What I learned from the "Can OT help with ADHD?" podcast?

I chose this particular podcast because a lot of the symptoms of ADHD I see everyday with my son, Jack. While he does not have a formal diagnosis, like Dr. Lancaster mentioned in the podcast, we all have our own way of coping with stress or the day to day turmoil of life. A child with ADHD may have a harder time with that coping and could benefit even more from some of these coping strategies. Some of the things in the podcast were familiar to me and some I even implement at home already with him like counting to ten and taking his breaths, I will give him options (i.e. dinner, play activities, clothes to wear) and let him choose from those I have provided vs. just asking "what do you want?" because most of the time we will get "I don't know, there's too many".

Retrieved from: http://dailynexus.com/2016-05-18/what-it-means-to-have-add-or-adhd/
The podcast mentioned something called the "sensory diet" which I have read and heard about so many times but never dug in deep enough to realize that it has nothing to do with food (I was thinking eliminating Red 40 dye and sugar). I enjoyed the term sensory schedule and it made much more sense to me when it was framed that way. For children or people who have issues with executive functioning and attention, taking a little mental break and to move their body and get "all the wiggles out" which is what we say at home can be so beneficial for hyperactivity and keeping kids on task. Even I need a movement break every hour or so when I am studying or just sitting down for too long. These tips can be generalized to more than just ADHD and that is the beautiful thing about occupational therapy!

Until next time,
Sam the Student

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