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Having a child with attention deficit disorder, or ADD, can be emotionally frustrating for any parent. Upon initial diagnosis, you listen to your child's doctor and medicate them, only to find that the side effects of these medicines are worse than the diagnosis itself. So if you want to raise your ADD child successfully, without the use of medications, here is how it can be done.
Instructions
Raise An ADD Child Without Medication
1. Educate yourself. Find out everything you can about ADD. Find out the causes and know the statistics. The prognosis is not a positive one for children who are not treated medically, meaning with drugs. They stand a higher chance of using illegal drugs, of getting into trouble, etc., However, if you arm yourself with knowledge, all of these things can be prevented, and there are many books available that can break down ADD so that it is easily understood.
2. Fight for your child. There will be many who will strongly urge you to place your child on medication. Many of them will be teachers and principals in the school the child attends. Always remember, though, you are your child's only advocate. You know what is best for him. All too often, schools want the easy road taken, even if it's not in the best interest of the child. Don't let this happen to your ADD child.
3. Find her a tutor. One of the biggest reasons parents medicate their child who has been diagnosed with ADD is so she can be successful in school. And one of the greatest challenges these children face is learning, especially in larger groups. Most learn better in a one-on-one setting. Therefore, if it is within the realm of possibilities, find a tutor for your child. This will help cut down on the amount of frustration she feels when it comes to her schoolwork, and she will experience greater success in the long run.
4. Change his diet. More and more often these days, we are hearing about how changing the diet of a child who has ADD is the alternative treatment to medicating them. It has been proven that by eliminating certain foods and adding others, the symptoms are either dramatically reduced or have disappeared. A wonderful website to look at is www.oneaddplace.com. The site has a sample diet that can help get you started on the road to an easier time with your child.
5. Take one step at a time. Just as this article is broken down into steps, so to, must any instructions you give to your child with ADD. If you want him to clean his room, load the dishwasher and fold their clothes, you must give him one task at a time. His brain simply cannot focus on more than one thing at a time, and sometimes, it is unable to do that for very long. Know that you will need patience and understanding if you choose not to medicate him.
6. Praise her often. Most of the outbursts that occur with a child suffering from ADD happen because she becomes frustrated over her inability to accomplish or understand something. So when she does something the way it needs to be done, praise her. This will boost her self-esteem and make her realize that if she can do one thing right, she might just be able to conquer another task she thought was impossible.
7. Love him. Regardless of how bad he may act at times, it is so very important to always let him know how much you love him. You need to keep in mind that a majority of the time, his behavior can't be helped. While I'm not supporting ignoring his actions, I am supporting positive discipline. Children with ADD learn differently than other children. Hence, they think in a different manner as well. Always showing your love for them will make a huge impact on their overall behavior.
Tags: your child, child with, Child Without, Child Without Medication, Raise Child, Raise Child Without