ADD

I have 2 daughters, both very active as todlers. By the time Anel went to school, she had calmed down to such an extend, that no rapport ever commented on her activity or concentration levels. Until 6 months before she went to “big school” the pre-primary teacher was still worried about her concentration levels.
Ilse, on the other hand, had no mention of poor concentration levels at pre-primary school. The activities at pre-primary suited her personality like a glove. Lots of informal and unstructured lessons.
Before she went to primary school, we had her tested, as her birthday is very late in the year, and she was left handed. The educational physicologist said that she was ready for “ big school”. She had no problems in adjusting to school life and has a very outgoing personality. Every body in school knew her. She sailed through gr 1.
The beginning of gr 2, her teacher phoned me and said that the increased number of written work, has got a bad effect on Ilse, and she is not coping. It was suggested that we see an occupational therapist. Elsie lucas was an eldery woman, that has work in close relation to the schools for many years
Her first appointment included an assessment test with all the necessary emotional, cognitive tests. Elsie told me than that Ilse is left handed and totally right brain dominant. The normal interaction between left( Language/orginational) brain & the right(mathematical/creative) brain was not there. Ilse was using her right brain to fulfill the function of the left brain. She also told me that Ilse was possible ADD.
She started with OT therapy with Ilse to inprove the interaction between both sides of the brain. She also adjusted the way she was writing by putting her book at such an angle, so that she was able to see what she has written, before she continued with the next letter. ( A lefthanded person, covers their own writing with their hand, because we write from left to right) She also strenghened the muscles in her left hand to cope with the increase levels of writing required in class. I was also given a book – THE RIGHT WAY- to give to her teacher at school. The book was written by Elsie and explains the reasoning & thinking of a left handed child – right brain thinking.
We continued with OT for 2 years every Friday. Ilse would then get homework to complete before the next session.
In the mean time we went to see the Ilse’s pediatrition. He confirmed ADD, without uncontrolled hyperactivity.

Experts' opinions differ as to what ADD actually is, causing even more grief and confusion for parents and those suffering with the symptoms. The American Psychiatric Association lists fourteen signs, of which at least eight must be present for a person to be officially classified as ADD/ADHD. These fourteen signs are:
1. Often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming while seated.
2. Having difficulty remaining seated when required to do so.
3. Being easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.
4. Having difficulty awaiting turn in games or group activities.
5. Often blurting out answers before questions are completed.
6. Having difficulty in following instructions.
7. Having difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities.
8. Often shifting from one uncompleted task to another.
9. Having difficulty playing quietly.
10. Often talking excessively.
11. Often interrupting or intruding on others.
12. Often not listening to what is being said.
13. Often forgetting things necessary for tasks or activities.
14. Often engaging in dangerous activities without considering consequences.
All 14 these signs were apparent in Ilse’s behavior,

I started my research on ADD………
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD or ADHD) is a neurobehavioral[1] developmental disorder.[2] It affects about 3 to 5% of children with symptoms starting before seven years of age.[3] Global prevalence for children is approximately 5%, with wide variability dependent on research methodologies utilized in studies.[4] It is characterized by a persistent pattern of impulsiveness and inattention, with or without a component of hyperactivity.[5]
ADHD is twice as common in boys as in girls[6], though studies suggest this discrepancy may be due to subjective bias.[7] ADHD is generally a chronic[8] disorder with 30 to 50% of individuals diagnosed in childhood continuing to have symptoms into adulthood.[9][10] As they mature, adolescents and adults with ADHD are likely to develop coping mechanisms to compensate for their impairment.[11]
Though previously regarded as a childhood diagnosis, ADHD can continue throughout adulthood.[12] ADHD has a strong genetic component.[13]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention-deficit_hyperactivity_disorder

NO RITALIN FOR MY CHILD! That was my first reaction. I spend hours studing 2 books that was stronly recommended by our Pediatrition. I also spend hours on the internet researching any topic related to ADD/Ritalin.

We started off with total diet changes:

ADD in many cases has been linked to diet, which includes food allergies and nutritional deficiencies…simply eliminating certain foods or adding others may reduce symptoms or eliminate them altogether. ADD children typically have difficulty focusing which is even more apparent if they have sugar and other stimulants coursing through their bodies. We believe it is worth attempting to address the ‘root' of the problem first, if it is indeed nutritional, before ingesting the potentially toxin pharmaceutical alternatives that merely mask the symptoms. Making healthy food choices for you and your child is NOT difficult. There is NO downside to adopting a healthy eating program and huge benefits for everyone, whether dealing with a current health issue or preventing future ones.
First, what NOT to eat for TWO WEEKS:
1) NO DAIRY PRODUCTS, especially cow's milk. This is the single most important restriction. Instead try Almond milk, Rice milk, or Better Than Milk. Drink water instead of milk. In fact, drink lots of water. The brain is about 80% water, and increasing your water intake to 7 to 10 glasses per day might be helpful all by itself. Sodas, Gatorade, teas, icees, etc., do not count as water. Water counts as water.
2) NO YELLOW FOODS. Especially Corn or Squash. Bananas are white. Don't eat the peel.
3) NO JUNK FOODS. If it comes in a cellophane wrapper, don't eat it.
4) NO FRUIT JUICES. Too much sugar content. One small glass of apple juice has the sugar content of eight apples. Later on you can have juice, but dilute it with water 50/50.
5) CUT SUGAR INTAKE BY 90%. If you can, cut it down to zero. Sugar is in just about everything, but give it a try. Do your best without going crazy.
6) CUT CHOCOLATE BY 90%. No more than a single piece, once a week.
7) NO NUTRASWEET. None. Period.
8) NO PROCESSED MEATS and NO MSG. Only get meats with labels that say, “Turkey and Water,” etc. If the meat has chemicals listed that you can't pronounce, don't buy it.
9) CUT FRIED FOODS BY 90%.
10) AVOID FOOD COLORINGS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. See if your child is sensitive to any particular colors, such as Reds, Yellows, etc. For now, though, avoid all if possible.
SUMMARY: Just eat foods that God made for a while. Eat like people did in the 1940's. . Just not much in the way of “fast foods” or “convenience” foods.

AFTER TWO WEEKS begin adding these foods back into your diet, one food every other day. Eat A LOT of that food every day for four days. If you have a problem with one of the foods, you will see some kind of a “reaction” within four days. The reaction can vary from big red splotches on the body to ears turning bright red to explosive temper outbursts. If there's a problem, you'll know. If there's no problem, enjoy the food.
WHAT TO EAT TO FEED THE ADHD BRAIN:
1) FOR BREAKFAST SERVE HIGH PROTEIN, LOW CARBOHYDRATE MEALS. Say, “Good-bye,” to Breakfast cereals and milk. Serve 60% Protein and 40% Carbohydrates for Breakfast. Other meals should be 50% / 50%.
2) PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS might be needed to get the added protein for Breakfast. They are often very helpful in the afternoon as well
3) MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS may be helpful ( we used DS24)
4) FLAX SEED or PRIMROSE OIL. High sources of Omega oils. Borage oils and some fish oils are good as well. Very important. Mix about a spoonful a day into foods as you prepare them, or add to salad dressings, etc. ( We still use EYEQ Capsules every day)
6) EAT LOTS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. Avoid Aluminum exposure. Eat in a healthy manner.
By: Doug Cowan,

When she got to Gr 4, we were still resisting ritalin. After an appointment with the pediatritian, he called for a meeting with both me & Nico. He tried to explian Ritalin from his experience. He asked a few questions, and it was soon clear that Nico still suffers from ADD.
He tried to explain to me that if a child cannot see properly, you help them by giving the glasses to read. The same with ritalin. It just provides the chemical that is necessary in the brain to allow the neuro transmitters to give & accept instructions.
He would ask her, why doesn’t she sit still to finish her work, and she would answer, “I want to, but I can’t”
Impulsivity (or impulsiveness) is a type of human behavior characterized by the inclination of an individual to act on impulse rather than thought.[1] Although part of the normal behavior, impulsivity also plays a role in many mental illnesses.
As a personality trait, impulsivity is part of normal behavior as it contributes to adaptive functioning. However, psychological research has questioned impulsivity as a unitary psychological construct[2]. Some authors have proposed a 3-factor model according to which impulsivity can be decomposed as a combination of attentional ("getting easily bored"), motor ("going into action") and cognitive ("inability to plan") factors. Recent theories[3] have further decomposed impulsivity into 4 dimensions which partially map onto the five-factor model of personality:
Urgency, the feeling of negative affects for resisting the urge, is linked to neuroticism
Lack of premeditation, the inability to anticipate consequences, is linked to conscientiousness
Lack of perseverance, the inability to stick to one's task, is also linked to conscientiousness
Sensation-seeking, the experience positive feelings towards risky actions, is linked to extroversion
Increased impulsiveness is at the center of impulse control disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. It may be linked to other psychopathological conditions like addiction, ADHD, bulimia, and borderline personality.
Recent evidence from neurobiological research seems to support these psychological theories as it has been shown that these different aspects of impulsivity can be independently manipulated by specific drugs.


We agreed to go on a trail period of 2 weeks, and then discuss it further. We didn’t discuss it with Ilse’s teacher, but within a few days, I received a positive remark in her home work book. Suddenly no more remarks ; ILSE PLEASE FINISH YOUR WORK!. No more fighting in the afternoons to get her homework done
The difference in Ilse’s behavior was enormous, she gained so much confidence.

The first 3 months blood tests were done every month & we kept in close contact with the Pediatrition . She was put on Ritalin 20LA(long acting – 8 hours) 5 days a week. No ritalin on weekends or during holidays
Her growth, weight, moods & depression was monitored extensively, all side effects of ritalin. Her pediatrition also used her stats as an example, and I received quite a few calls from other parents asking about the effect of ADD & ritalin.

We changed our eating habits to the low GI lifestyle, and needless to say that the whole family benefitted.
In Grade 9 Ilse decided to start going to school without taking her ritalin. She would then only take it during test or exam times, but later didn’t take it at all any more. She learned other coping skills to deal with it.
There are some days when I can still see the affects of ADD, and she gets bored very easily