How to help a child with ADHD without medication

30 years ago there were no children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disease that began to be diagnosed in the 1980s and which currently affects one in 15 children and adolescents of school age in our country. More and more families are concerned, and parents often have difficulty understanding the disorder and its treatment, which in many cases includes the administration of methylphenidatea type of amphetamine that is sold as a drug on the black market.

While experts debate whether the disease has always existed, is new, or was invented by doctors, parents can do a lot to prevent diagnosis and help their children if they have already been labeled as hyperactive.

ADHD, a controversial disorder with unknown causes

A hyperactive child has more or less great difficulties concentratinge in the tasks that are proposed to him at school, it is difficult for him to sit still, he is impulsive and gets excited easily. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV): “Symptoms usually worsen in situations that require sustained attention or mental effort or that lack intrinsic appeal or novelty, for example, listening to the teacher in class , doing homework, listening to or reading long texts, or working on monotonous or repetitive tasks.

Most doctors think that these difficulties are not what would be expected in students, but are due to a genetic or neurological defect, at least when they manifest with an intensity that is not controllable. Numerous indications are pointed out in this regard.

However, while hundreds of studies have been conducted to uncover alterations in brain structure or chemistry in these children, no abnormality could be related to symptoms, as they also appear in people who have not been diagnosed. There is even doubt as to whether they are the cause or the consequence of the situation the child is experiencing.

No alteration in brain structure or chemistry has been linked to ADHD symptoms.

On the other hand, there are dozens of studies that discover different causal factors of hyperactivity. For example, exposure to tobacco and alcohol during pregnancy is a risk factor. Also infections during pregnancy and childhood, complications during childbirth, exposure to pesticides and the consumption of dyes and preservatives.

Children who have lived in orphanages, have suffered abuse and those who are adopted present higher rates of ADHD.

The causes are unknown and there is no objective evidence. used to make the diagnosis. To finish making the picture more confusing, three out of four children diagnosed in the United States, where the protocol established in the DSM-IV is followed, are considered healthy in Europe, because the ICD-10 (International Classification) criteria are used here. Statistics on Diseases and Related Health Problems).

It also influences that in the United States a 400 dollar grant is given to the school for each child diagnosed with ADHD, there is more conflict in schools and there is more pressure from the pharmaceutical industry, which supplies the drugs.

A family and social problem

All this leads some experts to consider the disorder as a family and social problem. Moreover, they ensure that the way of working in schools and the current lifestyle favor the appearance of symptoms. Therefore, the disorder that the child manifests does not arise solely from within.

One can cite a long list of psychiatrists, psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists for whom ADHD is a “social construct”in the words of Sammy Timimichild psychiatrist and professor at the University of Lincoln (United Kingdom), where parents, teachers and doctors agree on what is normal and abnormal child behavior.

Children who do not meet certain expectations, who do not adapt well to the functioning of the school or to family customs are “problematic.” A few years ago it was said that they were naughty, moved or that they were not good for studying. Currently they receive a medical label and are treated with medication and psychological therapy.

For critical authors, children considered hyperactive are an interesting wake-up call. First of all, they test society’s ability to tolerate differences. The renowned educator Thomas Armstrong recalls that ADHD is a curious problem that appears in certain circumstances (in class, doing homework, when the child is alone) and vanishes in others (when the child can do what he wants, when is playing, when he faces a challenge that interests him).

Another peculiarity of the disorder is that it officially disappears upon reaching adulthood., although work is already underway on the diagnostic protocol for hyperactivity after adolescence. Perhaps in a few years it will also be a common problem among adults.

7 keys to help a hyperactive child

In a school that implemented adapted methods to the characteristics of each child there would be no problematic hyperactives, since the best of each student would be brought to light. Therefore, according to Armstrong, labeling a child as hyperactive and treating him with medication not only harms him, but also prevents the improvement of educational systems.

It is difficult for schools to change, at least from one day to the next. However, parents have a decisive responsibility.

These are some of the attitudes, behaviors and habits, including dietary guidelines, which can help a child with hyperactivity symptoms and their parents.

1. Accept and understand the child

In classical Greece, Socrates said that education consisted in lighting the flame, not in filling the glass of knowledge. While schools persist in the latter, parents can do the former. The best way to do this is to stand on their side., observing his thought processes to understand him better. Those thought processes can be very different from those of parents.

Thus, when faced with an apparently inappropriate idea from the child, instead of criticizing it, disassembling it and offering the appropriate response, we must suggest a new challenge that you find interesting.

Michael Meyerhoff, from Johns Hopkins University (United States), gives an example: a 9-year-old girl happily responds that “the plural of leaf is tree.” The idea that the correct answer is “leaves” does not convince him. Her teacher and her mother are desperate. Instead, her father loves the way her daughter’s brain works and proposes many more puzzles for her to solve in her original way.

The concern of parents is justified by their belief that if their children do not achieve good results in school they will not succeed in life, something debatable. Definitely, what does help the child is to be a source of joy for his parents from the moment of his conception.

Parents worry because they believe that if their children do not do well in school, they will fail in life, a questionable belief.

The Mayo Clinic, one of the most advanced health centers in the world, advises parents concerned about the incidence of hyperactivity to take special care of the good parenting practices:

It recommends parents touch, caress and be very close to the baby during its first months of life. Also, remember that, until the age of 3, all children need to be close to their mother or father for most of the day and night. It also advises that they not watch television before the age of two and that they then do not pass before it more than an hour a day.

Hyperactive children seem to need more intense stimulation than others to feel motivated. This is why amphetamines work: makes their usual environment seem more exciting to them.

The Another way to achieve the same result is that the environment offers them more incentives.. This requires that the place where they live and the people around them allow them to develop activities that interest and absorb them.

2. A stimulating environment

Pedagogues are right when they recommend the sets of construction pieces, in all their variants, paints and unstructured toys, which are not used to play in only one way. Board games that allow interaction between participants are also advisable.

But the most beneficial stimulus comes from adults. Some caring parents who recognize the qualities of their child and propose ambitious challenges or let them venture into their own plans, however far-fetched they may seem, they are supporting their development and well-being.

The hyperactive child especially enjoys when relationships are based on respect and affection.. Instead, he suffers the impositions.

Constructive relationships with adults favor their development and self-esteem, quite the opposite of people who see them as a problem or a source of discomfort.

On the other hand, these are children who are usually talkative and enjoy stories. Why not read funny short stories to each other, tell jokes, or play carelessly?

3. Be a good example (and not a bad influence)

The main tool of parents is their own example. When the moments of full concentration and relaxation in adults it is easier for children to develop attention deficit disorder.

These are some aspects that parents should take care of:

The use of the Internet in front of the child. Parents spend more and more hours a day connected to the Internet through computers and mobile phones. This permanent connection prevents them from fully concentrating on an activity, even during the time they have to spend with their children. To remedy it, you can limit a time a day to connect, for example, after breakfast and at the end of the workday. As for the mobile phone, you can leave the voice mail activated and check it two or three times a day, instead of answering all the calls.Do one thing at a time. Many people boast of doing several things at once. Others say they have no other choice. In any case, the human brain is not prepared for these demands. Every time you jump from one subject to another you lose information and concentration. Doing one task conscientiously and then another is the best example that can be given to children.Be aware of your own greed. Children’s attitude in class can be criticized, but many adults experience similar boredom in their spare time. These parents seek stimulation at all costs and become frustrated by the routine at home. It is convenient to cultivate one’s own interests, enjoy nature and the company of children.Keep worries at bay. Instead of getting carried away by them, you can write lists that include the pending issues. Then a way to remedy them is written next to it, and you only think about it when you have the list in hand, not all the time.Reduce commitments. The accumulation of obligations produces anxiety and…