CAUSES OF ADD
There are many things to consider when diagnosing ADD (ADHD or ADLD). The following easily cured problems often disguise themselves as Attention Deficit Disorder. Before a child is given chemical intervention with behavior masking drugs, all the following hyperactivity triggers need to be tested and ruled out:
1. A diet full of sugar and caffeine.
2. Boredom due to high IQ
3. Learning Related Visual Impairment
4. Hearing impairment.
5. Hand to brain motor impairment.
6. Hypoglycemia and Diabetes
7. Inadequate parental discipline
8. Sensitivity to Preservatives
9. Poor Classroom Environment
10. Family Upheaval
Children with either chemical or genetic imbalances will react strongly to categories #1 and #8. They will show classic symptoms of ADD (ADHD). The default treatment currently is to use behavior masking stimulant drugs such as Ritalin to suppress the symptoms rather than delete the trigger. This sets the child up for an explosion either from inadvertent drug withdrawal when medicine doses are not administered properly, or when the child builds up a resistance to the behavior masking drugs.
Like any other addiction, the sensitive child must be trained to ingest the proper, non trigger foods, for the rest of his life. This sensitivity will ALWAYS be there. With guidance and proper nutrition the child can overcome the problem. Live a normal productive life.
ADD SENSITIVITY TRIGGERS
1. A diet full of sugar and caffeine
A child should not be put on drugs until all other possibilities have been ruled out. Sugar and Caffeine are the single most common triggers of ADD (ADHD & ADLD) behavior in children. The first step in assessing a child’s true behavior is to delete ALL sugar and caffeine from his diet. Some children can handle the additional glucose and stimulant in the system, children that exhibit ADD symptoms many times are just suffering a negative drug reaction to personal overdoses of sugar and caffeine. When the child’s system is “CLEANED OUT”, many times the ADD type behavior completely disappears. See case studies.
2. Boredom due to high IQ
Second most common false ADD symptom is the child who has an IQ level much more advanced than the curriculum being studied at his grade level in school. This causes boredom, and in many cases among bright children, misbehavior. The child’s brain is not fully occupied, so they think of other activities to amuse themselves. Many times when a child is far ahead of his classmates mentally, he is taunted and called stupid. This is because the grade level classmates can’t understand what the brighter child is talking about. His concepts are too advanced, and fly right over the other children’s heads.
In this case the solution is to get the child into an appropriate curriculum, or home teach the child so he can move at a more aggressive academic pace. Children capable of absorbing great amounts of information quickly often show irritability in the classroom, and are impatient with the teacher when the teacher is forced to proceed at a pace more appropriate for the lowest common denominator in the classroom. See case studies.
3. Learning Related Visual Impairment
A visual impairment has been discovered that causes extreme discomfort when the affected individual is reading. The symptoms are extremely substandard reading scores, restive hyperactivity during reading periods, and reading with the head at an awkward angle. The affected child may score a perfect 20/20 on a regular vision test, and still seem to be almost incapable of learning to read. This can be assessed by administering the Comprehensive Learning Related Vision Exam. This exam tests eye movement control, focusing near to far, sustaining clear focus, eye teaming ability, depth perception, visual motor interaction, form perception and visual memory.
The good news is that children that have this problem are easily helped and in many cases have jumped two to four reading grade levels immediately as well as ceasing the misbehavior during reading time. They can go from “Bozo” to “Brilliant” almost overnight. See case studies.
4. Hearing impairment.
In spite of the fact that hearing impairment is such an obvious cause of Attention Deficit Disorder, many times it is overlooked. The child may be masking his disability well. Generally the child will be accused of not listening in class, “not paying attention”. For the child with the hearing disorder it is too much effort to hear the teacher over all the ambient noise of a crowded classroom and the child “checks out”. A hearing test is a must for all children thought to be ADD. The proper hearing aid, and/or special Ed class is an immediate cure for this problem. See case studies.
5. Hand to brain motor impairment.
There is a rarely diagnosed, but common, disability that causes the signal to become garbled between a child’s hand and his brain. The prime symptom also is considered a prime symptom of ADD. It is bad handwriting. The child grips the pencil desperately, awkwardly forming the letters, only to leave out whole words from his sentences. The parent of this child is told his child is “lazy”, must work harder. “Could do it if he tried”.
Testing for this motor control disability can be administered along with the rest of the tests used by resource specialists to diagnose ADD (ADHD). Many times however it is not included. A parent must insist on it. The child that does have this synapse disconnection will fly forward in accomplishment if allowed to work on computer. On computer he does not have to construct the letters, he merely has to hit the key. This is an immediate F to an A+ in many cases. See Case studies.
6. Hypoglycemia and Diabetes
Here are two of very common causes of ADD “TYPE” behavior. The child’s body cannot deal with the amount of sugar in his system. He will experience highs just after eating and then severe lows. Sometimes, in the case of Diabetes, the child will sleep incessantly. Actually passing out from sugar consumption after meals.
The child will not be able to control his emotions, crying over trivial matters at a much later age than his peers. Frequently this child is labeled a “Cry Baby”. If the child’s system is sensitive to sugar, whether due to a chemical disorder in the front of his brain or a genetic burp on the chromosome string, the child MUST be given an altered dietary intake. The system must be cleaned out and the parents must be very vigilant when shopping to see that the child does not ingest any foods that are double whammied with sugar.
The child should also be allowed more small meals rather than three large “amp out” meals a day. This will help to stabilize his frail system.
The Diabetic child must be diagnosed and receive the proper medical care. A borderline diabetic will not show the severe symptoms of the more classic Diabetic. Diabetes and hyperglycemia are often misdiagnosed as ADD.
Proper diagnosis, trigger identification, is a much preferable solution than putting a child on behavior masking drugs that will stifle his appetite, stunt his growth and cause him to behave like a zombie. The Diabetes or Hypoglycemia will still be there, and in spite of the behavior masking drugs, eventually rear it’s cataclysmic head. Then the cure might be much more difficult than an early diagnosis.
The Detox from the behavior masking drugs is harsh. Children have gone berserk as they build up resistance to the drugs. They continually need higher and higher doses. There have been cases of children in “Ritalin DT’s” stabbing others in the classroom with scissors and/or having to be hospitalized. Is this the right solution when the child could be virtually cured by simple changes in his or her diet or education?
7. Inadequate Parental Discipline
In this day of academic disciplinary restraint, many times the only course open to a school to solve the problem of a school bully or “rabble rouser” is to try to get the child moved onto a behavior masking drug such as Ritalin. The school justifies the detriment of turning one child into a zombie for the greater good of the rest of the students.
The parent has to fairly assess his in home discipline. If the child ignores “no” at home, then he also will at school. If the child is noisy and ill behaved at the supermarket, if the parent has no control, nor will the school.
The parent must decide if they want to drug their child, or are willing to enter into some “tough love” parenting seminars in order to correct the discipline problem. See case studies.
Often the root cause of a child diagnosed with ADD (ADHD) is lack of parental discipline. This is usually a parent who says no to a child, but changes it to yes if the child screams or behaves in an irrational manner. These parents are usually afraid of the “scene” their child is making, and give in to quiet the child to save face with onlookers.
Unfortunately, early on a child realizes he can get anything he wants by making a scene. Essentially, the parent has taught his child to scream. This behavior is completely unacceptable in the school environment. The school, however, has little or no recourse against a child used to getting his way at all costs. Many times the solution for the school is to try to get the child on a behavior masking drug. This calms him down in the classroom, and allows the other children around him to learn. A small sacrifice for the good of the majority.
Each parent knows in their heart whether “No is No’ or if they allow their child win by misbehavior. The deprogramming is not pleasant, but can be accomplished with a good support group of parents and grand parents.
This deprogramming is imperative in order to give the child the tools he will need to succeed in the “REAL WORLD”.
8. Sensitivity to Preservatives
This sensitivity usually goes hand in hand with sugar and caffeine sensitivity. There is a comprehensive test that can be given to identify all the substances that a child’s body reacts to. If diagnosed with preservative sensitivity the parent has a choice. Get all the offending foods out of the home, and De tox the child, or put the child on a behavior masking drug such as Ritalin. The best way to heal the child is to delete the offending foods.
9. Poor Classroom Environment
Most teachers are well trained and passionate about their careers. otherwise they would not be teachers. Unfortunately sometimes a teacher is unable to maintain order in n overcrowded classroom, and the quality of teaching suffers. Young children do very poorly in a learning environment that is chaotic.
Due to a lack of adequate discipline recourse, there is also much more verbally abusive language and actions in the classroom today than in the past. If a child is showing poor performance at school, the parent should sit in on some classes and judge for themselves if they feel their child is in a truly nurturing learning environment, or merely trapped for six to eight hours in chaos.
10. Family Upheaval
When a family goes through a traumatic experience such as death or divorce it is not uncommon for a child to misbehave. This is an expression of his grief. At this time the child needs psychological support, not behavior masking drugs. Usually when the “dust settles” the child, if properly nurtured, will resume his older behavior.
Many time the parents trigger the misbehavior by venting their anger at a departing spouse on the child. The child passes on that anger on the school yard. It’s unfortunate that in many divorces the children are used as sounding boards for both parent’s anger with the other. this is information that they are not psychologically strong enough to absorb or process.
In summary, many times it’s easier for the school to encourage the parent to put the child on ADD behavior masking medication, than to address whatever is the root of the child’s misbehavior problem. If a child is bringing candy bars to school in his lunch, and subsequently freaking out in 4th period, the school has to take action.
If the parents and the school don’t see the connection between the candy bars eaten at lunch and the misbehavior, or if the parents refuse to delete the offending sugar, the child may be misdiagnosed as ADD by the school out of defense for the other students. Many times it’s easier to cave in and just drug the child than to take the child off his current drug, the candy. See Case studies.
This book is written for the parent who doesn’t want to turn his child into an undersized zombie for the rest of his life. The parent who’s willing to bite the bullet and take simple procedures and implement them so they can help build a happy productive human being.
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