Rebecca Lane wrote:its funny with Harrison too because he is incredibly hyperactive and he actually has Melatonin prescribed from the paediatrician to help him sleep otherwise he can't. I took him there to get the Dr to declare him hyperactive so I could get some kind of help with it but they wouldn't because it doesn't affect his school work in any way but that is because he is highly intelligent. They admitted that it did affect him at school socially - bullying, making friends etc and it has made a huge negative impact on his schooling but because it won't affect his grades they dont care. Im also hoping the no sugar will help will all these symptoms too and look forward to seeing these happen over time. My main hope also is to lose the Melatonin all together and have him healthy and happy :)
I did read Sue Dengates -Fed Up book which was fantastic and very insightful so hopefully this will well work just as well if not better.
How interesting, our familes are so similar. I take melatonin for jetlag ( it works a treat ), but my daughter was prescribed it for sleep, too. Melatonin is what your body releases to regulate sleep, so it's a pretty benign sleep med, but I was pushy about Hannah being off it, too. The sooner they can regulate normal sleep, the better. Have you talked to him about other ways to help with sleep ? I sleep badly at times, but it's b/c my brain churns things I have been reading and does not wind down. One good trick is to count backwards in threes, or some other number ( but not 1 or 2 ). It's taxing enough to distract you, but not hard enough to stop you sleeping.
You may find that he is hyper because of diet. If he's having trouble sleeping, it's probably also a factor. Going sugar free will cut out most of the foods that caused Calvin's issues, and in general will probably help a lot.
I feel for him, I was the same ( hyper, good at school, lots of social problems ). I have told Hannah over and over, school were the worst years of my life, but all you can do is try to make the most of it, and get through them in a way that doesn't negatively impact the rest of your life (i.e. get good marks ). Being smart is pretty much a magnet for the dumb kids who want to prove their worth by pushing someone around, I'm not sure if you can change that. The best you can do, is to build their self worth based on how you treat them, so they know that they are loved, no matter what the kids at school say.
