effective alternative medicinal approach to ADHD especially

when he is in the classroom to help him focus. I would think that an exercise program or particpating in a competitive school sport like track might be good too. It would channel his extra energy into self mastery of his body and he could learn how to focus in a different way.

B vitamins work for me, plenty of rest and having some down time to myself. Is he getting enough sleep at night, that could be part of the problem.

My son took coromega for awhile. Coromega is an orange flavored packet of omega 3. He can’t swallow the pills. I didn’t feel that this really helped.

Then I found egglands best omega 3 enriched eggs. I call them my magic eggs. I don’t know if is the protein or the omega 3s but they help. He gets them every morning and sometimes in the afternoon as well.

He also needs his rest, and plenty of exercise as Patti said. You might also want to check into interactive metronome. I felt this helped my son’s attention improve alot. www.interactivemetronome.com.

Also visual and or auditory issues can affect one’s ability to pay attention. I thought audiblox helped my son as his problem is more on the visual processing side and this is a good visual processing program. www.audiblox2000.com

If you think it is possibly related to an auditory problem we have plenty of experts on that issue around here. Patti above is certainly one of the best.

My son is also getting vision therapy for some ocular motor problems. The checklists for vision problems and add are very similar. They can really look the same. It is too soon to tell if this will improve his attention.

His attention is much better than it was. He still can go in and out at times. The developmental optometrist said that this type of inconsistancy points to it being related to more of a vision problem.

Linda,

So far there are no alternative remedies that have been sufficiently evaluated to say for sure that they are effective for most children. Having said that, the most promising ones so far (based on recent clinical studies) are treatments like Interactive Metronome that attempt to develop new neural pathways. For a smaller number of children, dietary changes and essential fatty acid supplements have shown some promise, but they seem not to have done enough for your child. One proven treatment for ADHD is behavioral management. Studies show that it is an effective treatment on its own, although it works better when combined with stimulant medication. Also, I wonder if your son would benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy to help him with his anxiety? This is a relatively short-term treatment that has been proven to be almost as effective as medication in treating symptoms of anxiety. Finally, some kids benefit from using an ADHD “coach” who helps them with organization and study skills. This can be a real help when dealing with prickly adolescents (been there, done that =)). I hope this helps!

Andrea

Thanks for your feedback. I agree with your comments. He probably could get more rest at night. I end up giving in to him staying up later than he should.

He does go out for sports and he plays the drums. I guess the mastery over his body that you are talking about would happen over time. He benefits in the present in that he is able to experience success which I’m sure gives his self esteem a needed boost after experiencing so many challenges and failures in the classroom.

What do you mean regarding listening devices, tape recorders?

Linda

Thanks for your feedback I’m going to look into the web sites you listed. As far as the eggs are concerned I’m glad they’re working for your son. It sounds interesting, but my son is allergic to eggs.

It’s funny I always thought my son was the type of person that needed less sleep than other kids his age. Maybe this is just an easy assumption due to the fact that he has so much energy.

Linda

I’m going to look into the Interactive Metronome.

I’m also looking into getting him a counselor that can help him deal with his ADHD. I kind of don’t know where to start with the behavior modification. I’m sure the therapist would help with ideas on where to start with that. I doesn’t seem like I should expect much from the school regarding ideas for behavior modification. It seems like the school wants to put the burden on my son so as not to put the teachers too much out of there way. I’ll keep the cognitive approach to therapy in mind.

The suggestion of a tutor to help with study skills and organization sounds good except I don’t have the money for that.

I appreciate your feedback.

Linda

Assistive Technology
What are Assistive Listening Devices or “ALDs”?

An ALD is any type of device that can help you function better in your day-to-day communication situations. An ALD can be used with or without hearing aids to overcome the negative effects of distance, background noise, and poor room acoustics. So even though you have a hearing aid, assistive listening devices can offer greater ease of hearing (and therefore reduced stress and fatigue) in many day-to-day communication situations. Hearing Aids + ALDs = Better listening and better communication!

What are examples of ALDs?

Personal FM systems are like a miniature radio station operating on special frequencies assigned by the Federal Communications Commission. The personal FM system consists of a transmitter microphone used by the speaker and a receiver used by you, the listener. The receiver transmits the sound to your hearing aid either through direct audio input of through a looped cord worn around your neck.
Personal FM systems are useful in a variety of situations such as listening to a travel guide, in a classroom lecture, in a restaurant, in a sales meeting, listening to a book review, in nursing homes, senior centers, etc.

FM systems are also used in theaters, places of worship, museums, public meeting places, corporate conference rooms, convention centers, and other large areas for gathering. In this situation, the microphone/transmitter is built into the overall sound system. You are provided with an FM receiver which can connect to your hearing aid (or to a headset if you don’ t wear a hearing aid).

Infrared systems are often used in the home with TV sets. They, like the FM system, are also used in large area settings like theaters.
Sound is transmitted using infrared light waves. The TV is set at a volume comfortable for family members. The infrared system transmitter transmits the TV signal to your receiver, which you can adjust to your desired volume. Thus, TV watching as a family becomes pleasurable for all. It is not blaring for family members with normal hearing. However, the volume is just right for you because it adjusted by you through your individual receiver.

Induction Loop Systems. These are most common in large group areas. They can also be purchased for individual use.
An induction loop wire is permanently installed (perhaps under a carpet) and connects to a microphone used by a speaker. (In the case of individual systems, a wire loop is laid on the floor around you and the speaker). The person talking into the microphone creates a current in the wire which makes an electromagnetic field in the room. When you switch your hearing aid to the “T” (telecoil/telephone) setting, your hearing aid telecoil picks up the electromagnetic signal and you can adjust its volume through your hearing aid.

One-to-one communicators. Sometimes in a restaurant, nursing home situation, or riding in a car, you want to be able to easily hear one person. Or, perhaps you are delivering a lecture or running a meeting and a person in the audience has a question. You can give the person a microphone to speak into. The sound is amplified and delivered directly into your hearing aid (or headset if you don’t have a hearing aid), and you can adjust the volume to your comfort level. When using the one-to-one communicator, the speaker does not have to shout, private conversations can remain private, and, when in a car, your eyes can remain on the road!

There are many, many other assistive listening devices such as telephone amplifying devices for cordless, cell, digital, and wired phones; amplified answering machines; amplified telephones with different frequency responses; paging systems; computers; wake-up alarms; etc.

There are also alerting devices that signal you when a sound occurs. For example, there are doorbell, knock-at-the door, or phone alerting devices; fire alarm/smoke alarm devices; baby-cry devices or room-to-room sound alerting systems; vibrating clock alarms; vibrating paging systems; vibrating watch alarms, etc. Many use strobe light or conventional light to alert you; others use vibrating systems to alert you.
Your audiologist can provide you with additional information on Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs).

Are there communication devices besides those that assist listening?

Yes, there are visual systems that can be used alone, or in combination with listening devices and hearing aids. Persons who are hard of hearing, deaf, or even persons who have no hearing loss, can benefit.

Examples include:

Text telephones which allow phone conversations to be typed and read rather than spoken and heard.
Computerized speech recognition which allows a computer to change a spoken message into a word processed document.
Closed captioning TV which allows text display of spoken dialogue. (All TVs with screens of at least 13 inches diagnoal measurement must have built-in captioning).
Notetaking which allows a hard of hearing person to concentrate on listening and watching a speaker while a trained person takes notes. (This has been used in schools not only for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing but also for students who are unable to write).
Are there special considerations for children?

Yes! It is well-documented that children’s language development, speech development, social skills and academic achievement depend on the ability to hear. Assistive listening systems maximize children’s hearing and learning capabilities. FM systems, because of their flexibility, mobility, and sturdiness, are among the most common assistive listening devices used with children. FM systems have wide application in educational settings because of the long-recognized benefits that this technology provides in noisy and reverberant child care, preschool, and classroom environments. When you think of where and how your child spends the day, you quickly realize how ALDs provide benefit in noisy play areas or in acoustically poor classrooms.

Studies have shown that the best results are achieved when implementation of an FM system is made early in the amplification fitting process. In fact, as a matter of routine, audiologists fitting hearing aids to children make sure the aids are prescribed with “T” (telecoil/telephone) switches, “M”/”T” (microphone/telecoil) combination switches, and Direct Audio Input (DAI) capability that will allow connection with assistive listening systems. If you have a child who needs a hearing aid, be sure it comes with these features.

What do FM systems do for children in schools?

They allow the child to hear the teacher’s voice at an appropriate and constant intensity level regardless of the distance between the child and the teacher.
They allow the teacher’s voice to be more prominently heard than background noise (toys, papers, chairs scraping, whispering, pencils being sharpened, feet shuffling) even when the background noise is closer to the child than the teacher’s voice.

They allow for self-monitoring of the child’s own voice through the conventional hearing aid microphone.

They allow for the conventional hearing aid microphone to be turned off so the child can concentrate only on the teacher.
Are there other assistive listening systems used in schools?

Yes. While children with sensorineural hearing loss receive most benefit from personal FM systems, there are amplification systems, called sound field systems, that assist listening for all children in the class. Using FM technology, the teacher speaks into a microhphone transmitter. The teacher’s voice is projected through speakers mounted around the classroom. This arrangement assists in overcoming the problems of distance, background noise, and poor room acoustics that affect listening for all children.

Sound field systems have been found to benefit “at risk” children. For example, those with conductive hearing loss, fluctuating hearing loss associated with otitis media, learning disabilities, unilateral hearing loss, central auditory processing disorders, developmental delays, attention deficits, minimal hearing loss, language delays, articulation disorders, and those learning English as a second language.

Who is qualified to determine if my child needs an Assistive Listening Device?

The ability to select, evaluate, fit and dispense FM systems falls uniquely within the realm of the certified audiologist. Many school districts employ certified audiologists who specialize in educational setting issues. Their expertise includes the evaluation for and the selection, procurement, and monitoring of assistive listening devices used in school by the child. Furthermore, audiologists guide and instruct teachers and students in making the best use of ALDs.

Is there legislation that supports the provision of Assistive Listening Devices to children?

Increased availability and usage of FM systems are due in large measure to legislation that mandates access to technology for persons with hearing and other communication disabilities (1) the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), (2) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and (3) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Each in some way deal with the issue of “access” to instruction. Of course, for the child with hearing loss, “access” means being able to hear instruction!

Under IDEA, consideration of assistive technology for any child with a disability must take place as part of the development of the Indvidualized Educational Program (IEP).

nice overview. Thanks

Sometimes you have to try different essential fatty acids formulas to find which work best for your child. For instance products like Efalex are higher in DHA while products like EyeQ are higher in EPA. A nutritionist I’ve worked with says she can never predict which is going to be better for which kids. And if you child has a poor diet (high in saturated fats), he or she may need more EFAs than average.

Grape seed extract (pycogenols) are thought to help some children.

Besides diet, regular vigorous exercise seems to be pretty important (oxygenates cells!). More and more practitioners are recognizing the validity of neurofeedback. It’s a big time commitment but if the trainer is highly skilled, it can make a big difference.

Instead of putting things into my son, I began to get things out of him. The school psych said overscheduling extra curricular activities for even non-ADD kids is no good and it’s really horrible for an ADDer. Well, I guess I’m a rebel mom.

When my boy started begging to join sports and social groups, I gave in. Besides Sunday school and Cubscouts we joined a small local gym and signed up for boxing and wrestling. This is a very difficult workout and class and it took him a while to get up to standard, but he is now excelling. He plays in organized sport leagues every single season. Basketball, Baseball, swimming and soccor. There is one day of practice meet and one day of an official game. Add another day or two at the gym each week and yes, you could say we are overscheduled, but this kid is thriving!

Thie first thing we notice last year was his tics diminished and he became more in control of his impulses. I swear, the day after a good work out he is able to concentrate for 2 or 3 hours in the AM, almost like a normal attention span.

He’s not the best at all these sports but he’s far from the worst! He’s the 2nd best on the Basketball team and that requires nonstop attention. He is the star goalie of the soccor team. I’m not saying he’s not inattentive during games, but he seems to be learning/training/compensating with other areas of his brain. Yes, you’ll see me hiding behind the goal post yelling “Pay attention! Here they come!” and on th court “PASS! SHOOT! GUARD YOUR MAN!” But it’s been great fun for the whole family. Lots of extra perks too; Confidence, team spirit and sportmanship, friendships/popularity, physical health, awareness of actions/consequenses, and better accountablility/responsiblity. I’m not claimin he isn’t hyper or impulsive any more, but there seems to be a much stronger ability to control himself when asked to during league time. These kids are so special and so full of energy they are ready to explode! Get them out there and help them capitlaize on it!