Nutrition, Diet, and Non-Drug ADHD Treatments by Carl Sherman, Ph.D.

A top ADHD expert explains the impact of nutrition, diet, vitamins, and other non-drug ADHD treatments.

You’ve heard that sugar causes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD ADHD), haven’t you? And didn’t you read somewhere that vitamins may work just as well as medication for ADHD treatment? These days, there's a tremendous amount of information — and misinformation — about non-drug ADHD treatments.

To separate fallacy from fact, ADDitude’s Carl Sherman, Ph.D., spoke about ADHD treatment with one of the nation’s top experts on ADHD, Andrew Adesman, M.D., chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park, New York, and a member of the CHADD professional advisory board.

Is there a link between sugar and ADHD?

People blame sugar for all sorts of things. But there’s no reason to think that it causes ADHD or makes symptoms worse. Controlled studies — the ones that compare kids who are on and off sugar — haven’t found any link to attention or behavior in school-age children. In preschool children, there may be a weak association between sugar and ADHD-like symptoms. If parents feel that diet affects their preschooler’s behavior, it might make sense to try restricting sugar to see what happens.

Although I advise parents to consider limiting sweets for other reasons, including good nutrition and dental hygiene, I do not see this as an effective treatment for ADHD.

How about dyes and other food additives, or food allergies?

ADHD isn’t caused by an allergic reaction to food, or anything in food, including additives. The evidence to support elimination diets or tests for food sensitivities simply doesn’t exist. Although it would be nice if foods had fewer chemical additives and less artificial coloring, parents of children with ADHD should not let a general bias against “unnatural” food ingredients guide their approach to treating ADHD. Dietary interventions are difficult to impose and unlikely to bring any benefit.

On the positive side, can vitamins help control symptoms of ADHD?

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Am I the Worst Parent Ever? by Keath Low

Am I the Worst Parent Ever?

by Keath Low

By Keath Low, About.com Guide

Question: Am I the Worst Parent Ever?

“Oh, I’m just so frustrated! I wish I could just come home and we could be a ‘normal’ family. I know 

that sounds bad but it’s true! Parenting a child with ADHD is hard frick’n work and some days I 

wonder if I’m the worst parent ever!” --About.com Forum Member

Answer:

One of our ADD/ADHD Discussion Forum¹ members wrote in after having a run of horrible days with 

her 8-year-old son. A single parent who works 50 hours a week, she has admitted on the forum that 

she feels exhausted and wants to know how to avoid falling into battles, arguments and power 

struggles with her son. “I just want to come home from work and have a good time with my son 

but by the time I get home (and his medication has worn off), it’s just a constant night of 

struggles,” she writes. The past two days have been the worst she explains, “Yesterday I cried 

about it for 3 hours. Today I put my fist through a wall while he was in the shower. I swear I am 

not a bad parent, even though that sounds terrible to do.” She has tried to spend quality “play” 

time with her son, but then he wants to play all night and avoid homework. “I know he’s only 8, 

but that boy can argue, justify and manipulate every directive I give him until he’s blue in the 

face. Some days, it’s easier to surrender to his strong will. The only thing that makes him happy 

is his Wii and TV and 100% attention all the time.”

Response:

I think you describe the challenge of parenting a child with ADHD perfectly. It can be “hard 

frick’n work!” It takes a tremendous amount of energy, patience, attention and creative 

parenting. As a single parent, you are doing this all on your own. To top it off, you are 

working 50 hours a week!

Try not to be so hard on yourself. You are exhausted. Everything is going to be harder 

when your energy is zapped. For any of us, when we are drained emotionally and physically 

it becomes impossible to be proactive and respond in the most effective way. We may 

engage in the battle rather than stepping back and avoiding the power struggles. And as you 

say, it becomes easier to surrender rather than maintain consistency, but obviously the 

surrendering ends up causing more problems in the long run. A child learns that no doesn’t 

really mean no and the way to get that no to change to a yes is to act out. In other words, 

it reinforces the negative behavior.

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Best and Worst After-School Activities for Children with ADHD by D. Steven Ledingham

Best and worst after-school activities for children with ADHD Best after-school activities for children with ADHD Karate or tae kwon do These activities require intense mental and physical involvement so they tap into your child's need to immerse himself in an activity. They also provide positive role models, clear directions and rules, and peer interaction. Scouting Scouting is perhaps one of the best activities currently available for boys and girls with ADHD. Scouting includes many of the elements that can help your child to focus, including lots of physical stimulation, highly structured activities that make use of various learning styles, consistent peer interaction, close adult supervision, competition, and, most of all, fun. To really make scouting effective, consider becoming active in the troop and helping the scout leader get training in how to work with children who have ADHD. Team sports Baseball, basketball, football, soccer — nearly any team sport that's highly physical and requires total involvement can be a good choice for your child. Team sports offer him a chance to learn social skills and be around peer models, but make sure he finds a sport he's really interested in because learning the rules, taking turns, and cooperating with other kids can be difficult. Drama clubs or acting Being able to act out different characters and scenes is a terrific outlet for a child with ADHD. Model building, carving, woodworking, or mechanical activities Children with ADHD often love to solve problems or puzzles. Building models or making things out of wood or metal will help your child learn how to turn his ideas into concrete reality. Successfully completing a project where he has something solid and visible to show for it can be extremely rewarding to your child. Swimming Swimming requires physical effort and concentration, plus it's fun. Art classes or music Art and music are two great ways to help your child express himself. Just remember that it's not about how well he draws, sings, or plays an instrument; the most important thing is that he gets a chance to say something about himself. Worst after-school activities for children with ADHD Excessive television Current medical studies show that viewing a lot of violence and advertisements on television can hurt a child with ADHD. These children are ill-equipped to choose which messages to pay attention to. Also, watching TV is a passive, isolated activity that takes time away from developing important learning skills and social interactions, and from the physical exercise that children need to grow into healthy adults. Video games Research shows that these games reduce baseline brain activity in children with ADHD, causing them to continue to seek the reward of doing well in the game to compensate for the diminished dopamine levels in their brains that give them a sense of well-being. This is why some children with ADHD become addicted to video games and have trouble turning them off. Games with long waiting periods Any game or activity that involves long periods of inactivity, or a long sequence of steps to complete, can be tough for children with ADHD who just don't have the patience necessary to succeed at these games. Common examples include standing in long lines at amusement parks, complex card and board games, or physically demanding games where your child is on one of many teams who must wait long periods of time before starting to play. If your child wants to play a game that involves waiting in line or sitting patiently for long stretches, have snacks and small items that he can fidget with (a ball or toy) available, and be prepared to play a talking game or tell a story. What to think about when choosing activities for your child The best after-school activities for a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) make good use of his time, teach essential life skills, are educational, use surplus energy, are fun, and make him feel good about himself. Activities that are interesting to children with ADHD tend to have the following characteristics. Understanding these concepts will help you pick activities that are fun and beneficial for your child: Novelty Children with ADHD constantly crave novelty. Everything they see and hear seems equally valuable and deserves the same amount of attention. These children have difficulty isolating single events from all the others in their environment. Many try to compensate for this barrage of stimulation by focusing on the loudest, most exciting, or most novel event. For instance, if you watch an ADHD child channel surf, he'll stop only for the next gunshot, explosion, or attention-grabbing commercial. Activities that are fast-paced or very stimulating are usually best. Immersion Children with ADHD tend to think ahistorically, meaning they have a poor sense of past and future and primarily focus on the here and now. For instance, if your child had a great week at school but had a problem ten minutes ago, he'll focus on the problem and the bad feelings associated with it and may be unable to remember the successful week he's had. Conversely, if his week was filled with frustrations and failures yet ended with a success, your child will focus on the good feelings, making it difficult for him to learn from his mistakes. So the best activities are ones that require or allow for your child's complete physical and mental immersion. The more intense the activity, the better your child's chance of sustaining the attention necessary to complete the activity. Reward Many experts believe that children with ADHD experience Reward Deficiency Syndrome. This is because they don't produce enough of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which works to satisfy a person's natural need to feel safe and rewarded. Without enough dopamine, these children may feel more driven than other children to obtain recognition, praise, and reward. Activities that provide frequent praise and short-term recognition in the form of awards or healthy treats tend to be the most gratifying for them. Peer modeling Gaining acceptance and a sense of belonging are powerful motivators for children with ADHD. If your child has a history of getting into trouble and has made few friends, he may start to believe that maintaining friendships is impossible. Children learn to get along with their peers by watching each other and seeing how to look, talk, and act. If your child has no peer role models, he may become isolated and withdrawn. Team and group activities can help build your child's self-esteem and social development. Adult support Children with ADHD are often clumsy and may have trouble verbalizing their thoughts, controlling anger or moods, reading and following directions, and behaving appropriately. This can keep them out of many activities. As a way to cover up for these problems they may isolate themselves, refuse to play, or have angry outbursts. One way around this is to have a knowledgeable adult nearby who can offer support and positive encouragement. Choose activities overseen by someone who can praise and support your child, and provide him with the reassurance he needs to face new challenges. Physical activity A hyperactive child feels driven to keep some part of his body moving all the time, so let him do it! Physical activities are essential to your child's well being and also help his brain "normalize" in a way that allows him to focus, remain calm, and stay on task. Fun Children with ADHD will usually need more time completing homework and household tasks than non-ADHD children; they may even feel like they need to work all the time just to keep up while other kids get to have fun. But it's important for their happiness and well being to have a balance of work and fun in their lives. Don't make the mistake of denying your child fun activities until his work is done. Sign him up for a weekly class or activity and make having some fun a priority in his life. (Click here to link to this article.)

10 Keys to Conquering ADD in the Office by Sandy Maynard

10 Keys to Conquering ADD in the Office

Time management and organization help for adults who want to conquer ADHD at the office and advance at work.

If you're ready to climb the corporate ladder but feel like someone tore the steps to success out of your company handbook, don't worry. Women (and men) with attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD) often encounter procrastination, communication, and organization problems both professionally and personally, but that doesn't have to mean you're perpetually doomed to entry-level work.

ADHD can indeed cause problems at work, but here are ten ways you can conquer them:

1. Communicate Clearly

Ask questions to understand your assignment fully. Repeat directions that you are given to make sure you have heard them correctly. Ask for specific deadlines, so you know that what is being asked is really doable. If not, address the issue immediately. Do not wait until it is too late and you are forced to bring work home.

2. Get a Handle on Procrastination

Don't let perfectionism thwart your ability to get things done. Ask yourself how you can make it quick and simple. Try bulleting items in memos and calling instead of e-mailing.

3. Limit the Length of Phone Conversations

Time flies when we're on the phone. A call that should take five minutes can easily turn into 45. Preface each call with a time limit by starting out with, "Hi, Thomas. I have only five minutes, but I wanted to give you a quick call to let you know... " The person on the other end will most likely respond appropriately by making their comments short and to the point.

(click here to continue reading)

Great Website!

I found this website today and created a login and gave it a try. 

This is a GREAT website for playing brain games. 

Perfect for adults and kids alike. 

Give it a try!

Introduction (Part Three)

(Cont'd from Part One and Part Two)

This part of my story will be a sort of "fast-forward" through about 13 years. In a nutshell, many years went by without anything being done about the "supposed" but very suspected diagnosis. Fears such as, "What if the medication doesn't work?" or "What if things don't really change?" might have kept hubby from pursuing help. In the meantime, I began harboring resentment. Because, again, if he really cared more about me, he would go and get some help. (I was still living under the false pretense that a simple pill would cure all.) We were both acting out of selfishness and refusing to see our situation through the other's eyes. What I didn't understand then that I am beginning to understand today is that ADHD cannot be avoided or helped. The person with ADHD is not to be at the center of blame. ADHD is not something that will be outgrown, so this person will be dealing with this challenge for a lifetime to come. The person(s) who live with a diagnosed ADHDer cannot stick their head in the sand and take a "hands off" approach. Frustration will come, believe me, but keeping things in perspective is a must. There are days when it will be very difficult and there are days that will be very rewarding.

Another concept I am beginning to embrace is that ADHD doesn't have a "uniform". It can manifest itself in different ways within different people. The "box" doesn't exist. Therefore, treatments will vary in success as well. As we are in the beginning of the journey of diagnosis and treatment, patience for me is a must as we go through trials and studies and strategies. Hubby must find what works for him and I must learn that it is probably not going to be what works for me. It doesn't even have to make sense for me as long as it works for him and helps him to be successful.

As we move into testing in the next few weeks for our child, I am anxious, but maybe not for the reason you suspect. I am not anxious about the outcome as we are fairly certain of what that outcome will be. I am anxious about being the right kind of mom, gaining enough understanding and compassion to be able to be helpful and not hurtful, and strengthening our relationship rather than causing damage.

I feel as if I can't soak in enough information. I have four books on the way, I'm constantly scouring the internet for articles. I am learning, which I know is the first step for me. One thing I consistently find...ADHD is highly manageable given the right relationship with medical professionals who lead to successful strategies. Don't settle for anything less.

What You Need to Know About the Americans with Disabilities Act by ADDitude (Magazine) Editors

The Americans with Disabilities Act includes ADHD as a disability. Find out what it means for you.

What is the ADA?

The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, was established by Congress in 1990. The purpose of the law is to end discrimination in the workplace and to provide equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

What employers are covered by the ADA?

The ADA applies to businesses with 15 or more employees. This includes:

• private employers
• state and local governments
• employment agencies
• labor organizations
• and labor-management committees

Is ADHD included in the ADA?

Yes. The ADA provides for "mental" conditions or mental illnesses, but as with physical impairments, the diagnosis of a mental illness or mental impairment is not sufficient to qualify an employee for protection under the Act.

The following conditions must be met for ADHD to qualify for coverage:

• It must cause significant impact or limitation in a major life activity or function
• The individual must be regarded as having a disability
• The individual must have a record of having been viewed as being disabled.
• The applicant must also be able to perform the essential job functions with or without accommodations to qualify as an individual with a disability under the meaning of the Act.

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The Key to the Best Outcome by Dr. Edward Hallowell

The Key to the Best Outcome

People often ask me, “What’s the key to getting the best outcome in working with ADD?”

There is no one key.  Watch out for simplistic solutions and the people who offer them.  There is no one best remedy, there is no one best system, there is no one best medication or nutritional supplement.  And what works for one person will not necessarily work for you or your child.

However, having treated ADD in children and adults for over 25 years now, and having ADD as well as dyslexia myself, I can say with absolute certainty that while there is no one key, we do have a marvelous assortment of keys that open many of the doors untreated ADD can seem to close.  The doors to success, personal fulfillment, joy, health, and lifelong satisfaction.

“The key” is to find the various keys that work for you.


"The great mistake people make as they work with their ADD or their child’s is settling for less than the best outcome.  Please don’t make that mistake yourself." - Dr. Edward Hallowell


(Click here to continue reading this article.)

Introduction (Part Two)

(Cont'd from Part One...)

As I was driving home that day, I was trying to figure out a way to breach this subject and to let hubby know that I had made a new discovery and this would definitely solve all our problems! (Remember, I was also living in a "false" reality.) It was several days before I was able to approach hubby with my findings as communication wasn't our best feature. Most discussions ended up in a fight with me giving out a generous serving of the silent treatment (at least, until I felt better) and hubby internalizing more reasons why I must really regret having married him.

The conversation actually went much better than I expected. Hubby was also surprised to see the information I shared as he had struggled through school as a child, not understanding why school was so difficult. I could see the relief in his eyes as he began to catch just a tiny glimpse of the answers to some of his questions he'd carried for years. Hubby promptly made an appointment with our general doctor and was required to fill out a questionnaire. (Keep in mind, this was 15 years ago.)

Let me just insert here that it is SO important to be seen by the right type of doctor as the knowledge has grown immensely in the past 15 years, but it seems that many doctors still are not as knowledgeable as others when it comes to ADHD, be it diagnosing and/or treating.

Back to the doctor visit...The doctor flippantly agreed that hubby probably had ADHD, prescribed him a medication and sent him on his way. Hubby was told that he would need to call the doctor's office for refills on his medication as the doctor would only be able to prescribe 30 days at a time. That is all that was done for him that day.

Now, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that sending a person with ADHD home with a bottle of pills and telling them to take one each day and call in a month for a refill and actually expecting the person to do so is more than a high calling.  This would require the person with ADHD to remember on his/her own to 1.) take the daily medication and 2.) remember to call for a refill and 3.) be motivated to do all the above. Fifteen years ago, made perfect sense to me and if it was as simple as that, hallelujah, things were going to change!

It wasn't long until days went by without hubby taking his med and, um, about that call back to the doc for a refill...yeah, it never happened.

You see, what I understand today is that persons with ADHD (adults and children alike) need much more support than a prescription placed in their hand. They need explanation and understanding as to why they are the way they are. It is not their fault or stupidity at play, it is simply the way their brain is wired and it absolutely can't be helped. This is the first step in understanding for them. Another component to grasp is that ADHD is not something that will go away after a few rounds of meds. One may become successful without meds through other interventions, such as coaching, therapy, etc. Most importantly, a person with ADHD needs help in tackling daily challenges. The medication is not magic and is not a cure, but is a tool by which challenges can be faced head on when before, challenges were too overwhelming.

(To be cont'd...)

Keep reading:
Part Three

The ADHD Diagnostic Bubble by Manuel Mota-Castillo, MD

The ADHD Diagnostic Bubble.

“My hometown has this problem, when they don’t know what is wrong with your child, they say it is ADHD”(A frustrated mother)

“He will blurt things out; he does not know when it is time to joke around and when it is not… He will ask the silliest questions, like: What if an elephant can stand on mom’s head?” “What if a person comes out of a comic book, what would happen?”

With these words a Floridian mother described the behavior of the child whose story I chose to begin my debate over the inflated ADHD statistic. I perceive this case as a portrait of maternal courage and determination because when the question was:

Should I allow the school official to scare me or stand firm for my son’s well-being?

She opted for the latter and stopped the 30 mgs of Ritalin their pediatrician was prescribing for an alleged ADHD diagnosis that was actually made by the boy’s teacher. The busy physician didn’t hear the mother’s concerns about the worsening of behaviors, after the medication was started and decided to rely on the educator’s judgment. Frustrated but vindicated, the mother said:

“The school wanted him back on Ritalin. His teacher threatened to send him back every day that he misbehaved. I told her: do it!.”

Then she gave the following family history:
“His Dad is exactly like him… my father-in law has depression and on my side of the family, my mother had “manic-depression” and she died 3 weeks ago… my aunt has depression and my brother is a bad case of OCD.”

This boy’s Mental Status Examination showed an above average intelligence and good concentration. His artistic skills are evident in this drawing of a “new Picachu.”
After one sees a talented boy with a clearly elevated mood and a family history loaded with mood problems, the question is:

What kind of rationale could have been followed to diagnose a child like this with ADHD?


(Click here to continue reading this article.)

Introduction (Part One)

I am starting this blog as a place where those who are living with ADHD, either personally or along with a family member, can discuss the implications of what is actually considered a "disability". Naturally, as we all know, we deal with many frustrations, and I hope this place will be a positive blog where we can support each other, understand each other, and give each other helpful suggestions.

To begin with our story...My husband and I have been married for a little over 15 years. Our dating time was very short prior to engagement, and the engagement was mainly focused on wedding planning. We were very much in love and looking forward to starting a new life together. It wasn't too long after our wedding and honeymoon that the challenges of living together began to surface. It just seemed that life was a bit more difficult than we envisioned it would be as newlyweds. We quickly began to learn that we were pretty much opposites in just about every way possible. I am a Type-A personality and my husband is as non-Type-A as a person can be. Over the years, it's become a positive part of our marriage, but the growing pains to get here have been agonizing, at times.

As we began to navigate the new journey of marriage, we both found that our days were quickly filling with disappointments aimed at one another. I admit that we both expected way too much out of the other person and set ourselves up for disappointment, but things were beginning to occur that were very hard for me to digest. I began to use words like "lazy", "undependable", "forgetful", "messy". Before too long, I had a nice neat box, with hubby inside, labeled with all these traits, not sure how on earth I was going to survive a marriage with someone who obviously didn't care any more about me than this, because if he did, he would make a greater effort. In the meantime, being the extreme Type-A personality I was at the time, completely unable to control my tongue, I did not hold back in letting said hubby know about all my disappointments and unmet expectations. Walls began to go up, feelings were hurt quite often, and both of us were beginning to believe in a false view of the other person and our relationship. On the outside, we were an amazing couple, but on the inside, we were both crumbling.

It wasn't too long into our marriage that I attended a seminar regarding teaching children with ADHD. I felt like I had entered the "Twilight Zone" as the speaker up front was describing my hubby as if she knew him personally. When the checklist of traits often found in children with ADHD was passed around and we were told that 6-8 traits on the list might indicate the presence of ADHD, imagine my surprise when my hubby had almost ALL the traits. Any traits regarding "hyperactivity" did not apply to him, but the rest of my page was pretty much marked. I couldn't believe it!

(To be cont'd...)

Keep reading:
Part Two

Part Three