ADHD Or?

ADHD, Or….?

More than ever before, parents and teachers are requesting ADHD evaluations for children. We are happy to facilitate these complex evaluations, and to provide the appropriate questionnaires for parents and teachers to complete as part of those evaluations.

In the meantime, however, consider the following list of possible triggers for ADHD-like behaviors in children. Maybe your child doesn’t truly have ADHD!

• ·Is your child getting enough sleep? Grade school-aged children need at least nine to ten hours of sleep per night, and middle- and high-school students need at least eight to nine hours.
• ·Is your child spending time on social media or YouTube when they are in bed and should be sleeping? Not only does screen time in bed cut into sleep time, it overstimulates the brain that needs to rest, and social media may also lead to worry and stress in your child. All screens should be OFF at least 30 minutes prior to bedtime, and phones and tablets should be turned in to parents.
• ·Is your child getting enough QUALITY sleep? Or do they suffer from insomnia, or frequent wakings? Do they have symptoms or signs of obstructive sleep apnea (snoring, mouth-breathing, frequent breathing pauses during sleep, excessive fatigue during the day, or needing day naps)?
• ·Are there stressors (financial, marital, substance abuse, frequent adult anger, grief et al) at home, within the family? Children often internalize these stresses, and worry throughout the day, causing difficulty with focusing and learning.
• ·Are there stressors (bullying, teasing, difficult peer or teacher relationships, et al) at school, again causing worry and distraction, and perhaps irritability and acting out?
• ·Is your child able to see and hear properly? Impairments in hearing and vision can affect focus and the ability to learn at school.
• ·Is your child getting enough exercise, at home and at school? Some children need more physical activity and exercise than others, to get their energy out and get them more focused and ready to learn. If in grade-school, is your child getting daily recess opportunities? Might your child of any age need to spend more time playing outside, or riding a bike, or participating in team sports or dance or gymnastics or martial arts?
• ·Is your child perhaps simply bored, under stimulated, and/or under challenged at school and at home? Some very bright children exhibit ADHD-like behaviors as a sign of boredom.
• ·On the other hand, does your child possibly have a learning disability, in reading and/or in math? Are they academically behind the material being taught, and unable to express this any other way besides fidgeting and having difficulty focusing? Discuss this with his or her teacher.
• ·What is your child’s diet like? Excess processed carbohydrates (pancakes, waffles, breads, bagels, pasta, pizza, pretzels, snack crackers, breakfast cereals et al) are known to affect the ability of the brain to function properly. Excess cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (breakfast cereals, many fruits snacks and yogurts, pancake syrup, coffee flavoring syrups, sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks et al) also leads to impulsive and hyperactive behaviors, and difficulty with focus. There is no question that today’s “standard American diet” (SAD) plays a huge role in children’s ability to be and stay ready to learn at school.
• ·Does your child’s diet have excess food dyes? Blue dye #1, and red and yellow dyes, are known triggers for ADHD-like behaviors, as well as irritability and moodiness. And even if your child truly has ADHD, these dyes will make their symptoms worse. And blue dye in most toothpastes and mouth rinses may affect your child’s sleep, in some children causing restlessness, insomnia, or even nightmares and night terrors. Ask us for more printed information regarding food dyes.
• ·Is your child consuming too many caffeinated beverages? Sodas, drive-through coffees, bottled sweetened teas? These beverages often contain excessive caffeine (and sometimes sugar) for adults, let alone children! Not only stimulating during the day, these caffeinated beverages might also lead to sleep issues at night.
• ·Does your child suffer from chronic anxiety, panic attacks, and/or OCD? Children with chronic worries and nervousness will often have trouble with focusing and learning at school. However, some children do have both generalized anxiety disorder and ADHD.
• ·Does your child spend excessive time video gaming? Excessive gaming, more than 1-2 hours per day, is strongly associated with difficulty with focusing and learning at home and at school. As is excessive social media (TikTok in particular) and YouTube use, as children and teens not only spend excessive hours hunched over their cell phones, but also excessive hours THINKING ABOUT content creation and about their various social media relationships even when NOT on their screens.

Before going through a lengthy evaluation process for ADHD, and before resorting to a trial of medication for possible ADHD, please carefully consider the possibility of one or more of the above-mentioned causes of “look alike” ADHD. Thank you!

-Dr. Todd Huffman, September 2024