Children who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) have difficulty paying attention and controlling their behavior.
Many also suffer from sensory processing disorder, a neurological
underpinning that contributes to their ability to pay attention
or focus.
Experts believe both genetic and biological components contribute
to the cause of ADHD. And while treatment options typically include
medication, behavior therapy or a combination of the two, researchers
may have discovered an effective, non-drug option for the disorder:
sensory intervention.
According to preliminary findings from a study of children with
ADHD, sensory intervention significantly improved problem behaviors
such as impulsivity, hyperactivity and restlessness.
ADHD Study
The study involved 88 children taking medication for ADHD. Of the
88 participants, 63 underwent 40 one-hour sensory intervention therapy
sessions, while 25 did not. Therapy techniques appealed to the three
basic sensory systems: Tactile (the sense of touch), vestibular
(controlling sensations of gravity and movement) and proprioceptive
(regulating the awareness of the body in space).
Individual therapy sessions were tailored to each child's needs
and involved techniques that included:
- Moving on swings
- Working with an exercise ball
- Lightly or deeply brushing the skin
Positive Results
Researchers found the therapy sessions put children more at ease,
which helped them to better focus their attention in a noisy classroom
and more comfortably participate in family activities. Changes in
behaviors were seen in just six months.
Medical
News Today May 13, 2005
Gary Craig's comments:
EFT can be of substantial aid here. Let me emphasize the last
sentences in the above article, namely: "Researchers found
the therapy sessions put children more at ease, which helped them
to better focus their attention in a noisy classroom and more comfortably
participate in family activities. Changes in behaviors were seen
in just six months."
Obviously, putting an ADHD child at ease is going to help the
symptoms. However, the therapy sessions mentioned above take hours
to perform while EFT, which also puts people at ease, can often
be done in minutes. Further, using EFT on bothersome emotions may
bring more permanence to the improvement. For a good example of
this see "An
ADHD case" on the EFT website.
I also find that the ADHD symptoms are sometimes caused by an
allergic type reaction to certain substances. Examples, in my experience,
are sugar, wheat and household chemicals. A few years ago a mother
brought her 5-year-old ADHD son to see me. He roared in the door,
knocked over lamps and proceeded to terrorize my home until we took
him out on the porch. Without his usual Ritalin, which was required
for him to attend school, he was impossible to manage. Even the
most casual observer would agree that this little boy was acting
like something was irritating him BIG TIME. He was behaving as though
someone was constantly sticking him with thumb tacks.
His mother told me that he was always calm at bedtime so that
led me to suspect that there was something about his daytime clothing
that was irritating him. Sure enough, we removed his clothes (he
didn't care, he was only 5) and within 30 seconds he calmed down,
curled up into his mother's lap and began sucking his thumb. He
remained calm for the next 40 minutes while I counseled with his
mother. However, she put his clothes back on him just before leaving
and, within 30 seconds, he was yelling, screaming and kicking again.
In cases like this look for reactions to soap residues, fabric sensitivities
and the chemicals made in the manufacture of certain clothing. This
could be the difference between needing or not needing Ritalin.