Today is a glimpse into what I imagine to be a classic example of ADHD.
Kayla was in a drama camp this summer. She was one of 3 mice in the adaptation of The Hare and Tortoise. In this video clip you can see how distracted, and not so focused on the scene, she is with her shadow on the wall and her mouse tail. Lucas is sitting in the front row in the gray shirt with black stripes. She's trying to show him her tail.
She doesn't typically like anything in her hair, it doesn't help that the headband ears are slightly too large for her head. Throughout the whole play she kept taking the headband off and on, off and on, and adjusting her hair over and over and over to the point it was making me want to pull my own hair out!
While all of that is going on she does manage to get most of her lines. Even though in this clip a couple of her lines are said while she's facing the wall and not the other actors! Oh well - at least she knew it was her turn to speak and remembered her lines. Although one of her lines "We have ideas!" she missed her cue, but then came back with "Great ideas".
In case you can't hear it very well her first line is "where's my shoe?" After the "great ideas" she says "and kind", "he stole my shoe", followed by "we're underfoot".
I love this girl - Down syndrome, ADHD, and all! She makes me laugh in this video, it's just so Kayla.
6 comments:
Oh yes ADHD. My 12 year old son has ADHD, OCD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, SPD and Bipolar Disorder. He is on medicine for all of the above except SPD because life's a mess without it. He also stays clear of artificial colors and flavoring, sees a physiatrist and does sensory therapy. My 9 year old daughter has Spina Bifida and ADD. She is not on medicine. The side effects were too much for her. She also stays clear of artificial colors and flavoring and latex(allergic). Homeschooling is such a blessing for us.
wow, i really didn't see anything that would make me think ADHD. beside the tail thing, which my rachel would be dancing with too, i think she did great! maybe i just don't know what i'm looking at. at what age/what made you get her evaluated to begin with?
I agree with what I Just Love You wrote, I didn't see anything that says ADHD. But of course I can't make assumptions on a two minute clip. :) Watching her on stage, she acted nervous, excited, happy, just like the other kids. She did great!
(I hope you get her meds figured out.)
she knew all her lines and how she was suppose to act and she just added her own spin on the acting and stole the show!! :} I think she did GREAT!! AT SEVERAl POINTS IN THE SHOW, she remembered the line, great idea, before the other girl and during the dance scene, she remembered the scene before the other kids. I think if she was not focused she wouldn't have remembered anything. yep, you gotta love our Kayla. love memaw
Kids metabolize medications differently- But- in my son's explanation of his feelings when his Ritalin wore off- "it's this huge drop. I feel like fighting and angry." The new med- vivase(?) has a more gradual return to baseline. He is an adult now- so the gradual return helps him stay compliant with dosing.
Hope this helps.
ADHD? Really? I don't think so! The fiddling with the headband and tail is sensory stuff, my daughter hates things on her head, most kids with DS are supersensitive on the head.
I showed the movie to my husband, he is an Early Intervention teacher in Australia, he just shook his head and walked away saying that's not ADHD.
She was super excited when she started, that's why she was wiggling the tail and that does not translate to ADHD!! Sorry if I sound bossy or dogmatic, but I have seen other little clips of Kayla and have been impressed with what she can do. While medication has a place I think you would be disappointed with what it would do to her, she would probably lose that tail wiggling spark!
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