Anyone asking the question, “Does my child have ADD?” is already in a vulnerable state. Usually, behind that question is a problem with a child’s behavior or development, and a good portion of parental worry. Attention Deficits are scary to contemplate because ADD has been defined as an invisible disability involving genetic impairment of brain function. That’s a lot to contemplate. So please take a slow breath, calm yourself, and make a strong determination to find the answers you need to improve the situation.
First, some background: Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were added to the official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association about 20 years ago. The DSM lists of symptoms include “fidgeting, squirming, blurting out answers, getting up from a seat at school, running around.” But please note: psychiatric diagnoses change and shift with cultural perceptions. Until its removed in 1974, for example, homosexuality was listed as a mental health disorder. Therefore, while the DSM can offer useful diagnostic guidelines to clinicians, it does not necessarily describe hard and fast “diseases.” If a person has diabetes, there is a definite test to confirm the diagnosis. But no definitive diagnostic test exists for ADD/ADHD. ADD testing consists mostly of history-taking and assessment - educated judgment calls – but not concrete medical tests. California researchers discovered that, after observing children at play, neither psychologists, pediatricians, social workers, teachers, nor parents could agree about which school children were, or were not, hyperactive.
If your child is exhibiting ADD/ADHD behavior, there are four proven causes that lie outside the realm of mental or emotional health: 1. caffeine intake, 2. thyroid problems, 3. inadequate Omega 3 or Vitamin B-6 levels, and 4. food and/or artificial food coloring sensitivities. Your doctor can rule out thyroid problems with a simple test. You can observe patterns behavior after your child consumes caffeinated beverages. To test for food sensitivities (generally to milk, wheat, nut, or corn products) simply take your child’s pulse 1 minute before and no more than 10 minutes after consumption of a potential offender. If the pulse rises after consumption, forgo the food and watch for improvement. Research by Dr. Feingold, involving thousands of children, indicates that, about 50% of the time, “hyper-activity” symptoms will disappear when artificial colorings are removed from their diets.
Once you have ruled out the factors above, if symptoms persist, you are likely dealing with behavior that our society identifies as ADD and “treats” with psychiatric drugs, including Ritalin, an amphetamine which the US Drug Enforcement Agency classifies as a “highly addictive substance.” Ritalin controls ADD/ADHD symptoms in about 66% of cases, but this relief comes at a price. First, the child is being implicitly told that there is something wrong with his or her ability to control their impulses. Second, on average, children taking Ritalin will lose 2% of their overall growth. Third and worst, researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have linked Ritalin to chromosomal damage and increased risk for cancer. Ritalin is a drug sold to desperate parents, who may not be fully informed.
In the summer of 2008, Dr. Joseph Biederman and other leading researcher-advocates of ADD/ADHD and child bi-polarity diagnoses were brought before congress and asked to explain their failure to report $7 million of grants that they received from pharmaceutical companies. This money was given to them during the same time that they were taking public monies from the National Institutes of Health. This legal and ethical failure has led to the disgrace of these scientists and invalidated their research. If only someone would tell the public. But oddly, it seems that corruption in medical research, while widely reported in reputable journals like JAMA, remains “hidden in full view.” Many well-intentioned people - including busy doctors, teachers, and clinicians - still “believe” like Tinkerbelle that ADD is a “disability” best managed by psychiatric drugs.
If your child is exhibiting behavioral or emotional problems that cannot be ruled out by nutritional or thyroid problems, chances are very high that the child’s situation is a case of ‘the elusive obvious:’ The child has a problem with sizable behavior or emotional management that needs to be faced and fixed. Seen in this light, ADD and ADHD symptoms are very real indeed - but not evidence of a “genetic brain disorder.”
Please consider the following perspective about ADD/ADHD behavior: Children who exhibit ADD or hyperactivity symptoms have a failed to develop a positiv, and secure sense of Self. Their inappropriate hyper or out-of-tune behavior is the result of an absence of self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-esteem. Without a healthy sense of self, the inner world of any human soon becomes chaotic. People who are shaky about their core value tend to be frightened on a very deep level. They invade others’ boundaries because they have no appropriate sense of where one person ends and the other begins. They are prone to anxiety and low-self esteem as they move in and out of negative emotional states, impulsively expressing frustration and inner desperation with their inappropriate behavior. Is it any wonder that a person lacking a secure sense of self will be unable to handle the natural flow of youthful energy? Children with a healthy sense of self have learned to put their inner energy to good use - by doing, making, creating, learning, and developing themselves. ADD/ADHD children instead spin out of control and often into trouble.
Fortunately, family members, teachers, and professionals can help children to form more secure identities. With patient guidance, positive role-modeling, sensory connection, and compassionate encouragement, youngsters can begin to reflect upon their more positive attributes and bring their preferences, skills, and value into focus. As they learn to appreciate themselves, on the inside, where it counts, these children will move away from ADD/ADHD behaviors, toward self-possession and self-acceptance – and the ADD symptoms then fall away like dead skin.
