2Nd Grader with Possible ADD

I'm so sorry to hear about this. I can totally relate. I read a some great books at Whole Foods about how diet and allergies, and such can affect children and manifest ADD. I recommend reading up on this and giving it a try. I have also seen in a few Arizona Parenting Magazines ads for schools around Phoenix that specialize in treating/teaching children with ADD or ADHD.

hi J.,
I'm an RN with 2 degrees. I just wondering who diagnosed & what symptoms is she showing. My son had adhd and took Concerta. He began focusing again. As far as diet, No sugar! No snacks, chips, pop or diet pop. Nothing with red dye. Feed her potatoes, vegs, fruit and any kind of meat, chicken or fish. Adderall is a great medication for add or adhd. How often do you see the MD? - M. ____@____.com

I just did some research papers on this for my PhD recently. You can find out a lot of info online--just type in nutrition and ADD.

It is very possible that it is related to allergies! See www.naet.com for how to ELIMINATE the allergies and get your child back!

Good luck and please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like more info.

L.

Hi J.

I have had good results treating kids with ADD with chiropractic and diet... Also a blood test to see what they are allergic to. If interested, email me and we can set up a time to get her checked up to see if there is anything I can do for you naturally....

Farid R., DC
____@____.com

I am sure others have mentioned the British study that linked artificial colors in food to behavior changes in kids. That should be a red flag for us all. Get stuff that is not real food out of ALL our kids diet. If it hurts the sensitive, it's probably hurting us all.
At school, we have less control...as teachers give out treats, and kids trade stuff. But do what you can.
There is lots of info on natural treatments of ADHD and ADD...some of it may be far out, but some quite reasonable.

We had a similar problem with my stepson. I had a mother at his school tell me about a fish oil that helped her son. It is barean fresh catch fish oil. It can be found in natural food stores. We have not started it yet with my stepson, but plan to start it this week. The other mother told me that after only a week her son became more focused, finished his homework on his own and better than he had done before and argued with her much less than he used to. She had done a lot of research until she decided on this particular fish oil.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

J.,
Wow! you sure have a lot of good responses. I know this is a hard decision to make. I have had to do it twice. First of all make sure you have a solid diagnosis. I would not trust a family physicians diagnosis. A good child psychologist is better qualified. We had both of our ADD children given a Pediatric Neuropsychological Evaluation. This is an extensive two day test. Both of my children who took the test did have ADD in different degrees. The absolute only place that I could find that actually does this test is Beljan Psychological Services in Phoenix. Dr. Beljan will not be found on any insurance list but your insurance may pay part of the expense anyway. Ours payed half. It is pricy but well worth it. Warning: I do not recommend Dr. Beljans "miracle" therapy as it only works while the child is going through it and they don't give you any skills to keep it going afterwards.
This evaluation however has given me the amo I need when seeking help from the schools. Both my children are/where on 504's which allow their work to be modified (cut down so they can actually finish it). Unfortunately the Junior High refused to comply with my son's 504 (yes, you can take legal action on this but is it worth the hassle). We decided to pull him out and homeschool. This was the best decision for him. He is off all medication now and is doing really well. My daughter who is in 5th grade this year began taking meds last year. So far she is still in public school. The meds really do help. Just watch for side effects.
All the other advice on watching the diet and natural cures are great. We have found that Red dye #40 and chocolate to be the biggest offenders in our family. It's basically trial and error to find what affects your child the most. We have also found the fish oil to be helpful but make sure that is is a quality one. The natural solutions are great but we still found the need for meds. Don't feel guilty if you end up having to use them. As the one person said, you wouldn't ask a diabetic child to go without insulin even though there are many natural ways to control diabetis.
Good Luck! I know you are on information overload right now. Take time to sort though it and figure out what is best for your child. You are your childs ONLY advocate. The school system is only looking out for their own best interest not your childs. Don't let them fool you. That is one thing I have learned and I have been dealing with this for nine years now.
My son will be 15 next week and my ADD daughter is 10. Her fraternal twin sister is not ADD and has never even had to be tested. So I do know the difference between an ADD and a normal child. C.

Hi J.,
Good for you for wanting to do everything for your girl!

I just have a tiny word of advice, from a Mom and OT who works in the schools: There is a big difference between ADD and ADHD, and things that "work" for one (including medications and diet changes), do not necessarily work for the other. Do NOT get frustrated if cutting out food dyes and sugar don't help.

Good luck.
T

Hi J.,
Only one other response mentioned TV and computers. Maybe b/c they are right under our noses no one considers these problematic. I absolutely agree with all the diet and exercise advise, as well as trying alternative forms of tx before meds. What's a few extra months going to hurt if these things don't work? I don't know much about your lifestyle, but I would STRONGLY encourage you to eliminate TV/videogames/computer games... if these play a big role in her life. There is actually a movement to "Unplug before you Drug". If you want more info. go to www.zonein.ca and many other resources on this subject as well.
If too hard to eliminate "screen time", try just an hour a day, then per weekend...
I commend you for asking for and considering alternatives before medicating. She's very blessed to have you for a mother.

God bless!
Barb

I have five children and one of mine had mild A.D.H.D. Yes, I say had. It is less common that a person will grow out of it, but he did late in his teen years. Either that or he has learned to cope. I read everything I could get my hands on when he was younger. I didn't want to medicate, but found he was much more able to concentrate and do well in school when he was on Aderall. Also I would ask his teachers to have him sit close to their desk where he would have less distractions, as even a ticking clock, wall heater or window could cause him to loose focus. I also found that keeping him away from foods with color additives, sodas, sugars etc helped. It does take a week or two for the medication to have it's full effect. I also took free classes our school district offered. Good luck with your daughter. I too was in denial at first, but you'll get through it. Remember with the school you are her best advocate! My son had an IEP and they are required to listen to you and service your child with a specific learning plan with modifications where needed. It's too bad every teacher is not required to study this and other learning disabilities. R.

I agree with many of the posts here. Most importantly - check diet, remove as much of the - mofified food starch, dyes, fructose corn syrups etc from his diet. Stay away from whit bread, white rice, white pasta etc. Have him checked by an allergist. etc etc.

One thing I would like to add... Check out a program called Bal-a-vis-x. It is an AMAZING program I cam across for my daughter last year. I went to a 2 day intensive workshop for therapists and teachers, and was absolutely blown away by the results I saw just in the adults attending, not to mention the kids. Many parents mentioned dyslexia, and other learning disorders. THis program helps open the neuropathways in the brain to accept the information being thrown at it every moment of the day. Best of all it is REALLY fun for the kids to do, and she will not be embarrased to do this in front of other kids. Actually the kids will all want her to teach them how to do it.

I sat next to a woman the first day, that could not for the life of her sit still. Not one muscle in her body was at rest, or not moving. I thought she had a serious caffiene overdose before she showed up. By the end of day one, her foot was the only thing moving. By day two, she was sitting quietly. Her son was also diagnosed with ADD, and we worked with him, and saw amazing results in his posture, attention, lerning ability etc, just in a few hours... I cannot say enough good things about this program! The book on the site is cheaper, but unless you have attended a clinic, I would strongly suggest the video extended video. They have a new one that just came out in the fall. Whatever her diagnosis is, I have no doubts that this will help her long into the future.

I would strongly recommend this program to any mom with kids with ADD, dyslexia etc. While I have not read the Reasonance book listed on the site yet, it lists in the description
"AND the lastest research findings and hypotheses as to how the brainworks, how the brain’s cognitive processes are inextricaby bound to physical movement, about autism/dyslexia/bipolar disorder/ADD and ADHD, about the crucial role of hormones in female sensory processing and behavior, about what intelligence actually is--and about what role BAVX may play in any or all of the foregoing "

The site is www.bal-a-vis-x.com

Hi,
My son is also taking Adderall (Amphetamine). I fought putting him on medication for years and finally last year decided to try it because as hard as he tries, he just can't focus or accomplish even the easiest of chores without getting distracted. He was originally diagnosed by an adult friend of mine who is ADD. I didn't believe it (or didn't want to hear it-nothing's wrong with my kid). Then our family counselor pointed it out (I again was anti medication-no way don't believe in drugs). Then I took him to two other counselors (just to make sure) and everyone within 5 minutes of talking to him had him pegged as ADD. I still did nothing. It was when he came to me and said "mom I really need some help, everything in my life is hard, everything." At that moment, I picked up the medication and did let him know in a positive way (he's gifted yet it can become a problem if you don't know how to use it-like a superhero)(with these great powers comes great responsibility).

The medication has helped him so much without changing who he is. It has taken some time to find the correct dosage and I think we're there.

Now that he can focus I am beginning to introduce tools for him to use to help him at some point get off the medication (which I am realistic that it will take some time and alot of effort)and be able to complete tasks by himself, so he can make it through high school, college and get a good job, etc.

Do you feel like your daughter gets so focused on reading or playing and can't be pulled away? Does she have trouble following directions and can't complete more then one direction? These are problems my son has.

So I bought him a watch that has an alarm (in hindsight it would have been good to get two alarms). In the morning I set the watch for a certain time of day without him knowing the time I set his watch for he goes on with his day. When the alarm went off originally, he needed to come to me immediately and I would give him a small piece of candy (one m&m). I'm not into giving out candy yet it was a really good incentive. We did this for about a month and now he is following two directions. When the alarm goes off he gets his cup filled with water, comes and finds me, drinks the whole thing and gets a candy. I'd like to ween him off of candy and give him another task to do. I was told that this is good when he gets in a situation that he's doing something he loves and can't be interrupted and in situations like homework when he'd love to be interrupted.

Another one is when a page of work is given to him, it's too overwhelming and he can't find a place to start. He'll have full out tantrums because it looks like too much. I kept suggesting that he only work on one math problem, I'd even cover the page, nothing would help until he starting the medication. Now he rarely gets overwhelmed in those situations and can calmly ask for help when he needs it. So we are working on covering up the page (soon hoping he can remember to it by himself) and only working on one thing at a time.

Another one is watching how I give him directions. If I need him to do something, I say it, repeat it and am working on having him repeat it to me.

I'm currently trying to find other tools/skills like the above so we can ween him of the medication and he can still feel good about himself. Let me know if you can think of any tricks like these..and good luck because it takes a lot of time, energy and patience.

feel free to contact me directly...

I can't speak from personal experience, but my friend with one autistic child and one adhd child has told me a little about what she does.

She believes nutritian and diet play a huge role, but it's not what you think. She has cut out gluten, wheat, and casein (dairy) from their diets. This is very hard to do, but health food stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts and Trader Joes can be very helpful. She has had amazing results as her autistic child is now "mainsteamed" in school.

I also spoke with a doctor who was researching all of this (I should say she was getting her doctorate). Anyway, she highly recommended enzyme therapy. Perhaps start with some probiotics. You can get them at the health food store and they even have some for children. Look for a bottle that has several different types in the mix rather than just acidophilus by itself. Probiotics help aid in digestion, but also 80% of your immune system is in your digestive tract so it benefiting that organ can help in many ways. Perhaps wheat, dairy and gluten are causing an "allergy" that effects the brain. Many believe toxins are to blame for all the 'spectrum' disorders.

Good luck with everything. Do some research. YOu'll see you are NOT alone.
B.

Would you consider not treating a child with diabetes with medication? Then don't feel bad doing it for your daughter. I can guarantee she doesn't want to feel the way she does and wants to "do it all right" but it isn't possible without the medication. My son is 12 and we have had ADD trouble since Kindergarten. I finally got an IEP- Individual Education Plan he is under the OHI(other health imparements). Be the squeeky wheel at school and get her whatever help, support she needs. Be in close contact with the teachers. Read a lot and there are lots of things on the internet that can help. Good luck. It is what it is.

I think the most important thing to do first is to get the right diagnosis,it seems that these days teachers and doctors are a little to quick to label kids as ADD or any other type of beheavioral disorder.I would probably try to get a second opinion with a children psycologist before keeping her on medications if that is bothering you so much.Getting the most accurate diagnosis is key to treat any kind of condition.My brother was diagnosed with ADD as a child and after he was put on medication my parents felt pretty much the way you are feeling now.What they decided to do was to compensate his lack of attention in school with intensive home tutoring,every single evening after coming back from work they sat with him and pretty much went through every single subject taught in school and made sure he understood everything,we realized that although he couldn't sit still during study time(specially reading)he was great at absorving everything that was READ TO him.It was very exhausting on all of us(we read every lesson to him) but it kept him away from the meds and one day he just outgrew the whole thing(at about 13).He went from being all over the place(attention wise)to become borderline genius.He became the guy tutoring the rest of the class.Today,in his forties he is the only one in the family with multiple university degrees in advanced math,chemistry,physics,and civil engineering.Once he was able to channel the focus of his attention a whole new world opened to him.He did it without meds but it was a whole family effort that lasted through most of his elementary school years.Good luck and don't get discouraged,some of the world most brilliant minds work in truly unusual ways.

I went 2 years without medication for my son. He was in 2nd grade when it began and I finally put him on meds 2 weeks before 4th grade. He is now on a low dose of "generic" adderall once a day. I began with a morning dose and another after lunch. During the summer I put him only on his morning dose and continued that once school started. Adderall made a HUGE difference in his life. It allowed him to go through the day like every other child. It is not a life long med. Eventually with age they will learn more self control and not need it anymore. I started taking away weekend doses and it seems to be fine. The only thing with adderall is that it does decrease their desire to eat. Make sure small meals and snacks are given. A small amount of weight loss but with food and snacks it should be fine. Good luck. I was so against meds until I saw my son acting with more control.

I would do anything possible to keep my children from having to take toxic experimental drugs - I have always had distrust issues with the pharmaceutical industry due to watching my mom get put on one drug after another for migraine headaches and seeing the degeneration occur in her body and the headaches getting worse - plus decades ago before I knew better I let my kids get put on anti-biotics over and over for ear infections and strep throat. I also made the mistake of allowing them to all be vaccinated by our government. Vaccines are in a base of heavy metals. I have learned that attention disorders in children often correspond with fungus colonizing and creating a feeding and storage terrain for heavy metals in the body. These will actually be found in the creases of the brain and this causes inflammation and doesn't allow for appropriate neurological communication. I now know of much better, safer and all-natural herbal formulas that prevent the need for pharmaceuticals of any kind. They balance the body's major systems - hormonal, digestive, endocrine, immune and nervous - and give the body appropriate nutrition to allow it to function as it was designed and intended to. Often distraction (ADD) is due simply to boredom (and teachers can't stand that they might be boring so usually deny that it can do with them) but when it may be some other imbalance the best thing to do is put that system back into balance rather than create other symptoms and side effects by introducing unnatural chemicals into the body and brain. There are several simple and very effective herbs that can help to focus the mind and allow for mental clarity and attention. If you are interested in more about which herbs and formulas I recommend - and why - feel free to contact me.

Hi J. -

I was in your shoes J.. My youngest son, now 14, was diagnosed at a young age and I too was pushed into using the medications. He took them for about 2 years - without much improvement - and then started developing little tics - blowing on his fingers, a twitch on the right side of his face. I chose to take him off the meds at the end of 4th grade and we have definitely had our ups and downs since then. After being transferred to an alternative school in 5th grade - because I would not medicate him, I home schooled him in 6th & 7th grades. He wanted to go back to public school in 8th grade and basically flunked out because they did not follow his IEP. Now he is in 9th grade - his entire attitude has changed this year, he told me he will do his homework, complete his classwork because now school is important. He said before - in elementary & junior high - no one would listen to him and believe in him (except me) and that is why he just gave up. I'm not telling you all these things to discourage you - I'm telling you because the best thing you can do is listen to your child - really listen - then take action based on what she tells you.

There are lots of things, naturally, that can be done, however, I need to know more about her lifestyle, diet and typical day - schedule before, during & after school.

Nutritionally, you can use Spirulina or Chlorella to provide natural vitamins & minerals. Add Ginkgo biloba & Gotu kola to her diet (one increases circulation to the brain, arms & legs and the other focuses on the memory portion of the brain). There are other herbs, like Chamomile or Lemon Balm which have a calming action, without making kids sleepy.

Let me know if you would like more indepth information or would like to make an appointment.

Blessings,

M. M. Ernsberger
Holistic Healthcare Provider
Certified Clinical Herbalist
Certified Master Hypnotherapist
Certified Life Coach

J., Please if you have an opportunity, call me my work cell is ###-###-#### my work website is www.mikid.org.

D.

There are a lot of groups out there that believe diet changes can affect ADD. Back in the 70's I had a cousin that had all white flour and simple sugars cut from his diet and it worked. Start looking up stuff on the net- but know that there is going to be conflicting info out there. You could always start small, like cut out candy, or junk food of any kind- and see if it makes a difference. My heart goes out to you, good luck.

J.

You are a great mom! There are several things we did when we were told our child had ADHD. First, we started with diet to see if a food sensitivity was causing the behavior. It was, we discovered he was sensitive to soy. Removing this food has eliminated about 80% of the behavior issues. You can discover if a food is causing it by doing an elimination diet (if you email me i can email you the instructions). Also, we noticed that eliminating all artificial foods (color, flavor, preservatives, cured meat, artificial sweetener, MSG-a huge one) makes a huge difference, as does him taking a multivitamin daily. Taking fish oil everyday also helps moderately for him, but i know parents who swear by it. we also limit sugar, especially refined sugar. We also require him to exercise everyday (usually ride his bike for 20 min). We also limit television and computer exposure, as we have seen that effect him. He pretty much gets no tv during the week.Finally, we have started taking him to a chiropractor. There's a particular area that they adjust that affects the nervous system. I know it sounds odd, but the results have been dramatic! he gets adjusted every two weeks and his focus is amazingly better. finding the right chiro might be a challenge, though. i'm in tucson and can refer you to ours here. good luck! hope this helps!

Hi,
Just want to encourage you to actually look at the kind of envioronment the school provides your daughter. Some schools are very difficult for some children to handle, because the information is dry, abstract and delivered in an unexciting way, and there is no stimulation or things that interest the child. Also, sometimes there is not much movement or developmental appropriateness to the day's routine. Have you ever considered Waldorf or Montessori education? Where do you live? Check the area and observe another school. I would encourage you to do ANYTHING besides put your young daughter on medication. Research the side effects! Plus, in my opinion, this labels her with a "problem" and this stigma could be lifelong and upsetting for her self esteem. Thanks for listening!
D.

I have a son who showed signs in second grade of ADD. I didn't know about the symtoms so did not get him help until he was in fourth grade big mistake. He was on med's after that I found no help with diet. With the med's he didn't feel like he was stupid, which he was far from, any more. There is a lot of help on line just type in ADD or ADHD and start reading. I didn't like to have to medicate my son either but it is what he needed to survive school. Good luck. have lots of pactience with her. Mom that's been there.

One of the best resources for all things ADD is the Amen Clinic. Dr. Amen's book, "Healing ADD", was the best I have read on the subjest, and I have read many. Here is a link to their site where you can also get their book, or you can also probably find it at your local library.

http://www.amenclinic.com/

I also purchased a downloadable e-book form this site which helped to explain the many, many options one has instead of medication for treating ADD. Here is a link to that site, as well:

http://3stepsadd.com/

There are many resources out there, and you DO have choices of your own. Do NOT let a doctor mandate what is best for you, your family, and your child. I have other resources, as well, if you want to contact me, but these two above are full of things to study and will give you plenty to consider in planning how to go forth with this. I wish you the best! :)

My sister has 2 son's with ADHD. Elimiating food dyes (especially red) helped dramatically. Even now if one of her sons even has one small piece of colored candy or anything like that it is very easy to tell. Eliminating MSG has also helped some. She has also found that a gluten free diet has helped. Even though all of these dietary changes have drastically helped, she found that her boys still needed the meds to help them concentrate. The combination of the 2 methods have made life around her house much easier. Good luck.

What a difficult thing.... I was a teacher before I had kids & it wasn't fun to see any kids on meds. I have learned that there is power in nutrition! Sugar (not from fruits), high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils & food colorings can be harmful for a child..... I know those things are in everything! If you really start to read labels though you can find things that don't have those things in them! Trader Joes has a good selection of good stuff.... also if you build up her immune system w/ fruits & veggies that will helps as well.... she needs good "grow" foods is what Dr. Sears calls them.... any plant based food, omega 3 (comes from fish or a supplement) & protein. I have added Juice Plus+ to my kids diet. Juice Plus+ is fruits & veggies that have been put into capsule form for adults & chewables or gummies for kids.... It made sense to me because I knew we weren't getting enough fruits & veggies in our diet. After I added it I have seen a huge improvement in my energy & we don't get sick as often. It has great research behind it that shows it does great things for the immune system! If you want more info.... check out the following website.... jphealth.net/C.
Hope these ideas help. :) Blessings!

Hi J.,

I am only writing out of my thoughts on ADD and other possible "causes" for behavior. First, I'm not sure I beleive that ADD or ADHD really exist...and I know that I'm not alone on this thought. But I won't get into a long speel about it, instead I'll focus on helping with suggestions. Who "diagnosed" her with ADD? Please don't be too quick to go with this diagnoses. Really really research other causes and/or solutions besides meds. I know meds have there place. I am aware that there are really chemical imbalances in our bodies that can be helped from proper use of meds. But it's not the only way. I am glad you are reaching out to other moms for advice and support. You want to help your daughter the best you can. You are being a responsible and aware parent.
IT really could be other things that may or may not be meds. One of my friends has a teenager who was "diagnosed" with ADHD when she was young. Lots of meds that didn't work and some that helped a bit...after years of ups and downs she was finally diagnosed as having Bipolor disorder. I saw a special on PBS a few months ago on this issue. TONS of children are incorrectly diagnonsed with ADD or ADHD and really they have Bipolor disorder. I know this is something you probably dont' want to hear....it can be difficult to deal with when their behavior is extreme, but with a GREAT support team (I'd check out both western and eastern Medicine), it can be controlled and something I believe she can grow out of in her adult years. Another thought is food allergies. Sounds silly, but I have read and watched many things on how food can really adversly affect someones behavior - especially in children. I remember one child who was affected by carrots! They made her act like a completely different child. You would have to talk to specialists about this, most pediatricians really aren't trained in this area.
Another thought on her behavior is Sensory Processing Disorder. Children with SPD interpret everyday sensory information in a vastly different manner than other children who experience the same thing. Treatment is very individual and does not require meds, but it requires behavior and learning therapy. I have an article on SPD. If you are interested please send me your email and I can get it to you. Or log onto www.inspiredparentingmagazine.com and you should be able to read the article there.
Just a couple more thoughts. Some children really process things differently. It's not SPD, it's just they have a different way of thinking, receiving, and processing information. My oldest (now 12), was one of those very quiet cautious children - she holds the quiet space:) and many many times it seemed like she could just not focus on certain tasks, looked at you like she was in her own little world, and she had a difficult time with math concepts and even didn't read until 2nd grade. (At the time I was concerned, but now I know learning to read is very individual) At first it was frustrating and all the teachers - who though very supportive of her - also got a little frustrated with her in school. Not because of undesirable behavior, but because of her lack of focus. It was the help of her 3rd/4th grade amazing teacher that told me that she just processes things differently and needs more time and quiet time to do the tasks. When I finally allowed my daughter to just BE, and we figured out how SHE learns...she started thriving. She is now an avid above average reader, loves math, and is (and always has been) the quiet observer who is deeply intuitive and thinks differently and uniquely. Perhaps your daughter is like that as well? Really observe her. When does she seem to be in la-la land? Certain times of the day? Before or after eating? ARe there other distractions going on? How does she seem to learn? Every child is unique and beautiful in their own way, but does she seem to really think differently? Or seem more queit and observant and maybe very intuitive? Or is her behavior more eractic, spontaneous, unpredictable? How is her medication working now? Do you REALLY FEEL that it's helping her? Go with your gut, get all your research and fact finding done, talk to specialists in western and eastern or holistic treatments and go with what you know is best for her. Not what one Dr. thinks is best for her, no matter how much you trust and respect your Dr, or how good his intentions are. A responsible and aware parent thinks for herself. You and I are the same age and I also have 3 girls (plus one boy), so we have been though enough to trust our own inner wise woman;)

PS...YOGA. I know it does wonders in helping us with not just physical and spiritual strength, but also with emotional and possibly even developmental issues as well. Children are really open to yoga and love it. I'm no yogi, so I can't recommend wich yoga would be the best, but there is TONS of info on the internet.

Best of luck to you and your daughter.

In peace,
A.
mom of 4, Birth and Parenting Mentor
www.birthingfromwithin.com

Beautiful J.,

Before you commit to keeping her on the prescription, starting having your precious daughter tested for food sensitivities. It really could be the answer.

I am involved with three support groups for that very reason. One is a general special diet needs support group for children (I am the co founder), I am also the head of Cel-Kids Tucson (we were the Tucson chapter of Raising Our Celiac Kids), and I am now on the Executive Board of Southern Arizona Celiac Support.

There is a very high correlation between Celiac Disease and ADD and ADHD. You may have heard of gluten intolerance--very similar, though the tests for CD might be negative. There are members of the adult group who are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD and when they removed gluten from their diets, the symptoms got much better or no longer exist. Very true of children too, but CD and gluten intolerance are NOT the first thing thought of for this, in the United States.

My daughter has Celiac Disease, and I myself am gluten intolerant. What is gluten? It's a protein in wheat, rye, and barley, and some oats (some are bred to be gluten free these days though). It's not that hard to remove it from your diet, though intimidating at first. There is plenty of people who will help you if that is what it comes to.

Please email me, J.. I would love to give you guidance on who to go to for finding out in your area. It may not be one of the above mentioned, but if it can be narrowed down to a food sensitivity of some kind, you would save precious daughter a life time of grief. If any of this can be eliminated as a cause, then it puts you on the right track to finding out the real cause, or finding that she is a true ADD case.

~D.

J.,
I am a 32 year old mother of four girls.My second daughter (11 years old) was diagnosed with ADD two years ago.Before she was diagnosed her teachers thought she was not getting enough sleep cuz she was in la la land ALOT!She couldnt remember things and they thought she was being serious and goofing off. She had black out seizures when she was younger and alot more.we put her on straterra for a month and it zombied her out.try the book ,HEALING ADD,it gives you diets to try and other helpful hints.Something that helps my daughter is simple yoga movements.when I see that shes getting spacy or acting crazy I stop her and take her to a quiet place and I will tell her to "do the tree or the warrior.shes alittle embarassed but she does it.also teach her deep breathing,that helps refocus.
good luck and let me know if anything helps. G.

We have had amazing results for our 7 year old with a combination of an amino acid called L-Theanine and Fish Oil. There is ALOT of information on the web about it if you have a little time to "google" it. Its been a GREAT alternative to prescription meds! You can get chewable L-Theanine and Lemon flavored fish oil for little kids (we get ours at Sunflower Market)

My 5 year old son has autism, and we started a gluten-free dairy-free no preservatives/chemicals/colors diet last Sunday. Our results are nothing short of amazing! A lot of the things I've read suggest this diet for ADD/ADHD also, so I'd definitely give it a try. It's horribly overwhelming at first, but just clear out the pantry and put the whole family on the diet. It gets easier, I promise!

Please give some "energy bodywork" a try. Cranial sacral work has had astonishing results in working with people with these symptoms. It is very non-invasive, affordable, and even just one session can have huge results.

J.,
I have a product all natural that gives you a 90 day money back guarentee (kids love it) . It is Himalayan GoChi juice. It has done wonders for my family and several friends. I have several kids who where said to have ADD start taking it and they are all focused now.I am not a med taker and don't like to have my family members on them. What do you have to loose with a 90 day trial? Please let me know if this would be something you would be interested in and I would love to help.
B. Garcia
Himalayan GoChi juice representitive
barbgarcia.com
###-###-####

Hi Jennifer, My oldest Son Buddy, repeated first grade because his teacher who was hooked on the idea that all her male students were ADHD and wanted all of them on Riddlin so bad she wrote weekly notes home. Told me that I was hampering my son's education, called my husband and myself in for a meeting with the principal and other teachers to tell me how GREAT this drug was. My reaction was not good, I told them if they were such great pills Quick lets sell the family cow. (Pretty sure I got a bad mark for that one)

Don't get me wrong I knew Buddy had a problem, but my research told me not ADD, or ADHD. I took him to a physiologist, who suggested that he had dyslexia, and a problem with sugar, it made him crazy, heck Buddy would tell you that, so a major diet change, (try to keep a boy away from ALL sugar, it is in spaghetti sauce, store bought biscuits, and everything!) I then found out they were giving them sugary treats at schoool, I talked to his new teacher and I brought in sugar free candy and treats for him.

Dyslexia, has many forms not just reversing numbers. check it out. It has to do wirth how you think.

Buddy is 17 (18 in December) he is a senior in High school joined the army with an early enlistment program, (he has wanted to be GI Joe since he was 3) in fact he is at basic training right now, and loving it. He is clear headed and health minded.

There are children who need medication to keep them on track, but if your gut tells you something do the research, learn all you can talk to people until you are blue in the face and they are stuffing cotton in their ears. Get all the information you can. work with your daughter, think out of the box, it is just a tangle, start at one corner to untangle it and see where you end up. What ever you do don't give up!

Have you considered taking her to see a doctor of naturopathic medicine? Dr. Laura Weeshoff is a naturopath that would be able to help in finding the right diet for your child which can make a hugh difference in how a child acts. Her number is ###-###-#### or you can look at her website - www.lifesculpting.biz.

My son was diagnosed with Autism last year and some of his symptoms would be co-morbid with ADD/ADHD. We've done lots of dietary changes, mainly removing dyes, artificial sweeteners, MSG and most sugar. We use fruit as sweeteners or Stevia. It has made a HUGE difference. We can tell almost immediately if he gets any of those things because his focus is gone and he is all over the place. Personally we wanted to start biomedically before we thought about meds. It has worked wonders for us. And after doing the research you will realize you are doing your child a HUGE favor for removing this stuff from their diets anyways. It is awful how we can even let MSG and artificial sweeteners in our food supply anyways! Good luck!

My husband has celiac disease and i have seen links under the website to add and adhd. its www.celiac.com or www.celiac.org
Good luck!!
J.