Homeschooling ADD and ADHD Kids

Allow me to start off by saying that my son has not been diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD, but if I were a betting woman.... well, I'm guessing It wouldn't be much of a gamble for me to call it that. We've not had him to the doctor for that particular issue and it's not because we're managing it well at home, it's not that we're afraid of the label... if anything it's probably the idea of a doctor recommending drugs. I'm not ready to medicate this condition, but at the same time I'm not here to criticize anyone who does manage their child's condition this way. Trust me! I think this is such a personal choice and it's certainly not for me to question.

Our son is 6 and wonderful! He's intelligent, full of life, and passionate about the world around him. He's also a major space cadet and extremely emotional. Being spacey and emotional make teaching him quite a challenge. He doesn't do well in learning mode as I understand it. What that means is, at a desk with a pencil in hand and a worksheet or workbook laying open before him. That's just a tall order for Josh. Even if it's something you'd expect that he'd enjoy, you only have so much time before he starts picking apart his eraser, making stray marks on his pages, or falling out of his chair repeatedly and to the point that you want to pull out your hair.

Some days aren't so bad, but when they are bad, they're extremely bad. We sometimes start the day with tears, usually have about an hour of peace, but at such a slow pace it's actually painful, and then we often end the day with mommy repeating herself a dozen times just to be sure he's on the right line of the right page. That his eyes are focused on the right area and that he understands what the mission is. He may understand now, but in 2 minutes, he might need to be told again. It's not something I totally get, but it's just what it is.

There is a family history of ADD and I even have an adult Aunt that just started getting help for her condition a couple years ago. My brother has it too. When he was a child he struggled with school and his wandering mind was such a problem that he spent much of his time retracing steps to figure out what he'd done just moments ago, where something went, why did he have this item in his hand, why couldn't he focus or follow through on a task... ADD can make even getting the dishes done a challenge. Sure, you'll get them done eventually, but your progress will be hindered by any little distraction, whether that distraction is confined to your thoughts or is something external.

Ok, so what's wrong with helping him with medication? I just don't wanna. That's my answer. If we try everything else and have no luck and I see that his quality of life is in anyway suffering, I'll reconsider. For us a 6 year old has so little responsibility other than just being a child, that we can't justify it... yet. I've also been intrigued by an article that shows scores of conditions that are often misdiagnosed as ADD or ADHD. That makes me drag my feet all the more into the world of drugs to solve a problem. That article by the way is causing my computer to crash each and every time I try to access it... today anyway. I was going to share it here, but can't even open the page. Such is life with our computer. It's suffering from some sort of ailment, but much like my son, we're trying to work around it! We're not ready to do anything drastic like overhauling the system or calling in professional help. ; )

I've been blessed (Thanks Lord!) to have met through my church a woman who home schooled her ADHD daughter. She's sooo very supportive and understands my struggles completely. Having a support system makes a world of difference. Even if you have kids who do well learning at home and love it, you'll likely enjoy the experience all the more if you have a support group, as will your kids.

There will no doubt be a lot of posts concerning my son's struggles... which really would be better labeled "our" struggles. He won't be in this alone. That's my commitment to him as a homeschooling mom. Please feel free to follow that journey, one of many on this bumpy yet thrilling ride of homeschooling!