There are two forms of attention deficit disorder (ADHD). One of the forms of ADHD presents itself with hyperactivity. This form of attention deficit disorder is often easier to diagnose because children with this condition are in motion continuously. These children have trouble sitting still and in some cases the children will have temper tantrums more often than other children their same age. The other form of ADHD presents itself without hyperactivity. This form is often misdiagnosed. Children with this form of attention deficit disorder will appear to be withdrawn and excessively shy or anxious. Other symptoms may included poor academic achievement and a variety of learning disabilities.

Attention deficit disorder in most instances is diagnosed during childhood, although the conditions can continue into adulthood. Some of the usual treatments will include medications as well as other non medical treatments including behavior therapy and parent education.

Diagnosed ADD

By Rebecca White of Heal Yourself Talk Radio

I made an appointment with our family physician and took Alex there to take a few tests to help us determine if he was ADD like the school suspected.

This was not an easy decision.  I mulled over it for so long, even though I had made the appointment the day after the school therapist and I met the appointment was a month away.

When we arrived at the doctor's my stomach was churning, I watch my son go straight for the blocks and start building.

All I really wanted to do was take him by the hand and lead him back out the door and leave it all behind me.

We were seen a few minutes later, the doctor came in and she started to do some tests on Alex.  He was a little slow on some of the subjects that she was testing him on.  I wanted to intervein because I knew that if I could just help him he would understand. 

In the end he was "diagnosed" as ADD and placed on Ritalin.

Ritalin was not a good drug.  I hated the way it made Alex act.  He was no longer the active little boy, he no longer showed any interest in building or watching his "Twister" movie.  Alex loves anything to do with tornadoes and ever since my brother bought him the movie "Twister" he has been fascinated with them.  In fact we have replaced that movie over the years 5 times :).

Everyday when I had to give Alex the medicine I dreaded it.  He didn't want to take it.  He would look at me and tell me that it made him feel so funny and sleepy all the time.

I called the doctor and she told me that his body had to get used to the medicine.  I wanted to do what was right for Alex, or so I thought at the time, I waited a couple more months like the doctor asked me to. 

I slowly watched as my son went from being just "sleepy" to not wanting to eat.

I called the doctor again and made another appointment for him to be re-evalulated.

She then placed him on Adderall.

It is now over 4 years later and I made  a very important decision, I took my son off all medications. 

The reason I took him off all medications was I continued to do research.  In my heart I felt it was not right to have him medicated.  There are no long term studies of the effects of these medicines on a child's body. 

I also had noticed that my skinny fourth grader had started to gain weight, wasn't losing his eyebrow hairs anymore, had  a very healthy appetite during the summer.  What really made me notice this was when a month after school started he came to tell me that the jeans that I had just bought him for the new school year were falling off of him.  I thought he was just exaggerating, because he wears such baggy clothes I really never noticed.  I had him show me his jeans.  You could fit 3 fingers between the jeans and his stomach.

We went upstairs to weigh him and since the last time we had weighed about a month before school had started, he had lost 8 pounds.  Just from being on the meds for a little over a month.

SO I took him off all medications.

I continue to do research on the topic.  Later on I will add a page that talks about what I have found out, the natural treatments you can use, and the tricks and techniques that Alex and I use to help him be more focused.

The one thing I do have to say is that we do have a continuing problem with the school.  If they even think he is off his meds all of a sudden his schoolwork is terrible.  I never told them I took him off the meds in Oct, from that time till March of this year, I never heard a complaint from the teachers.  Until the day Alex told them he was no longer taking his medications.  Then all of a sudden I started getting phone calls and notes telling me that he is not focusing anymore, his schoolwork is suffering, etc etc.

Funny how for about 5 months he was doing just fine when they thought he was on his Adderall.

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