As I mentioned previously,when Claire was 3.5 years old we took her to a neurologist who prematurely diagnosed her with ADHD and in summary,said to come back in a few months and he would give us drugs for her. He was talking to the wrong mother. Even if Claire did have ADHD,which I do not think true for many reasons,my last resort would have been drugs! In my personal opinion,more often than not,drugs just mask the problem,kind of like placing a band-aid over a gaping wound. I do believe that ADHD is a true neurological disorder and that some people need the drugs to function. But I also think it is over diagnosed and a convenient label when a doctor can not find another cause. I asked the neurologist about SPD,but he dismissed it. He did not believe that is was a disorder in and of itself,but a symptom of other neurological disorders like Autism an ADHD. The problem I had is that Claire was lacking in some very important inattentive symptoms of ADHD. For example:
- First she was too young. Not many 3 year old pay close attention to detail in “school work.”But Claire was always very detail oriented.
- She only had trouble paying attention to tasks if other children were near her,but not alone or with adults.
- She often seemed not to be listening,but I did notice it depended on the background noise and if she was deep in thought.
- She could follow instruction up to 3 steps given to her clearly. Yes,she had to sometimes be reminded and she got distracted,but again,she was 3.
- She never had trouble organizing anything! She would organize your life,if she had to!
- At about age 2 she started doing puzzles “by my-self,”and by age 3 was onto 24 to 36 piece puzzles.
- She rarely lost things,again she was a little too organized for 3.
- Easily distracted? Well again,I’m going to play the 3 years old card.
- Often forgetful? I don’t really know.
Claire did have some of the symptoms for hyperactivity,but most of those seemed better explained by SPD and you need to have at least 6 symptoms of each that impair the child in daily activities. She also was almost completely lacking in the Impulsivity symptoms because she was anti-social.
So after the appointment with the neurologist,I started researching SPD and ADHD and basically causes and natural treatments for neurological disorders. That is when I found Kenneth Bock’s book “Healing the New Childhood Epidemics:Autism,ADHD,Asthma,and Allergy,” and things began to make sense. Regardless of what the neurological disorder is diagnosed,the natural treatments are basically the same:1) evaluate the child’s nutritional intake and their immune system’s health (including the gut),2) eliminate any unnecessary toxins and synthetics from their diet,3) testing for food allergies,4) identify a diet and supplements that may help,and 5) further testing and detoxification if necessary. In addition,I recommend working with an Occupational Therapists to find activities for your child that may help calm their senses.
We started a series of Elimination and Challenge for several foods and discovered Claire’s reactions to wheat and dairy. I also started looking for medical professionals that had a more holistic view of medicine. This has basically lead us to a specific diet and series of supplements that has really helped Claire. Now she is a thriving pre-schooler,looking forward to kindergarden. As children grow their bodies change,so we will always be making adjustments. And large crowds or chaotic environments are still very hard on her. Even most days,she does great during preschool she does fine,but easily cries and may need some deep pressure (such as a bear hug) or alone time (where she can quietly play alone) after class. But overall,she is thriving,learning,and even growing more than ever before!
