ADHD Angels

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Also ADD

Some of the more beautiful parents are given a special task which is to look after the wonderful children that often receive this misunderstood label.  I think that we are given these special little beings to bring up as we are special too and not everyone could cope.  These Little Angels are so full of life, willing to explore and investigate everything, several times if they feel it's necessary, they don't see danger, are very sensitive and basically don't miss a trick!

If you have been on Daisy Dan and Friends you may have seen Good Little Goat.  Goat is 8 and is really having problems with school right now and I'm sharing his experiences in a hope that it helps even one family stand up for their Little Angel.

About ADHD / ADD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) describes certain behaviour problems; children with ADHD have an unusually short attention span and become easily distracted (attention deficit). They are also overactive and restless (hyperactive).

Progress at school and development of social skills are often slowed down by ADHD.

It can be treated with a combination of behaviour management and medicines.

Many young children are naturally restless and full of energy. ADHD - which is also known as hyperkinetic disorder - defines a type of behaviour at the extreme end of the normal range of behaviour.

Children with ADHD demonstrate problem levels of:

inattention (difficulty concentrating)

hyperactivity (disorganised, fidgeting, excessive  activity)

impulsive behaviour

Estimates vary so ADHD is thought to affect between two to five percent of school-age children in England. It is at least four times more common in boys than girls.  With treatment your child's behaviour can greatly improve, though some problems with attention and lack of control may continue into later life. Aggressive or disobedient behaviour can get worse if ADHD is left untreated, so early diagnosis and management is important.

There are three main types of ADHD:

mostly hyperactive/impulsive type

mostly inattentive type - sometimes referred to attention deficit disorder (ADD)

combined type (these make up the majority of ADHD cases)

Behaviour problems are usually noticed in toddlers, if symptoms were present at home, there would also need to be problems in school and/or in social situations for a diagnosis of ADHD to be made.

You may notice that your child is constantly restless, irritable and emotionally immature, aggressiven and as poor self- discipline. He may climb fearlessly and ignore repeated warnings this can be wore to watch as these children are often clumsy. ADHD can affect social skill development, and problems with language and speech development are also common.

Starting school highlights any problems or makes it worse, learning can be slowed down by the lack of attention and concentration, and boys who are hyperactive and aggressive tend to become unpopular with other children. ADD, however, can often go unnoticed because the child is dreamy and inattentive, but not disruptive.

As your child grows older, he or she may engage in antisocial behaviour and be unaware of the consequences. But ADHD is not related to intelligence - children of all levels of ability can be affected.

The exact cause of ADHD isn't known, but there are likely to be a number of factors involved. Research suggests that people with ADHD may have differences in the parts of the brain which deal with controlling impulses and focusing attention. Many children with ADHD have another family member with the same problem offering a possible genetic link.In addition, children are more likely to have ADHD if they were born prematurely, or if their mother smoked or misused alcohol or drugs when pregnant.These factors can interact with other mental problems such as an anxiety disorder and a stressful family environment. This can make the behavioural and emotional symptoms of ADHD worse.

It is normal for children, especially under fives, to be inattentive and restless. A diagnosis of ADHD needs to be made by a trained professional. If you are concerned about your child, visit your GP.  If ADHD is suspected, the doctor will refer your child to a child psychiatrist (doctor specialising in children's mental health) or paediatrician (doctor that specialises in children's illnesses).There are no specific tests for ADHD. The specialist will usually make the diagnosis on the basis of observing the child and reports of the child's behaviour. Parents, carers or teachers may be asked to fill in a questionnaire about the child's behaviour.

You can help your child by providing a structured environment with clear rules of acceptable behaviour. The specialist seeing your child can help you learn how to manage his or her behaviour.

Make sure that your child's teacher knows about the condition. A structured and orderly classroom without too many distractions is helpful. Often, small-group or individual teaching can help.

An educational psychologist can help to check on your child's progress. Special help should focus on particular problem areas, such as difficulties with reading, spelling, maths and organisation.  Speech therapy, physical education therapy and counselling may also be available for your child at school.

Medication can be prescribed as part of the treatment for children with ADHD. A child psychiatrist, will first prescribe these.  Like all drugs, these medicines can sometimes have side-effects, including insomnia, headaches and irritability.

You can help your child by providing a structured environment with clear rules of acceptable behaviour. The specialist seeing your child can help you learn how to manage his or her behaviour.

Psychological and behavioural therapy can also help children with ADHD, and it is used in combination with drugs. The therapy is designed to help your child learn to cope with the condition and reduce impulsive behaviour. Some therapy can be offered to your child or your whole family. Talk to your GP or child's psychiatrist about what is best for you and your child.

The role of diet in ADHD is controversial. Many people believe that some types of food additives, such as artificial colourings or refined sugars, can make their child's behaviour worse. In fact, there is little evidence to support this.  If you do decide to make any changes to your child's diet, you should speak to a paediatric dietician first, because permanently eliminating certain foods may be harmful.Some experts think that certain vitamin, mineral, or omega-3 fatty supplements can help to treat ADHD. Again, the evidence is not conclusive, but the safety of high doses of supplements is unproven so care must be taken. Nevertheless, eating a varied and balanced diet, including oily fish (eg mackerel, herring, trout), which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, certainly helps to promote healthy development in children.

It can be difficult caring for a child with ADHD and the effects on family life can be dramatic.

National support groups are available for these families, and your GP may be able to put you in touch with a local support group. Through one of these, you can meet other families in the same situation and get support and advice on behaviour management for your child.

Autistic Angels

Some of us  are privelidged enough to live with someone who comes under the umbrella of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Goat was diagnosed  when he was 3, so I know a little  of what you may have experienced or may be going through.

I have put some links on the links pages that may be a help but just for a bit friendly Fairy Support, please feel free to pop any comments. strategies or questions here, I'm sure there's someone else here who may have something to suggest.

There seems to be no agreement as to what actually causes Autism, genetics, problems during pregnancy, home circumstances etc, unfortunately there seems to be a huge range of charactoristics which get put under the umbrella of Autism and with an older child Aspergers Syndrome.  I've listed some of them here:

Extreme difficulty in learning language.

Inappropriate response to people; a  child with autism may avoid eye contact, resist being picked up or cuddled, and seem to tune out the world.

Inability or reduced ability to play cooperatively with other children or to make friends or  understand other people's feelings.

Need for a rigid, highly structured routine -and being very distressed by changes to routines.

Extreme hyperactivity or unusual passivity, and extreme resistance to change.

Repetitive body movements including pacing, hand flicking, twisting, spinning, rocking or hitting oneself.

Insensitivity to pain or lack of response to cold or heat.

Impulsive behavior and no real fear of dangers.

An unusual attachment to inanimate objects such as toys, strings or spinning objects.

Frequent crying and tantrums for no apparent reason.

Peculiar speech patterns.  An autistic child may use words without understanding their meanings.

Abnormal responses to sensations such as light, sound and touch.  At times an autistic child may appear deaf. At other times the child may be extremely distressed by everyday noises.

Some of these symptoms occur in children with other disabilities.  Symptoms can change as the child grows older.

Call Your Doctor If:

Your infant or child resists cuddling and doesn't respond to his or her environment or to other people.

By about the age of 1 year, your child is not pointing to objects, bringing items to you or engaging in simple interactions such as "peek-a-boo."

By the age of 18 months your child is not using any words or attempting to communicate.

Your child bangs his or her head or demonstrates self-injurious behavior or aggression on a regular basis.

Your child demonstrates unusually repetitive behavior, such as repeatedly opening and closing doors or turning a toy car upside down and repeatedly spinning its wheels.

Your first contact is your GP who will put you in touch with a peadiatrition, because of the wide variety of differences withing the Spectrum, treating your child is an ongoing work of art with the peadiatritions help.  As a mum I try to treat Goat as capable of most things other kids his age can do, I find if I do things for him, he gives in so I give lots of encouragement, but it really does depend on the abilities of your little one.  Your peadiatrition and GP will help you make decsions and find workable strategies.

Dyspraxic Angels

Some of our Little Angels find co-ordination and balancing a little difficult, bikes, laces, holding a pencil all seem to take a little while to learn, they get frustrated and understandably so, some days are better than others...

Goat has Dyspraxia so I have some idea of how struggling when friends find things easy can affect our little ones.

So we can all talk about our experiences and try to support one another, find ways to help our little ones, and share any strategies we have.

Please look in on our Fairy Message Board

What to watch out for with little ones:

Babies are usually irritable  and may exhibit significant feeding problems, slowly achieving developmental milestones. Many children with dyspraxia fail to go through the crawling stages, preferring to 'bottom shuffle' and then walk. They usually avoid tasks which require good manual dexterity.

Due to school problems migraine, headaches and feeling sick  by the time these children hit secondary school they are often so disoriented their attendance can be badly affected. 

If you have any concerns at all about your little Angel contact your GP who will refer you to a peadiatrition if necessary.   There are things you can do to help, just working with your child's present abilities and practicing the things they struggle with is a start but the professionals have loads of fantastic strategies you can try too.

You need to be in regular contact with school to try and help out and ensure that every possible avenue of  help is attempted.

Banish Bullying

We've all been or felt a little bullied at times, sometimes a lot bullied and it's a scary lack of control, fear of what will happen if we try to defend ourselves and a horror of what may happen if we tell.

We like to pretend the world is a lovely place but if someone is making our life difficult, self-esteme, self-confidence and eventually even the will to live all drip away.

If you are singled out as different for any reason, even a really tiny and silly one, life can be made a daily torture without too much effort if a bully is determined.

I thought we might like to share any tips or sites that may be a help to one of our Little Angels.

It's a big old world out there, let's see if we can come up with some good workable strategies, in a safe environment!

Please join in on our message board with problems or ideas.