I wanted to let you know out there that I have been reading some of the
messages out there on kids with ADHD and all the problems that go with
them. I have two children that I am raising with ADD.  A girl, 10 years
old and a boy, who will be 11 years old in a couple of weeks. She is
hyperactive and he has a form of ADD that is called undifferentiated.
One of the effects of this is lethargy. He is content to do nothing
except watch television or play Nintendo. Perhaps unmotivated would fit
here also. He's not concerned about a lot of things like hygiene,
clothing or activities so I have to push for these things from him. He
said one time that the villians were the ones that he liked and wanted
to know if that was okay. He has a lot of fears that he can't seem to
shake for now. He has a talent for music and plays the piano, he gets
good grades in school, makes friends easily, and can be given some
resposibility. My girl is the difficult one because the ADD hit her
hardest. She is aggressive, quick to lie, has lots of difficulty with
school work and almost flunked all courses last year. This year we're
holding on to the edge. Both kids attend private school with small
classes and I think this has helped. My husband and I spend lots of time
with her and homework. I tutor her in the summer months so that she
doesn't fall behind too much. I would like to know if anyone has found a
way to get the multiplication table to stick with an ADD child. There
must be a trick to this. I found a trick with spelling some difficult
words and she can do this. She gets good grades in that now. It sure has
been tough sometimes and I worry about the future for both of my kids so
I can sympathize with you out there. I guess my attitude is to do the
best I can and not give up. My girl has learned to write lists when
things are important to her and she is so helpful. Both children take
10mg of Ritalin twice a day and when summer comes they are going to go
without the drugs as long as they can. When school starts, so will the
drugs because I see that they do help and the kids see it too. Both of
them are under a doctor's care who runs an ADD clinic. They were tested
last year about this time and we go about every three months for
consultation with the doctor concerning meds, behavior problems, and
physical well-being. Thanks for any input you may have.
                                               Judy Pineda
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