The first day of school is just a few weeks’ away and like many parents, you’re probably looking for ways to help your ADHD child excel academically (or at the very least, meet the passing grade).  One of the biggest challenges parents face is keeping their kids attentive and focused long enough to get their homework done.  The average child often puts up a real struggle when it comes to schoolwork, but the symptoms of ADHD magnify the homework wars tenfold. Not only do they have problems with self-control, but their forgetful tendencies may keep them from taking note of the assignment and bringing home the things they need. Fortunately, researchers just developed a system that can reduce homework problems by half. At least, that’s what a new study just discovered.

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We’ve long suspected that the typical Western diet might be the reason why so many children are diagnosed with ADHD today.  The brain requires a healthy number of nutrients, essential fatty acids, and amino acids to release and regulate neurotransmitters (brain chemicals responsible for mood, attention, concentration, and impulse control).  Although these nutrients can be obtained from a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables, the typical Western diet has little room for such healthy options.  Why? This type of diet prioritizes the convenience of cooking rather than nutritional value. Unfortunately, these fast food meals are high in fat, refined sugar, and sodium, and offer few nutrients in return. Can such a diet be responsible for the increase of ADHD epidemic among children and teens today?

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When we think of possible ADHD natural treatments for children, tonsil removal is hardly the first thing that comes to mind. After all, ADHD is caused by the interaction between genetics and the environment. What does removing tonsils have to do with reducing hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention?  The answer is more surprising than you think.

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Are you tired of punishing your ADHD child for impulses that he or she cannot control? Most parents who have impulsive ADHD children are often at their wits’ end. Children with ADHD hyperactive/impulsive type are not only unable to learn from past mistakes; their tendency to act before they think often gets them into trouble or places themselves and others in dangerous situations.  Besides natural ADHD treatments like neurofeedback, what else can you do to teach their child control their impulsivity?

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It’s alarming when you realize that many of the medications we take haven’t been tested for their long-term effects on our health. Take for instance the drug Labetalol, a medicine that is sometimes prescribed to women suffering from pregnancy-related hypertension or high blood pressure.  A preliminary study in The Netherlands reveals that Labetalol may increase a child’s chances of developing ADHD if his or her mother took the drug during pregnancy.

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Summer is no doubt a favorite season for kids of all ages.  There’s no school, there’s no homework, and there’s nothing to do but relax and have fun. You probably think that summer also means a break for you – after all, you don’t have to supervise the kid’s study hour or wake up early in the morning to help them get ready for school. Sounds like a good time to relax and take it easy! That is, until your ADHD kids start complaining that they’re bored or find potentially dangerous ways to amuse themselves.

During the school year, the routine of waking up, getting ready for school, and coming home to do homework keeps many ADHD symptoms in check.  But as soon as the kids are faced with long days of doing nothing, the hyperactive, impulsive, and inquisitive nature of children with ADHD can pose a few problems.  Since ADHD kids require constant stimulation to keep themselves entertained, your child might get bored easily and often.  He or she will probably be more demanding of your time and attention. And since it’s not possible for you to keep your child entertained 24/7, he or she may get into trouble for finding new ways to stay amused. For instance, there was this 8-year-old boy who tried to cut a large tree in the backyard with a hand saw because he wanted to find out the tree’s age.  Fortunately, he was unharmed, but his parents quickly realized that the rest of the summer cannot go by without some sort of plan.

Here are a few tips that will help you plan the perfect summer with your ADHD child.

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Nothing damages a parent’s trust and creates tension more than habitual lying from their child.  It’s normal for kids to tell the occasional white lie, but compulsive lying is a habit that many children with ADHD can’t get away from.  Lying tends to come with ADHD symptoms, especially if the child has not learned to control them.  For instance, a child with ADHD might lie because his distractible nature made him abandon an important task; when asked about his progress, he quickly saves face with a lie.

However difficult it might be to deal with this behavior, try to understand that most ADHD kids who lie don’t mean to be dishonest.  All children (even those without ADHD) keep a few lies in their tool boxes of responses.  It’s just that children with ADHD (and related disorders) take longer to realize that lying is not a desirable trait for relationships and character building.  Disciplining your child for his or her untruths is one way to stop the habit, as is finding a way to treat the symptoms that triggered the lie in the first place. Meanwhile, here are a few tips that can help you get your child to tell the truth.

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You’ve probably told your child to sit still and focus so that he or she can get homework done.  Anyone with ADHD is no stranger to well-meaning statements like, “If you try hard enough and concentrate, you can become whatever you want to be.”  However, relying on mind over matter can be frustrating and downright discouraging for someone with ADHD; after all, their distractible and inattentive brains aren’t exactly their biggest assets. But what if there was a way to use fidgeting as a means to improve focus?

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Do you find yourself changing your child’s sheets too often because of tiny “accidents” that happen at night?  While there is little scientific evidence to show that one causes the other, doctors and experts observe that ADHD and bedwetting (or enuresis) often occurs together.  Will bedwetting go away if the ADHD symptoms are treated? Or will it require its own interventions?

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Since the world’s first IVF baby was born in 1978, thousands of children were conceived with the help of in vitro fertilization (IVF), an assisted reproductive technology where the sperm and egg are combined in a lab to form embryos. Although research and emerging technologies have improved the success rate of IVF, one lingering question remains – do children born through IVF grow up as healthy as those conceived the old-fashioned way?

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