Parents Meeting with Coaches - How to help daughter with Frustration

[Blazing15]

I am glad she had a good night - I hope you celebrated. My two boys both have ADHD and it is hard, but medication does help. I swore I would never medicate my child - ha! I had to eat my words on that one. You have to do what is best for your child and if she is having trouble in all areas - then it might be the route you have to go. Hope it all works out.

Thanks so much. Yes we have always swore we would not medicate our children either. My husband has ADHD and has had it since he was a child and his mother would not medicate him. I know it's going to be a fight with MIL if that is what happens. I don't want her being a zombie, I just want her to be able to have some help with controlling her body and movements and calming her body down.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

My oldest also has/had (they say you never really "outgrow" it) ADHD. We also opted to give meds to help control his focus in school. It truly was a godsend. He was able to settle down in school, become an honor roll student in high school and has recently graduated from a very good college. He hasn't had to take any meds. since about 9th grade because by that point he had learned coping strategies and has been very academically successful. He is now working on a second bachelor's degree in business info. technology and currently has a 3.99 GPA and has just been awarded a summer internship as a business analyst. Bottom line... medication can definitely help with attention/focus issues, as far as inapproriate behavior though, we still have to be parents and teach what is and is not acceptable. BUT the right medication can certainly help with those behavior lessons!

 

[Blazing15]

Thank You Tumblequeensmom. I faxed over all her forms to her doctor now just waiting to hear what the next step is for her. I used to work in childcare and I always told myself I will not let my children act the way that some of those kids acted. It was horrible. We are very strict on our children and we have had to buckle down a little more on them. Things have been going very well lately if we just remind her what is expected of her and if she gets off track we try to help her back on. Even her coaches said she has done well. No tantrums just a little bit of forward rolls and cartwheels and handstands when she's not suppose to. They give her a look and then they say she stops. She is one that for a while is going to have to be reminded what to do. Hopefully us catching all this now will make it easier on us as parents and her teacher and coaches that we all have the same methods we use with her.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

Sounds like you're on the right track! It definitely helps that you've got everyone on board w/you and everyone's being consistent! Good luck... sounds like she's one lucky little girl to have you as parents.

 

[Blazing15]

So I guess I forgot to update this. She is on a low dose medication. So far so good it is helping. The only complaint is that she still has some problems focusing at school. She is not a zombie at all she so much of herself but you can tell a difference just even with her talking to you. She takes her time to explain stuff. She did find out last week that she made the L4 team.

 

[SkiBumGymMom]

I'm so glad the medication is helping. As a special needs teacher and a special needs ski instructor I want to tell every parent I know how taking their kids off medication is doing them a disservice. Many parents will give the meds for the classroom but take them off for sports. In my experience this just jolts the child and their behavior shifts, to the point where it can be unsafe and dangerous, be it at skiing or gymnastics. That said, no one wants their kids to be over-medicated zombies! The biggest role you can play in having success with your daughter is communicating with her coaches. If she has an IEP in school, let her coaches know and see if you can apply some of those strategies to gym. If she's having an off day, let her coaches know before hand. Communication is just such a big thing I see the parents with the best intentions missing out on with their children's teachers and coaches. Best of luck to your DD and congrats on L4!!

 

[cathiann]

So glad the medication is helping!! It really can be a godsend for kids who need it. And congrats to your dd on making the level 4 team!! Is she thrilled??

 

[Blazing15]

She is so excited. She cried when she saw the email with her name on it. Today is her first day of team practice.

 

[lhmom]

She is so excited. She cried when she saw the email with her name on it. Today is her first day of team practice.

Good luck to her today!! Also glad that the medication is helping. Totally understand about not wanting to medicate at first. We went through that with our son (ADHD), but it worked out quite well for him. He has even commented how much the medicine has helped his concentration.

 

[gym law mom]

Glad the medication is making a positive difference. Hope she has a wonderful day today and her L4 season is just great!!

 

[sportsmom22]

Best of luck to her on making the level 4 team. It's a very exciting time for these little gymmies. I have an adhd daughter too. I also teach special education--I'm a speech therapist. Giving my little dd medication that is kept locked up at the pharmacy is soo hard. But I also see how much better she is able to focus and learn. She had to go to summer school after kindergarten and this year she was placed into the gifted program at our school. There are only about 10 kids in the program out of 80 for her grade. On another note, my parents have no idea, and we have told dd that it is a concentration vitamin. You may have to try a few different meds to find one that works just right, but it is so worth it. Have fun as a level 4 mom!

 

[my4buffaloes]

I'm so happy for her! We try to use the lowest doses possible with our boys. Usually they are not zombies. One time when trying to adjust their medication I did get that effect and after 3 days quit it and we tried something else. Good luck!

 

[gymmomof1]

Glad you were able to find the right balance and that she made the team. Enjoy the summer and getting ready for competition season

 

[UnoMas]

Glad she made the team! Woo hoo! My tiny DD has ADHD and started meds in January. She was one of the youngest the doctor had ever prescribed meds for, but it was needed badly. I have seen such a big difference in her. She still has lots of energy but it is not quite as "in your face" as it was before. Hope everything works out with your DD. She will have so much fun doing L4 team.

 

[ThreeGirlsForMe]

My daughter to started meds for ADD-primary inattentive. In August when she was diagnosed, the coaches had called and said they didn't know what to do with her. She didn't have one connected skill in her level 5 bar routine and they weren't sure she would be able to compete. She started meds at the end of that month and that same week had a fully-connected bar routine. By January, she had won the state Bar championship and had improved her all-around scores by 3 full points. She just could not focus on any of the details without the meds nor could she stop herself from fooling around (no impulse control). With the meds, she has done amazing both at the gym and school (where she has straight A's so far). I tried so many things before going the medication route (natural rememdies, vitamins, fish oils, change of diet) but nothing really helped. If I had know the benefit was going to be this drastic, I would have done it earlier.

 

[Blazing15]

Thank you everyone. She said she had a blast last night at practice. She is doing much better with her focus but still does mess around or stand around a little bit. She goes to the doctor on Friday to have a med check and see how she is doing. I would like all of your posts but that function is not available right now. Thanks again.