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What is ADHD?
Imagine living in a fast-moving kaleidoscope, where sounds,
images, and thoughts are constantly shifting. Feeling
easily
bored, yet helpless to keep your mind on tasks you need to
complete.
Distracted by unimportant sights and sounds, your mind drives
you from one thought or activity to the next. Perhaps you are
so wrapped up in a collage of thoughts and images that you
don't notice when someone speaks to you.
For many people, this is what it's like to have
Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or
ADHD. They may be unable to
sit still, plan ahead, finish tasks, or be fully aware of
what's going on around them.
To their family, classmates or coworkers, they seem to exist
in a whirlwind of disorganized or
frenzied activity.
Unexpectedly - on some days and in some situations - they seem
fine, often leading others to think the person with ADHD can
actually control these behaviors.
As a result, the disorder can affect the person's
relationships with others in addition to
disrupting their
daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem.
ADHD, once called hyper kinesis or minimal brain dysfunction,
is one of the most common mental disorders among children. It
affects 3 to 5 percent of all children and perhaps
as many as
2 million American children.
Two to three times more boys than girls are affected. On the
average, at least one child in every classroom in the United
States needs help for the disorder. ADHD often continues into
adolescence and adulthood, and can cause a lifetime of
frustrated dreams and emotional pain.
What are the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment?
In order to better understand how to deal with you or your
child's ADHD, we have compiled a number of resources for your
convenience. These include articles, web site links, FAQ's and
online counseling sessions with our
Clinical Psychologist,
Michele Carelse (an expert in dealing with ADHD) as well as
downloadable eBooklets on ADHD.
The Natural Approach
Rather than prescribing strong and sometimes addictive
psychiatric drugs, (Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall) naturopathic
approaches to the treatment of ADHD and ADD
take a more
holistic look at the individual and take into account diet,
lifestyle, personality type, surroundings and emotional
factors.
Natural remedies are used to
gently and effectively treat the
symptoms, while at the same time helping the person to heal
and to reach a state of balance and health.
The natural approach is less harmful and more thorough and has
a greater chance of curing
the problem altogether, instead of
keeping the individual on psychiatric drugs for many years.
This is very important, especially in the case of children,
because of the frequent side effects of prescription drugs and
the risk of addiction.
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Confirming the Hazards of Stimulant Drug Treatment
By Peter R. Breggin, M.D.
Until recently, no studies have systematically examined the
rate of psychotic symptoms caused by routine treatment with
stimulant drugs such as Concerta, methylphenidate (Ritalin)
and amphetamine (Dexedrine, Adderall). Doctors who prescribe
stimulant drugs often seem oblivious to the fact that they can
cause psychoses, including manic-like and schizophrenic-like
disorders. Without providing a scientific basis, the
literature often cites rates of 1% or less for
stimulant-induced psychoses (reviewed in Breggin, 1998, 1999).
Recently on television I debated a well-known expert in child
psychiatry who took the position that prescribed stimulants
"never" cause psychoses in children.
The rate of psychotic symptoms that first appear during
stimulant treatment has recently been investigated in a 5-year
retrospectives study of children diagnosed with Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Cherland and
Fitzpatrick,1999). Among 192 children diagnosed with ADHD at
the Canadian clinic, 98 had been placed on stimulant drugs,
mostly methylphenidate. Psychotic symptoms developed in more
than 9% of the children treated with methylphenidate.
According to Cherland and Fitzpatrick, "The symptoms ceased as
soon as the medication was removed" (p. 812). No psychotic
symptoms were reported among the children with ADHD who did
not receive stimulants. The psychotic symptoms caused by
methylphenidate included hallucinations and paranoia. The
authors conclude that, due to poor reporting, the rate of
stimulant-induced psychosis and psychotic symptoms was
probably much higher.
In my practice of psychiatry, I am frequently consulted about
children who are taking three, four, and sometimes five
psychiatric drugs, including medications that are FDA-approved
only for the treatment of psychotic adults. The drug treatment
typically began when the children developed conflicts with
adults at home or at school. In retrospect, the conflicts
could easily have been resolved by interventions such as
family counseling or individualized educational approaches.
Usually under pressure from a school, the parents instead
acquiesced to put their child on stimulants prescribed by
psychiatrists, family physicians, or pediatricians.
When these children developed depression, delusions,
hallucinations, paranoid fears and other drug-induced
reactions while taking stimulants, their physicians mistakenly
concluded that the children suffered from "clinical
depression," "schizophrenia" or "bipolar disorder" that has
been "unmasked" by the medications. Instead of removing the
child from the stimulants, these doctors mistakenly prescribed
additional drugs, such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers,
and neuroleptics. Children who were put on stimulants for
"inattention" or "hyperactivity" ended up taking multiple
adult psychiatric drugs that caused severe adverse effects,
including psychoses and tardive dyskinesia.
It is time to recognize that the supposedly increasing rates
of "schizophrenia," "depression," and "bipolar disorder" in
children in North America are often the direct result of
treatment with psychiatric drugs. They should be classified as
adverse drug reactions, not as primary psychiatric disorders.
Doctors need to become more expert at identifying these
adverse drug reactions in children and more aware of how and
why to taper children from psychiatric medications (Breggin
and Cohen, 1999).
When parents are willing to take a fresh approach to
disciplining and caring for their children, or when the
children's school situation can be improved, it is usually
possible to taper them off of all psychiatric medications. The
parents are then relieved and gratified to see their children
increasingly improve with the removal of each drug.
What's the answer to this widespread, unwarranted use of
medication in the treatment of children? As long as we respond
to the signals of conflict and distress in our children by
subduing them with drugs, we will not address their genuine
needs. As parents, teachers, therapists, and physicians we
need to retake responsibility for our children (Breggin,
2000). We must reclaim them from the drug companies and their
advocates in the medical profession. At the same time, we must
address the needs of our children on an individual and
societal level. On the individual level, children need more of
our time and energy. Nothing can replace the personal
relationships that children have with us as their parents,
teachers, counselors, or doctors. On a societal level, our
children need improved family life, better schools, and more
caring communities.
Bibliography;
--Breggin, P. (1998). Talking Back to Ritalin. Monroe, Maine:
Common Courage Press.
--Breggin, P. (1999). Psychostimulants in the treatment of
children diagnosed with ADHD: Risks and mechanism of action.
International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, 12, 3-35
--Breggin, P. (2000). Reclaiming Our Children. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: Perseus Books.
--Breggin, P. and Cohen, D. (1999). Your Drug May Be Your
Problem: How and Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications.
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus Books.
--Cherland, E. and Fitzpatrick, R. (1999, October). Psychotic
side effects of Psychostimulants: A 5-year review. Canadian
Journal of Psychiatry, 44, 811-813.
(reprinted from Vol. 2, Issue 3, Ethical Human Sciences and
Services, in press)
ADHD Symptoms, Diagnosis and Management
ADHD Symptoms
ADHD Assessment
Can other conditions cause these symptoms?
Can other disorders accompany ADHD?
What causes ADHD?
Treatment Options
Coping with ADHD in the family
What are the Symptoms of ADHD?
ADHD is not like a broken arm, or strep throat. Unlike these
two disorders, ADHD does not have clear physical signs that
can be seen in an x-ray or a lab test. ADHD can only be
identified by looking for certain characteristic behaviors,
and these behaviors vary from person to person. Scientists
have not yet identified a single cause behind all the
different patterns of behavior--and they may never find just
one. Rather, someday scientists may find that ADHD is actually
an umbrella term for several slightly different disorders.
At present, ADHD is a diagnosis applied to children and adults
who consistently display certain characteristic behaviors over
a period of time. The most common behaviors fall into three
categories: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Inattention. People who are inattentive have a hard time
keeping their mind on any one thing and may get bored with a
task after only a few minutes. They may give effortless,
automatic attention to activities and things they enjoy. But
focusing deliberate, conscious attention to organizing and
completing a task or learning something new is difficult.
Hyperactivity. People who are hyperactive always seem to be in
motion. They can't sit still. They may dash around or talk
incessantly. Sitting still through a lesson can be an
impossible task. Hyperactive children squirm in their seat or
roam around the room. Or they might wiggle their feet, touch
everything, or noisily tap their pencil. Hyperactive teens and
adults may feel intensely restless. They may be fidgety or
they may try to do several things at once, bouncing around
from one activity to the next.
Impulsivity. People who are overly impulsive seem unable to
curb their immediate reactions or think before they act. As a
result, hey may blurt out inappropriate comments. Or, they may
run into the street without looking. Their impulsivity may
make it hard for them to wait for things they want or to take
their turn in games. They may grab a toy from another child or
hit when they're upset.
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Assessing ADHD
Not everyone who is overly hyperactive, inattentive, or
impulsive has an attention disorder. Since most people
sometimes blurt out things they didn't mean to say, bounce
from one task to another, or become disorganized and
forgetful, how can specialists tell if the problem is ADHD?
To assess whether a person has ADHD, specialists consider
several critical questions: Are these behaviors excessive,
long-term, and pervasive? That is, do they occur more often
than in other people the same age? Are they a continuous
problem, not just a response to a temporary situation? Do the
behaviors occur in several settings or only in one specific
place like the playground or the office? The person's pattern
of behavior is compared against a set of criteria and
characteristics of the disorder. These criteria appear in a
diagnostic reference book called the DSM (short for the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
According to the diagnostic manual, there are three patterns
of behavior that indicate ADHD. People with ADHD may show
several signs of being consistently inattentive. They may have
a pattern of being hyperactive and impulsive. Or they may show
all three types of behavior.
According to the DSM, signs of
inattention include:
- becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds
- failing to pay attention to details and making careless
mistakes
- rarely following instructions carefully and completely
- losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books, and
tools needed for a task
Some signs of
hyperactivity and
impulsivity are:
- feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or
squirming
- running, climbing, or leaving a seat, in situations where
sitting or quiet behavior is expected
- blurting out answers before hearing the whole question
- having difficulty waiting in line or for a turn
Because everyone shows some of these behaviors at times, the
DSM contains very specific guidelines for determining when
they indicate ADHD. The behaviors must appear early in life,
before age 7, and continue for at least 6 months. In children,
they must be more frequent or severe than in others the same
age. Above all, the behaviors must create a real handicap in
at least two areas of a person's life, such as school, home,
work, or social settings. So someone whose work or friendships
are not impaired by these behaviors would not be diagnosed
with ADHD. Nor would a child who seems overly active at school
but functions well elsewhere.
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Can other conditions cause these symptoms?
The fact is, many things can produce these behaviors. Anything
from chronic fear to mild seizures can make a child seem
overactive, quarrelsome, impulsive, or inattentive. For
example, a formerly cooperative child who becomes overactive
and easily distracted after a parent's death is dealing with
an emotional problem, not ADHD. A chronic middle ear infection
can also make a child seem distracted and uncooperative. So
can living with family members who are physically abusive or
addicted to drugs or alcohol. Can you imagine a child trying
to focus on a math lesson when his or her safety and
well-being are in danger each day? Such children are showing
the effects of other problems, not ADHD.
In other children, ADHD-like behaviors may be their response
to a defeating classroom situation. Perhaps the child has a
learning disability and is not developmentally ready to learn
to read and write at the time these are taught. Or maybe the
work is too hard or too easy, leaving the child frustrated or
bored.
Some children's attention and class participation improve when
the class structure and lessons are adjusted a bit to meet
their emotional needs, instructional level, or learning style.
Although such children need a little help to get on track at
school, they probably don't have ADHD.
It's also important to realize that during certain stages of
development, the majority of children that age tend to be
inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive--but do not have ADHD.
Preschoolers have lots of energy and run everywhere they go,
but this doesn't mean they are hyperactive. And many teenagers
go through a phase when they are messy, disorganized, and
reject authority. It doesn't mean they will have a lifelong
problem controlling their impulses.
ADHD is a serious diagnosis that may require long-term
treatment with counseling and medication. So it's important
that a person first be assessed for any other causes for these
behaviors.
What Can Look Like ADHD?
Underachievement at school due to a learning disability
Attention lapses caused by petit mal seizures
A middle ear infection that causes an intermittent hearing
problem
Disruptive or unresponsive behavior due to anxiety or
depression
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Can other disorders accompany ADHD?
One of the difficulties in diagnosing ADHD is that it is often
accompanied by other problems. For example, many children with
ADHD also have a specific learning disability (LD), which
means they have trouble mastering language or certain academic
skills, typically reading and math. ADHD is not in itself a
specific learning disability. But because it can interfere
with concentration and attention, ADHD can make it doubly hard
for a child with LD to do well in school.
A very small proportion of people with ADHD have a rare
disorder called Tourette's syndrome. People with Tourette's
have tics and other movements like eye blinks or facial
twitches that they cannot control. Others may grimace, shrug,
sniff, or bark out words.
More serious, nearly half of all children with ADHD--mostly
boys--tend to have another condition, called oppositional
defiant disorder. These children may overreact or lash out
when they feel bad about themselves. They may be stubborn,
have outbursts of temper, or act belligerent or defiant.
Sometimes this progresses to more serious conduct disorders.
Children with this combination of problems are at risk of
getting in trouble at school, and even with the police. They
may take unsafe risks and break laws--they may steal, set
fires, destroy property, and drive recklessly. It's important
that children with these conditions receive help before the
behaviors lead to more serious problems.
At some point, many children with ADHD--mostly younger
children and boys--experience other emotional disorders. About
one-fourth feel anxious. They feel tremendous worry, tension,
or uneasiness, even when there's nothing to fear. Because the
feelings are scarier, stronger, and more frequent than normal
fears, they can affect the child's thinking and behavior.
Others experience depression. Depression goes beyond ordinary
sadness--people may feel so "down" that they feel hopeless and
unable to deal with everyday tasks. Depression can disrupt
sleep, appetite, and the ability to think.
Because emotional disorders and attention disorders so often
go hand in hand, every child who has ADHD should be checked
for accompanying anxiety and depression. Anxiety and
depression can be treated, and helping children handle such
strong, painful feelings will help them cope with and overcome
the effects of ADHD.
Of course, not all children with ADHD have an additional
disorder. Nor do all people with learning disabilities,
Tourette's syndrome, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct
disorder, anxiety, or depression have ADHD. But when they do
occur together, the combination of problems can seriously
complicate a person's life. For this reason, it's important to
watch for other disorders in children who have ADHD.
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What causes ADHD?
Understandably, one of the first questions parents ask when
they learn their child has an attention disorder is "Why? What
went wrong?"
Health professionals stress that since no one knows what
causes ADHD, it doesn't help parents to look backward to
search for possible reasons. There are too many possibilities
to pin down the cause with certainty. It is far more important
for the family to move forward in finding ways to get the
right help.
Scientists, however, do need to study causes in an effort to
identify better ways to treat, and perhaps some day, prevent
ADHD. They are finding more and more evidence that ADHD does
not stem from home environment, but from biological causes.
When you think about it, there is no clear relationship
between home life and ADHD. Not all children from unstable or
dysfunctional homes have ADHD. And not all children with ADHD
come from dysfunctional families. Knowing this can remove a
huge burden of guilt from parents who might blame themselves
for their child's behavior.
Over the last decades, scientists have come up with possible
theories about what causes ADHD. Some of these theories have
led to dead ends, some to exciting new avenues of
investigation.
One disappointing theory was that all attention disorders and
learning disabilities were caused by minor head injuries or
undetectable damage to the brain, perhaps from early infection
or complications at birth. Based on this theory, for many
years both disorders were called "minimal brain damage" or
"minimal brain dysfunction." Although certain types of head
injury can explain some cases of attention disorder, the
theory was rejected because it could explain only a very small
number of cases. Not everyone with ADHD or LD has a history of
head trauma or birth complications.
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ADHD Is Not Usually Caused by:
--too much TV
--food allergies
--excess sugar
--poor home life
--poor schools
Research shows that a mother's use of cigarettes, alcohol, or
other drugs during pregnancy may have damaging effects on the
unborn child. These substances may be dangerous to the fetus's
developing brain. It appears that alcohol and the nicotine in
cigarettes may distort developing nerve cells. For example,
heavy alcohol use during pregnancy has been linked to fetal
alcohol syndrome (FAS), a condition that can lead to low birth
weight, intellectual impairment, and certain physical defects.
Many children born with FAS show much the same hyperactivity,
inattention, and impulsivity as children with ADHD.
Drugs such as cocaine--including the smokable form known as
crack--seem to affect the normal development of brain
receptors. These brain cell parts help to transmit incoming
signals from our skin, eyes, and ears, and help control our
responses to the environment. Current research suggests that
drug abuse may harm these receptors. Some scientists believe
that such damage may lead to ADHD.
Toxins in the environment may also disrupt brain development
or brain processes, which may lead to ADHD. Lead is one such
possible toxin. It is found in dust, soil, and flaking paint
in areas where leaded gasoline and paint were once used. It is
also present in some water pipes. Some animal studies suggest
that children exposed to lead may develop symptoms associated
with ADHD, but only a few cases have actually been found.
Other research shows that attention disorders tend to run in
families, so there are likely to be genetic influences.
Children who have ADHD usually have at least one close
relative who also has ADHD. And at least one-third of all
fathers who had ADHD in their youth bear children who have
ADHD. Even more convincing: the majority of identical twins
share the trait. At the National Institutes of Health,
researchers are also on the trail of a gene that may be
involved in transmitting ADHD in a small number of families
with a genetic thyroid disorder.
Treatment Options
For decades, medications have been used to treat the symptoms
of ADHD. Three of these medications are methylphenidate
(Ritalin), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine or Dextrostat), and
pemoline (Cylert). However, most prescription psychiatric
drugs also carry far-reaching negative side effects and risks
(see below).
Unfortunately, people think medication is all that's needed.
For lasting improvement, numerous clinicians believe that the
most significant, long-lasting gains appear when medication is
combined with behavioral therapy, emotional counseling,
dietary control and practical support.
The Medication Debate
Ritalin and the other stimulants have sparked a great deal of
controversy. The potential side effects should be carefully
weighed against the benefits before prescribing the drugs.
While on these medications, some children may lose weight,
have less appetite, and temporarily grow more slowly. Others
may have problems falling asleep. Some doctors believe that
stimulants may also make the symptoms of Tourette's syndrome
worse. Some doctors say if they carefully watch the child's
height, weight, and overall development, the benefits of
medication far outweigh the potential side effects. Side
effects that do occur can often be handled by reducing the
dosage. However, that is not necessarily true, and you should
educate yourself on all aspects of the debate before making a
decision.
A far safer approach is often found with natural (herbal or
homeopathic) remedies, which should be considered as a first
step ahead of prescription psychiatric drugs. When combined
with strong dietary control, counseling as necessary and a
healthy lifestyle, natural remedies have been show to be
effective in helping to alleviate the symptoms of ADHD.
Another debate is whether Ritalin and other stimulant drugs
are prescribed unnecessarily for too many children. Remember
that many things, including anxiety, depression, allergies,
seizures, or problems with the home or school environment can
make children seem overactive, impulsive, or inattentive.
Critics argue that many children who do not have a true
attention disorder are medicated as a way to control their
disruptive behaviors.
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Treatments To Help People With ADHD and
Their Families Learn To Cope
Life can be hard for children with ADHD. They're the ones who
are so often in trouble at school, can't finish a game, and
lose friends. They may spend agonizing hours each night
struggling to keep their mind on their homework, then forget
to bring it to school.
It's not easy coping with these frustrations day after day.
Some children release their frustration by acting contrary,
starting fights, or destroying property. Some turn the
frustration into body ailments, like the child who gets a
stomachache each day before school. Others hold their needs
and fears inside, so that no one sees how badly they feel.
It's also difficult having a sister, brother, or classmate who
gets angry, grabs your toys, and loses your things. Children
who live with or share a classroom with a child who has ADHD
get frustrated, too. They may feel neglected as their parents
or teachers try to cope with
the hyperactive child. They may
resent their brother or sister never finishing chores, or
being pushed around by a classmate. They want to love their
sibling and get along with their classmate, but sometimes it's
so hard!
It's especially hard being the parent of a child who is full
of uncontrolled activity, leaves messes, throws tantrums, and
doesn't listen or follow instructions. Parents often feel
powerless and at a loss. The usual methods of discipline, like
reasoning and scolding, don't work with this child, because
the child doesn't really choose to act in these ways. It's
just that their self-control comes and goes. Out of sheer
frustration, parents sometimes find themselves spanking,
ridiculing, or screaming at the child, even though they kn
ow
it's not appropriate. Their response leaves everyone more
hhhhhhhh upset than treatment, some of the emotional upset within the family may
fade.
Medication can help to control some of the behavior problems
that may have lead to family turmoil. But more often, there
are other aspects of the problem that medication can't touch.
Even though ADHD primarily affects a person's behavior, having
the disorder has broad emotional repercussions. For some
children, being scolded is the only attention they ever get.
They have few experiences that build their sense of worth and
tive, they're often told hey're
bad and punished for being disruptive. If they are too
disorganized and unfocused to complete tasks, others may call
them lazy. If they impulsively grab toys, butt in, or shove
classmates, they may lose friends. And if they have a related
conduct disorder, they may get in trouble at school or with
the law. Facing the daily frustrations that can come with
having ADHD can make people fear that they are strange,
abnormal, or stupid.
Often, the cycle of frustration, blame, and anger has gone on
so long that it will take some time to undo. Both parents and
their children may need special help to develop techniques for
managing the patterns of behavior. In such cases, mental
health professionals can counsel the child and the family,
helping them to develop new skills, attitudes, and ways of
relating to each other. In individual counseling, the
therapist helps children or adults with ADHD learn to feel
better about themselves. They learn to recognize that having a
disability does not reflect who they are as a person. The
therapist can also help people with ADHD identify and build on
their strengths, cope with daily problems, and control their
attention and aggression. In group counseling, people learn
that they are not alone in their frustration and that others
want to help. Sometimes only the individual with ADHD needs
counseling support. But in many cases, because the problem
affects the family as well as the person with ADHD, the entire
family may need help. The therapist assists the family in
finding better ways to handle the disruptive behaviors and
promote change. If the child is young, most of the therapist's
work is with the parents, teaching them techniques for coping
with and improving their child's behavior.
Several intervention approaches are available and different
therapists tend to prefer one approach or another. Knowing
something about the various types of interventions makes it
easier for families to choose a therapist that is right for
their needs.
Psychotherapy works to help people with ADHD to like and
accept themselves despite their disorder. In psychotherapy,
patients talk with the therapist about upsetting thoughts and
feelings, explore self-defeating patterns of behavior, and
learn alternative ways to handle their emotions. As they talk,
the therapist tries to help them understand how they can
change. However, people dealing with ADHD usually want to gain
control of their symptomatic behaviors more directly. If so,
more direct kinds of intervention are needed.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps people work on immediate
issues. Rather than helping people understand their feelings
and actions, it supports them directly in changing their
behavior. The support might be practical assistance, like
helping Henry learn to think through tasks and organize his
work. Or the support might be to encourage new behaviors by
giving praise or rewards each time the person acts in the
desired way. A cognitive-behavioral therapist might use such
techniques to help a belligerent child learn to control his
fighting, or an impulsive teenager to think before she speaks.
Social skills training can also help children learn new
behaviors. In social skills training, the therapist discusses
and models appropriate behaviors like waiting for a turn,
sharing toys, asking for help, or responding to teasing, then
gives children a chance to practice. For example, a child
might learn to "read" other people's facial expression and
tone of voice, in order to respond more appropriately. Social
skills training helps ADHD children learn to join in group
activities, make appropriate comments, and ask for help. A
child might learn to see how his behavior affects others and
develop new ways to respond when angry or pushed.
Support groups connect people who have common concerns. Many
adults with ADHD and parents of children with ADHD find it
useful to join a local or national support group. Many groups
deal with issues of children's disorders, and even ADHD
specifically. The national associations listed at the back of
this booklet can explain how to contact a local chapter.
Members of support groups share frustrations and successes,
referrals to qualified specialists, and information about what
works, as well as their hopes for themselves and their
children. There is strength in numbers--and sharing
experiences with others who have similar problems helps people
know that they aren't alone.
Parenting skills training, offered by therapists or in special
classes, gives parents tools and techniques for managing their
child's behavior. One such technique is the use of "time out"
when the child becomes too unruly or out of control. During
time outs, the child is removed from the agitating situation
and sits alone quietly for a short time to calm down. Parents
may also be taught to give the child "quality time" each day,
in which they share a pleasurable or relaxed activity. During
this time together, the parent looks for opportunities to
notice and point out what the child does well, and praise his
or her strengths and abilities.
An effective way to modify a child's behavior is through a
system of rewards and penalties. The parents (or teacher)
identify a few desirable behaviors that they want to encourage
in the child--such as asking for a toy instead of grabbing it,
or completing a simple task. The child is told exactly what is
expected in order to earn the reward. The child receives the
reward when he performs the desired behavior and a mild
penalty when he doesn't. A reward can be small, perhaps a
token that can be exchanged for special privileges, but it
should be something the child wants and is eager to earn. The
penalty might be removal of a token or a brief "time out." The
goal, over time, is to help children learn to control their
own behavior and to choose the more desired behavior. The
technique works well with all children, although children with
ADHD may need more frequent rewards.
In addition, parents may learn to structure situations in ways
that will allow their child to succeed. This may include
allowing only one or two playmates at a time, so that their
child doesn't get over stimulated. Or if their child has
trouble completing tasks, they may learn to help the child
divide a large task into small steps, then praise the child as
each step is completed.
Parents may also learn to use stress management methods, such
as meditation, relaxation techniques, and exercise to increase
their own tolerance for frustration, so that they can respond
more calmly to their child's behavior.
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Controversial Treatments
Understandably, parents who are eager to help their children
want to explore every possible option. Many newly touted
treatments sound reasonable. Many even come with glowing
reports. A few are pure quackery. Some are even developed by
reputable doctors or specialists--but when tested
scientifically, cannot be proven to help.
Here are a few types of treatment that have not been
scientifically shown to be effective in treating the majority
of children or adults with ADHD:
- biofeedback
- allergy treatments
- medicines to correct problems in the inner ear
- megavitamins
- chiropractic adjustment and bone re-alignment
- treatment for yeast infection
- eye training
- special colored glasses
- A few success stories can't substitute for scientific
evidence. Until sound, scientific testing shows a treatment to
be effective, families risk spending time, money, and hope on
fads and false promises.
What are the ingredients of Focus?
Ginkgo Biloba, Scuttellaria Laterifolia (also known as
Skullcap)
Matricaria Recutita (also known as German Chamomile)
Centella Asiatica (also known as Gotu Cola)
Avina Sativa (Green Oats), also called Hawer
Urtica Urens, called Umbabazane in Africa
Aspalathus linearis (also know as Rooibos)
How do I use Focus?
Children up to the age of 15: Take one drop per age year of
the child or adolescent in a little water or juice every
morning and evening after meals.
Adults: Take 20 drops in a little water every morning and
evening after meals.
Focus may be also be combined with BrightSpark homeopathic
ADD/ADHD remedy, MindSoothe or MindSoothe Jr (ages 3-15).
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