Successful "mindfulness" self-monitoring for ADHD-diagnosed kid/vibrating watch
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Anonymous
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For what it is worth, we have had very good results from a self-monitoring technique that has helped our 10-year old son focus and stay tuned-in at school. He has behaviors consistent with the ADHD framework (impulsivity, difficulty staying on task etc.). We had been having major problems with him 'checking out' in class, to the extent that the school was intimating that we might need to consider a different school. The situation has turned around 180 degrees since we started with this approach and we feel it may be the primary cause. We are in the no-meds camp, by the way, although I do not want to get into a discussion of that. Just full disclosure.
We instituted a system in class with three elements: 1. A checklist of five behavior goals (Tuned In; Listening to the Teacher; Participating in the Discussion, Not Talking to my Buddy; On Task). He needs to score himself on a scale of 1 to 4 at the end of class, 1 being laser beam, 4 being mentally in outer space). The teacher then scores him and they compare notes. His "tuning out"/attention problem was only in his English/history type classes, not in math or science, so we only rolled this out in the humanities. 2. A vibrating watch that goes off (with a vibration not as beep) every 8 minutes (in our case) to "bring him back" to the moment if he was wandering away. Casio makes a nice one. It restarts the cycle automatically. 3. Positive reinforcement before and after school. We've been emphasizing that he IS IN CHARGE - IT IS HIS LIFE AND HE HAS TO DIRECT IT. The score sheet comes home at the end of the week (although we monitor daily) and when it is all 1s and 2s, he gets a small prize. After two months, we have seen major, major improvements. Most days now, his teacher scores him 1 or 2. MY son is MUCH happier and feels successful. Most of all, he feels in control and is taking responsibility, and self-monitoring seems to be becoming habitual, which is of course the goal. In his teacher's words, "there is a new kid in my classroom that I had not met before we started with the watch thing." The situation at school seems completely turned around. It is really a wonderful feeling for our son and I hope this is sustained. I should add that the school had been doing a lot of push-in/pull-out with him, to keep him on task. But from what we could see, he was becoming 'prompt dependent' and the problem of checking-out was worsening with the interventions. So we rolled out this alternative approach and asked the school to call of the dogs/educational specialists for a while. I am not suggesting this is a panacea, or that we are super parents, etc. etc. but just that this approach could be something to consider if you are struggling with similar behavior issues. |
Anonymous
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Do you have a diagnosis?
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Anonymous
He has been "diagnosed" with ADHD. |
Anonymous
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Looks like an awesome system that could work for our ASD kid who has problems starting and finishing classroom tasks. So far prompting by the teacher when needed is working but your system looks great for when that isn't enough.
Thank you for sharing! |
Anonymous
| Excellent idea! Thanks for sharing! I find this kind of post far more useful than the anti/pro med back and forth on the other threads. We use medication with one kid but not the other. Whatever someone's personal feeling is on meds, this is the kind of post that's truly helpful. Thanks, again. |
Anonymous
| congratulations on the success, OP.Its a strategy we will keep in mind when our son is a bit older! |
Anonymous
| How old do you think a child would need to be to do the watch thing ? |
Anonymous
OP here. I think the child needs to be old enough, or sophisticated enough, to understand the notion that they are responsible for directing their learning, and that they need to be in the driver's seat. The main value of the technique, in our experience, is that it puts the CHILD in control as well as giving them responsibility. The appropriate age depends a lot on the kid. I think this would have worked in fourth grade with our son (he is now in 5th) but not earlier. |
Anonymous
| wow, I want one of those watches for me. |
Anonymous
link? |
Anonymous
| I don't think your child has ADHD. |
Anonymous
OP here. It was Timex actually. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3DTRD2/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item |
Anonymous
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Is the checklist written down and taped to his desk or something? Or does he just remember these things when the watch vibrates?
This sounds fabulous, OP, thanks for sharing. Just trying to be clear on the details. |
Anonymous
Sounds like a great system OP. Does your child actually have ADHD or it just seems like it due to some of the symptoms? And are any of the other children in class distracted at all by the every 8 minutes beeping? (or does it just vibrate?) Not sure I could sit next to someone with same going on all day every 8 min., but admittedly I am distractable. |
Anonymous
The watch vibrates silently on his wrist, which is the magic. There is no sound. Only my son notices it. I want to answer your question on the ADHD but am sensitive to not setting off a disputation. Let's just say he has been diagnosed as ADHD by a well-known local education psychiatrist. I reject the diagnosis and do not believe my child has a "disorder" of any kind and so have been seeking alternative means to address the behaviors I mentioned. We feel, in his case, that the main issue is immaturity (he is very young for his grade) that he is highly energetic and sometimes finds it hard to contain himself for hours on end in the classroom. I am not saying that ADHD does not exist or that other kids don't suffer from it. |