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.