ADD/ADHD
An Alternative to Ritalin
A non-drug approach to ADHD; an intervention that is fun and affordable. If you are a parent who is concerned the about the potential side effects of Ritalin or other neurostimulants for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), there is an alternative intervention that is fun, safe, and can yield positive results. This method uses Auditory and Visual Stimulation or Light and Sound Therapy to alter brainwave irregularities and increase brain activity in those with ADHD characteristics.
At the beginning of a Light and Sound Therapy session, your child will choose from various storybook or music sound tracks. The child will listen to this soundtrack, along with additional auditory stimuli through headphones. The visual stimulation is provided through specially designed glasses with built in white, full spectrum lights. The lights flash to a specific frequency, providing stimulation, i.e., exercising the brain, to promote the regular brainwave states, which can affect learning and attention.
While reclined in a chair with the headphones and glasses in place, your child will experience colorful kaleidoscopic imagery. Children often report feeling much calmer immediately after a session. Many parents report behavior changes, increases in concentration, motivation and focus, and enhanced academic performance.
A Preliminary Report on a New Non-Drug Approach to the Treatment of Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder
By Ruth Olmstead, Ph.D. and Aaron B. Kaufman, D.O.Over the past year at our medical clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, we have been using light and sound stimulation in a coherent series of programs to treat a wide variety of learning and neurological disorders with great success. We have been utilizing the Comptronics D.A.V.I.D. 1 (a large programmable clinical light and sound stimulation device) to help reintegrate and heal disorders ranging from early Alzheimer's disease, migraine cephalgia, Meniere's disease, depression and severe emotional disorders to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism, cerebral palsy and whiplash injury with moderate to complete improvement.
Some of our greatest and most consistent results to date, however, have been seen in the treatment of children with dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or hyperactivity.
Based on preliminary results in a small cohort of patients we have seen essential cure of these disorders in virtually all cases treated. Most report cards show an improvement of two letter grades in six months. Several children have been removed from behavior modifying drugs (Ritalin, Cylert) altogether with good stabilization reflected by parental and school reports.
Using solely the D.A.V.I.D. 1 in the clinic with occasional sound-only programs between sessions, parents uniformly noted immediate attitudinal improvement. (This was also noted in non-ADD/dyslexic children treated and was sustained in all groups.) Hyperkinetic acting out decreased immediately and consistently over time. Concentration and focus improved equally.
School reports frequently noted better work habits in that there was better independent work and homework completion. Listening, oral expression and, interestingly, handwriting skills improved greatly. Better mathematics problem solving was commonly observed. Group participation, cooperation, assumption of responsibility and a more positive attitude were listed for most of these students.
Overall, we saw calmer, more motivated, self-confident, happy children.
It is important to point out that we often saw increased aggressiveness and acting out in these disorders and several others (including autism) early on for a few days to a few weeks during the course of treatment. We hypothesized that this may involve the uncovering of deeper emotional conflicts which are not uncommonly seen. The children seem to accommodate to these new levels of stimulation and to integrate well with continued treatment over time, eventually experiencing apparently greater emotional stability and enhanced cognitive processes.
Our program is not yet standardized but we were able to treat most patients to completion in approximately twenty to thirty 35-minute sessions, once every two weeks. Programs were based on feedback regarding visual changes seen by the patient with use of the device. Progress is based on clearing of field deficits and discrepancies and on a number of tests, indices and rating scales.
Results thus far have been sustained.
Work at this juncture is branching out to include EEG correlation as well as other neuropsychologic evaluation of the results described here. Initial case reports demonstrate immediate and dramatic changes. Larger cohorts are being gathered and more precise measurement scales are being researched.
Additionally, work is beginning on use of home-based programs managed through the clinic with the smaller D.A.V.I.D. Paradise and D.A.V.I.D. Junior devices.
Ruth Olmstead, Ph.D. has developed the programs utilized and discussed here.
Dr. Aaron B. Kaufman is in a family practice in Albuquerque, NM.
What is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)?
Attention Deficit Disorder is a biologically based condition causing a persistent pattern of difficulties resulting in one or more of the the following behaviors:
- Inattention
- Hyperactivity
- Impulsivity
Inattention
Difficulty attending or focusing on a specific task. People with Attention Deficit Disorder may become distracted within a matter of minutes. Inattentive behavior may also cause difficulties with staying organized (e.g. losing things), keeping track of time, completing tasks, and making careless errors.
Hyperactivity
Difficulty inhibiting behavior. These people are in constant motion. They may engage in excessive fiddling, leg swinging, and squirming in their chair.
Impulsivity
Difficulty controlling impulses. These people do not stop and think before they act. They say and do whatever comes into their mind without thinking about the consequences. They might say something inappropriate and regret it later, blurt out a response to question before a person is done speaking to them, or have difficulty waiting for their turn in line.
ADD or ADHD - What's the Difference?
Clinically, the term ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A person may either be diagnosed with ADHD or ADD depending on whether they are hyperactive or not. It is possible for someone to have ADD without being hyperactive. To accommodate this possibility, ADHD is often written with brackets around the "H" (i.e. AD(H)D). You may also see it written as AD/HD. There are generally three types of AD(H)D:
- Combined Type (hyperactive, impulsive, inattentive)
- Inattentive Type
- Hyperactive, Impulsive Type
Around the web, in the media, and the general public you will often hear/see ADD used as a generic term to describe the whole disability.
