About ADD: Symptoms and Treatment Options

What is ADD:

Young boy with ADD

Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is a disorder that is applied mainly to children and sometimes adults who consistently find it difficult to inhibit spontaneous responses over at least a six month period.

Symptoms of ADD:

1. Short attention span making focus and concentration difficult.
2. Inability to complete a task, especially tasks that are uninteresting.
3. Easily distracted while doing activities and tasks.
4. Impulsive.
5. Difficulty turning in paper and assignments.
6. Often misses or overlooks details.
7. Loses or forgets important things.
8. Has difficulty waiting in lines.
9. Says or does things without thinking through the consequence.
10. Blurts out answers.

It is important to note that everyone may experience one or a few of these symptoms. Seek out help if any of the above symptoms become debilitating and interfere with normal daily life.

Treatment options for ADD
There are various treatment options for ADD. First, is to medicate. Usually medicine is more accessible to the general population than other forms of treatment. It is also highly recommended by pediatricians because that is what they do... prescribe medication. Although medication can be a great "quick fix" there are also many side affects such as loss of appetite which leads to malnutrition, dulled personality that is often described as being like a zombie, and sleep difficulties.

A second option is neurofeedback which is a non-invasive approach that can help improve ADD permanently. It is becoming more popular due to people wanting an alternative method to medication.  Neurofeedback is a way to retrain different areas of the brain that regulate impulse control and executive functions. A benefit to neurofeedback is that there are no side affects. On the opposite side, neurofeedback does not give immediate day to day result when you first start training which can be difficult for parents to manage. 

Last, research shows that alterations to diet can improve certain behavior in those whom are diagnosed with ADD. Simply reducing certain foods such as processed sugar and red food dye and adding enzymes and vitamins can reduce or eliminate them all together. A benefit to changing your or a child's diet is that there is no harm to it!

Finding Help for ADHD/ADD Through CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit Disorder)

CHADD Logo

Many parents find it difficult to know what to do after their child has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It is not uncommon to feel alone, confused, and overwhelmed. At IntraLife Performance Center we have had dozens of parents get involved with CHADD to find help. They found this organization is a great place to network with parents in similar situations and receive information on how to work with children who have ADD and ADHD. Here is more information about CHADD.

About CHADD
CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is the nation's leading non-profit organization serving individuals with AD/HD and their families. CHADD has over 16,000 members in 200 local chapters throughout the U.S. Chapters offer support for individuals, parents, teachers, professionals, and others.



Mission/Objectives
CHADD's primary objectives are: to provide a support network for parents and caregivers; to provide a forum for continuing education; to be a community resource and disseminate accurate, evidence-based information about AD/HD to parents, educators, adults, professionals, and the media; to promote ongoing research; and to be an advocate on behalf of the AD/HD community.
The mission of CHADD is stated as CHADD CARES. Specifically, CHADD works to improve the lives of people affected by AD/HD through:

Collaborative Leadership
Advocacy
Research
Education and
Support

Membership
CHADD represents 20,000 members. Most are families of children and adults with AD/HD. About 2,000 CHADD members are professionals providing clinical and other services to persons with AD/HD.

For more information about CHADD, visit their website at www.chadd.org. What other organizations are out there to help parents with children who have ADHD or ADD?

Help for ADD and ADHD: a Non-Medication Approach

"My child's teacher is constantly reporting that Timmy is struggling to focus and sit still during class. He tends to get distracted by other students which then disrupts class. When we have to do homework at home I have to constant remind Timmy to stay on task. This is out of control and now it's starting to negatively affect our family life." -Mother of 8 year old son

Can you relate to this story? Many parents are in this exact situation and are struggling to know how to help their child who is diagnosed with ADHD and ADD. Although medication such as Ritalin and Aderal can be effective for awhile, there often tends to be highly unwanted side affects such as loss of appetite, stunted growth (from loss of appetite), poor sleep habits, and development of a "zombie" like personality.

It's not uncommon for parents to see that after so many months or years of their child having these side effects that its not worth the few benefits they get from taking the medication. This invokes another quest by parents to find something that can help their child. This search leads to them to neurofeedback. This is a non-medication approach that majority of people who try it find extremely effective... and without the side effects. Here is a clip from EEGinfo to help you learn more about neurofeedback and how it can help ADD and ADHD.

If you have had any experiences with neurofeedback, please post them below to help others decide if it's right for them.