Son with "probable" ADHD

[Beledi_Altair]

Hi all,

This is my first post here and I'm a bit nervous about it. Yesterday we were told that our four-year-old son "probably" had ADHD. He shows many of the signs of it, but it is difficult to diagnose at his age. He has been tested and the results indicate this diagnosis. The next step is proceding in a way that I find acceptable. I'll be really honest, I don't view the drugs out there for ADHD safe for children his age. Most of them have not been tested for children his age, there have been no long term effect studies on brain structure following their use and the "newest" drug has frightening side effects that I don't want to inflict on the developing body of my little boy.

That being said, we are turning to a vegan diet (with much clamor in the extended family) to try and see if there is anything that we can do to help his situation there. I am contacting a nutritionist and have done preliminary research about young children with ADHD and diet as a means of treatment.

What I really need is another Mom to talk to who is going through this. He's my baby. We love him. We don't want to drug him just because his behaviors don't fit into a cookie cutter. He's my indigo baby. If you can, please write back!

Thanks,
Missy. :confused:

[Christa]

We haven't run into this problem ourselves, but I did want to mention that I believe that Mothering magazine had an article on treating ADHD with diet a few months back. You may want to search their database for that topic if you have not already come across the article.

Good luck! I hope that someone here is able to give you the empathy & support that you need.

[Erin Pavlina]

If I were in your position I would do exactly what you're doing.

And it's a real testament to your parenting skills that you are willing to try a vegan diet for your son.

Is there anything we can do to help the transition? Do you need recipes or product recommendations?

Be sure to browse this site fully as we have a ton of articles and lists and recipes that will make your life easier.

And let us know how he's doing as you make the transition.

[vegma]

Again, no personal experience, but I've heard comments from mothers in a homeschool support group that their children would probably have been diagnosed ADHD in a typical classroom, but as mothers, they were able to allow their child to learn kinesthetically. Good luck! Hope you enjoy the vegan diet too:)

[Emily]

At 15 I was diagnosed with ADD and put on medication. I was also on a lot of antidepressants. My lack of concentration came from the fact that it's hard to do math problems when all you want is to die.

Thankfully I had a devoted mother who read a lot about ADD and too me to other doctors, all of which said the other doctor's diagnosis was wrong.

My advice to you would be to read as much as you can about ADHD and become informed about all sides of this.

Wishing you the best,

Emily

[capersmama]

Well..speaking as a mom of a 10 yo son who would most likely be diagnosed with ADHD...
My son is so hyper..even in reverse he goes full speed..lol

He cant sit still..talks incredibly fast, cant finish tasks in a given time, gets frustrated VERY easily, seems out of control of himeslf ..you name it!

Not to mention at times he was down right mean and beligerant.

I researched and realized..these children are often misdiagnosed as ADHD when in fact it is a food allergy. Most competant drs suggest cutting out dairy (DEFINATLY) and meat as it has high..umm..darn cant think of the word..but its a toxin/protein that isnt absorbed well and avoid all artificial colorings. All of which are pretty easy on a vegan diet :-)

My son was not raised vegan..(belive me I fought tooth and nail but my dh refused) when he was 8 I made the decision to take all meat and dairy out of his diet..much against my dh approval..and with in 2 weeks I could see a marked change in my ds demeanor. Yes there are times they act up and out of control..but NOTHING like what I was dealing with before. All was going along smoothly for about 2 years (with a couple of oopses when we missed some dairy derivative in a food..but went well..until..2 months ago..he was WAAAYYY out of control..for a few weeks..my dh and I were at wits end..but figured my ds was having a hard time dealing with yet another baby coming .so we let it go for a bit..then one day I went into his room and found TONS of candy wrappers (all of which showed containing dairy and artificial colorings). Well..we went into DETOX mode..he was placed on 1 months restriction. And during that time...we let those toxins vacate his body..and now he seems to be more like his old self..still a little handful..but nothing i cant handle now :-)

I wish you the best and Im so glad to hear you didnt just "go along with the give em meds" approach. There are times meds are needed..but more often than not..a dietary change can do a better job.
Take care!
Alice

[VOW]

My son has ADD, and I've been to battle with him, for him, many many times.

ADD runs in my husband's side of the family, so I knew what to look for, and immediately got help when he was in Kindergarten and started to have problems.

Years ago, my sister-in-law used the Feingold diet for her son, when he showed signs of ADD. It IS effective, but it's also extremely difficult to watch over every single bite of food your child consumes. The biggest bugaboo to avoid in the Feingold diet is artificial additives, especially colorings and preservatives. Depending on how sensitive your child is to the artificial additives, it can take a while for them to pass from his system if he is accidentally exposed to them.

If your child is homeschooled, you have much more control over his environment, both as far as food goes, and structuring the studies to accommodate the decreased attention span. Many ADD kids are above average in intelligence, and can only keep focused if the work is interesting and challenging. Computer tools are excellent: my son can stay involved in the computer for hours on end, because the situation is fast-paced and constantly changing.

Because of the adverse situations my nephews were involved in (hospitalization, courtrooms, jail, etc), we made the decision to get medical help immediately. My son was placed on medication, and the difference it made was phenomenal. The problems arose because he was growing and his body was constantly changing, so the medication would become ineffective and we'd have to change for several weeks. The "off weeks" were horrendous.

It was a struggle all around. I hassled with the school system regularly, because they refused to do anything for him, since he wasn't mentally disabled. The absence of school funds was constantly thrown in my face, yet the district still managed to have bilingual teachers or aides in each classroom to accommodate the immigrant kids.

It is just now being acknowledged that ADD is NOT something you can "grow out of." We can see that my father-in-law had ADD symptoms until the day he died. Since you cannot CURE it or outgrow it, you must learn how to accommodate it into your life, with various coping mechanisms and skills. ADD has a PHYSICAL cause, it is the result of a neurotransmitter imbalance in your child's brain, and sophisticated equipment can actually measure the imbalance so you can understand how to deal with it.

One of the best resources for parental information and how to get the school districts to work WITH you instead of AGAINST you is through the materials available from the ADD Warehouse.
http://addwarehouse.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/index.html
I simply cannot say enough good things about this company!

My son is now 17, recently graduated from high school, and working at his first job. He has his driver's license, and is an excellent, cautious, courteous driver, and is looking forward to college.



~VOW

[Beledi_Altair]

Hi all,

We are contacting a nutritionist to help us set up a really good eating plan. Nick is doing well at school and his teachers have really been good about redirecting and implementing innovative strategies to help Nick cope with this in his pre-k class. Today -- no time outs, stayed on task with a few redirects and was really happy when I went to get him at noon.

The transition has begun. Nick has even started asking "is there meat in this?" and declining it (politely, no less) if there is. We have also removed milk. He has picked up soy nuts as a favorite snack for the moment. So we have started well. He still asks for pizza and we have to explain that the cheese has milk and so that's out -- but he's pretty OK with that. So please pray for us. We are making little steps. Our cupboards changed radically over the weekend -- many, many things went to the local food bank or over to my sister's.

I appreciate your support. It means more than I can say.

Missy. :)

[Erin Pavlina]

Missy, just in case you're interested I thought I'd mention my favorite vegan cheese because it tastes good and melts and frankly I've been really enjoying making mac and cheese, pizza, and quesadillas with it.

Go to www.imearthkind.com to learn more about the cheese. It's now being sold in health food stores. If your store doesn't have it, they can order it.

I also make lasagna with it. It's so good!

[capersmama]

That is wonderful Missy!
Keep up the good work..and know that we are here if you need us!

I added the hided animal ingredient list (just incase you didnt have it ) http://www.cyberparent.com/eat/hiddenanimalsinfood.htm

and the hidden dairy list (for the same ) http://www.cyberparent.com/eat/hiddenanimalsinfood.htm

I printed both of these lists out and have them plastered on the side of my refrigerator..and have copies made to have in my purse and in my dh wallet (just to be safe). You will be surprised what a conversation starter it is when you pull the lists out in public! lol People really are oblivious to what is actually in their foods! What an excellent opportunity to educate others along your path.

Take care!
Alice

[Erin Pavlina]

We've also got a list of hidden animal ingredients on VegFamily that I think might be longer than the one you linked to. Check it out also:

http://www.vegfamily.com/lists/animal-ingredients.htm

[Sheree]

Hi Missy,

I work in a mental health clinic. I want so badly to give all the docs and therapists info on diet. I post articles on the direct links between diet and mental illness occassionally on the bulletin board. I strongly believe that ADD & ADHD (as well as most "mental illnesses") have A LOT to do with diet as well as the child having a different way of learning and the teacher, or parent (not you obviously, you sound like a wonderful and sensitive mother), not being sensitive to that. I believe that white sugar, white flour and most mainstream processed foods are largely to blame. In meat-eating children (as well as kids who consume dairy), there are the drugs that are pumped into the sickly animals, not to mention all the other downsides. Food coloring, and all the other chemicals in processed foods are also to blame. Who knows how many "evils" factor in....but diet has got to be a major player.

My brother is bipolar (he's an adult). He's been on just about every drug out there. Currently, he lives in a sunny & warm environment (he's from Seattle where the winters can be gloomy), he's eating mostly a raw diet and keeping active. He's been off meds for 3 months now and has no desire to self-medicate (as he's done with alcohol & street drugs much of his life).

I wish you the very best. I'm very interested in your updates.

[5xblessed]

I wanted to add a few things to all this really good advice. We were urged to medicate our two oldest boys (now 9 and 7). We chose to watch their diets (artificial stuff is bad for them) and to take a behavioral approach. For them a predictable schedule, plenty of physical exercise (I make sure they get an hour of real activity or more daily) and adequate sleep are essential. They also do much better if we don't do too much "running around". Staying home seems to work better for them. They need to have lots of variety in their learning to keep their attention. I feel I was better able to help them cope because I myself have struggled my whole life with ADHD symptoms though I'm of an age where I was just a "problem child". If you can't find a system on your own I suggest a behavioral therapist with a specialty in this field. I'm not saying medication is never needed but I personally would save it as a last resort. Just another tool and not the "only way".
Lisa ( who really needs to change her name to 6xblessed)

[sarahrose]

You have gotten some great advice, but I would just like to add one more thing. Many times, kids are mis-diagnosed with ADD. The symptoms of an essential fatty acid deficiency are practically identical. However, if ADD really is the problem, essential fatty acids have been shown to treat it, sometimes just as well as ritalin. I give my daughter (who is almost 4) a tablespoon of Flax oil a day (keep it in the fridge) Her father is ADD, and it really helps him too. The effect it has is truly amazing! Everyone should do it for their kids, ADD or not! I have seen many kids drastically improve with this treatment-try it! Results show sometimes as quick as a couple of days. Also, if you are going vegan, you should do this for yourself too, and the rest of your family. It has a plethora of benefits (anti-inflammatory, i.e, helps with arthritis, also skin and hair functions, ect....ect.....) Hope this helps!!