 kids with ADHD and the youngest one also as Sensory Processing Disorder and is a little delayed but she is only 4.75 and wouldn't be attending K until next school year so I think homeschooling her starting now will help to get her closer on track. But we definitle do unit stuidies(we all prefer them) and lots of hands-on stuff. The more we can incorporate our body movement into learning the more successful we are and even the 2 year old is doing awesome! She can recognize the alphabet and tell you some of the sounds teh letters make as well as many other things. She is above the 4.75 year old in many ways. But her(the4 yr old's) psychologist thinks that having a younger sibling who is on hte same level or slightly above will help to motivate her to learn more and try harder. So we'll see. This is a learning process for all of us.

Starr,

How are you and your kids coming along? Are things getting any easier? I think for us as we get more into the swing of things it is getting easier for us all.
Hope everyone had a Merry CHRISTmas and a Blessed Holiday!
Blessings,

Jill

[Starr LaPradd]

Thanks for your input and concern, Sandra and Jill. Things are going ok for us. We have stopped the meds. We just didn't see that much difference, so decided to forgo that option for now. I am really depending on The Lord for direction and guidance.
I, too, have found that the more body movement we can include in our day, the better Austin adapts and enjoys it. we play a game sort of like musical chairs where I lay alphabet cards out in a circle, play music, and when the music stops, Austin has to pick up the gard he is standing on, tell me the letter and the sound and place it on the table with the matching card that has a picture of an item that starts with that sound. That works great with him! He loves it!
We also do the same thing with number cards. Anything that keeps him moving works well.
I have found, like you, that we need to stick with things that he is interested in and go from there. Say it is dinosaurs: we just do every subject around that theme. Unit studies are so great because we can hit all the subjects in a fun way that is interesting to him.
We also use little hearts for his glory. That is working well. Lots of computer games as well. He thinks he is playing video games, but he is learning all the while!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Happy New Year!!

Love and Blessings,
Starr

[DP]

Hi everyone! I specifically joined the forum because I LOVE the work Valerie is doing with CPP and then I came across a part of Starr's post on ADHD and wanted to help...I am an occupational therapist (OT). Lo and behold, I sign on and find out another OT beat me to it! :)

I also have a 4 1/2 year old daughter that has signs of SPD. She hasn't been formally diagnosed, but I see the signs, plus my DH, I believe has SPD as well. Anyway, I've decided to homeschool my daughter...she is very intelligent but cannot sit still for lond periods of time. She focuses SO much better when there is movement involved or has a "fidget" available to her.

Long story short, we just came back from visiting my DH's family in TN. We came back with a box of old school stuff of his, including report cards dating back to first grade. Reading through these TOTALLY reinforced our decision to homeschool our daughter, because I KNOW that she would have the same comments from teachers if placed in a "traditional" classroom, and her love of learning would be RUINED! I thank God that he has blessed me with this reminder that we are on the right track for her!

Anyway, I would LOVE to swap emails with anyone interested in sharing more tips or learning any tips I have as well. I'm SO glad this group is here! :)

God bless,
Delia

[DP]

HELPFUL WEBSITES/CURRICULUM:

Hi all, I just wanted to recommend a GREAT Pre-K/K curriculum for "school readiness", pre-writing, and handwriting skills: Handwriting Without Tears (website: www.hwtears.com or www.getsetforschool.com)

I've been using the pre-K curriculum to instill good writing habits (even before picking up a pencil to write). It is multi-sensory (involves music,movement, "wood pieces", play dough, etc.), good for kids that have ADD or SPD, and is FUN! I HIGHLY recommend it! :)


Also, here is a site that has been helpful to me and others dealing with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD): www.sensory-processing-disorder.com

Hope this helps! :)

God bless,
Delia

[Starr LaPradd]

Thanks Delia, for your input and wisdom. I'm sure we could all learn alot from you! I feel you are surely doing the right thing homeschooling your daughter. She will grow to appreciate you for it. I also have an 18 year old who had difficulty in the traditional school setting. I have homeschooled him since 2nd grade and he is graduating this year. He is already attending college via dual enrollment and he would have lost His love for learning and his motivation had I left Him in public school. Those negative comments some teachers make can effect a kid for life. I know, because I still remember EVERY single one that was directed towards me!
I hope you will join us a lot and keep in touch with me as I would love to talk to you further.
Blessings,
Starr