Here are some tips for you that just may help you in your ongoing efforts to help your child...

1. Keep a file on hand, and a start a daily journal from the moment you first suspect or are told that there is a problem. Document what you see in your child at home, document your observations of your child at school, and document the observations of family members, neighbors, teachers, or anyone that has frequent contact with your child.

2. Keep a 3 ring binder in which to file copies of all classroom ratings by the teacher, observations by the teacher, all assessments from therapists, counselors, psychologists, or physicians. Write your own notes after each doctor visit and keep them forever. This can all be very helpful in the future. Keep lists of all medications prescribed, and note how well they worked, or what side-effects they had. Record and keep everything having to do with your child's treatment from today until your child turns 20 years old. Then give him/her the book for his future records.

Some of your kids are very sensitive to certain foods, whether they be sugars, sugars paired with carbohydrates, certain food colorings, sodas, or even certain fruits. I have personally seen some children have nearly psychotic reactions to red grapes, for example. And many of my patient's parents report that their child has significant reactions to different foods or drinks. So, here are some things that some of these parents have reported working for them when their child goes "off" on foods:

1) Peanut Butter. Yes, several parents have told me that when their child gets really wound up after eating something that they shouldn't have, a spoon full of peanut butter will level their child out in about 10 minutes. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps the fat or the protein, but I really don't know.

2) Alka-Seltzer, especially Alka-Seltzer Gold. In the same situation as above, other parents report giving their child Alka-Seltzer. In fact, with the kid who went "crazy" after eating red grapes (and did so several times before red grapes were found to be the problem) the Alka-Seltzer did work every time to stop the problem within about 10-15 minutes. I have several parents who carry Alka-Seltzer around in their purses just in case their kids might need it when they go out together.

NOTE: Alka-Seltzer contains aspirin. NEVER give a child aspirin if he/she has a fever, as it may cause bad things to happen. This would probably be OK for teens and certainly for adults. Consult your doctor.

Why would this work? Well, I think it probably has something to do with blood sugar levels, blood pH levels, and the pancreas. Sugars, I am told, make the pH levels more acidic, which sends a message to the pancreas to make more insulin, which then quickly raises and then soon plummets. Through the roller coaster of insulin levels, the child may experience hyperactivity and then significant temper problems. Now, this is way beyond my level of expertise, since I am not an expert in blood sugar, etc. But I will say that we have had good success with a simple intervention.

When I am presented with a child who is ADHD and has a terrible temper in the morning when he first wakes up I recommend two things. First, no sugars after 7 PM, and second, as soon as he wakes up, drink a small cup of orange juice. This, so far, has helped the situation every time with every kid who has had this problem.

Now, I would never want you to believe that blood sugar problems cause ADD. It does not. However, a small percentage of ADD kids are very sensitive to problems like food and environmental allergies, blood sugar problems, and the like. Just because ALL ADD kids don't have these problems doesn't mean that NO ADD kids have these problems. Some do, and the above suggestions, strange as they are, might help some of you reading this newsletter. Let me know if they do help you. Oh, yes, as always consult your physician before doing something like this. This is not "medical advice" but merely old wives' tales. . .

To learn more about ADHD in children please visit us at either the ADHD Information Library or ADD101.com

The Unicorn Children’s Foundation is sponsoring this symposium for parents of children with learning or communication disorders on November 4-5, 2006.

Featured speakers include experts from WrightsLaw, with a special education and advocacy “boot camp.”

For more information, or to register, go to http://www.eunicorn.com/index.asp?cat=26614.

Remember Last Week's Question?

A parent wrote looking for help regarding her ADHD son going off to college. Here were some suggestions from you, our readers...

Cheryl wrote... I hope this helps but what would work is to have mom continue to pick up the Rx and bring to a pharmacy chain such as Walgreens or CVS. Her son should be able to find a local branch and pick his Rx up there.

And Rene, and RN, wrote...

I work in a psychiatrist's office. We have handled the problem of a college student being on meds & away at college in 2 different ways.

1. We have mailed the prescription to the pt's pharmacy each month. The doctor's office would need to set this up with the pharmacy ahead of time.

2. The pt was going to college in a different state & changed doctor's to one the area near where the pt was going to school.

Thanks for all the hard work that goes into your newsletter. The information is not only helpful to me as a health professional, but also a mother of a child with ADHD.

Ed: Thank You Rene for the kind words, and thank you Cheryl from your help! I appreciate all of your feedback and hope that it helps. -- D.C.