New Ways To Treat ADHD

Up to now video games have been criticised as being a waste of time and holding back a child's development and not helping with ADHD at all. It was certainly frowned upon in some educational circles as being one of the new ways to treat ADHD. There are various studies against the case for video games and also anecdotal experiences from both carers and parents of ADHD children.

On research group at the Iowa State University found sufficient evidence that the games were a distraction and had no educational or developmental value at all. They can take up enormous amounts of time, they can mesmerize, they can alienate a child or adult from the real problems of life and living.

There are several studies that now indicate that such fast moving programs and games can actually slow down focus and attention span when a child has to get back to the real task of organising study, homework or simply getting through his day. Addiction can also be a problem.

Similar studies have been done to show that also fast moving and frenetic cartoons such as 'Spongebox Square Pants' can actually lead to problems of attention and concentration after a child has been mesmerized by the program for some time. Much better a slower type of TV program or cartoon. But in any case TV has to be limited as it interferes with a child's development. It is shocking to realize that a baby from the very tender age of four months will now be exposed to a moving screen of one kind or another.

But video games using neurofeedback is one of the new ways to treat ADHD which has gained a lot of attention and quite a few supporters. The work here has been led by Eugene Arnold of Ohio State University.

Neurofeedback works on the principle of training the child's brain to focus better and concentrate more so that attention span is no longer a problem. Basically it all comes down to the brain waves. Many ADHD kids are overusing the theta brain wave which can slow down things considerably and lead to a lack of executive function. The beta brain waves are much better at focusing and extending the attention span.

During the video game, electrodes are placed on the child's head and these can read which brain wave are being used to play the video game. The game can be played satisfactorily using the beta waves but once the theta waves are used, the child starts to lose the game.

The idea is to get the child to develop ways to get the beta waves working more which will help him to focus better,. When he has to do a real world task such as paying attention to get homework done, he should be able to do so better. Lots more research needs to be done to show that this is indeed one of the effective new ways to treat ADHD.

The Journal of Child Psychology ran a feature recently on neurofeedback using games and they reported that there were fewer ADHD symptoms and that they were less troublesome, even as much as 25%.

Most of the medical authorities (CDC, National Institute of Mental Health and also the AAP) are now stating very clearly that the best and most effective way to treat ADHD is to use some medication which must be combined with some form of ADHD behavioral therapy, otherwise the treatment risks being ineffective.

Let us leave the medication issue aside for the moment and look at what are the basic ways to help the ADHD child. This is tried and tested and there are lots of studies to support its effectiveness. The problem of course is that many parents can think that pills can teach skills. ADHD cannot be cured but it is treatable and can be managed very successfully. Here are five ideas which can be used in conjunction with medication and while trying to get effective parenting skills established in your household.

1. Kicking stigma out! Many kids as they get older and fail to make the progress they would like, feel the stigma of ADHD. Parents and therapists need to be aware of this because one study actually showed that the stigma attached to ADHD was the only thing which was determining whether a teenager wanted to continue whatever therapy or treatment he was on. That was the one deciding factor. That needs to be dealt with and positive vibes need to be cultivated. Things like praise, highlighting strong points such as being funny and creative, rewarding good behavior and so on will create a better atmosphere.

2. Closely attached to the stigma felt by teenagers is that one where parents are in denial from very early on and they themselves fear the stigma and fail to get treatment. Here, the denial could work against the child as late diagnosis makes this a very complex issue to deal with. The news that the DSM is now raising the diagnosing upper age limit to twelve years means that this is becoming more common. The earlier the better and it is during early childhood that great progress can be made with behavior therapy or simply more effective parenting skills.

3. Parents need to be keenly aware that medications can do nothing to help with general mood and cannot certainly teach your kid to organise his life better and become adept at social skills. These are the essential criteria which will determine whether our kids can grow up balanced and responsible or whether they will have problems with relationships and in the workplace.

4. Routines help a child with ADHD. How prepared are you to change the home environment so that distractions are at a minimum and that homework can be done in reasonable time by helping the child to break down tasks? If you cannot do it, there are student helpers available and you can find a trustworthy person through friends and relatives.

5. Make sure that the limits of behavior and that rewards and consequences are in place so that your child knows and understands the limits. Just by learning some of these skills can really make a difference to whether you will be a successful parent.

These may not sound like the newest ways to treat ADHD but they do work and have worked for many years.-In addition, if they are used properly and consistently, you will find that they are really helping your child to learn those essential life skills which many of us take for granted.