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Anonymous wrote:I’d try a GAPS diet for 6-12 months first.

hahahah yes, that's a perfect solution for a parent struggling with a kid who has been through 3 preschools in the last year. Just try a diet approach not based in science that takes 6 months to see non scientific results.

I see results of candy, MSG, and dairy right away. Takes 6 minutes, not 6 months. Dairy is just allergy/respiratory though.

Kids don’t get thrown out of three preschools because they’re eating candy.

I was a camp counselor for multiple summers and the kids who drank coke and ate zebra bars and other crap often had the worst behavior. That stuff impacts little bodies just like it impacts big bodies, but it's way worse for a small bodies. It's very disregulating.

Just stop. Unless there is a serious allergy/celiac causing pain, diet does not create the serious challenges that OP’s child has.

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Also... correlation /=/ causation. ADHD kids have impulse control issues. Are the kids eating candy bars *because* they have adhd (ie have less impulse control than other kids, so aren't attentive to what they eat, follow their parents' or other social expectations about what they eat, and gorge on candy. And adhd is genetic, so parents/households are often also struggling with impulse and organization ssues, so possible the adhd kid is growing up in a house where eating candy is normalized)? Or do they have adhd because they eat candy? A lot of scientific research indicates the latter concept is bunk.

Also agree that any anecdotal evidence is like "my kid was pep pep pep for a few hours after eating candy". Not "my kid was violent towards other children, missing developmental milestones and having 3 hour daily meltdowns at preschool every day".

My kid eats sugar, she gets hyper. THE END.

Sugar directly causes my child's hyperactivity.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d try a GAPS diet for 6-12 months first.

hahahah yes, that's a perfect solution for a parent struggling with a kid who has been through 3 preschools in the last year. Just try a diet approach not based in science that takes 6 months to see non scientific results.

I see results of candy, MSG, and dairy right away. Takes 6 minutes, not 6 months. Dairy is just allergy/respiratory though.

Kids don’t get thrown out of three preschools because they’re eating candy.

I was a camp counselor for multiple summers and the kids who drank coke and ate zebra bars and other crap often had the worst behavior. That stuff impacts little bodies just like it impacts big bodies, but it's way worse for a small bodies. It's very disregulating.

Just stop. Unless there is a serious allergy/celiac causing pain, diet does not create the serious challenges that OP’s child has.

\

Also... correlation /=/ causation. ADHD kids have impulse control issues. Are the kids eating candy bars *because* they have adhd (ie have less impulse control than other kids, so aren't attentive to what they eat, follow their parents' or other social expectations about what they eat, and gorge on candy. And adhd is genetic, so parents/households are often also struggling with impulse and organization ssues, so possible the adhd kid is growing up in a house where eating candy is normalized)? Or do they have adhd because they eat candy? A lot of scientific research indicates the latter concept is bunk.

Also agree that any anecdotal evidence is like "my kid was pep pep pep for a few hours after eating candy". Not "my kid was violent towards other children, missing developmental milestones and having 3 hour daily meltdowns at preschool every day".

There’s plenty of evidence that food dyes cause behavioral issues as well as gut issues (going back decades!). There’s also plenty of evidence that the more processed food you eat, the less healthy you will be. I’m not sure why people DON’T think these effects can extend to the brain. And other countries already ban a lot of the dyes in particular.

If my kid had behavioral issues I would remove dyes from diet and minimize processed food in addition to listening to doctors and doing meds if necessary. Not sure why everyone reflexively responds like it has to be either/or. Both make sense. I would want to remove food triggers to the extent possible if they are exacerbating the problem, meds or no meds.

But, I also don’t think there is any way to say this is what is specifically impacting this particular kid and I wish op the best in trying to help them. No, I don’t like meds but I don’t think you can just watch your kid suffer and do nothing either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d try a GAPS diet for 6-12 months first.

hahahah yes, that's a perfect solution for a parent struggling with a kid who has been through 3 preschools in the last year. Just try a diet approach not based in science that takes 6 months to see non scientific results.

I see results of candy, MSG, and dairy right away. Takes 6 minutes, not 6 months. Dairy is just allergy/respiratory though.

Kids don’t get thrown out of three preschools because they’re eating candy.

I was a camp counselor for multiple summers and the kids who drank coke and ate zebra bars and other crap often had the worst behavior. That stuff impacts little bodies just like it impacts big bodies, but it's way worse for a small bodies. It's very disregulating.

Just stop. Unless there is a serious allergy/celiac causing pain, diet does not create the serious challenges that OP’s child has.

\

Also... correlation /=/ causation. ADHD kids have impulse control issues. Are the kids eating candy bars *because* they have adhd (ie have less impulse control than other kids, so aren't attentive to what they eat, follow their parents' or other social expectations about what they eat, and gorge on candy. And adhd is genetic, so parents/households are often also struggling with impulse and organization ssues, so possible the adhd kid is growing up in a house where eating candy is normalized)? Or do they have adhd because they eat candy? A lot of scientific research indicates the latter concept is bunk.

Also agree that any anecdotal evidence is like "my kid was pep pep pep for a few hours after eating candy". Not "my kid was violent towards other children, missing developmental milestones and having 3 hour daily meltdowns at preschool every day".

There’s plenty of evidence that food dyes cause behavioral issues as well as gut issues (going back decades!). There’s also plenty of evidence that the more processed food you eat, the less healthy you will be. I’m not sure why people DON’T think these effects can extend to the brain. And other countries already ban a lot of the dyes in particular.

If my kid had behavioral issues I would remove dyes from diet and minimize processed food in addition to listening to doctors and doing meds if necessary. Not sure why everyone reflexively responds like it has to be either/or. Both make sense. I would want to remove food triggers to the extent possible if they are exacerbating the problem, meds or no meds.

But, I also don’t think there is any way to say this is what is specifically impacting this particular kid and I wish op the best in trying to help them. No, I don’t like meds but I don’t think you can just watch your kid suffer and do nothing either.

There is tenuous evidence for some connection for hyperactivity symptoms. But zero evidence for change in diet being therepeutic for severe adhd.

Anonymous wrote:I'm one of the pps from earlier in the thread that was also starting medication for 5 year old. We do not have the epilepsy piece so I can't speak to that, but we were dealing with significant aggression at school and home despite many, many interventions, a great outdoor preschool environment, etc.

I did want to come back and report in case other parents find this (slightly dumpster fire of a) thread at some point. After two weeks on methylphenidate (Ritalin) - for us so far it has been great, huge really. Major impacts for my child. Pick up at preschool now involves reports like "great day" "kind to friends" "happy." Side effects have been minimal so far (a couple nights staying up a little later at night, that seems to have leveled out so far). For us, right now, it is certainly the right decision.

OP I'm so sorry to hear that it hasn't been a help yet for you all. I will share that we did try a nonstimulant first and my kid did not respond well to that, so as many have said it can take time to find the right thing. I know there is no silver bullet and this is going to require ongoing management over time. But did want to share our experience that medication so far been an incredible help to my young son. To hear his teacher say he is happier, playing really well with friends is huge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm one of the pps from earlier in the thread that was also starting medication for 5 year old. We do not have the epilepsy piece so I can't speak to that, but we were dealing with significant aggression at school and home despite many, many interventions, a great outdoor preschool environment, etc.

I did want to come back and report in case other parents find this (slightly dumpster fire of a) thread at some point. After two weeks on methylphenidate (Ritalin) - for us so far it has been great, huge really. Major impacts for my child. Pick up at preschool now involves reports like "great day" "kind to friends" "happy." Side effects have been minimal so far (a couple nights staying up a little later at night, that seems to have leveled out so far). For us, right now, it is certainly the right decision.

OP I'm so sorry to hear that it hasn't been a help yet for you all. I will share that we did try a nonstimulant first and my kid did not respond well to that, so as many have said it can take time to find the right thing. I know there is no silver bullet and this is going to require ongoing management over time. But did want to share our experience that medication so far been an incredible help to my young son. To hear his teacher say he is happier, playing really well with friends is huge.

I'm the PP above who wrote a pretty lengthy response about our own experience several years back, and just wanted to reiterate that this was generally our experience too. Went from daily crises, horrible feedback, my stress so bad i can't sleep, other parents having said terrible things, suggestions that our DS was fundamentally broken.... to being pretty a-ok.

Kattedjiron wrote:As with any medication, Ritalin should only be prescribed by a doctor and taken strictly on his or her recommendation. Ritalin is usually used to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children over the age of 6. For a 4-year-old child, it may be too early to start taking Ritalin because his or her brain is still in a developmental stage.

If your child has concentration and behavioral problems, see your doctor for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. You may be offered other treatments, such as therapy, dietary changes, or exercises to improve concentration.

It is important to remember that Ritalin can have side effects such as insomnia, loss of appetite and headaches. Therefore, you should carefully discuss all possible risks and benefits of taking Ritalin with your doctor.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you first tried no additive, dye free, high protein diet with lots of omega 3s, low/no sugar and minimal processed food, plus checked iron, ferritin, zinc, magnesium levels?

Different poster (not OP). It was hard enough to get my seriously emotionally dysregulated kid to sit down and eat anything, let alone a super-restrictive diet. This is just unrealistic! OP, try the meds--ignore the naysayers. These are the same people who dismiss the need for anti-depressants, counseling just muscling it through depression with "clean eating" and willpower. They are delusional and not worth your time.

Anonymous wrote:

Kattedjiron wrote:As with any medication, Ritalin should only be prescribed by a doctor and taken strictly on his or her recommendation. Ritalin is usually used to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children over the age of 6. For a 4-year-old child, it may be too early to start taking Ritalin because his or her brain is still in a developmental stage.

If your child has concentration and behavioral problems, see your doctor for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. You may be offered other treatments, such as therapy, dietary changes, or exercises to improve concentration.

It is important to remember that Ritalin can have side effects such as insomnia, loss of appetite and headaches. Therefore, you should carefully discuss all possible risks and benefits of taking Ritalin with your doctor.

Is this a bot? What the hell. Of course, any parent considering stimulants for a 4 year old is doing under counsel of a doctor. They’re not finding the drugs at the preschool pill mill.

Anonymous wrote:

Kattedjiron wrote:As with any medication, Ritalin should only be prescribed by a doctor and taken strictly on his or her recommendation. Ritalin is usually used to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children over the age of 6. For a 4-year-old child, it may be too early to start taking Ritalin because his or her brain is still in a developmental stage.

If your child has concentration and behavioral problems, see your doctor for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. You may be offered other treatments, such as therapy, dietary changes, or exercises to improve concentration.

It is important to remember that Ritalin can have side effects such as insomnia, loss of appetite and headaches. Therefore, you should carefully discuss all possible risks and benefits of taking Ritalin with your doctor.

Is this a bot? What the hell. Of course, any parent considering stimulants for a 4 year old is doing under counsel of a doctor. They’re not finding the drugs at the preschool pill mill.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What factors made the doctors make this recommendation?

Op here. The ADHD diagnosis for one. Problems in school. Problems with attention. Problems with regulation. Problems with gaining new skills due to the severity of inattention and large amount of time spent in a state of disregulation. Problems at home with behavior.