Adhd, What Is It?

ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder AKA " A Difficult Hard Decision" for parents!
After years of putting up with what is generally perceived as 'bad behaviour' from your child by relatives, friends and schools (many of whom do not have the time, resources and understanding) to deal with effects of ADHD in children.
These behaviours put a stress on relationships in the family and often people feel alone, desperate, tired and at their wits end. But in truth they are anything but alone! With diagnosed cases of this condition increasing by the day and no-one really understanding why.
The symptoms are usually about a child doing things without thought of the consequences (impulsive behaviour), being constantly on the go and not able to relax (hyperactivity) and just not being able to pay attention or complete the task they are doing (inattentiveness).

At least 5% of children today have these symptoms so severely and so often that they are diagnosed as having a 'condition'. This is stressful for parents and families, who have to structure busy and demanding lives around coping with these symptoms which generally include inattentiveness, impulsive behaviour and being constantly on the go. Usually the only escape is taking the child to school and the teachers there also struggle to cope. This structure is lacking in resources and strategies, often in unsuitable buildings with noisy classrooms and high numbers of children crammed in together. In each class, there will be 2 ADHD kids and another 4 or 5 with similar sorts of behaviour.

The reason for the rise in ADHD is not understood. Some schools of thought attribute it to diet, others poor parenting skills (which doesn't parent morale much good for those with children with ADHD - thank you very much!) Others blame it on a genetic disorder - (OK parents.... another reason to beat youself up). The reality of the situation is that just as each child is unique and individual, so too is the ADHD condition. The condition is caused by lots of things overwhelming the body's systems, which presents the symptoms of ADHD.

We have all been in a situation where you are out shopping and a child 'Kicks off' - literally! It is easy to be judgmental and make discrete comments about lack of parenting skills these days, to whoever is standing closest but the reality is that a lot of families are unable to live a "normal" life, where even a simple trip to the supermarket can turn into a "Nightmare on High Street". Very often the strain of these behavioural issues break up relationships and Moms are left to cope alone with situations that escalate out of control, where they are isolated and alienated and with very little support or understanding for their situation forthcoming from friends or families when the going gets tough.

Traditionally when the situation gets unbearable and once a diagnosis is made, medication is prescribed and the side effects of this are well known. There is evidence that these drugs can have harmful side effects and very often don't work and in some cases symptoms have been known to get worse.

This publicity has raised concerns for every parent going down the route of ADHD assessment and caused an ongoing interest in the value of alternative and complementary therapies in assisting with ADHD. The first question has to be do these approaches work? Very often it is an area lacking in substantial research but when delivered properly and evaluated in a suitable context it can deliver some staggering results. In my role as an educational advisor, I have seen a huge turnaround in young people who have been identified as having ADHD.

An example of this is the young man who attended a pupil referral unit because of his inability of cope with life in mainstream school, which affected his behaviour. After following a programme which is a natural alternative to ADHD and achieving remarkable success both behaviourally and academically, it is causing professionals to revisit their thinking about what is ADHD and how to treat the symptoms of ADHD