ADHD And ODD

Have you tried visiting with a nutritionist. I have heard some parents experienced some improvement with ADHD symptoms by shifting the nutrition of their child. I have a health and wellness business and have heard of other parents who have used Omegerin with good quailty supplements.

You have good instincts to be against medication... it won't solve any problem and the meds they use are dangerous and could be deadly. I know a lot of families that went to a chiropractor for ADHD and ODD and their kids got better! The kids who were taking meds got off their meds. Please give it a try.

I have a son who has impulsive issues -he is 4 yo. Also diagnosed with a rare chromosome order (I requested the genetic testing to try and understand why he had mild low tone issues - none of the doctors expected to see anything has he exhibited no syndrome type characteristics). Make a long story short, our pediatric neurologist recommended that we do another genetic test as things have improved so much within the past 3 years. That came back with a gene that is missing which is usually associated with ADHD and OCD behaviors due to an overabundance of glutamate. This basically causes the body to respond in a fight or flight mode all of the time - which our son was always in 'fight' mode. He is now on a blood pressure medicine called clonidine. It has worked wonders. As a matter of fact, we just put it to the test since we ran out of medicine and he went without for a few days. The experience was miserable. He was EXTREMELY aggressive, difficult, wandered off from home, was yelling and belligerent at school, etc. I had people 'suggest' medicine for over a year before finally doing this. I think the idea of using a blood pressure medicine helped me not to feel that I was drugging our son. Also, having a way to biologically try to understand what was going on, and why the medicine was helpful, really helped also. (basically the medicine helps regulate the glutamate so he is not in 'fight' mode). Once we got the point were he was impacting our family life, school could not control him, he was being alienated from his peers, I realized that we needed to take it to the next level. We also do OT with a focus on sensory integration. Something else you might want to consider. Good luck and know you are not alone! Feel free to email me directly if I can be of any other help.

I met this therapist/activist who has ADHD herself and has great non-drug techniques for dealing with it and who can also put you in touch with the local ADHD type support groups.

Gretchen May, MA Living with ADD/ADHD
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50 Pine St,
Manchester, MA 01944

You might also try high dose omega 3 essential fatty acids which are the marine fish oils. A lot of ADHD kids and adults find those very helpful in helping them focus and in helping them control their impulsivity. Also be sure you have removed all food colorings from your child's diet. There is research showing that they increase hyperactivity in children - no strange blues, greens, yellows or reds. Those food colorings are often made from coal tar. Make sure you have eliminated any nutrisweet/aspartame from the diet - no low fat drinks or cookies etc because that is a neurotoxin. High fructose corn syrup can also cause some children to react and that is hidden in a high number of prepared foods, spaghetti sauses, catsup etc. You have to read the labels. Some people also react to MSG. You may have to go on line to research some of this stuff as I could write a book about it, but there is a lot of well researched stuff out there. Some children are also sensitive to milk products or gluten grains. A good nutritionist can help you with a detox diet for your family if you decide to go that way. Sometimes there are amazing differences in behaviors when you remove food sensitivities. But you have to realize that food sensitivities are different than allergies. Your pediatrician may run an allergy test and say your child has no allergies. That does not mean that he won't react to a food he may have a sensitivity to. There are certainly a lot of avenues for you to explore. But in general making sure you are not feeding your son a lot of pre-prepared foods and boosting his omega 3 fatty acids may get you a long way in seeing an encouraging change.

Dr. E.

L.: I have an 8 year old son with ADHD/ODD who was diagnosed about 18 months ago. I too tried everything without medication and nothing really worked because my son just couldn't control himself. I don't know how much research you have done but studies show that multi-modal treatments are the most successful - so that means meds. Have you asked your son what he thinks? I asked my son and he told me he knew he wasn't behaving but just couldn't stop himself.

He has been on meds for almost a year and has improved tremendously. The behavior therapy is more helpful because he actively participates. My husband was against meds too. But he has no problem giving him his asthma meds so I got him to agree. I don't believe he'll be on meds forever as I believe he will be able to learn those life skills and won't need meds forever.

C.

I too have ADD undiagnosed as a kid and self medicated with drugs and alcohol. Clearly not something I want my son to do.

We also use reward charts on and off depending on his interest and they are useful too. There are also groups on yahoo that you might find helpful. There are lots of parents who are willing to help. There even is a no med group too. I believe they use strict diets and supplements.

I'd you want to talk privately please send me a note privately with your email and I'd be happy to help!

Hi L.,

Tons of information is available about these conditions. I suggest that you look further for a knowledgeable pediatrician and helpful therapist. The mamas on this list will be helpful too.

Have you done an Internet search on the topic because many popular magazines like Parents, have articles often.

I know several adults who take the meds and have no problem, so keep an open mind. Two books for adults that might help you understand this complicated issue: Driven to Distraction and Delivered from Distraction.

I absolutely agree with Joanne and i completely support your desire to handle this without medications! There are probably some behavioral things you can do but it also sounds like the situation is pretty severe. I have many friends including some early childhood educators who have seen a huge increase in the number of cases as well as severity of ADD/ODD cases. It definitely has some envirionmental causes but the research seems to indicate nutritional deficiencies. Even if we "eat right" we just can't because our foods are so depleted from being grown in poor soils with lots of fertilizers that make them ripen artificially before the full complement of nutrientts are developed. One post mentioned fish oils - Omega 3s are an important source for brain development. However, trying to play "amateur chemist" by mixing and matching a lot of separate ingredients such as vitamins and DHA and fish oils is complicated. You would be very pleased, I think, to talk to friends of mine who get a scientifically formulated and balanced food supplement for kids which is making a tremendous difference in their lives with their kids' ADD/ODD. They have a huge support network of people across the country who work with you to achieve these results - for free. You just pay for the supplement, which you would do anyway by purchasing a bunch of things separately and just hoping they are in the right proportion. I've never seen a company do so much to help parents out. One of my friends is a kindergarten teacher whose teen had severe ADD, and he did well enough on the children's product to get his driver's license without using drugs to focus. Another friend put his 7th grader on it, and I know of about 15 adults who have also had results. The kindergarten teacher's husband has a huge file of people who will share their stories by phone with anyone wishing to hear first-hand of life-changing results. He's got ADD and ODD contacts and a ton of info from his own years of dealing with this stuff. I'd be happy to connect you with them. Good luck.

I don't have any kids with ADHD or anything, but I have heard that often times hypnosis or acupuncture can help children with those types of issues. It's a natural alternative to medication. Good luck finding what works for your son and your family.

Hi L.,
I'm sorry to hear about your struggle. Your in a tough place. I can't really give you advice, but I can tell you my story. Hopefull it helps. I have a 14 year old daughter that struggles with ADHD. As A small child it had it's benifits and downfalls. I never had to worry about a change in plans upsetting her because she was always off to the next task. Punishment was tough, I recall sitting on my knees holding her hands on the wall for her time-outs. Well that didn't work she would just sing. Her attention was so short and the imagination so large she would sit and play house with her fingers. I went to the right doc's and read all the books. I felt meds were just an easy way out. Well that changed when she hit the 2nd grade. She was so behind that they wanted her to stay back. She also had no friends. I broke down and tried the meds. With in 2 months she could read. She started making friends as well. I only use the meds for school, nothing on weekends or breaks. It helps her to learn to deal with this on her owns as well as reducing tolerance. I also was tested a few years ago and my neuro doc laughed at the end and asked how I functioned. I told him with lots of lists and check boxes. I was started on concerta and take if when at work. It's helped leaps and bounds. There's no room for check boxes as an ED nurse. I'm also back in school and have made deans list all year. I think back and wonder how I made it through my ADN program.

Hi L.,

My son has also been diagnosed with ADD, OCD, ODD and the list goes on. Much like you, we tried several different therapists without any luck until one suggested a program called “Collaborative Problem Solving” which is run by Dr. Ross Greene. Dr. Greene has a practice in Newton Center and is the author of a book entitled “The Explosive Child”. Here is their website: http://www.explosivechild.com/ This is the only program that has helped us and provided us the understanding to help our son. He has been in the program for over 4 years now and things are much better. It takes a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it. Not sure this is exactly what you need, but thought I would pass it along. Best of luck!

Hi, I understand and feel for your situation. I have 3 children and my boys seemed to be ADHD/ADD. I would like to take a moment and commend you for going outside the box. It seems that just dealing with the ADHD & ADD was never enough. This involves the family. I feel from personal experience it is much more than a issue mentally or physically. I imagine everyone is uncomfortable with the terms of the ADHD & ODD. I am certain your child probably is going through the there's something wrong with me or I am not good enough or even the problem is me and this could make it harder for him to even want to hear anything else. The hardest thing to accept is that it doesn't change over night and time is of the essence. Please look into natural foods, diets and relaxation techniques to help as well, and do your best to not make your child feel like it is just him, it is an embalance that is not his fault. I made the mistake of constantly saying you need your medicine to help you and really this was true, but life offers many other options to keep the normality of the situation which makes being normal seem normal. I am sure you love your child and give your best effort and good job, I know that can seem almost impossible. Here is a few suggestions I learned along the way to help with his I don't want to attitude. Keep him responsible and offer a responsible approach. I made contracts, give and take setting. My son responded well and it seemed like he felt like he even enjoyed the responsibility of growing up. I also found that getting on his level helped. Not being the big bad parent was best. I highly recommend keeping the circumstances between you (Mom & Dad) and your son, it may seem like a pandemic, but it doesn't need to be the tabloids. I mean that children get very embarrassed, enough to get angry, irratated or rebellious to you-which is whom is trying to help or someone else that could be helping. I simply went through this and see how important it is to have respect for issues that should be resolved within you and your son. It doesn't mean that getting advise or dealing with counseling(behavioral/phycologicalor and whatever is needed),but expansion of that could be harmful(the venting is what I mean, talking with friends and family-my son did this/that or even I am stressed-please get what you need just respecting boundaries is very crucial. Also getting everyone involved for support (Mom, dad, siblings) is very important and goes a long way. I can't say much more than that and wish it was more. Believe me most people I think just shrug it off because they can offer medicine or say its an hour, but whats important is what you take with you and of course never give up. I also recommend a drastic approach and then an earn back approach if he is really not cooperating. I would take all the goodies (game boys, wii, big toys,etc) away and pack it up, find out what is most important to him and have him earn it back. I also recommend never involving family time as a punishment. If you plan to go out for a birthday pary, dinner, the movies or even just spend the day together-please don't threaten to take that from them. That time is for family and is most important. But if a child is not behaving then you can say we can leave and go home, that is important because children should be enjoying the time and if getting in trouble is whats happening perhaps its time to leave. Good luck and I hope everything works out for the best for all of you.

Hi L.,

I am a practitioner of the Davis Attention Mastery Program for ADD/ADHD. It is a medication-free alternative for ADD/ADHD. There is a book that I would highly recommend that describes, in a very common-sense way, what is happening for ADHD kids and there are some great exercises in there that might help. It is called The Gift of Learning by Ronald D. Davis. Even though it sounds like the main difficulty is behavioral, rather than learning, this book could really help you understand your son!

K.
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Hi L.
You must be so frustrated with the Dr.s by now. I'm sure the stress levels run high with a little one on top of that and relocating.
I have 2 friends whose children have ADHD and rages and have had great results with a food supplement. Safe effective and best of all NO DRUGS!!
Love to share.
J. h

Have you tried supplementing with fish oils? These are crucial for brain development and behavior. There are natural supplements & herbs to look into before going to medication as well. Also evaluate how much sugar/refined foods and white flour are in his diet, these have a huge impact on behavior problems in children(and adults). Also artificial flavors & MSG are associated with behavioral problems. We really are very affected by the foods we put in our bodies: behavior/learning problems are related to what we eat.
Good Luck

Hi L., I am so sorry you folks are dealing with this. I can suggest a wonderful psychologist, Dr. Richard LeBel, whose specialty is children with issues like your son's. He is a Diplomate in School Psychology and American Board Professional Psychology and has a resume a mile long, having been in practise many years. Dr. LeBel now sees patients in his beautiful home on Chestnut Street in Salem. He is a gentle, kind and caring man and so loves to help children. Please give him a call at ###-###-#### and be sure to tell him that I referred you to him. I wish you all the best. E. Taft

There is a great team now in Boston connected to a program called www.thinkkids.org. They are holding a parent training on their philosophy on June 5th. They use a collaborative problem solving model. Honestly, it is the most helpful advice I have ever gotten. If you can't attend the training they have great books. One is "Lost at School." The other is "Treating Explosive Kids." I think there is another as well. Here is a link to a great handout to get you started. http://www.fcbcsupport.org/pdf/caregiverhandout.pdf
They are associated with the foundation for children with behavioral challenges. That website is http://www.fcbcsupport.org/
the best part is that this all takes place right here in Boston and Needham so you can get local help. There are "baskets" meetings where parents meet and discuss how to help their kids. Good luck!

L., have you ever heard of homeopathy? It has profoundly healed my son. I recommend Paul Herscu, ND out of Enfield, Connecticut. The commute is worth it. He's the best when it comes to children's issues. You can look him up at www.nesh.com which is his homeopathic school website. Go to Patient Info. Best wishes, R. Kay

I have had these same issues with my daughter since she was about 3. She was diagnosed with ADHD with ODD. She was eventually put on medication which did help, but I have wanted to take her off of the meds for some time now. We just recently completed the Dinasaur and Parenting group through our doctors office and it has made a huge difference. If it is offered in your area, I highly recommend it. The Dinasaur group is for children and teaches them behavioral modification and how to better deal with their emotions. The parenting group helps parents learn new and better ways to deal with their childs behavior. It is well worth the time and we have seen a huge difference in behavior.