KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Snow24 wrote:Hi

Does usage of Ritalin affect the child's brain to grow and develop?

Side effects of Ritalin mainly is on what? Curb appetite? Behaviour issues!

It also has some effects on increased heart rate and blood pressure. (see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rit ... 752dcdaa63)

@snow24

I'm curious. Is there a specific reason why you mentioned composition? My own son dislikes compositions. I think it requires a thought process that he doesn't like. He likes the fact based stuff better - memory recall preferred over imagination.

Snow24 wrote:Hi

Anyone can share how do you teach ADHD child on consequences. To differentiate right and wrong and not just subject to peers pressure.

How to improve their ability to expand and organise their thoughts and ideas eg for writing composition

Hi adhd.dad

Thanks for sharing.

My son was not able to base on the 4 pictures provided to write out a full page composition.He usually write 4-5 detected then he stopped there. He has no ideas and how to elaborate further.

Adhd child has deficit in organising and sequencing of logical flow. So not sure how to help him.

Snow24 wrote:Hi adhd.dad

Thanks for sharing.

My son was not able to base on the 4 pictures provided to write out a full page composition.He usually write 4-5 detected then he stopped there. He has no ideas and how to elaborate further.

Adhd child has deficit in organising and sequencing of logical flow. So not sure how to help him.

Hi Snow24,
I understand how you feel. My girl was also not able to write picture compositions in primary school. For some ADHD kids, their attention to details are not good, therefore their interpretation of the pictures may not be the same or accurate.

With this new paper format, one theme and 3 sequential pictures will be given. My humble suggestion would be to train him at home using highlighters to highlight a key action in each picture that he should be paying attention to. This will help draw his attention to what the picture is trying to tell him.

I am guessing that his "lack of ideas" is because he is not interpreting the pictures correctly and therefore, cannot link the other 2 pictures with the 1st one.

Perhaps a good idea is to go through the compositions verbally with him first. Don't write yet on the first try.
E.g. 2 lessons on 1 compo. 1st lesson on going through verbally (identify key actions and discuss with him the sequence). 2nd lesson to refresh him of the framework of the story and get him to write it down.

Hope this suggestion helps.

CatMoon wrote:

Snow24 wrote:Hi adhd.dad

Thanks for sharing.

My son was not able to base on the 4 pictures provided to write out a full page composition.He usually write 4-5 detected then he stopped there. He has no ideas and how to elaborate further.

Adhd child has deficit in organising and sequencing of logical flow. So not sure how to help him.

Hi Snow24,
I understand how you feel. My girl was also not able to write picture compositions in primary school. For some ADHD kids, their attention to details are not good, therefore their interpretation of the pictures may not be the same or accurate.

With this new paper format, one theme and 3 sequential pictures will be given. My humble suggestion would be to train him at home using highlighters to highlight a key action in each picture that he should be paying attention to. This will help draw his attention to what the picture is trying to tell him.

I am guessing that his "lack of ideas" is because he is not interpreting the pictures correctly and therefore, cannot link the other 2 pictures with the 1st one.

Perhaps a good idea is to go through the compositions verbally with him first. Don't write yet on the first try.
E.g. 2 lessons on 1 compo. 1st lesson on going through verbally (identify key actions and discuss with him the sequence). 2nd lesson to refresh him of the framework of the story and get him to write it down.

Hope this suggestion helps.

Good suggestion. Verbal discourse helps the child to process the logic and ideas behind the narrative first, without the effort of actual writing. This may help isolate and rectify the difficulty that they're facing in the earlier stages. To add on to what CatMoon said, I would also advise supplementing the above with other forms of conversational activities, accompanied by prompts -- nothing complex, just simple questions like "What do you think the boy is doing?" Keep it to about 20 minutes, then slowly scale upwards by getting your kid to pen his words down.

Hope this helps. At the moment I'm running an educational therapy programme called Swords & Stationery, which uses games to teach students aged 10 to 17. The programme is specifically catered to kids with Dyslexia, ADHD, ASD, ODD, and other potential co-morbidities, and is versatile enough to accommodate varying degrees of academic strengths and weaknesses, If you are keen on finding out more about it, don't hesitate to contact me or visit our website:
http://swordsandstationery.com

Hi

How is ADHD diagnosed?

Is taking ADHD medicine the only way to help child to focus better.

Hi

How is ADHD diagnosed?

Is taking ADHD medicine the only way to help child to focus better.

Snow24 wrote:Hi

How is ADHD diagnosed?

Is taking ADHD medicine the only way to help child to focus better.

You can send your child for a psych assessment at KKH or IMH to get a professional opinion

Hi

ADHD is assessed by psychologist?

Do doctor just based on the ADHD questionnaire to diagnose as ADHD?

Snow24 wrote:Hi

ADHD is assessed by psychologist?

Do doctor just based on the ADHD questionnaire to diagnose as ADHD?

Yes to the first question. For the second, it's typically not a questionnaire, but a battery of psychometric tests done to assess the child's mental and behavioural traits.