The “End Game” at School- its importance for children with ADHD

If you have a child in your family who has, or you suspect may have ADHD (ADD), and they are not currently getting the proper help with the disorder, there is obviously a problem that needs to be fixed.  It could be that they are on medication and it is not solving all the problems, or that the side effects of the medication are causing their own set of problems, or they are causing a compliance problem, or a combination of the above. It is also possible that no treatment is engaged and parents are employing strategies to help the child cope with the disorder, instead of correcting it, and this is not doing enough for the child to realize their true potential.

Although it may be clear that a solution is needed, what may not be obvious is the importance of the “end game” of the current school year for your child. How this school year ends is of critical importance to how the next school year will start, to both your child and your child’s teacher (both this years’ and next’s). Improvement at the end of the year shapes your child’s current teacher’s decision for advancement and classroom placement for the next year. It also shapes the comments this year’s teacher will make to the new teacher about your child’s perceived (not actual!) personality, intelligence (most children with this disorder actually have a higher than average I.Q., although the disorder can make it seem the opposite), attitude, and in some cases even the parent’s skill at parenting! These comments and reports are very powerful in shaping your child’s school experience next year.

Furthermore, when a child actually experiences that school is really getting better at the end of this year, they will transfer that confidence over onto the start of next year. This makes a tremendous difference in their self-expectations and level of success for the new year to come. Both this year’s teacher’s ending perception of your child, and its effect on next year, and the confidence “carry-over” from this year to the next, is why the “end game” of this school year is so important.

The way to actually make this very important “end game” successful is to actually correct the ADHD (ADD) now at the end of this school year. The most effective way to do this, and at the same time avoid the side effects, stigma, and life-long rigors of medication is through Neurofeedback Treatment.

By utilizing a treatment called Neurofeedback, a child can re-teach the sensory functions of the brain, including processing, to ameliorate the disorder.  Neurofeedback is a painless and effective process, where there is no side effects and no maintenance or re-training is needed after treatment is completed.  It allows for focus, task completion, organization, and a variety of other symptoms to be controlled and become the way they should be.

Please feel free to contact Alta Neuro-Imaging for additional information in regards to Neurofeedback, or to set up a consultation with Dr. Ferrari at his Placentia, CA office.

Parental Denial of the Possibility of ADD… A Common Reaction Actually Worsens Outlook

The parents of children suspecting of having ADD symptoms often deny even the possibility of testing, let alone treating, the disorder.  This denial is understandable, and may be seen as protective and well-intentioned.  However, it may make matters worse since it prevents finding out what the truth is; if the problem is there, it allows it to grow and worsen.

A number of reasons for this denial may exist.  One is an extension of a simple childhood fantasy: “If I don’t admit to it, it’s not really there”.  Even as adults, a lot of this “magical” thinking still goes on.

Another cause of denial is the “self-protective” one.  Some parents see any problems in their children as a reflection of themselves, and therefore something that is wrong in them or they did wrong as parents.  In children with ADD, this is not the case.  However, the urge to self-protect, even when misdirected, is a powerful one.

ADD is often hereditary.  This means that the parent could have ADD, too.  Often, parents compare their children to themselves, and so don’t see any problem, even if others do.  This prevents them from getting the best for their children.

The perceived solution to ADD may be seen as so terrible that it is best to exclude the possibility of the problem, therefore excluding the solution as well.  This solution- often seen as unavoidable in treating the problem- is usually Ritalin or another stimulant-based drug.  This concern is valid.  These drugs often have serious physiological and psychological side effects; and to control the ADD, must be taken for life.  However, it is imperative to know this is not the only solution!

Denial of ADD, although understandable, might actually make the problem worse.  What does this mean?  First, each academic year builds on the previous years’ foundation: the longer the testing and possible treatment is delayed, the increasingly harder school becomes.  Secondly, if children’s experience at school and elsewhere teaches them they are “not smart” (even if people with ADD tend to have higher than average intelligence), or are “trouble-makers”, they will gradually see themselves as such and act accordingly.  Finally, practicing denial teaches denial and the consequent hopelessness that are toxic to growth, achievement, and success for the child.

Medication is not the only effective treatment for ADD.  Neurofeedback is a treatment that corrects the problem for life, as well as adding a sense of self-determination and success for the child.  This method of treatment, a sub-type of biofeedback that utilizes EEG analysis to provide information on brain signaling activity, is an alternative to medication.  Neurofeedback mitigates the symptoms of ADHD in a beneficial and side-effect-free manner by re-focusing the thought processes of brain, ulimately alleviating the condition.

Difficulty at the Start of the New School Year?

For most parents, the new school year brings the feeling of accomplishment and pride of seeing their children grow and mature in aptitude, knowledge, and social skills. For some parents, however, it only brings long nights of homework, calls from the teacher, frustrated and discouraged children, and parenting fights about whose fault “all of this” is. There is also the pain of watching your child sink into believing they are not smart, are a “bad boy or girl”, or are not worth much. No parent or child should ever have to experience this.

A typical school year requires sustained attention, sitting quietly, and refined social skills. Some children are not capable of this. A mother recently told me, “I’m worried… Sammy is having such an awful time in school this year.” Sammy is being grounded in the classroom with no recess because he is behind in his work. “We are constantly doing homework and he is still behind,” she continued. To add to his academic problems, Sammy is spending most of his time at school in social isolation; even when he is free from being “grounded” in the classroom, he is the last one picked for teams and the first one to be teased.

A very significant possibility exists that the conditions described above (some or all) are being caused by a disorder called ADD or ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder). This disorder is caused by a minor neurological imbalance (not parenting style!) and, for the vast majority of those with ADHD, can be corrected relatively easily. What makes the aforementioned tragic self-image even more unacceptable is that fact that the opposite is usually true. Individuals with ADHD (ADD) typically have a higher than average IQ and, although sometimes hidden behind the disorder, a very pleasant disposition.

Whenever such problems are occurring, it is extremely important to determine if ADHD is behind them as soon as possible. Don’t wait until your child’s first report card to initiate testing or treatment. By then, your child is already significantly behind. If there’s one thing harder for a child with ADHD than school, it is the downward sliding struggle to catch up.

Unfortunately, many parents of children with ADHD, or those who suspect it might be present, avoid testing and treatment because of their understandable dread of what they think must be the inevitable “drug” solution. Fortunately, for most individuals, there is a much better alternative.

This treatment is called neurofeedback, an effective, drug-free, painless procedure in which the child learns to re-train the attention mechanisms of the brain, alleviating the condition. Once training is completed, no further treatment is necessary.

Common Questions Regarding Attention Deficit Disorder

There are many misconceptions and questions regarding Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD, ADHD).  The following are some of the more common ones I hear in my practice:

1.  “How can I tell if my child has ADD?”

        There are a lot of misinformation and uniformed opinions available about this disorder, and unfortunately it may often even come from people who are supposed to know.  Most people think in terms of symptoms, and this is logical as it is  real world problems a person experiences that gets our attention and matters the most.  However, these should not be used as the determining criteria as to whether or not the disorder is present in a person.  There are other problems that can cause ADD symptoms, which are often missed, and if an assumption is made that ADD is present without the proper testing, a big problem can occur.  In misreading the real cause of the child’s symptoms, and assuming it is ADD, one can miss finding and correcting the true underlying cause(s).  This unfortunately happens frequently.  The only objective way to determine if someone’s symptoms are truly coming from ADD is to examine the underlying neurological processes and see if the misalignment that causes the disorder is actually present.  This can be done easily through a simple form of testing by the proper professional.

2.  “Does my child have to be hyperactive to have ADD or ADHD?”

        No, there are actually three distinct forms of the disorder: Primarily Inattentive, Hyperactive-Impulsive, and Combined Form (a combination of the first two forms).  Hyperactivity as a symptom is not uncommon, but certainly not necessary for the disorder to be present.  The inattentive form of the disorder is quite prevalent.

3. “Is medication the only effective form of treatment for ADD/ADHD?”

        The common serious side-effects and rigors of medication unfortunately cause many parents to deny even the possibility of the disorder’s presence in their children.  As a result, proper testing and, in most cases, relatively easy treatment of the disorder does not take place and the child is left to unnecessarily struggle and often fail both academically and socially.  There is a highly successful, side-effect free treatment option (which we shall discuss later).

4.  “My child has been doing fine until she hit third grade.  Now, all of a sudden, she is struggling.  Can ADHD come on out of nowhere like this?”

        While the sudden onset of the disorder is possible, particularly when there is some type of brain trauma, in most cases what is being described here is a case where ADHD has always been present, but the effects are now starting to manifest.  The high intelligence typically found with the disorder can mask its effects until the cumulative complexity of material being learned and/or the increasing abstractness of the subjects (math for example) finally catches up with them and becomes overwhelming.  This is one of the points at which it can really come to a parents’ attention, although earlier testing and treatment is very important.

As we mentioned earlier, there is an important alternative to medication in the treatment of this disorder.  Neurofeedback is a drug and side-effect free procedure in which the individual learns to retrain the attention mechanisms of the brain, alleviating the condition.  Once training is completed, no further treatment is necessary.