Fidgets, Speed, and Other ADHD Treatments

One of the most amazing things since the Pork Lo Maniac’s ADHD diagnosis is her own self-awareness of her behaviors. She feels the difference when she’s on her meds. On Sundays I usually give her the choice of taking it or not; she almost always chooses to take it. The new medication that she’s on doesn’t disrupt her appetite quite as much, and she isn’t getting headaches.

The only weird thing about her new medication is that the generic form of Adderall is amphetamine. So in my kitchen cabinet, on a top shelf, I have a bottle that says “Amphetamine, extended release.” Because who doesn’t want their speed to be extended release?

Yeah. I give my kid speed every morning. We sprinkle it onto a spoonful of yogurt. I’m *exactly* like Mary Poppins.

We called her Focalin yogurt “Fogurt.” I’d like to call this one “Speed, Yo” but probably I shouldn’t encourage my daughter to call it speed. Normally I teach my kids the actual name of what they take, but having her say that she’s taking amphetamines seems a little … off. In this case I’m just telling her it’s Adderall.

The Pork Lo Maniac has also become much more aware that she is better able to focus when she has something to fidget with. When there are no fidget toys available, she chews on her hair (which is slightly more socially acceptable than chewing on her shirt cuffs, which is what she used to do). We now have a supply of pencil grips, bendy erasers, Silly Putty, and small stretchy lizards for her to fiddle with when she’s doing homework. The pencil grips are ideal in school because they’re small and (hopefully) not a distraction to other students the way Silly Putty or a stretchy lizard can be.

We have also realized that having a fidget toy helps her to relax enough to fall asleep. The problem here is that you don’t want to fall asleep playing with Silly Putty, because that can necessitate an early-morning hair cut. Erasers and tiny lizards get lost amongst the sheets. (Not surprisingly, she’s an “active” sleeper, and the sheets and blankets end up twisted and jammed.)

The solution turned out to be a ribbon- and button-trimmed taggie or lovey. She normally likes “squishy” fidgets but was surprised and delighted to find out that she likes ribbon fidgets, too.

Etsy artist Pitter Patter Stitches was kind enough to make a custom taggie for the Pork Lo Maniac, and it is amazing. First of all, it’s totally not a “baby” thing. It was custom-made for the Pork Lo Maniac, so it is exactly perfect for an almost-ten-year-old girl who adores all things Asian. It is super-soft red fleece with (insert chorus of angels) the Chinese symbol for “go to sleep” on it in black.

It’s big enough that it’s not going to get lost in her sheets, but small enough that it’s totally portable. It’s also way cool enough to be out when her friends are over. In fact, The Pork Lo Maniac asked me to tell you about her taggie because of the awesomeness. And because it really helped her fall asleep.

And believe me, when the speed wears off? You do need that sleep.