Most pediatricians and psychiatrists diagnose ADHD based on a series of criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).  According to the DSM-IV, there are three types of ADHD: inattentive type, hyperactive-impulsive type, and combined type.  But did you know that there are more than three types of ADHD?

Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen has handled hundreds of children and adults with ADHD and developed a special brain imaging technique called the SPECT test to help him find the cause of the condition.  His work on SPECT imaging made him realize the full complexity of the disorder.  Over the years, he noticed that there are six distinct SPECT patterns in his ADHD patients, and that each requires a specialized treatment. Based on these observations, Dr. Amen came up with the six types of ADHD.

Type 1: Classic ADHD

Classic ADHD describes the hyperactive-impulsive type with a little inattention.  This is usually treated with omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids like L-tyrosine, and multiple vitamins.

Type 2: Inattentive ADHD

Inattentive ADHD is similar to the DSM-IV’s Inattentive Type – low energy, low motivation, always daydreaming, etc.  This type is common in girls and is often diagnosed later in life.  Like Classic ADHD, Inattentive ADHD can be treated with omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, and vitamins.

Type 3: Overfocused ADHD

A child with Overfocused ADHD experiences typical ADHD symptoms as well as oppositional behavior, argumentative tendency, cognitive inflexibility, a need for sameness, or negative behavior. This type of ADHD is common in families with obsessive-compulsive tendencies or addiction problems.  This can be treated with the amino acid L-tryptophan, St. John’s Wort, omega-3 fish oils, and vitamins.

Type 4: Temporal Lobe ADHD

A child with Temporal Lobe ADHD experiences typical ADHD symptoms as well as headaches, periods of anxiety, a short fuse, memory problems, dark thoughts, and difficulties learning to read.  This type is common in families with a history of mood disorders and learning disorders. Treatment includes GABA for irritability, vitamins, and omega-3 fish oils. Sometimes, anti-seizure medication is given.

Type 5: Limbic ADHD

A child with Limbic ADHD experiences typical ADHD symptoms and low self-esteem, mild depression, poor social skills, irritability, insomnia, and poor appetite. Treatment includes omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, St. John’s Wort, and vitamins.

Type 6: Ring of Fire ADHD

A child with Ring of Fire ADHD experiences typical ADHD symptoms as well as angry outbursts, extreme mood swings, excessive talking, fast thoughts, inflexibility, and sensitivity to light and sound.  This ADHD type was called “Ring of Fire” because of the ring of overactivity seen in brain scans of affected children.  Treatment includes vitamins, omega-3 fats, and amino acids.

While these six ADHD categories make it easier to identify appropriate treatments, try not to get too focused on what type of ADHD your child has. At the very core of it all, ADHD and its co-morbid disorders are caused by the same underlying problem – a functional disconnection syndrome. This means that the regions of the brain aren’t communicating with each other as well as they should. What’s important is finding the type of treatments that will best rehabilitate your child’s brain and address his or her unique constellation of symptoms.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Dr. Amen’s work, you can visit his website at amenclinics.com.

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While behavioral therapy and parenting methods can help kids overcome their ADHD-induced habits, books are still a powerful resource for tips on how to get things done, stay focused, and find motivation. Here are some children’s books that will inspire your child understand and overcome the limitations of ADHD without the use of medication. All of them can be found at your local bookstore or through Amazon.

The Survival Guide for Kids with ADHD by John F. Taylor Ph.D

Ages: 4-8

This colorful guide will catch the attention of your child with its bright red cover, large font, and cartoon-style illustrations. The writing is kid-friendly, short, and clear and organized into sections for easy reading and understanding. Although it does contain a section about medications, the bulk of the book covers topics like succeeding in school, making friends, and getting along at home. One of the most helpful suggestions involves how to do a homework routine and use timers and colored folders, but a parent’s involvement may be needed to implement this ideas. Read and reread this book to your child for best results.

Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention by Kathleen Nadeau

Ages: 6-11

A book written from a kid’s point of view, Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention is a handy tool to help parents guide children through their ADHD journey. The third edition of this book includes lots of fun activities and easy-to-read text, as well as tips for coping with schoolwork, friendships, family, and getting organized. Funny cartoons help send the message across and reinforce the offered tips.

See You Later, Procrastinator! By Pamela Espeland

Ages: 9 -12

Even children who don’t have ADHD have problems getting things done. It’s easy for their chores and homework to take a backseat to watching television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, or hanging out with friends. See You Later, Procrastinator uses full color cartoons and child-friendly humor to teach kids how to get motivated and stay motivated enough to get things done. The start of the book lists 12 reasons why kids procrastinate and 12 ways to overcome them, then moves on to tips on avoiding setbacks, 20 ways to kiss procrastination goodbye, and fun rewards to keep them on track. A must read for kids, even if they don’t have ADHD.

Attention, Girls! A Guide to Learn about ADHD by Patricia Quinn

Ages: 9 -12

Girls with ADHD struggle with gender-specific issues, and this guide to ADHD for girls addresses these differences. The author created fictional characters with ADHD to help the reader make friends, talk to adults about the condition, and help them overcome problem situations. The book doesn’t have to be read from start to finish; the author encourages girls to begin with the sections that cover their concerns.

Putting on the Brakes: Activity Book for Kids With ADD or ADHD by Patricia Quinn and Judith Stern

Ages: 9 – 12

This best-selling workbook is now on its second edition. Putting on the Breaks contains pages and pages of activities that teach kids how to manage inattention, maintain control of their daily activities, and set priorities. Younger children may need the help of a parent to put these new skills into practical use.

The words “electro” and “therapy” often bring to mind cruel psychiatric treatments that seem more fitting in haunted asylums than in hospitals. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) is nothing like that. This fairly new technology involves administering very low electrical volts on the head to relieve depression, anxiety, and the symptoms of ADHD. Instead of going to a mental hospital to receive the treatment, CES can be done at home using a small handheld device. CES is approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States as a medical device, and recent studies show that it can improve attention spans and behavior among kids with ADHD. But is it really safe? Are there any side effects to CES?

A brief history of CES

CES was first developed by the Soviet Union in 1949 as a treatment for insomnia – hence the original name “electrosleep.” Soon, its developers discovered that the device could be used to treat depression and anxiety. In the early 1960s, physicians in the United States and Canada began using CES for a wide range of psychiatric conditions and continue to do so to this day. However, CES is not considered a mainstream treatment because not all doctors in general medical practice are aware of this technology and its benefits. To date, there are 160 published studies on the safety and efficacy of CES in treating psychological disorders, specifically depression, insomnia, and now ADHD. A study from Harvard’s School of Public Health showed that these low electrical voltages can boost neurotransmitter activity, particularly the production of dopamine and serotonin.

How it works

CES treatments are administered by a small, battery-powered device that resembles transcutaneous electric nerve stimulations – devices often used in physical therapy for pain relief. Electrodes attached to thin wires are then clipped to the earlobe. The CES device sends very low pulses of electricity (less than 1.0 milliampere). The frequency of the pulses can be adjusted depending on the effect desired. During the treatment itself, the child should feel nothing more than a faint tingling sensation. After the treatment, most patients enter the “alpha state” – a feeling of relaxed alertness. Researchers notet hat the results of CES tend to be long-lasting and cumulative; succeeding treatments are said to cause less anxiety, improved focus, and long attention spans. Children who respond positively are also known to sleep better and experience a heightened sense of well-being.

Side effects

There have been no reports of any serious side effects of CES to date. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs for ADHD, it doesn’t cause any lasting damage and it does not interact with any other medications your child will be taking. However, the device should only be handled by an adult or a doctor, and should be used with caution.
Getting started

There are two ways your child can avail of CES. The first is to find a doctor or a medical center trained to administer the procedure. You can also purchase your own cranial electrotherapy stimulators through two companies – Alpha-Stim, Fisher Wallace Laboratories, and their licensed distributors. Although the benefits and safety of CES have been extensively tested on children, consult your child’s doctor before trying this therapy at home.

Photo taken from Biofeedback Center of Florida

If you’ve viewed the video we posted of Dr. Doris Rapp on ADHD and allergies, you’d be surprised to find that your child’s problematic behavior originates from the dinner plate. Many children with ADHD suffer from undiagnosed digestive problems that influence their cognitive function and autoimmune condition. There are many reasons behind why certain foods trigger unwanted behaviors, and one of this is a deficiency in digestive enzymes.

Enzymes and the body

The saying “you are what you eat” is only partially true. The fact of the matter is that you are what you digest. While ADHD may be caused by nutritional deficiencies due to poor eating habits, these deficiencies are often called by a problem in digestive enzymes, the key to a healthy digestive system. Without enzymes, the food we eat would be nothing more than inert chemical substances – proteins, vitamins, mineral, and water.

Enzymes are the “labor force” of the body – they’re responsible to carry out various chemical reactions like:

1) Food digestion
2) Breaking down toxins
3) Cleansing the blood
4) Building protein into muscle
5) Strengthening the immune system
6) Reducing stress on the pancreas and other organs

Every child is born with a limited number of digestive enzymes, which has to last a lifetime. The faster a person uses up his enzyme supply, the more he experiences health problem. A great deal of our digestive enzymes gets wasted through eating food processed with chemicals, the use of junk food, and the consumption of alcohol and drugs. The average child may have lower enzyme stores because of unhealthy eating habits. Studies also show that children who have ADHD also have a gene variation that makes their enzymes more “lazy” – that is, enzymes that cannot process food as efficiently. Without enough healthy digestive enzymes, the digestion process gets interrupted and leads to a whole set of complications – nutritional deficiencies, leaky gut, and food allergies. Going on a nutritious ADHD diet isn’t enough if the gastro-intestinal tract can’t absorb the vitamins properly due to an enzyme deficiency.

Supplementing with digestive enzymes

Nature placed enzymes in raw food to help the body digest everything it eats – protein, fat, starch, fiber, sugar, and dairy – instead of making the bodily enzymes do all the work. There are seven different kinds of digestive enzymes:

1) Lipase – breaks down fat
2) Protease – breaks down protein
3) Cellulase – breaks down fibers
4) Anylase – breaks down starch
5) Lactase – breaks down dairy
6) Sucrase – breaks down sugar
7) Maltase – breaks down grains

Eating raw food can replenish your enzyme stores, but your child can also take enzyme supplements if needed. Autism specialist Dr. Joan Fallon was awarded a patent for a system that makes use of digestive and pancreatic enzymes to help children with ADHD and other learning disorders. The need for these enzymes is evaluated based on the low levels of the enzyme chymotrypsin in the stool. Chymotrypsin is an inactive enzyme produced by the pancreas, which becomes active once it meets the proteins in the small intestine. Poor protein digestion affects the formation of amino acids, which are the building blocks of new proteins and neurotransmitters. Dr. Fallon found that problems with protein synthesis causes neurological problems in the child and affects attention span, learning, and motor control. After handling hundreds of children with ADHD and autism, she discovered that using digestive and pancreatic enzymes reduces symptoms and restores their cognitive function. For more information on treating ADHD with enzyme therapy, visit http://www.curemark.com/.

It’s quite shocking to see how eating the wrong food has such a profound effect on a child’s personality, outlook, and behavior. It’s just as amazing to know that getting rid of the allergenic substance was enough to turn a screaming, flailing child into a calm, peaceful one.

There are two ways to find out if your child’s ADHD symptoms are caused by allergies. The first is through a specialized allergy testing, which is only available among alternative medical practitioners. However, these tests have a serious limitation – although they can confirm any brain-based allergic reactions, they cannot identify exactly what food or substance your child is allergic to. The best way to go about doing this is to go on the allergy diet proposed by Dr. Rapp, also known as the rotation diet. It might be difficult to get used to the rhythm of a rotation diet at first, but you can stop it as soon as you have identified the food your child is allergic to. Start by rotating wheat products and dairy products as these contain gluten and casein, two proteins that are notorious for their impact on behavior and brain activity.

If your child is anything like the children you’ve seen in the video, and if nothing you have done made a difference in your child’s behavior, try to pick up a copy of Dr. Rapp’s book “Is This Your Child?”. This 600-page book is one of the comprehensive resources on allergies, ADHD, and other realistic solutions that will get rid of your child’s problematic behavior.

ADHD cannot be diagnosed by checking off a laundry list of symptoms because many disorders often cause similar problems. Celiac disease is one such overlooked disorder. You might have been aware that food intolerances and intestinal problems have a hand in causing ADHD symptoms. Celiac disease is a condition where a person is intolerant to the plant protein gluten, which is found in wheat and wheat products. When a child with celiac disease eats pizza, pasta, or any food with wheat in it, the immune system reacts by damaging the upper region of the small intestine. The initial damage only amounts to minor inflammation but if the child continues to eat foods with gluten, painful symptoms and impaired nutrient absorption can occur.

The latter effect is particularly significant. In our previous articles, we have shown how deficiencies in zinc, magnesium, calcium, and other nutrients can trigger or aggravate ADHD symptoms. Iron in particular has been found to be useful in suppressing ADHD symptoms, assuming that there is indeed an iron deficiency. Research shows that a gastro-intestinal system damaged by celiac disease can lead to an iron deficiency, which can complicate things for a child with ADHD.

Celiac disease has also been linked to other common psychological conditions like chronic depression. This could be due to the fact that the gastro-intestinal tract produces 90% of the body’s serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for mood control and feelings of happiness. Another possible reason is that a damaged gastro-intestinal tract might be unable to absorb adequate amounts of tryptophan, the amino acid precursor to serotonin. Tryptophan is found in high concentrations in meats like turkey.

Given that ADHD has so many potential causes, it’s likely that your child’s symptoms may be caused by an underlying factor like celiac disease. You can confirm your suspicions through a combination of lab tests. The first step to a celiac disease diagnosis are blood tests designed to measure levels of a certain auto-antibody. Unlike antibodies, which attack foreign substances and viruses in the body, auto-antibodies target the body’s own tissues. The auto-antibodies measured for celiac disease are immunoglobulin A, anti-endomysium antibodies, and anti-tissue transglutaminase. The blood work might also include a complete blood count to rule out anemia. Other tests you might want to include are nutrient element test to check for vitamin deficiencies and an intestinal permeability test with stool analysis.

The good news is that the effects of celiac disease can be avoided by a gluten-free diet. An Italian study on celiac patients with ADHD symptoms discovered that eliminating gluten for six months reduced the severity of ADHD symptoms. Although the prevalence of wheat products in the typical Western diet might be hard to implement the gluten-free diet on a child, ADHD cookbooks can help you find alternative ingredients for gluten-free cooking and baking.

In our Article Library, you’ll find several discussions on various nutritional interventions for ADHD. Although vitamin C is known more for its immune-boosting and antioxidant properties, some studies suggest that it may play an important role in managing hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. Before you get excited and start buying vitamin C supplements, take note that vitamin C works more as a secondary treatment that boosts the efficacy of supplements and dietary methods; in other words, it should not be used as a single, stand-alone treatment. Although some of its speculative benefits still need to be confirmed by further studies, it seems like maintaining or increasing vitamin C levels can reduce ADHD symptoms in five ways:

Protects omega-3 fatty acids from oxidation

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements containing DHA and EPA are known to improve brain function among individuals with ADHD. However, one of the main problems of supplementing with fatty acids is that they are prone to oxidation after the slightest exposure to sun, air, or light. Oxidation basically means that the fatty acids break down, go rancid, and no longer contain their nutritional benefits. A natural antioxidant can prevent this problem, but vitamin C is actually not the best choice where fatty acids are concerned. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, which means it has limited effects on a less water soluble substance like omega-3 fats. However, it does boost the levels of other important antioxidants like glutathione and vitamin E, which are better equipped to protect omega-3 fats from oxidation. It’s also important to note that vitamins C and E work very well as an anti-oxidant team.

Neuroprotective properties

Did you know that the brain’s nerve endings have the second highest concentration of vitamin C in the body? (The first is the adrenal glands.) New research shows that vitamin C performs a strong protective role in the brain, especially when used with vitamin D. It protects against a specific type of oxidative damage called ischemia, which causes reduced blood supply to the brain. This is important to children with ADHD because ischemia is actually one of the lesser known causes of ADHD, especially during a child’s early years. Ischemia can interfere with the dopamine receptors in the brain, causing symptoms like poor attention span and slow reaction time.

Neutralizes the effects of lead

Current research shows that ADHD-like behaviors and symptoms may be connected to increased lead levels. Vitamin C can reduce lead’s negative effects on memory and learning, especially when used together with zinc, methionine, taurine, and glycene.

Improves absorption of minerals

Deficiencies in zinc, iron, and magnesium are just some of the nutrition-related triggers of ADHD. Researchers hypothesize that vitamin C’s ability to fight off the effects of lead has to do with the way it increases iron absorption, especially if iron is deficient. Take note that vitamin C can possibly work as a pro-oxidant if found at low levels in the body; in higher levels, it has an anti-oxidant effect.

Regulate blood sugar levels

Some research suggests that children with ADHD have low glucose metabolism in certain regions, especially those that control attention and movement. This effect seems to be more pronounced among girls and women. Although vitamin C’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels is more theoretical at this point, some diabetics already use vitamin C to help treat their condition.

The causes of ADHD can come from the most unlikely sources. A groundbreaking new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology shows that preschool children who had more gas appliances at home had lower cognitive abilities and are more likely to have ADHD symptoms than their peers. The relationship seems strange, until you realize that gas appliances can be a source of indoor pollution. They release an odorless gas called nitrogen dioxide, a toxic pollutant that can interfere with the body’s ability to carry oxygen to the lung. If the ventilation at the kitchen is poor, this toxin can stay trapped inside the house and slowly waft up to the bedrooms. Young children do not have the immune system defenses to properly guard themselves against toxic substances. As a result, the smallest exposure to toxic chemicals may interfere with their nervous system growth and development.

For the study, researchers visited the homes of 482 babies during the first twelve weeks to count how many gas appliances were in the house. They also installed a device that measures the nitrogen dioxide levels in the kitchen every two weeks. When the children turned four, the researchers did detailed tests on their behavior and intelligence. They discovered that there was a positive relationship between the number of gas appliances, the nitrogen dioxide levels in the house, and the symptoms of ADHD, especially inattention. Children who had more gas appliances at home also had slightly lower scores in executive function tests and verbal intelligence tests. The relationship remained the same even after checking for factors like income, educational level of parents, drinking or smoking during pregnancy, or breastfeeding.

Researchers also noted that some kids are more sensitive to the effects of nitrogen dioxide than others. They took a DNA sample from every baby and looked for the glutathione gene GSTP1, which is the gene that produces a specific antioxidant. This enables the body to eliminate environmental toxins more efficiently. Half of the children were found to have faulty GSTP1 genes, and had a stronger association between the nitrogen dioxide levels at home and ADHD symptoms.

Although it’s too soon to make any definite conclusions, this is the first major study done on indoor pollution and the risk of ADHD. It’s also important to note that the study does not claim that gas appliances cause ADHD; merely that there seems to be a relationship between the two. Nonetheless, there is an increasing amount of evidence that links air pollution with impaired brain development, and some studies show that indoor air pollution can actually be worse than outdoor air pollution.
So what can you do with this information? First of all, I don’t suggest that you make a mad rush to the appliance store and switch to an electric stove. Just make sure that your kitchen (and other rooms with gas appliances) has a fan and excellent ventilation. Keep the fan on and the windows open when you use the gas stove. You should also consider placing a spider plant in the kitchen. Believe it or not, NASA researchers have tested the ability of spider plants to remove environmental pollutants linked to gas appliances. They discovered that one spider plant in a one gallon container can remove over 99% of the nitrogen dioxide buildup within just 6 hours!

Environmental pollution might seem like it’s beyond our control, but there’s a lot we can do to control the air quality in our homes for our children. And it doesn’t even have to be expensive to do so!

Most parents are at a loss as to how to discipline their ADHD child. Your warnings go unheeded, the house rules are ignored, and threats seem to make no difference to their behavior. Managing the behavior of kids with ADHD definitely has its challenges, especially since traditional parenting skills do not usually work on them. But with a little help from experts on ADHD, you might become more effective at helping your child overcome ADHD while keeping their behavior in check. Below are five books that offer handy hints on parenting kids with ADHD.

Parenting Children with ADHD: Lessons That Medicine Cannot Teach

This book offers easily digestible information on how nutrition and certain therapies can improve the concentration, attention span, and behavior control of kids with ADHD. Although the book sometimes advocates the use of medication to treat ADHD, it also offers practical advice on behavior management. The author provides a well-rounded approach to teaching essential life skills, improving school success, and building compassion for others. There are also questionnaires, checklists, and homework at the end of every chapter for easy application.

From Chaos to Calm: Effective Parenting for Challenging Children with ADHD and other Behavior Problems

This book was written from three points of view – a parent, a therapist, and a child – to provide readers with the most helpful guide on raising an ADHD child. If you want to learn how to be a pro-active parent who provides consistent and constructive discipline, this book is for you. The ideas presented in the book can be applied to very young kids up to teenagers.

The ADHD Parenting Handbook: Practical Advice for Parents from Parents

Written from the point of view of parents, this book provides guidelines, advice, and suggestions to help parents interact and help their children. While the early chapters deals with general information on ADHD, the bulk of the book focuses on managing and preventing bad behavior, providing a healthy and stable environment for the child, and working with teachers to overcome learning problems. Counselors, teachers, and pediatricians have also contributed helpful recommendations and parenting tips.

School Success for Kids with ADHD

Who doesn’t want their children to make the most out of their education? Children with ADHD are very bright and clever, but the traditional school system is incapable of honing these skills. This book discusses ADHD in the context of how the symptoms appear in school and strategies you can use to help your child overcome the setbacks of inattention and turn them into strengths. The advice included can be applied to kids as young as the middle school years up until college and beyond.

How To Reach And Teach Children with ADD/ADHD: Practical Techniques, Strategies, and Interventions

This easy-to-read book is a user-friendly guide for teachers and parents who want to help ADHD kids succeed in school and life. There are research-based tips on how to manage ADHD in different academic areas like writing, reading, and math, as well as detailed advice on teaching your child impulse control and study skills.

Have you ever tried touching a baby’s hand? Try doing so the next time you encounter a baby, and you’ll notice that he or she will automatically grip your finger in response. This endearing behavior is actually one of the baby’s many neonatal or reflexes – a primitive set of automatic reactions to specific stimuli. Babies’ neonatal reflexes are located in the most primitive part of the brain, the brainstem, and have evolved to protect them from harm and to aid in their neurological development. As the baby grows up, the reflexes in the brain stem comes under the control of regions like the cerebral cortex, which are responsible for more evolved thinking.

Sometimes, the integration between primitive reflexes and higher thinking does not happen correctly, meaning the baby carries the primitive reflexes onto childhood. This occurrence is referred to as retained primitive reflexes. Its causes are unknown, but experts in this field suggest that it might be due to physical, hormonal, or chemical trauma in the womb. Caesarean birth or a traumatic birth (i.e. the use of foreceps) can also contribute to a retrained primitive reflex.

What happens to a child who kept his or her primitive reflexes? The symptoms depend on which specific primitive reflex failed to integrate with the rest of the central nervous system. You’ll notice that many of these problems are among the diagnostic symptoms of ADHD.

• A retained Moro reflex results in the inability to control emotions. The child might be aggressive, insensitive, but also loving and compassionate. This may also cause a hypersensitivity to touch, light, and textures.
• A retained Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex can lead to inattention, the inability to complete writing tasks, and difficulty walking.
• A retained Fear Paralysis Reflex causes fear and anxiety about new environments and situations, making the child withdraw from other children and strangers.
• A retained Spinal Galant Reflex causes hyperactivity, difficulty staying in one place, inattention, and bedwetting.
• A retained Tonic Labyrinthe Reflex leads to a child who has disturbed balance, problems with hearing, difficulties learning to walk and judge distances
• A retained Infant Planter Reflex causes curled toes, which results in issues with balance and walking. Common symptoms are ingrown toenails, shin soreness, and twisted angles.
• Retained Sucking and Rooting Reflexes result in problems with speech, eating, and chewing.

The relationship between retained primitive reflexes and ADHD has not been fully examined until an Australian study recruited 109 boys, 54 of which were diagnosed with ADHD. The boys’ parents were asked to fill the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale to confirm the ADHD symptoms, whereas the boys were asked to do certain reflex tests to check for any retained reflexes. Those without ADHD were found to have fewer symptoms of retained reflexes than the ADHD group, who had higher levels of Moro Reflexes, Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflexes, and Tonic Labyrinthe Reflexes. Although these findings are only preliminary, it shows some support to the relationship between retained primitive reflexes and ADHD symptoms. Retained primitive reflexes can be treated and reintegrated through chiropractic adjustments.