A colleague once remarked that in his experience working with families and children with ADHD, fathers rarely participate in behavior modification programs. This phenomenon has more to do with cultural forces than anything else; generally speaking, topics covered in these programs fall under the mother’s domain (time management, organization, and self-control). Such traditional parenting programs seem more relevant to mothers than fathers.  However, the success of a holistic ADHD treatment program requires the involvement and active participation of both parents. Fathers have just as much influence as mothers when it comes to a child’s academic achievement and self-esteem.

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Getting your child to give up favorite foods for an ADHD diet is tricky, and the holiday season might make it more difficult.  The last few weeks of the year will be filled with dinner parties, family reunions, and other types of gatherings centered on food.  Your child might feel left out when cousins enjoy forbidden holiday treats, and relatives won’t understand why he or she can’t have just one tiny cookie.  It may not be a good idea to take a break from your child’s diet and start from scratch after a few weeks, but here are some tips that will make eating a fun occasion for your child during the holidays.

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As a parent of a child with ADHD, you’ve probably noticed something I observe among my patients: kids with ADHD don’t do well in the winter.  As fall turns to winter and a blanket of snow covers the streets, kids with ADHD tend to:

• Become more hyperactive or impulsive as they grow increasingly restless. In the winter, they have fewer opportunities to burn excess energy or do activities they enjoy outside of school or at home.
• Become more argumentative and oppositional due to the inability to use their regular coping skills, such as outdoor activities or sports, to help them vent their feelings and burn off excess energy.
• Become more distracted and inattentive, resulting in difficulties doing homework or completing errands and chores.
• Experience more disciplinary or legal trouble as their frustration, restlessness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity increases.

Does this sound like your child?

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Last week, I talked about how the number of children diagnosed with ADHD has skyrocketed over the last few years, and posited some possible explanations for this phenomenon.  While some might argue that ADHD awareness and overeager doctors contributed to this increase, a new study published in the journal Pediatrics finds that diet and lifestyle parallels the high rate of childhood ADHD cases today.

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It’s hardly surprising to learn that more children receive the ADHD diagnosis today.  A new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered that the number of ADHD diagnosis among children in the United States went up 22% in four years – from 7.8% in 2003 to 9.5% in 2007. These findings are certainly consistent with other research on the rapid rise of the ADHD diagnosis around the world. However, I’m more interested in finding out why this is happening. What could be causing this so-called ADHD epidemic? Here, I posit four possible reasons.

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Several months ago, I blogged about how ADHD can be caused by retained primitive reflexes.  For those who missed this, let me give you a brief recap about this condition. Primitive reflexes are an infant’s automatic reaction to certain stimuli, which are designed to protect them from harm and facilitate their neurological development. A baby’s tight grasp on your finger is a good example of a primitive reflex. As the baby grows, the brain integrates these primitive reflexes so they can evolve into higher brain processes like logic and reasoning. However, the integration process can sometimes be problematic, and the baby ends up “retaining” the primitive reflexes into childhood. These retained reflexes can cause symptoms of ADHD and other neurologic problems.

A group of experts from Purdue University recently discovered a simple technique to treat retained reflexes and reduce hyperactivity among children with ADHD.  This technique is no other than re-learning to crawl!

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Has your child been acting differently after he or she had that bad sore throat? Have teachers been complaining that your child no longer pays attention in class or that his handwriting is difficult to read? Does your child suddenly become particular about the way she does certain things? Your child’s sore throat might have resulted in a rare condition called PANDAS – pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcus. Believe it or not, the common strep infection can trigger ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and other neuropsychiatric conditions if left untreated.

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Last week, the media had a field day over a study that presented new evidence for the genetic cause of ADHD.  This study, which was done by researchers from Cardiff University and published in the English journal The Lancet, revealed that children with ADHD are more likely to have missing or duplicated DNA segments.  The researchers also discovered that the ADHD-related DNA segments overlap the genetic variants detected in those with schizophrenia and autism.  But exactly how crucial are genetics in the ADHD puzzle? How much do genes influence ADHD?

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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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