Does Your ADHD Child Have All Needed Back to School Supplies and Skills?

By Ivan Poturica BA, Director of The ADD Centre Winnipeg

Before school starts every fall parents begin searching and buying all the school supplies on the list provided by schools.  The pencils, crayons, rulers, erasers, note books, backpacks and computers are all documented and can be easily bought.  The bright new clothes, the just right shoes and jackets fill out the wardrobe.  A summer of sun and fun have rested and refreshed the body and mind.  It seems like these are all the things needed for a successful start to the new school year.

When thinking about what is not on the school’s list for an ADHD child a quick look at the report card reminds us of what skills the teachers want the child to have in school: stop getting distracted, be still and quiet, stay focused on task, remember to complete and hand in all assignments.  On the behaviour side the child needs to stop being impulsive and hyperactive.  How do you supply the skill for these needs?

The medical answer is a pill to chemically manage distraction, impulsivity and hyperactivity while in school.  One can think of the pill as a chemical restraint for the impulsive and hyperactive child.  The problem is the pill only lasts about 8 hours, does not extend into the evening homework hours or into the weekend when the child is playing sports, at home or with friends.  Should the side-effects be severe enough or the child no longer wishes to take the medication no benefits remain.  The child is back to being ADHD when the medication is no longer in their system.

What is the alternative?  Teaching the person how to naturally control their distracted, impulsive and hyperactive brain without medication means the person can perform in school, in sports and music and social situations.  Brain research shows us the brain is plastic and capable of learning new skills with the right kind of feedback.

Neurofeedback brain training is one such approach when used in a multi-modal strategy that is capable of removing the symptoms of ADHD in 91% of children that complete at least 40 training sessions.  Better yet of children on medication 96% can be taken off when the training is completed.

Supporting strategies include attention to nutrition, exercise, allergies, home and school structure, educational supports, accommodations and behaviour skills training all can contribute to achieving success.

What are the outcomes of this multi-modal approach incorporating neurofeedback brain training?  Increased academic results, increase in intellectual potential, normalization of behaviour, improved results in sports and music.  In other words upon completion of brain training the person no longer presents the symptoms of ADHD resulting in a huge improvement in the quality of life for the child, siblings and family, friends, school and community.  The costs and side-effects of medication are avoided and any of the special measures required in school are no longer needed.  The ADHD child now becomes like every other student for the remainder of their academic and life-time working careers.

For children with ADHD, ASD and learning difficulties Federal and Provincial tax benefits may be available. For further information contact us at (204) 897-4493, continue reading through our articles here, or read: “The A.D.D. Book” by Dr. William Sears and D. Lynda Thompson.