Can Your Child Go Without ADD Medication?

I came across a very interesting article today on the USnews.com website. I have reprinted portions of the article below. 

"In the 1990s, the National Institute of Mental Health tried to weigh the relative benefits of the two most common treatments for ADHD: stimulant drugs and behavioral treatments, including parent training. 

The Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD followed 579 grade-schoolers for 14 months. Some got stimulants, and some got behavioral therapy that included parent training, teacher training, and a summer camp that taught the kids social skills. 

A third group got both medication and the behavioral intervention. A fourth group had treatments chosen by their parents in the community. 

At the end, the children in all four groups were doing better. Parents and teachers rated the medication-only group as having many fewer symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. 

But they rated the children who got behavioral treatment as doing better on aggressive behavior, peer relations, parent-child relations, and academic achievement."

This is what the Calm Kids program focuses on - Behavior Modification combined with diet and brainwave entrainment.

For the full article click here

Dealing with the misbehavior that is part and parcel of ADD & ADHD.

All children behave badly from time to time, and
sometimes get aggressive, but it's more common for children
with ADHD to have problems with their behavior.

This is because the core symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity
and inattention all affect the way your child interacts.
If you look at how these symptoms can affect a child's
behavior, it's easy to see how they are linked to bad or
aggressive behavior.

1 Hyperactivity causes a child to fidget, run about
excessively, talk excessively and have difficulty in playing
quietly. It can cause your child to accidentally damage
others' belongings, play too roughly and hurt other
children.

2 Impulsivity causes a child to blurt out answers, speak
before thinking, interrupt, barge into games and have
volatile moods. It can result in your child having a short
fuse and to lash out when frustrated.

3 Inattention causes poor attention to detail and problems
with following instructions. A child with inattention
problems may not appear to listen to requests.

Some Simple Tips To Reduce Bad Behavior in Your ADD /ADHD Child

Where possible, make sure you give your child a good
reason for the behavior you want. For example, tidying up your
room will mean you'll find things more easily.

There are actually some very effective ways to reduce bad
behavior.
1 Get your child's attention. Address him/her by name and
speak clearly.
2 Keep commands short and simple.
3 Give quick punishments that can be enforced now.
It's not always possible to ignore bad behavior and focus
on the good. Instant, mild punishments - sometimes called
'negative consequences' - can reduce aggressive and angry
behavior.

Proper Seating for better teaching

Aside from an IEP, what else can you do in the classroom?
These children are very easily distracted, and the classroom is
the worst place for them since there can be so much going on
all at the same time. Consider your seating plan.

1 Move your ADD ADHD student's desk to where there are
fewer distractions, close to the teacher to monitor and
encourage, or near a well-focused child.

2 It is usually better to use rows for seating arrangement
and to try to avoid tables with groups of students. Often
the groups are too distracting for the ADHD child.

3 In the ideal setting, provide tables for specific group
projects, and traditional rows for independent work. Of
course, we are rarely in an ideal setting.

4 Every once in a while, try arranging desks in a horseshoe
shape to allow for appropriate discussion while permitting
independent work.

5 Your ADD ADHD student's desk should be near the teacher
(for prompting and redirection), away from other
challenging students, and not touching others' desks.
However, if you notice that your attention deficit student
looks around a lot to see where noises are coming from,
because he is very auditorily distractible, he may benefit
from being seated near the rear of the classroom.

6 Experiment with seat location in the front of the
classroom (near the board) and instructional area if your
student is more visually distracted.

7 It is important for the teacher to be able to move about
the entire room and to have access to all students.

Practice "Management by Walking Around" in the
classroom. The more personal interaction, the better.

8 Have all of the distractible ADD ADHD students seated
nearest to place in the class where you will give directions
or lectures. At least as close as possible without being
punitive.

Tips For Teacher's Tips

Right from day one, make the classroom rules clear and
post them where they are visible every moment of every day.
Be sure all students know the consequences for violating the
rules and be consistent.

Why It's So Important for you and your partner to mantain a united fron even when you disagree about how to handle your ADD Child.

Do not in any way contradict another parent or authority
figure in the presence of your child. Cohesiveness
is important. If the child knows that they have one person who
they can go to who will let the rules slide, they win.

ADHD kids need consistency. If you undermine each other’s behavior, you
are taking steps back and not helping your child at all.

You must be equipped to handle problem situations.

ADHD children can be difficult and disruptive in the most public
of places and parents tend to get caught on the wrong foot
every time.

Most parents can anticipate a problem situation.
What they have to do is devise a strategy to deal with it in
advance so that they are prepared when it happens. They will
need to make all the rules clear to their children in advance
too.

Thus, when the problem occurs, both parent and child
know the routine.

For more tips and strategies on how to deal effectively with the ADD & ADHD Child, please go to http://www.maximindpower.com/add/calmkids.html

Is It Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Just Boy Behavior?

Have you ever wondered if your son had A.D.H.D or whether he was just behaving as normal boys do? After all boys will be boys.....This article sheds some light on the issue.

Is It Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Just Boy Behavior?

It has been suggested to you that your son may be suffering from attention deficit. This information has come to you via a teacher or a child care worker or family member or maybe it has crept into your own mind without any suggestion from anyone. You struggle with the idea and you wonder, is it really attention deficit or is he just being an active boy. After all, the symptoms of attention deficit and the normal behavior of boys can look remarkably alike. They are distractible, don’t stay focused on one thing for very long, can be impulsive, are forgetful (except for details of video games!) don’t listen for directions and are constantly moving. Sound like your boy?

The diagnosis of ADHD has increased tremendously over the past three decades, if the prescription of medication to treat the disorder is any indication. In the years between 1987 and 1996 there was a 600% increase in the prescription of medication for the treatment of ADHD. (the increase in the prescriptions was for children enrolled in HMOs, during that same period there was only a 17% increase in enrollment in the HMOs). This is a staggering increase in the diagnosis of ADHD, add to this that boys are three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than are girls and the question of if this is boy behavior or ADHD is a significant one.

The only way to really tell the difference between the two is a very thorough diagnosis. Unfortunately, between the pressures on teachers and classrooms and the busy health care practitioner there can be a rush to diagnose a child with ADHD simply by looking at the diagnostic criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual Fourth Edition (DSM IV) and declare a child to be indeed ADHD, particularly if his behavior and academic performance is suffering. One study in Australia showed that three fourths of the children diagnosed with ADHD had been improperly diagnosed (Australia has the highest use of psychostimulants for ADHD in children).

Fortunately, most experts agree that there is a way to accurately diagnose ADHD but they are also quick to point out that there are a number of disorders in children that can present like ADHD. Some of these disorders are depression, anxiety, learning disabilities among others. It is also possible that what looks like ADHD simply is immaturity due to the fact that the maturity rate among boys varies significantly from boy to boy, particularly compared to girls. If you suspect that there may be a problem with ADHD, make sure that you are getting a good assessment, remembering that ADHD is what is called a “rule out” disorder. A rule out disorder is one that is diagnosed partially by ruling out other, more readily identifiable disorders.

The diagnosis of ADHD is done usually by comparing your son’s behavior with boys his own age. Even within this comparison there are tolerances built into the measures to account for variability among individuals. It is also important to note that behavior that is showing up in only one setting (such as at home but not school, or school but not after care, or at school but nowhere else) is not likely to be ADHD, it is most probable that something else is going on. These comparisons are done using questionnaires constructed specifically to evaluate children for a select number of disorders, including ADHD. It is also widely accepted that children less than elementary school age should not be diagnosed with ADHD as the symptoms of ADHD and toddlerhood are too similar.

So the question of whether it is boy behavior or ADHD can really only be answered with a thorough evaluation. If you choose to ask your pediatrician about the issue, make sure he or she is familiar with the guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics for diagnosing ADHD. This will demonstrate that at least they have some awareness of the complexity of diagnosing ADHD and will not be in a hurry to prescribe medication. Recognize that you son is going to active and distractible unless actively enganged in an activity. Don’t expect him to sit quietly and play without movement or noise. This is just not the way boys are. However, if his distractibility or activity seems to be excessive, make sure that you get a good assessment.

Needing more information about ADHD? A more detailed and complete article on this important issue of boys and ADHD can be read at Boys Behavior, a web page dedicated to Boys and Their Unique Behavior http://boysbehavior.thehomeschoolorganizer.com

What's the Difference Between ADD & ADHD?

What's the Difference Between ADD & ADHD?

Have you ever wondered what the difference between A.D.D & A.D.H.D is? Or whether your child had A.D.D /A.D.H.D?
This post at the About.ADD site has some answers.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) & Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) - Other Contributing Factors.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) &
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) -
Other Contributing Factors to the development or worsening of symptoms -Part 2

Lack of exercise: Exercise increase the blood flow to the brain. Kids who lack the exercise they need are more likely to develop ADHD like symptoms. Our bodies are built to move, not to sit still everyday.

Psychological Factors: This is one factor that is grossly underestimated as a contributing factor to the development and worsening of ADD & ADHD. Physical and emotional abuse, lack of affection, touch, nuturing & stimulation (especially as a child) cause a rush of stress hormones to be released. These act as chemicals that poison the child's brain.

Some Causes of ADD and ADHD

Some Causes of ADD and ADHD

Attention Deficit Disorder is a condition that is shrouded in confusion, old wives tales and misinformation.

1. Genetics - ADD is often inherited from either the parent or grandparent as many other
2. Head injury, especially to the left side of the brain. Keep in mind that this doesn't have to be a serious injury to have an adverse effect.
3. Toxic exposure- Brain infections such as meningitis or encephilitis cause a toxic inflammation of the brain and damage the tissue.

4. Substance abuse during pregnancy - If the mother smoked, drank or abused drugs in pregnancy her child could develop ADD or ADHD.

5. Oxygen deprivation during birth or afterward. A cord being wrapped around the baby's neck or a near drowning or any incident in which the oxygen supply is cut off to the brain can cause damage and lead to ADD or ADHD.

In the next blog post we will look at some other factors that could lead to ADD or ADHD.