ADHD, Trichotalomania and Sensory Integration Disorder

Vanderbilt is doing a lot of excellent work with children with the types of problems you describe.

Get a second opinion if you feel what you have now 'isn't right' somehow.

PLEASE don't try to take a child off any psychoactive medication without medical supervision. This can cause more problems ~ these things need to be tapered off.

Trich is a side effect of most of the medications that you named. If they can get the meds straightened out, she will stop pulling out hairs. My best friend went through the EXACT same thing. I think it was Concerta that he was taking at the time.

My daughter and oldest son both have sensory integration disorder. But theirs is opposite of your daughter's. Everything bothered them when they were little. They both pulled their socks up so hard they ripped, they tied and untied their shoes multiple times before they were just right. That usually meant "so tight it cut off the circulation." Certain clothes, sheets, etc. just didn't feel right. For the most part we just dealt with each thing as it occured and they eventually grew out of most of it.

But your daughter seems to be going the other direction... Things don't "feel" enough. She can't quite feel or satisfy a sensation need, so she keeps doing whatever it is to keep up the sensation. Maybe a food allergy could be a small part of her hyperactivity. Sometimes their insides itch and they can't fix it so they just keep moving to sort of overide the feeling. And anxiety can be a part of it, of course. Maybe a resulting symptom of her inabilty to satisfy her need to physically feel certain sensations. Certain sensations that don't seem right to us may actually be soothing to her. Her brain may interpret physical things differently than most people would.

Have you ever had a strange itch or prickly feeling inside that you just couldn't place? You didn't know exactly where it was coming from so you couldn't do anything to stop it. That may be part of her hyperactivity. Her brain can't tell what sensation she is supposed to be feeling and when enough is enough. The "wiring" of her brain is different than most. That's where occupational therapy comes in. She has to learn how to interpret certain sensations through repetition and in comparison to other sensations. That's why the meds don't work for long. They're just temporarily masking the problem. The therapy really will help. Some things will always be uniquely "her" and others she can learn to function with. She is just wired differently. Help her find her own frequency.

I have a 6 year old son who is diagnosed with ADHD and Sensory Processing (Integration) Disorder. Some wonderful websites that will definitely help you on what will be a somewhat confusing journey for you are: www.sensory-processing-disorder.com, www.sinetwork.org, www.sifocus.com, and www.kidfoundation.org. There is also a group on yahoo if you do a search for sensory processing disorder. We worked with an occupational therapist and a psychologist every week all last summer and were amazed at how much of a difference it made. My son is also on medication for his ADHD, which we cannot stop, but the changes in his anxiety and his sensory issues have lessened since we have learned certain strategies to help him. Hope this helps you!

Bless you! Sounds like you really have your hands full. I worked as an OT (Occupational Therapist) in a public school system before and got married and started a family. It does sound liek your daughter may benefit from OT services. OT can be provided through the school system. If her teachers have not already, you can request an OT evaluation through her teacher, a guidance counselor, etc. If an evaluation shows she would benefit from OT she could receive services at school as well as education for you so you work with her at home. Good luck to both of you!

Hi C.. We have gone through a very similar situation with our son. Diagnosed with ADHD, severe Tics, etc. It def. has to do with Sensory disorders, yeast in the gutt and strep in the blood. A wonderful OT, is Dr. Lisa Cyzner and they have a group who comes out of CT that works with them and they do extensive blood work. Please see them, it has made a huge difference. I do not have her number on me right now, but she is located on Monroe Rd. and when you meet with her also do the full physical with the CT group. I hope this helps, we have been there. A.

Dear C.,

Please take a long, thorough look at www.Feingold.org. Feingold is a 30yr old non-profit association whose purpose is to inform the public about petroleum (that's right- gasoline!) based chemicals in our foods. These artificial colors,flavors, and preservatives are the main cause of ADD, ADHD, OCD and many other emotional disorders in our children. Trust me - I've been there and Feingold was a Godsend for our family. Take your poor daughter off those toxic drugs and feed her normal, healthy foods that our bodies were designed to eat. You'll see a huge difference within a few weeks. Best wishes for you and your family.

L. B.

Hi! I do not specifically know about TDIS however my daughter does have ADD and she does have several nervous habits. She is currently on Concerta and has been for the last several years. We did not encounter a problem with it. She has had to do Occ Therapy for her fine motor skills. They did find that she has a sensativity to touch. She loves all things super soft. She will rub that item to sooth herself. I only buy her soft shirts, silky PJ's, soft comfortors, sheets, etc. I have learned to take her shopping with me so she can "feel" the clothes. And she will always feel them before she will even think about buying anything.

She also has an issue with picking. She bites her nails, picks paint off the walls, anything that will keep her hands moving she'll pick at. She has gotten much better at controling the impulse to pick at things, just not totally.

I recommend that you find out what she is likes to touch. For some kids it's course items, like berber carpet, some like the feel of smooth stones in their hand, some like things soft and silky and others like the feel of tree bark and texture. Once the occ therpist tells you what she likes the best, or if you already know surround her with it.

There is light at then end of the tunnel.

I have a friend whose daughter has sensory disorder. She is being treated ith occupational therapy. However she is just 4 but it has been working well for her. M brother grew up with ADHD and taking lots of meds for them until he finally decided he was through and was not taking anymore. Also one of my best friends was severely ADHD or at least that is what they said but he had a bad reactin to the medicine and his mom refused to allow him to take it anymore. Well she used counseling, discipline, and keeping him busy to control it and it worked. I would say you kno her best If you feel she needs to be tested to see if she may have sensory disorder demand they look into that. If the medicines are affecting her badly then try a different route. She seems if she is well adjusted in schoool and doing well. Good luck and god bless you. You seem to have alo onyour plate.

Just wanted to say that, after doing a lot of reading about SID, b/c my daughter has mouth sensitivity and other issues, I have been able to change things in our lifestyle. It has made a huge difference, and I thought she was going to end up being ADD. I made the changes myself, because I felt like I could figure out the best ways to integrate it itno our life, but since you don't have much time, and OT can easily teach you the same things so that you can use them as tools. Many of the things are so simple, but have a huge effect! It will help, at least to get her to concentrate more, and it can be worked on. Another reason we didn't do OT is because often, a child is diagnosed with a "syndrome" but it it really just that they have certain personality traits and preferences that are very strong. I often think I wish I had been given a perfect, laid back child, but then I think, I wouldn't want one, because my child is bright and energetic, and she wouldn't be mine if she were passive. I guess what I am saying is, she is the way she is for a reason, and we shouldn't try to change others, no matter how much we think their ways are "wrong", just help her to learn how to guide herself, and train her mind to focus. It will work, I promise!

Let me start out by saying you have touched my heart and I pray for blessings on you and your family. My daughter is 9 and we found out she has SID also...She was in Pre-K when we figured it out and started getting her treatment. We have done the Occ. Therapey and it helped alot. Recently we have being going to therapy to help her deal with worry issues. I would love to talk to you more about it. my email address is ____@____.com.

I do not know much about Sensory Integration Disorder but we do Bio-feedback Therapy with our child for hyperactivity/over-emotional responses...Center for the Development of Human Potential/Pisgah Institute has information. Not a fix all but no medication and non-invasive. We have had great success!

i don't have any wisdom to help you here... but wanted to say you should definately look into a different diagnosis, if it's possible it could be that, and your daughter needs different treatment. also, wanted to commend you on our bravery and your dedication to your family. good luck, and know that it will all work out in the end!

Hi C.,

My goodness, you have so much on your plate! My heart goes out to you as traverse through your mother's final days. I'm glad your husband is there for you, but do you have other support? Sounds like you're taking care of a lot of people......hope there's time in there to attend to your own needs.

My children both had sensory integration probs. My daughter in particular had an anxiety disorder (Selective Mutism), and her sensory issues went hand-in-hand. She was in OT 3x week for 6-9 months when she was a toddler, and I spent a lot of time doing the "sensory diet" (not food, but other activities) at home.

Someone mentioned "The Out of Sync Child". Unless something new has come along, it is "The Bible" of Sensory Integration Disorder. You be reminded of your daughter on many pages, and you may find things there to try that will help. If you look at http://www.out-of-sync-child.com you will see her new book as well, that offers many activities.

I do hope that at some point, you can find an OT who specializes in Sensory Integration. It would be great if you had someone other than yourself working with your daughter. OT is like play.....the kids love it. I'm not so familiar with how it looks for older children, but my guess is, the activities feel so good, that she will love it. And you certainly may find that with time and knowledge about ways to cope, her hyperactivity may lessen.

Having said all that, you have so much going on right now, I personally wouldn't worry that you have to do something immediately. I can tell from your words that you care very much about your children. I hope you can take some comfort in knowing that your daughter will be okay even if you are human and have limited amounts of time and energy. I'm having trouble expressing what I mean, but maybe you get my gist?

Peace be with you and yours......I'm sure everyone here will be thinking of/praying for you.

P.S. Here is a website of groups in Charlotte that may offer grief support to your family. http://www.supportworks.org/cat709.htm

Dear C.
I feel your pain ,my daughter is turning 19 in July,has I think back in her childhood,I realize she has always been adhd and ocd ,but at that time in the early 90's,everyone would say she will grow out of it ,but did that happen no.So when my family relocated to this area it only got worse,especially in 7 grade ,so I searched for the wright Pyschiatrist. which his name is john mathews,she has seen since him since 8 grade,however she hated the adhd meds,because she said it made her personality suffer and have anxiety.What worked the best for her was zoloft ,actually she took that for a few years,then it stopped working,tryed other meds,but nothing seems to work.She is a great person as I'm sure yours are,wright now I'm trying to help her not be so impulsive,that comes with all of this.ON the good side the zoloft stopped the pulling her hair out,at one time she almost did'nt have any bangs,which is tragic when your are in middle school and your mom owns hairsalon,but that was the least of my worries at the time,as of now she is not on meds,but needs to be,so we will see,again I have alot empathy for u and my heart gos out to u for u and your mother.Wish u all the best,please write me back,and let me know how things are going,I am here if u ever need someone.with lots of love,K.

You have gotten a lot of great responses!

I want to mention one other possibility. Red food coloring can make some kids hyper. We've known this since my son was 2 years old and he is now 16. We don't have any red food coloring in the house, but he still gets it on rare occasion when we aren't around and then he is very hyper and emotional.

As a first step I would recommend avoiding all food colorings, additive, preservatives, and high fructose corn syrup. All of these ingredients can make behaviors worse. Also, some people find supplementing with Omega 3s, B vitamins, and magnesium helps. Good, all natural, vitamins can make a difference. Good luck.

My sister-in-law just told me about her sister who had one 45 minute session of hypnotherapy and stopped the hair pulling completely! She had pulled her entire hair (on her head) out prior to that... worth considering, but I don't know about the other issues. Good luck and God bless!

Hi C.,
I work in Occupational Therapy as a COTA. I recently spoke with one of my supervisors about your request. She recommended A book that you should check out. It is THE OUT-OF-SYNC CHILD: RECOGNIZING AND COPING WITH SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER by Carol Stock Kranowitz. You can get it on Amazon.com new and used for about $9.00. She also rocommended some heavy work activities that help release serotonin because it helps with calming. The activities she recommended were: Jumping on a trampoline, Massage (deep tissue), Tug of War and Swimming. This theapist I am speaking of specializes in treatment of children. She says the hair pulling is self-injurious behavior that releases serotonin which is a chemical the brain releases that severs as a calming effect.I hope this helps. I will try to let you know more later this week.

Hi C.-

I have attached several testimonials from individuals with ADHD and from parents whose children suffer from this disorder. Please contact me for more information or visit my websites: www.mymangosteen.com/judy0114 and medical information, research, etc.: www.insidemangosteen.com/judy0114.

Good Luck with your beautiful girls. J. H

ADHD
I give 1 oz to my 4 year old granddaughter who seems to have ADHD (her mom is diagnosed & on meds) but is not officially diagnosed. I find that the juice calms her down (tendency toward hysterics and temper tantrums) and increases her attention span. Before the juice, all guided activities were limited to 2-3 minutes and that was a challenge. When she's on the juice consistently, she has an excellent appetite, visits (conversational), she can sit and color for 15 minutes, plays with building blocks and erector sets (before she'd simply run laps through the house pushing a doll stroller or jump off the couch, stairs, etc.). She even takes naps! Mom couldn't believe it, until she started on the juice for herself. Mom needs about 4oz/day, but it helps her be able to 'ride' a train of thought to a conclusion, plus reduces Mom's anxiety. Mom loves not having bad side effects. Good stuff -- try it, but be consistent.
Lesley K.

ADHD
For many years my youngest son was on ritalin just to maintain some focus in school. Results included severe depression after many years of use. About 20 months ago he was introduced to mangosteen juice and within a half hour (and that may be stretching it) he was feeling uplifted, more like himself and as a 17 year old, admitted it actually helped. He started a regular regime of mangosteen and we have not filled a ritalin perscription since! As long he maintains his juice intake he remains even tempered and is able to manage all of his other things in life. We are relieved he has ended the ritalin cycle and he is relieved to have a natural assit with mangosteen. I would urge anyone who medicates ADHD to give this a try, along with anyone dealing with depression.
Cathie A.

ADHD
I have a child who is a long-term ADHD Ritalin user that is now totally into taking Mangosteen with good results. While an adolescent, keeping him on meds has been a challenge to say the least. The good part is he doesn't like to take meds. The bad part is he needs something to assist him with focus and emotional upheavals associated with the disorder. For the past month he has been using Mangosteen and been especially leveled out, and has found he is maintaining attention in school. He is exhibiting less frustration in his life and is not experiencing the highs and lows associated with Ritalin use. My son is a big guy, 6' and 210, so he starts his day with about 2 ounces of Mangosteen on an empty stomach. It appears that he is also taking another ounce or two later in the afternoon some days. Additional benefits for this adolescent include improved moods following quite a bout of depression and improving sleeping patterns. Huge bonus at this time in his life…. BTW, we've been dealing with this now for 10 years. I don't know how this will work for you, but suggest you try it— you may like the results!
Cathie B.

C.,
Have you tried eliminating certain foods from her diet? I know it seems strange, but some foods can greatly affect children's behavior. Wheat is one of the major ones and has been linked to autism. Milk is another. You could try an elimination diet to determine what it might be for your daughter. My husband suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis until he read "How to Eat Away Arthritis: Gain Relief from the Pain and Discomfort of Arthritis Through Nature's Remedies" by Laurie M. Aesoph. He went on the described elimination diet and within 3 days he was off his medicine and his symptoms were 90% better. We found that wheat/gluten were his major triggers. Now, after 2 years of living gluten-free, he continues to be 90-95% better. He still has symptoms, but they are livable. I've since gone off wheat and my clinical depression is also much better. So, this isn't a fix-it-all solution, but could help.
Here is some info I quickly pulled from the Web (you could search for more.):
• Food Intolerances or Allergies are high on the list of offenders to provoke ADD/ADHD or other behavioral symptoms and problems. While milk, eggs, nuts, shellfish, wheat and soy products are common triggers for people with food sensitivities or allergies, simple sugar(s) have more of an effect on mood and hyperactivity than many other dietary factors, although some "experts" on ADD or ADHD continue to challenge or dispute that fact. (see also cu-Cell "Sugar & Glycemic Index"). Additional problem sources to consider include pets, mold, artificial food coloring and preservatives,artificial sweeteners (aspartame), dust mites, caffeine, and tobacco smoke. (http://www.acu-cell.com/dis-add.html)

Here are some good websites with too much info to past here: http://www.wheat-free.org/wheat-gluten-allergy-autism-adh...
http://www.nowheat.com/grfx/nomilk/

My daughter has Sensory Processing Disorder and yes, it can look similar to other problems. The best thing is to have your ped recommend an OT and ask the OT for a full eval. This will take about 2 hours. THey can determine if this is what is going on or something else. If this is the issue, OT therapy will works great and there is no meds. It can affect different children in different ways. Some can't stand loud noises, clothing, etc. Others don't sense anything and so can do dangerous activities, and for others it comes across in physical coordination which is the case w/my little girl. I would check the internet for more information and again, if you think it fits, have her evaluated.

C.,
I feel your pain. My son has ADD and my daughter is developmentally delayed /microcephaly with sensory issues. The OT does help. Has your daughter tried brushing (ask the OT)or massaging? My daughter digs her nails into her legs and pulls all her hair all over her body. This is also very common with children who are on the Autism Spectrum Disorder. Is it possible your daughter has Asperger's Syndrome?
I use the brushing (forget technical name). It seems to work and relax her and calm her down. My husband (who does not seem as supportive as yours) was against it. It does not hurt at all.
Also, if your Med Ins. covers, I would try a Chiropractor who also specials in Naturopathic medicine. Not sure where you live but there is a great doctor in Weddington. She offers chiropractric, acupuncture, MASSAGE, etc.
Sounds like your daughter was definitely diagnosed. I would find another doctor.
Sorry to hear about your Mom. Mine died when I was 18. I know how difficult it must be on you.
Take care.

C.,

You should definitely talk to your child's school to see about getting an OT evaluation. You can also contact local facilities to get additional help- especially because we are about to start summer vacation. You daughter sounds like she needs assistance now and could benefit from therapy. Do you live here in Lexington, KY? I have seen some postings from other cities and states on here so I just want to make sure you are local...I could give you some specific places to seek help if you are from around here. Please let me know if I can be of help.

Good luck and have that glass of wine!
-K.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction is a very real and challenging disorder. There is an excellent book called THE OUT OF SYNC CHILD that may start to help you understand the disorder, your daughter, and how to better help her make the most of life!

bless you and stay strong. Im just looking into this myself since I have a 3yr old son who is very sensitive to sound, touch and doesnt like to look people in the eyes. This website offers links to the resources it has in the article itself. Very useful. Hope it helps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_Integration_Dysfunction