Over the couse of these newsletters we will be presenting information on the relative effectiveness of the three most effective treatment options: Stimulants, EEG Biofeedback training, and ATTEND homeopathic nutriceutical medicine.

A study by Rossiter and La Vaque which used the same protocols that we used in our clinical studies with ATTEND compared the effectiveness of Ritalin (stimulants) to EEG Biofeedback training.. They used the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA) as the measuring instrument to determine change in performance after using either medications of EEG Biofeedback training for 30 days. The TOVA is a computerized Continuous Performance Test (CPT) that has no placebo effective, and has no bias (such ahs you might see with parent rating scales).

A Comparison of EEG Biofeedback and Psychostimulants in Treating Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders. Thomas P. Rossiter, and Theodore J. La Vaque. Journal of Neurotherapy, 1, Summer 1995

Stimulant medications showed "statistically significant improvements" in all categories (a five point improvement is "statistically significant" with the TOVA test). The stimulants used were Ritalin and Dexedrine, and these were the results after 30 days of use.

The use of stimulants are often a good choice, and should always be considered when developing a treatment plan. Should they always be the first choice? Not necessarily, unless the situation is so difficult, or change must be see immediately, that there are no other choices.

As you will see in later issues, the use of EEG Biofeedback training, and/or the use of ATTEND (a nutriceutical medicine using amino acids, essential fatty acids, lipid complexes, and homeopathic medicines) along with some improvements in diet, can also be as effective as the use of stimulants. To learn more about your treatment options for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, please visit the ADHD Information Library at http://www.ADD101.com.

Here are some tips on using worksheets with your ADHD students...

• Stress accuracy instead of quantity of work. This is really what you want as a teacher anyway.
• The child is easily overwhelmed and discouraged. Reduce the quantity of work on a page. Instead of giving 30 problems on a page, give only five or six. Then the child won't be overwhelmed, and successes will build up his self-esteem.
• Your student may tend to want to be "the first one done" on assignments. Set reasonable accuracy goals with him and collect the entire group's work at once to reduce time pressures.
• Use larger type.
• Keep page format simple. Include no extraneous pictures or visual destructors that are unrelated to the problems to be solved.
• Provide only one or two activities per page. Have white space on each page. Use dark black print. (Avoid handwritten worksheets or tests.)
• Use buff-colored paper rather than white if the room's lighting creates a glare on white paper.
• Write clear, simple directions. Underline key direction words or vocabulary or have the students underline these words as you read directions with them. Draw borders around parts of the page you want to emphasize.
• Divide the page into sections and use a system to cover sections not currently being used. If possible, use different colors on worksheets or tests for emphasis, particularly on those involving rote, potentially boring work. Have the students use colored pens or pencils.
• Give frequent short quizzes and avoid long tests. Provide practice tests.
• Provide alternative environments with fewer distractions for test taking.
• Using a tape recorder, have the student record test answers and assignments or give the student oral examinations.
• Shorten assignments. If the child can demonstrate adequate concept mastery in 10 or 20 questions/problems, don't require 30 or 40 problems.

Learn more about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder at the ADHD Information Library at http://www.ADD101.com.

Our most visited web site is our original ADHD Information Library found at NewIdeas.net. This site was originally developed in 1996 by Dr. Douglas Cowan, and has expanded each year since then, so that now it contains over 100 pages of free information for parents and teachers.

NewIdeas.Net has become so popular with parents that over 250,000 parents visit the site each year to read through the information.