How to Quickly Help Kids with ADHD

Thanks to a colleague, I had the opportunity to read a fascinating article in Psychology Today this past week. It detailed the vast differences between American and French cultures, specifically around how each views the phenomenon of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, most commonly known as ADHD. Having spent a large part of my adult life in the education field, I can say that ADHD is a term so widespread that it would be very strange to encounter a school where nobody had been diagnosed with the disorder, and likely scores of students. Parents are just as familiar with this, and many continue to seek answers for how to best care for and support a child with an ADHD diagnosis, or similar behavioral tendencies.

For those less familiar, ADHD is a problem in which a person has a less than normal ability to pay attention, especially in a situation where quietly listening is required. It also involves having a great deal of energy stored up, and which the individual will feel an acute need to release regularly. Both of these factors can make it very difficult for the person to do what is still generally required in today’s classrooms and many of today’s workplaces: to sit quietly, and focus for long periods of time on the words and actions of someone else.

In our North American society, we have become very familiar with the solution as well as the problem. If someone has been identified as having ADHD, and an official diagnosis follows, then medication is often the main or sole solution. Why medication? Well, if there is an assumption that this behavior disorder is biologically-based on a significant level, then it makes more sense to treat it using pharmaceuticals than to attempt to change the person’s environment or use differing behavioral-modification techniques. In other words, a chemically or genetically-based problem might be best remedied with chemically-based solutions.

However, something interesting appears to be occurring in France. There is an attempt to examine and understand the root causes of ADHD-like symptoms, rather than just treat them. More specifically, diet and child-rearing methods are believed to be key parts of the degree to which one displays signs of ADHD or not. For example, some studies have shown foods with preservatives and numerous artificial ingredients to have a connection with poor behaviors in children. In addition, parenting habits that involve setting specific and consistently enforced limits and expectations upon the children are part of French culture, along with the absence of any “open-trough” approach to food; if a child wishes to have food, he/she generally will have to wait until the next meal, rather than help herself to whatever is in the pantry, and at any time.

How does this affect us here in the Okanagan? In essence, we as parents perhaps have a deeper level of control over the behavior our children choose than we realized, if the French experience is to be believed and embraced. First, we can do our best as individuals to be very clear and fair with our children and teens, and provide a predictable structure and set of expectations for them in all things. At home, this can mean agreeing upon who will help with loading the dishwasher, or how late your 13 year old can stay at a friend’s house on a school night. Asking for the kids’ input and having an open process may also work better than simply a top-down dictatorial approach, as long as there is clarity and mutually agreed-upon structure as a result.

We also are very fortunate to live in a place with an abundance of not just fresh fruit, but increasingly, locally-grown vegetables as well. You probably even have a service nearby that provides delivery of these life-giving foods (thank you Allingham Edibles!). It is easier here than almost anywhere else to help young people make healthy food choices, and keep the kitchen stocked with natural, fresh and great-tasting foods – and strangely enough, this can directly impact one’s ability to choose healthy behaviors too.

ADHD is a very common problem faced in our society today. If the French experience is to be believed, we may even have an invitation to approach raising children in a different way, one that may reduce the far-reaching impact of ADHD further than is often believed possible, and by natural means. It is interesting food for thought, and worthy of consideration as we all seek to raise our children in the most effective ways we can.

Source: “Why French Kids Don’t Have ADHD”, Psychology Today, March 8, 2012.

Andrew Portwood is a certified Masters-level counselor in Kelowna with a heart for supporting and helping children, youth and young adults. He has also helped many parents to grasp a better understanding of why their children are choosing the behaviors they have, and how to move forward in a supportive, healthy manner. Creating authentic connection and clarity is essential in all he does, both as a counselor and in his life. Find more about him and his practice:

Website: http://clarowellness.ca

Twitter: http://twitter.com/AndrewPortwood