ADD-ADHD - A Real Disorder Or an Excuse?

ADD/ADHD is a series of behaviors that together are in the extreme can make life for your child difficult, in school, at home, and in child care settings. Symptoms of ADHD present as hyperactivity, impulsivity, distractibility, and irritability. If you think this may describe your child there are a number of things you can do to help them.

Get your child tested

You can talk to your child's teachers to get their feelings about whether s/he should be evaluated. There's no real absolute diagnosis that is ADHD. It is important to get a complete physical to rule out any problems including allergy that can cause similar behaviors.

The testing, evaluations, and observations will rate your child's attention span, level of activities, and level of focus. Frustration levels will also be noted and used to help make the diagnosis of ADHD. When all the results of the tests, the observations, and evaluations including parent and teacher scales the diagnosis is defined.

After the Testing

Now that you have the diagnosis an individual education plan and a treatment plan will be implemented to meet your child's specific needs. Accommodations will be included in the IEP. The IEP and treatment plan should be reviewed every so often to monitor whether or not your child is meeting the goals set up to give them a chance for a successful educational testing.

Treatment

Stimulants are often the treatment of choice for many doctors. The problem is that there are both short term and long term negative aftereffects. In the short term your child could experience sleeplessness, depression, and a decreased appetite. In the long term your child is more likely to develop substance abuse and suffer with depression as adults.

There are natural alternatives to stimulants in the treatment of ADD/ADHD. There are herbs such as Arsen Iod, Gingko Biloba, and Hysocyamus. These herbs have been shown to provide relief from the symptoms of ADHD. Specific herbs are mixed with vitamins and minerals to meet your child's specific needs.

They can be beneficial to your child's health. These supplements are not regulated so it is very strongly advisable to have a certified homeopathic professional create the supplements. They should also be approved for use with ADHD by the Food and Drug Administration.

A Final Note

You are not alone. ADD/ADHD affects as much as six percent of all children. They can have very positive educational experiences with the right amount of support. There are support groups and programs for parents as well.