Learning more

I am still around, been a bit confused lately, as we let Matthew have wheat over the weekend (since it was a long one) to see how he reacted to it - and we didn't see a reaction. Then we tried milk and didn't see a reaction either. So I am confused...

He is still choosing to eat the gluten free alternatives for the most part, so just reducing the amount of wheat he has in his diet is making him feel a bit better - which I understand from having eliminated wheat from my diet myself 6 months ago.

He is having a good week, getting some 3's on his behavior chart at school from his teacher, which is a great thing - he is happy with that, and hopefully his teacher is as well... :)  He was proud of himself to come home with a prize from the treasure box at the counselor's office - his positive reinforcement for the behavior plan in place at school.

I listened to a webinar today by Russell Barkley (a renound expert on ADHD) - and learned a lot... Here's my take away from the webinar...

• A person with ADHD has a disability in their executive functioning - Executive function is a set of mental processes that helps connect past experience with present action. People use it to perform activities such as planning, organizing, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and managing time and space.
• This includes:
• the inability to monitor their own behavior
• the ability to stop yourself from doing wrong
• problems with their working memory - what you are doing and what your plan was to get it done
• skewed sense of time and the management of it
• problems controlling emotions
• It is not the child's fault - these things going on are out of their control, it isn't caused by too much tv, or too much sugar or a type of food, or bad parenting - it is usually genetic
• There is a 30% lag in their development of their executive functioning... So our son is 10 years old, so he has the executive functioning of a 7 year old. Remembering that can help him succeed
• There is a need for immediate praise or redirection - no warnings. He lacks the self regulation to keep himself motivated to keep moving on things (chores, homework, classwork and the like - unless it is something he is really interested in)
• consequences should happen right away -weather good or bad - earning a priviledge for the good, or losing one for the bad
• Their fuel tank of self control will be empty by the end of the day - need to use strategies to help them refuel to work on things in the evening.
• Maintenance of blood sugar is important, allowing him to sip on something with a bit of sugar in it to help with that is all good.
• Exercise is key for people with ADHD - 30 minutes 3-5 times a week
• When working on projects, schoolwork or whatnot using a 10/3 intervals of time works best to allow for breaks.

That was a lot of information to take in & I am looking forward to going back and listening to some of the previous webinars they have had as well to learn even more!  http://www.additudemag.com/webinars

My biggest take-away from this is that it isn't his fault & asking him "why?" he did something and getting a "I don't know" can truly be his only true answer - that he really doesn't know because he wasn't processing what he was doing at that time...

We used a timer like this and set it for 10 minutes of "work" and 3 minutes of  "rest" for
 him to do his time on his learning games on the computer

We downloaded an interval timer on a cell phone that he uses just for the apps/games and he is using it to work on some online software that works on math and reading skills & it is going pretty well - the most interested and calm I have seen him work on stuff like this in a long time!