How to calm a child with adhd without medication

Can You Treat It Without Drugs?

Written by Marisa Cohen

"Your child has ADHD."

For most families, that means the beginning of a long trek through the world of pharmaceuticals. Medications are the top treatment for ADHD, and they're effective for 80% of kids with the disorder.

But many parents worry about side effects and want to exhaust every other option before they put their child on medicine.

No matter what your decision is, you can help your child live a calmer, more successful life.

To Medicate, or Not to Medicate?

For some, like Sonia, it was a matter of age. "My son was just 5 years old when he was diagnosed with ADHD, and I thought that was too young for medication," she says.

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics agrees. They almost always recommend that, before age 6, you start with behavior therapy.

"Parents often ask if they can try other treatments first before they turn to medication, and there are several methods that are effective," says Richard Gallagher, PhD, of the Institute for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity and Behavior Disorders at the NYU Child Study Center. He encourages parents to try other things while they look into the risks and benefits of medications.

Gallagher says that behavior changes alone are most effective with kids who are only inattentive and unfocused, rather than those who are also impulsive and hyperactive. The most successful treatment for ADHD combines both meds and behavior management.

Parent and Teacher Help

Parents and classroom teachers play a starring role in helping a child learn to recognize and adjust their behavior, Gallagher says.

For parents, this means creating small, manageable goals for their child, such as sitting for 10 minutes at the dinner table, and then giving rewards for achieving them. It's also helpful for the teacher to send home a daily "report card," letting the parents know whether the child met their behavior goals at school that day.

From a young age, Sonia's son was graded in school every 20 minutes on three goals: staying seated, staying on task, and being respectful of others. His reward for meeting the goals were more time shooting hoops later in the day - a more effective strategy than punishing him for misbehaving, his mom says.

A coach or tutor can work with older children to come up with a system for keeping track of their books, papers, and assignments, says Edward Hallowell, MD, the author of Delivered from Distraction. "This is more helpful than Mom or Dad trying to help organize, because with a parent, it can come across as nagging," he says.

Sleep

Getting enough shut-eye can be a game-changer for kids with ADHD. Research shows that just an extra half-hour of sleep can help with restlessness and impulsivity.

"A lot of kids with ADHD also have sleep disorders, and each condition makes the other one worse," says Mark Stein, PhD, an ADHD specialist at the Seattle Children's Hospital.

One of the most common sleep issues for kids with ADHD is that they can't settle down and fall asleep; then their exhaustion the next day makes their symptoms worse. While some doctors recommend sleep aids such as melatonin, you should start by practicing good sleep habits:

Have a consistent bedtime, even on the weekend.
Keep the bedroom cool and dark.
Create a soothing winding-down ritual.

"We have bedtime broken down into 10 specific tasks, like taking a bath, putting on pajamas, reading for a half-hour," Sonia says. "He had trouble falling asleep before, but the routine really helps him settle down."

That also means no screens of any kind before bedtime. Take computers, TVs, phones, and video games out of the bedroom so your child isn't distracted or tempted.

Exercise

Make sure your child has plenty of opportunities to run and play (at appropriate times). Some recent studies found that after about 30 minutes of exercise, kids with ADHD can focus and organize their thoughts better.

Elise can confirm these results. "Like a lot of kids with ADHD, my son doesn't have very good coordination, but he's fallen in love with swimming," she says. "He enjoys the feel of the water and always feels calmer when he gets out of the pool."

If your child wants to play organized sports that require focus and concentration, like baseball or tennis, there's more to the equation. "Before they started medication, many of my patients were stuck playing the outfield, where they would just wander around chasing daisies," Stein says. "But the medication helped them play better and be part of the team."

Meditation and Mindfulness

A new line of research is exploring how mindfulness -- learning how to sharpen focus, raise awareness, and practice self-control through breathing and meditation -- may help manage the symptoms of ADHD.

One small study found that when both children and their parents completed an 8-week mindfulness-training program, the kids had fewer symptoms. And their parents felt less of the stress that typically comes with their role.

This is promising news, but Gallagher points out there isn't yet enough solid evidence to fully recommend the strategy.

Elise's son has tried a few different meditation techniques over the years to control his anxiety and impulsivity. While they were helpful at the moment, she says he hasn't been able to stick with them.

Music Therapy

It can hone attention and strengthen social skills. It's rhythmic and structured. And playing music requires different parts of your brain to work together, as well as learning how to be a part of a group.

There's very little hard research specifically connecting music with ADHD symptoms, but scientists do know that when children play an instrument -- taking piano lessons at home, say, or playing cello with a school orchestra -- they do much better on tests of executive function than children who don't study music. That's the ability of the brain to organize and easily switch between tasks.

If your child would rather kick a soccer ball than pick up a flute, or can't sit still for lessons or practice, simply listening to their favorite playlist may calm them down long enough to finish their homework. When you listen to music you like, your brain releases dopamine, a chemical that also helps with focus.

More work needs to be done to connect ADHD to music, but it's certainly an area worth exploring, especially for music-loving families.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Over the years, several "ADHD diets" have been proposed and then dismissed by science.

A study found that kids with ADHD have lower levels of omega-3s in their blood, which suggests bumping up the amount in their diet might reduce ADHD symptoms. But research on this topic is limited, and whether omega-3 supplements might help is not clear.

Although omega-3 supplements aren't widely recommended as a treatment, Hallowell points out that eating a balanced diet -- including fish, whole grains, and plenty of fruits and vegetables -- and cutting down on sugar and processed foods can certainly help your child live a healthier life.

10 Strategies to Address ADHD Without Medication

Which therapies are most effective to treat ADHD?

There are 3 main treatment options once you or your child are diagnosed with ADHD. You and your integrative medicine provider will work together to determine which is most effective for you or your child. Approaches include (1):

Medication – stimulants or non-stimulants.

Behavior therapy – This includes for children, parents, and individuals.

Lifestyle and diet changes – Functional therapies to treat ADHD naturally, or to maximize the effectiveness of medication.

In school-age children, one study showed that medication combined with behavior therapy provided optimal treatment outcomes (2).

In another study, after correcting nutrient deficiencies such as B6 and magnesium, one child experienced improved sleep and better concentration–and no medication was needed (3).

While it’s tempting to label one approach as the best way to treat ADHD, remember that each individual’s behavioral issues are unique, and the goal is to find the most effective approach–or combination of approaches–that works best to support them.

These 10 strategies can help you address ADHD naturally, with or without medication.

Eat a whole foods, nutrient-dense diet.

Quality proteins, healthy fats rich in omega 3s, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, and minimally processed grains provide optimal fuel sources for both adults and children for healthy brain and neurotransmitter function.

Neurotransmitters are messengers that send signals between neurons in your brain and body, and they influence things like focus, attention, and information processing.

In a food environment where heavily processed food laden with artificial preservatives and other additives can alter health in numerous ways, eating a whole foods based diet prioritizes health and nutrient density, providing the vitamins, minerals, and quality fuel to healthy neurotransmitter production and function. A nutrient-dense diet is an important step to address ADHD without medication.

Remove food sensitivities.

Food sensitivities or intolerances contribute to leaky gut and intestinal inflammation, which can negatively impact gut bacteria and the production of neurotransmitters essential for healthy brain function, worsening symptoms of ADHD like impulsivity and aggression.

Testing can reveal individual sensitivities, but two common offenders are gluten and dairy. Partially digested dairy and wheat particles (called casomorphins and gliadorphins) are found in the urine. The presence of these particles is linked to difficulty paying attention, learning, and public relations, typical of autism spectrum disorders and ADHD (4).

While not all people are sensitive to gluten and/or dairy, it’s often helpful to omit these foods completely for at least 6 weeks.

Fix nutrient deficiencies.

An array of nutrient deficiencies, including B vitamins, zinc, omega 3 fatty acids, and magnesium are linked to the development of ADHD. Many of these nutrients work synergistically with one another, which makes a deficiency in one affect the proper function of the others.

For example, magnesium supplements with vitamin B6, which increases magnesium absorption, have shown promise for reducing ADHD symptoms (5).

In a 2016 study on patients with ADHD aged 6 to 16 years, “72% of the children were found to be deficient in magnesium and there was a significant correlation between hair magnesium, total IQ, and hyperactivity”(6).

It is estimated that about 48% of Americans of all ages have an inadequate intake of magnesium (7).

Heal a leaky gut.

The gut is ground zero for the health of your entire body. The gut is where friendly bacteria manufacture important neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, and absorb nutrients like magnesium and B vitamins.

Not only can healing the gut provide relief from common gastrointestinal symptoms, but it can also improve mood, attention, and an overall sense of wellbeing (8).

How to know if your gut needs some attention? If you experience constipation, bloating, food sensitivity, irregular or uncomfortable bowel movements, or crave sugar often, these are all hallmark signs of a digestive imbalance.

Increase your antioxidants.

Our bodies are constantly exposed to unstable free radicals, which, if left unchecked, can circulate around the body and damage important things like DNA structure, brain, and other cells. You can think of free radicals like cells that haven’t been to therapy–they’re unstable, unpredictable, and that’s what makes them harmful.

Enter: antioxidants, which play the role of therapists. They stabilize the free radicals and keep their oxidative damage in check. A few examples of these are vitamin C and glutathione.

Oxidative stress and glutathione deficiency have been connected to cognitive disorders like ADHD, and neurodegenerative diseases like dementia (9). Studies have examined various antioxidants including pycnogenol, ginkgo biloba, and glutathione.

Detoxify.

Excessive heavy metal exposure is detrimental to neurodevelopmental processes in children and has neurotoxic effects which impair cognitive function. Therefore, heavy metals may be involved in the development of ADHD.

Studies, including meta-analysis, have shown a link between exposure to lead and mercury, and an increase in inattention and hyperactivity, and a decrease in intelligence (10).

Overexposure to heavy metals in children who are genetically susceptible to their effects could play a role in ADHD. Each person’s detoxification systems function differently. Some people are great detoxifiers, and others–like those with ADHD–are often not.

Decrease “excitotoxins”.

Excitotoxins are substances that overstimulate neuron receptors. Neuron receptors facilitate brain cell communication and, upon exposure to excitotoxins, fire more rapidly than normal, which can lead to hyperactivity, impulsivity, and difficulty concentrating.

Substances considered excitotoxins are most often artificial food additives like FD&C yellow, MSG, aspartame, or glutamate (11).

GABA/Glutamate Imbalance

GABA, or gamma aminobutyric acid, is an amino acid and neurotransmitter that calms the brain, while glutamate is more excitatory in nature, stimulating the brain and sometimes putting it in overdrive.

Low GABA levels are associated with ADHD. Low GABA is usually accompanied by inattention while high glutamate levels can lead to aggression and impulsivity. GABA, like serotonin, is primarily manufactured in the gut.

Magnesium supplementation is one mechanism that can support a healthy GABA/glutamate balance–keeping the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate within appropriate limits, and supporting the calming actions of GABA.

Eat more protein with breakfast.

Many go-to breakfast foods–especially those made for children–are laden with sugar, processed carbohydrates, and artificial preservatives. Unfortunately, this is the least stable source of fuel and can send even a neuro-typical brain into an energy spiral.

Children and adults with ADHD should begin their day with a high protein breakfast, and they often need to eat frequently throughout the day. Meals and snacks should always be balanced while prioritizing protein, healthy fats, and minimally processed carbohydrates.

Stick to a consistent sleep schedule.

Children and adults with ADHD are more likely to show improvement in focus, energy, and attention with consistent and adequate sleep.

People with ADHD are more likely to experience shorter sleep time, problems falling asleep, and staying asleep. It’s often that people with ADHD wake still feeling tired or groggy (12).

Because you feel tired, your ADHD symptoms get worse, and that makes it even harder to sleep the next night.

Going to bed at roughly the same time each night, having a healthy nighttime routine can help you fall asleep easier. Participating in activities which support a healthy circadian rhythm is also beneficial for children and adults with ADHD.

Spend more time outside.

Studies show time spent in “green space” improves focus and attention, and decreases impulsivity in children with ADHD (13).

The underlying mechanisms for these benefits aren’t fully understood, but the benefits speak for themselves. Making a priority to spend time outside–whether in nature or your own backyard–benefits not only your physical health, but mental and cognitive function as well.

Treating ADHD with Integrative Medicine

While some severe cases of ADHD do require medications, for most kids and adults, simple dietary and lifestyle changes can make enormous differences that have profound impact to improve ADHD without medication.

Every child and adult who experiences behavior or cognitive issues–whether as a result of ADHD, autism, or something else–is an individual. The goal is for each to find his or her most effective approaches to treat ADHD with a trained integrative doctor. The path to healing is open to all of us, but it’s up to you to take the first step.

Resources

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/treatment.html
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/205525
https://pubmed. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15466962/
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/7/437/htm
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16846100/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110863015000555
https://openheart.bmj.com/content/5/1/e000668
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7601389/
http://www.bioscience.org/2019/v24/af/4720/2.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6025252/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7854587/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2687494/
https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/EHP6729

13 tips for parents and teachers on how to properly teach hyperactive children

The child cannot do the same thing for a long time and is often distracted. Abruptly takes off and starts running around the room or school. These can all be signs of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Panic early! Such children can also be successfully taught if you know how to work with them. Psychologist, psychotherapist GMS Clinic Inna Pasechnik compiled a memo on working with hyperactive children.

The physiological characteristics of children with ADHD are the following manifestations:

1. The child needs to constantly move, it is difficult for him to sit straight during the lessons: such children are distracted, talk in the lessons, "spin", sway, sit with their legs under the buttocks, when tired, their motor activity increases.

This is due to the peculiarities of the brain in children with ADHD, they need a constant supply of nutrients to the brain, which is possible only when moving. If a child with ADHD is persuaded to sit quietly, it will be more difficult for him to think.

In this regard, it is recommended to allow a certain level of motor activity to the child during the lesson. If the child gets tired, then allow him (find a legitimate reason) to walk around the class or do some active exercises (wipe off the board, distribute notebooks, go for water).

2. The child is very tired of the routine, it becomes unbearably boring for him to do the same type of tasks if he has already figured it out.

In this regard, in the world pedagogical practice, it is customary to reduce the number of tasks of the same type (including homework) for children with ADHD by 30%, not to require them to complete all the examples, if the child has already mastered the topic. The number of repetitions in children with ADHD does not affect the quality of information assimilation.

In addition, it is acceptable for a child with ADHD to be able to draw in a draft or twist something in his hands during the lesson. They tend to do several things at the same time, which does not affect the quality of perception of information in the lesson. Otherwise, the child begins to distract his neighbors by actively moving and talking to them.

3. A child with ADHD is most often not able to beautifully and neatly arrange his work, he allows corrections, blots, inaccurate design of assignments.

It is recommended to pay attention to the content of the work, and not to the quality of its design, since a regular decrease in the score for an incorrectly designed work will significantly reduce the motivation to study.

4. Children with ADHD are afraid of large volumes.

If a child with ADHD is immediately asked to complete 20 examples, he will be frightened and fall into a stupor or despair, as large amounts of work scare them. However, if a child is given the same 20 examples on separate cards 5 times 4 examples each, it will noticeably improve his performance. The child will be happy to complete all 20 examples, in addition, this will be a good opportunity to move between receiving the next card. Thus, children with ADHD need to divide large amounts of tasks into several small parts.

5. A child with ADHD may forget everyday things and some items when completing a task according to a plan, they may even forget the ultimate goal of the activity (poor working memory).

Often, children with ADHD get their grades lowered because they forget to do part of the tasks in the exercises. It is recommended to separately concentrate their attention on all the items of the task in the exercise. For example, asking this particular child what you need to remember to complete in the task.

In addition, these children tend to forget their things. Therefore, they can be reminded of them more often or separately encouraged for not forgetting to take everything with them. It is effective to use "reminders" - small notes, stickers in a pencil case or announcements on the wall, thanks to which the child can remember to take a thing with him, go somewhere or do something.

6. A child with ADHD is often distracted.

It is advisable to seat children with ADHD closer to the teacher so that it is easier for them to concentrate, and in case the child is distracted, lightly touch his hand so that he can concentrate again. It is possible to specifically discuss with the child the ways by which he can not be distracted in the lesson.

7. Children with ADHD have poor time orientation.

It has nothing to do with the intellectual development of the child. However, a child with ADHD often does not notice that more time has passed than he intended. As a result, the children are late, I don’t have time to finish something. In such cases, it is recommended to either remind the time yourself, or teach the child to set a timer, or set a timer or an hourglass so that children can see them and be able to navigate on their own.

8. A child with ADHD can be very interested in something, this is his strength, so if the child is unsuccessful in something, then you can restore his authority in the eyes of classmates by involving him in activities in which he showed interest and showed your awareness.

9. Children with ADHD are impulsive.

It is difficult for a child with ADHD to restrain himself from shouting out in class if he knows the answer, it is difficult for him not to interfere in the activity if something interesting happens to him.

In the lessons, it is possible to introduce special tablets on which children can fix the answer to the teacher's question so that they do not have to endure if another student answers. It is also possible to introduce a special encouragement for the child, if he did not cry out, showed patience. For example, if the child refrained from impulsive action, allow him to distribute notebooks.

10. Children with ADHD are emotional.

In this regard, they can be very offended if something does not work out for them or classmates do not communicate with them (children with ADHD are very sociable: they like to talk, chat with everyone). In this case, the child needs support or help in building relationships with classmates, you can intervene in the children's play and assign roles, showing the child how he can participate in the game. Otherwise, conflicts may arise between a child with ADHD and other children.

11. A child with ADHD can be taught to do those things that are difficult for him for physiological reasons, but for this he needs to create external motivation.

For this, an incentive system (bonus system) is used. It can be used in conjunction with parents. For example, several rules (3 rules) are introduced that the child must follow at school, for the fulfillment of which the child receives “pluses” from the teacher in a special diary (the child prepares such a diary himself at home, beautifully arranging it). Rules should be short and specific. For example, “wait for the teacher to ask you, do not shout out”, “do all the tasks in the class”, “write all the examples in a notebook”, etc. At the same time, for the implementation of the rules at each lesson, the child receives plus signs, a plus sign is put every time when the child follows the rule. Next, parents reward the child for a certain number of “pluses”. For this house, a list of rewards is compiled: each "bonus" is worth a certain number of "pluses".

This system is exclusively a system of rewards, that is, “minuses” are not set and “pluses” do not burn out. This is due to the fact that the behavior of a child with ADHD is so restless that he will lose “pluses” faster than he accumulates them, and thus the system will stop working, the child will lose interest in it and, as a result, it will be impossible to motivate the child with something .

Children with ADHD need to be led only on a reward system, the punishment system either does not work or quickly leads children with ADHD to depression, which also worsens their behavior.

12. The system for developing the skill of desirable behavior can also be used for the entire class as a whole (B. Furman's system "Kid's skills" - there is such a book).

In this case, one skill is selected, which the whole class learns. For example, be ready for the lesson on time. This means that as soon as the bell rings, the children should stand exactly near their desks, the things needed for the lesson should be on the table. If all the children were able to do this, then the teacher praises them and puts the ball in a special jar. When the jar is full, it means the class has mastered the skill. For this, children are rewarded with what they love: tea drinking, a diploma from the director, going to the zoo.

The experience of using such a program has shown that when developing one skill, children become generally more successful in all areas and their behavior becomes better in general.

13. In general, the child can be involved in helping the teacher, this will greatly inspire him, cheer him up and motivate him to cooperate.

Quieter than water: how to calm a hyperactive child

Children are restless by nature. An overly quiet and sedentary child can cause anxiety in parents: “Are you sick?” However, no less fear arises among those whose child is immoderately active.

Children who cannot sit still find it difficult to concentrate, remember information, organize their thoughts, relax before going to bed, and are recklessly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In vain. Indeed, in most cases, your baby is just very energetic, emotional and inquisitive.

The task of parents is to direct the flow of children's energy into a peaceful channel. Just imagine how much meaningful information an active child can learn, how many useful things to do!

Some parents make the unforgivable mistake of trying to calm an overactive offspring. They self-diagnose their son or daughter with ADHD and try to fix the problem with medication. However, even the most seemingly harmless sedatives can cause obvious harm to the baby: cause sleep problems, irritability, tearfulness, lethargy and anxiety.

Only a doctor can confirm or deny that your child has ADHD, remember this.

How to calm down a naughty kid who runs around the apartment from morning to evening, sweeping away everything in his path, refuses to do his homework, can't watch cartoons for 10 minutes and constantly pesters parents, educators and teachers with questions and crazy ideas?

· Stick to a certain daily routine

It is better to limit the activities of too active boys and girls to a time frame. Let the child get used to the fact that at 7.00 he gets up, at noon - lunch, and from 17.00 to 19.00 - walk before dinner. Children whose day is structured are easier to control. In addition, the schedule that the child follows every day will help develop responsibility, attentiveness, and increase working capacity.

· Do not overexcite the child

Parents with children who have an inexhaustible supply of energy strive to make their day as full as possible. Swimming, boxing, morning and evening walks, drama classes, children's yoga, reading books, drawing. And this is in addition to the main classes at school or games in kindergarten. There is a share of common sense in this approach - the child can fully splash out the energy accumulated in him. Ideally, by the evening he should feel a little tired. But not everything is so simple. Overexcitation of the nervous system can lead to increased irritability and insomnia. During the day, the child experiences so many events that by the evening he simply does not have time to “digest” them.

· Keep track of your nutrition

Some foods can make your baby more active. It is scientifically proven that sugar in large quantities leads to the fact that children become hyper-energetic. Limit sweets in the evening.

Introduce healthy natural foods into your son's or daughter's diet: vegetables, fruits, cereals, milk, yogurt, lean meats.

There are products that have a so-called hypnotic effect. They are recommended to use before bed. The list includes kefir, yogurt, warm milk, a couple of spoons of honey, a handful of almonds.

· Do not sort things out in front of the child

A hyperactive child is always very impressionable and emotional. You should not shake his fragile nervous system by arranging family scandals or simply speaking in a raised voice.

· Come up with an exciting activity

A hobby for a child will save parents who have lost all hope to interest a little tomboy. Try to determine what interests your offspring the most at the moment. Collecting bright postcards, creating crafts from natural materials, classes in a dance club. The main condition is that the child's eyes should burn at the thought that several hours are waiting for him ahead, which can be devoted to his favorite pastime.

· Trust household chores

Children who have nothing to do often make noise and play pranks. Firstly, this is a way to have fun on your own in the absence of a company for games. Secondly, in this way you can attract the attention of adults who are always busy and do not want to play, run around the streets and laugh at the top of their lungs. Have you tried to entrust the kid with an adult business? Give him a broom and a dustpan - let him sweep the garbage in the corridor; give a bag of buckwheat - let him choose foreign impurities.

It is important to explain to the child that he will be busy with very responsible work and will provide invaluable help to mom and dad.