Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Ty Pennington is host of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. He also owns a boutique in Los Angeles called ADHD (Art Design Home Décor), publishes a quarterly home decorating magazine, has a line of home fashions at Sears and is a spokesperson for Shire Pharmaceuticals. Ty Pennington is succ...
I'm raising a 9 year old grandson dealing with ADD. Ty's story is inspiring, as was that of Michael Phelps. My concern is the difficulty in finding a niche for the kid with ADD who finds everything boring - doing homework, anything requiring an average amount of concentration, waiting, etc. We basically have to sit down with him & help him do his homework every day to keep him on topic. He's very bright and articulate, and he just won an award at school for being a great Inquirer. But his ability to stick with a task without a lot of adult supervision is discouraging. Obviously, Ty & Michael found something that inspired them. Maybe their mothers were able to provide professional guidance. We tried guitar, which he really wants to play, but he didn't have the discipline to even practice 15 minutes a day. What do you recommend to help a child feel successful so they will want to reach for a higher educational goal and have the self-discipline to meet goals?
My 14 year old had ADHD. He was diagnosed when he was 6 and again at 14. We have had all of these issues you talk about. We sat down every night to do homework which always took hours, tried Piano, etc. During the summer before 8th grade, we found a local rowing club and showed our son. His smile said it all. He rowed 2 weeks of summer camp, 2 full seasons as a Developmental Squad, and now he has just finished his first season as a Freshman Novice Rower. His self confidence has really blossomed and is finally becoming more social. The conditioning is very hard, heavy work and he loves it. he practices 5 days a week. We also move our son to a very small private school where he has a maximum of 5 students per class. He now feels like his teachers care about him and they always treat him with respect. His father and I finally see our son having a future.
Ooooops. I meant to say my 14 year old HAS ADHD.
Hi! I am a single mother to an 11 y.o. daughter with ADHD, a 12 y.o. daughter with ADD and I too am blessed to have ADHD (I say BLESSED because there is NO WAY I could do everything I do without it). My house is interesting. :)
Every child has SOMETHING they enjoy doing. For my girls (for example) it is art, reading, singing and acting. I make sure to keep art supplies for the 11 y.o. (this is what she gets for Christmas and her birthday), and the 12 y.o. is in acting/singing classes. I think they just love to be creative. Does your grandson love to watch movies, be outside, animals, play video games, read? Have him plan a Saturday and see where he takes you... science museum, zoo, video arcade, movies? Build on that.
Honestly, it sounds to me like you're dealing with a child who not only has ADD but might be dealing with some underlying depression. I suggest you make an appointment with a child psychologist to help get to the bottom of it. A good one should be able to give you suggestions for helping him with his ADD as well.
I also would like to suggest a website that literally changed our lives: www.flylady.net. The principles can be applied to all aspects of life and she even has a section specifically for kids. This might help you tremendously... without that site my house would be in a constant state of chaos.... instead, it's peaceful and we all know where the other is at all times and what we are doing. It's been a God-send.
Good luck!! :)
Darlene
What great responses some other members have written. I certainly can relate to spending time each night doing homework, I remember spending hours upon hours completing homework, studying for tests and completing projects with my son (he is now 23).
As far as finding something to motivate him, I would suggest exposing him to many things to see what he is most interested in (I loved the suggestion of having him plan a Saturday to see what he might like.)
He is, however, 9, and his interests may change rapidly in the coming years, but you might be able to see a pattern develop. You said he won an award for Inquiring. Maybe science, reporting or something where he could use his natural curiousity.
Keep working at it. You sound like a very loving and nuturing grandmother and above all, that is what children need.
Eileen