ADHD, ADD and Dyslexia
December 19th, 2006
Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder are labels that are being used more and more in Australia. At learningdifficulties.com.au, we are interested in these conditions because of their link with dyslexia.
Dawn has found that, in many of the cases where ADD or ADHD has been diagnosed, she has been able to cure the problem by applying her methods and treating the student as dyslexic. Although there are cases where only the drugs will help, many of these children are misdiagnosed and not given a chance. The labels ADD and ADHD can be an obstacle in any child’s development. Dawn believes that labels are only of use if they help a teacher understand better how to teach a child. A label should never be seen as a bad thing or something to be scared of or worry about.
Dawn Matthews believes that she is often able to solve this feared problem. She has proved that by combining her self esteem raising strategies and teaching ideas and methods found in “Dyslexia How to Win“, that most of the ADD or even ADHD kids that have been referred to her have become happy, successful students. Sometimes Dawn has been able to completely turn an ADD kid around in less than a year.
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This young man was diagnosed as having ADHD. He was extremely hyperactive and destructive. However, it turned out to be artificial colourings that caused his symptoms. He is pictured with one of the very things that caused many of his problems. The four additives that his parents found to cause his hyperactivity were sunset yellow (E110), tartrazine (E102), Annato E160b and Ponceau E124. |
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ADHD
This is a very serious condition and can make life hell for the individual who has it as well as for parents and teachers associated with the kid. Children who have ADHD tend to find it hard to socialise, have real concentration problems, are hyperactive and bored most of the time and often do not seen to experience guilt in the same way as other children do.
Dawn says – “I have, in over thirty years of teaching kids with specific learning problems come across eleven such pupils. In Scotland, where the giving out of amphetamines is seen as wrong, these kids tended to self medicate with street drugs such as Speed. In Australia they are given prescription amphetamines“.
When true ADHD children are on the amphetamines they can usually read, write, spell and concentrate virtually perfectly. Also their trouble in socialising disappears and they become “normal”. When they are not on the medication they often get so frustrated that they trash classrooms. The change happens almost instantly. As soon as the kid is on amphetamines he changes and becomes more normal, as soon as he is taken off them he gets angry and bored. It is like operating a switch, on to off.
Rare
ADHD does definitely exist. I have seen it in a few kids, but it’s very rare.
In five years of teaching and assessing in Australia I have come across just three cases.
But I have been presented by dozens of children who have been told incorrectly that they have this disorder, some of whom have been on medication for months or even years. I have found that in order to teach reading and writing to these children I have to first take them off their medication. This is not always easy as it is addictive.
A different way of learning
I have absolutely no doubt that this disorder has been grossly over identified in Australia. If you have a child or pupil on amphetamines and he/she is still behind in basic reading and writing please think long and hard about the damage you could be doing. There could be a drug free alternative and due to the dangers associated with amphetamine use drug free is always better if possible. Dyslexics need to be taught in a very different way from other kids and my books take you step by step through this.
ADD
When I was still working in the UK, this label was hardly used. Very few kids were given medication for this condition, especially in Scotland. But in the last five years, while I have been working in WA, practically every boy and quite a few girls have been offered medication to apparently cure a condition that I see as dyslexia.
You cannot cure dyslexia with amphetamines. Why would you want to when you consider that dyslexics have a much greater chance of achieving success than a non dyslexic does?
In her book, “Dyslexia How to Win”, Dawn says:
“The reasons for my ADD type symptoms are complex and in order to try to help you understand what is going in a brain like mine I will now attempt to unravel them.”
Dyslexia and ADD
I have never met a dyslexic who does not have a distractible mind. I suppose that means that in Western Australia all dyslexics could be labeled as having ADD. Certainly, I would have been labeled as such if the term were in common use when I was a child. I am not afraid to admit that I live a lot of my life in my own thoughts. How else would I have been able to invent all these games and teaching strategies and write this book? At the same time as doing all of this I became a print maker, ran a property investment company, worked out how to survive Chronic Fatigue, how to brick lay, pave, plaster, cover chairs and sofas, lay carpets, tile floors, design houses, etcetera. What is wrong with that? I would not have been able to do all of these things if I had not lived inside my own world quite a lot of the time and allowed my brain, to some large extent, to dictate the order in which I worked things out.
Over Diagnosed?
Any pupil who has failed in the school environment will develop behavioral strategies to help cope with this failure. It is, therefore, difficult for a psychologist or pediatrician to unravel the problems of a pupil once the pupil has both failed and developed coping strategies. Some pupils become very quiet and isolated as a result of failing, others become noisy and the class clown, while others can become aggressive and even destructive. Some children fail because of their behavior and others have adopted the behavior because of failing. I always advise that any learning difficulty be looked for first. If you do try the drug treatment and you do not see an obvious improvement in a few weeks then please think again.
Amongst the children labeled with ADHD that I have taught I have cured some of them by identifying, explaining and treating their dyslexia. Others are clearly not dyslexic at all while some have even displayed characteristics of sociopathic behavior.
Food Sensitivities
Many have been helped enormously by eliminating certain foods from their diets. I know of one case of a boy who trashed whole houses and classrooms and who was completely cured when artificial colors, (often made from petroleum), were eliminated from his diet. I always suggest testing for allergies. This can be carried out by a doctor or it can be done by food elimination at home. The most common allergies that I have found to be the trigger, in order of commonality are: -
- Petroleum colors, the ones found in sweets and soft drinks and many junk or kids food.
- Artificial flavors found in processed food.
- Artificial sweeteners, especially Aspertaine, again found in soft drinks and also sugar free foods.
- MSG otherwise known as Monosodium Glutamate found in most processed foods.
- Anything orange even oranges. The color orange is often put in children’s medicine.
- Gluten or wheat flour products.
- Milk products including cheese, butter, ice cream and milkshakes.
At least one medical study showed that 62 out of 76 ADHD children improved as a result of elimination diets and one third became completely normal.
Before giving a child dangerous drugs try to teach him/her a different way, please try to eliminate any allergies and try the methods in this book. Kids should not be given drugs unless absolutely necessary. And when you try amphetamines look for an instant cure, if this does not happen then think again.
The Allergy handbook edited by Lynne Mc Taggart published by What Doctors Don’t Tell You 1998 – The Lancet 1985’ 1; 540-5
Entry Filed under: ADHD & ADD,Dyslexia
52 Comments Add your own
1. Katrina L. | February 22nd, 2007 at 5:05 pm
I’m finding your website very helpful. My husband was diagnosed with dyslexia in Kindergarten, then with ADHD as a teenager. Our son is displaying a plethora of warning signs for dyslexia, but his school refuses to test him for it because the psychologist thinks that his “behavioral problems” will interfere with getting an accurate “diagnosis” for dyslexia. I have a feeling they’re going to have me running around in circles before this is all over. They’re taking the ADHD seriously, but not the dyslexia. It’s extremely frustrating. Thank you for such wonderful resources.
2. Dawn Matthews | February 22nd, 2007 at 9:34 pm
In Australia they seem to be very keen to label kids as ADHD but unwilling to label them as dyslexic. This is not the case in Scotland, where I worked for 20 years prior to returning to Australia. this is, I think this is stupid because ADHD just means they give him drugs whereas dyslexia means they know how he learns and therefore how to teach him. do please try to avoid the drugs and follow my teaching stratagies before even considering drugs. athere is a chaopter on this in my full size book. I wish you all the best. keep in contact. Dawn
3. Katrina L. | February 22nd, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Oh, believe me, I will never put drugs into my child. I’ve been against that ever since it became the popular thing to do (and I was just a young teen myself at the time). I’m not big on drugs for *anyone*, and I’ve heard too many horror stories about children on drugs for ADD/ADHD. Besides, I don’t see the benefits of robbing my child of his natural lust for life. Yes, he can be difficult at times, but he is also very animated and creative. I recently told someone that I’d rather my child suck in school and be exceptional in life than the other way around. Considering that some of the greatest minds of our times had problems in school…..well, there is no shortage of talented dyslexics, is there?:)
4. Frances | March 21st, 2007 at 11:07 pm
My son held his 3 yr old brothers fingers in the socket of a lamp to give him an electric shock, he was attempting to the run my hairdryer under a running tap only the lead wasn’t long enough (thank you god), but instead held it onto the carpet whilst it was switched on and burnt a hole. he ‘accidentally’ pushed his brother into the road as a car was approaching. somedays i felt i was raising a complete moron, he was the class idiot, set up by his classmates to do all sorts of ridiculous acts (sitting holding his middle finger up at the teacher for eg) why? he didn’t know, he never knew. unable to make or at least hold on to friends, never waited his turn, deliberately tripped other kids over, or flicked their hats off their head, or kicked their sandcastles, ran off with their ball. unusually high intelligence yet unable to complete more than 3 sentences of work in 3 hours, there would be tears every morning from his siblings where he’d spat in their cereal bowl or pulled their chair away before they had the chance to sit down so they ended up on the floor. if ever there was a dispute, or trouble, or tears you could guarantee it would involve him. i saw a psychologist for over a year and had all sorts of strategies in place to help him (and me) deal with his behaviour, in the end the psychologist (unable to prescribe medication himself) told me that if it was his son, he would look into the medication route, for a start his attention span was almost zero and secondly the impulsivity was getting more dangerous the older and more ingenious he got. 12 months on from that time and YES of course i feel a guilt that this is the way i have decided to go, but now, i have almost forgotten that awful period of our lives, it creeps back occasionally and i know exactly when it is…..it’s when he has not taken his tablet. each case is different, if you can live WITHOUT medication then in my opinion you don’t NEED medication. don’t dismiss those of us that have chosen to protect our children and HELP them in an alternative way to your own.
5. Deidre | June 13th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Dawn,
My daughter, now 27 and back with me, started out with colic as a baby, had a miserable school existence and went into her teens taking alcohol and drugs. She was bullied at school in her primary years – she was overweight – although rarely ate junk food and had learning problems. She has always been very pretty and artistic. Now at 27 and after many hospital admissions and one recently (doctors!!! – label usually comes out manic/borderline personality disorder)She actually feels that Ritalin is the only tab that helps her. She becomes calm and can focus!! Although she has a liking for it – I believe it does help her and so do a couple of psychiatrists – one recently that dropped his services – as the hospital she was admitted to – treated her as a drug addict. It might me true – to an extent- however she needs help. Do you and can you offer her and myself any suggestions. Do you know of a really good practitiioner here in Melbourne that could somehow help her?? If you do it would be godsend..
Also, do you know of places where creative people can go, maybe into the country or overseas to live, paint,be with others that feel different! Am I asking too much.
Any real breakthrough would be the best thing that could happen to us. Hope to hear from you really soon and thanks.
Sincerely,
Deidre
6. carolyne drew | September 20th, 2007 at 2:16 am
are there any tutors/schools for dyslexic children (8 years old in grade 2) in perth wa that you know of…
7. Megan | October 26th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
My daughter is 13 years old and has had learning difficulties throughout her school life. She was diagnosed with dyslexia and add 4years ago. We tryed ritalin but she had heart pulpitations and we have not used it since. She is now in high school and is struggling with mainstream learning. On a recent assessment the results showed her working memory was below the 2nd percentile. She is a lovely little girl who never stops trying but we are concerned that it is all getting to much for her.
I would appreciate any comments or help you can offer.
8. Rae Lesley | November 29th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Dear Deidre
I notice your plea for your daughter who has BPD, asking if there are any retreats, art groups, etc. for her. I have a daughter who is 28 and has BPD plus fibromyalgia and is in a similar situation. There are plenty of groups for parents/family/friends to help them understand this illness but nothing for the sufferer unless you want to pay over $100 per hour!!
I would be interested if you had any success if finding help.
With thanks
Rae Lesley
9. Debbie Bayliss | May 5th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I do agree that ADHD is over diagnosed however my heart sank when you mentioned about not giving children drugs who have been diagnosed with ADHD. I entirely agree with Frances. Our son does not learn without the medication and he is a social outcast as he cannot adapt socially without the medication. With the medication our son has the ability to learn and play with other children. This debate about whether to medicate or not should be debated fairly and honestly not by scaring parents by calling the drugs, dangerous. They are only dangerous if used inappropriately and without proper medical supervision. Give out information that is informative not scare tactics. I do agree that other methods can be used but for some like my son other methods do not work and we should not be constantly scared by professions who claim to know the answer when in fact the answer is yet to be discovered.
Kind Regards,
Debbie Bayliss
BA (Hons) Psych
10. Daniel Capper | June 23rd, 2008 at 7:16 am
As a child I can remember being in trouble all the time and not understanding why.I was Judged to be one of the failing kids and was made to feel gulity about it.I was put into remedial classes and the work was far too easy for me, eventually I left school with low grades and was made to feel that I had failed in educaction I then started to get in trouble with the Police.Over the years I began to develop and became aware that I had gifts that other people did’nt have,I was confused because I thought that I was of low intelligence because of my school experience.I went back to evening classes at the age of 30 because I felt a deep need to study and In an english test I scored 89% which I couldnt believe.I then went on to do a course to get into university and passed it,I am now studying for a degree.I was recently found to be dyslexic but had high intelligence.I can see that the school system failed me and I didnt fail it as they were ready to write me off.I can now see that teachers probably did’nt understand me at school and took me as being stupid when I was actually probably bringhter than them!.If your child has dyslexia then you will realise that he has traits which educational do not see as positive-but God does!!sometimes people grow at a pace which does not fit the eduactional establishement….The main thing is have hope in your kid-they’ll come good.
11. Stephanie Jeffreys | September 30th, 2008 at 3:03 am
My child is 12 and has was diagnosed with dyslexia in the 2nd grade. She has now been diagnosed with ADHD and they want to put her on medication. I do not want my child on meds. She loves to sit for hours and draw or play with modeling clay or just watch scary movies. She is full of life and her spirit is always happy. I do not feel that medication is going to help her learn what the school cannot. This school has been telling me that she is up to grade level with assistance. But, a new teacher gave her a test to find her grade level and she is 2nd grade reading and writing. I wonder is our system pushing our children through becasue they feel they are too busy to work with them one on one? I need imput from parents who have experienced children with ADHD and Dyslexia. I am so confused.
God Bless,
Stephanie
12. Dawn Matthews | October 8th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Hi Stephanie
i’m writing a book on all this now. in Australia dyslexic kids are always being misdiagnosed as ADHD and put on drugs. this does not happen as much in the UK. it makes me very angry. while it is possible to have both dyslexia and ADHD i have only ever found 1 in 30 years of teaching. true ADHD kids are terrible. they steel, they mess around with the emotions of their siblings and they lie. they are desperately unhappy people who cannot get on with any aspect of life by themselves. if your kid is happy and can watch tv for whole programs then she will not be ADHD.
the book Dyslexia – How to win does tell you exactly how to teach a dyslexic . i wrote it because i cannot myself teach every kid.
hoe this helps
cheers
dawn
13. Sylvie | October 13th, 2008 at 3:10 am
What a great forum, thank you! My son is 13 now and has been diagnosed dyslexic after firstly having been diagnosed with ODD and ADHD. I refuse to put in on medication as I believe it is simply putting a bandaid on the real problem. We should be questioning why there are more children now a days with ADHD diagnosis. It makes senae that it is probably a reaction to something they eat or to the environment. Way back, the food was not all processed and full of additives and colour as now and we did not hear about ADHD. My son has this great personality but just can’t focus in school. I have just implemented an elimination diet and am waiting to see positive changes in him. Lastly, where can I find your book?
14. Val | October 15th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Found helpful info on this site about dyspraxia, I thanks. My daughter has sensory integration dysfunction (SID) which include praxis difficulties.
ADHD ‘symptoms’ could be caused by SID and specific therapy provided by OT is helpful. Drugs don’t usually help with SID and many labled as having ADHD could benfit from therapuetic input based on the sensory integrative principles.
Val
15. Lisa | November 21st, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Hi
I have a 15 year old boy who has adhd and dyslexia. He’s a great kid very friendly and kind, still willing to learn, he’s full of life with bundles of energy and he always bounces back from failure. I worry for him all the time but he’s not bothered. I also have another son who’s 11 and he has a speech disorder and a few hearing problems, he’s the opposite quite moody, lacking in energy and gives up easily. He’s very shy. Low confidence. He’s in a year below his age at the moment, he wasn’t keen to repeat his 4th year but it has helped. They are both behind in reading by 2-4 years which is a huge worry for us.
At the moment we live in Holland and are thinking of moving to Perth, can anyone recommend schools for my two boys?
16. Sacha | December 5th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
My son, like many of the kids described here, is a delightful, chraming, popular 7 year old. He excels socailly and is well behaved and follows rules etc. He has very severe dyslexia and struggles with fine and gross motor skills, short term memory. He is going into Year 2 although the school wanted him to repeat. I didn’t beleive that he should repeat for being ‘dyslexic’ as more of the same was not going to help but rather delay the issues a further 12 months. The school seems to want to do more and more of the same repitition that doesn’t work instead of looking for other ways to teach him. They are now asking that I take him to a DR to discuss drugs. I don’t see why I would drug my helthy, happy child but my husband thinks it will help him.
17. Samantha Abbott | December 8th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
My son is 13yrs old & has ADHD, is a grate kid but has found it hard to make friends,is 2-3yrs behined @ school, though he suprises me some times and will just start reading me something that his teachers have told me he cant read.He has always been in manestream schools, but in his first yr of high school we have been told he needs an aulternitve school.We are moving to Perth in januery 09, was hoping so one could recommed any schools that may help him.
Thanks Sam
18. Kay Distel | December 14th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Just found this fabulous site and want to get into the talk!
I want the label dyslexia to be accepted in all Australian states Education policies as a learning difference or a diverse learning style.
In the past I have advocated for dyslexics,by giving FREE information sessions on how I work with sensory approaches. I have been abused for using the ‘D’ word usually from professionals. In one case there was a walk out by the school counsellor(?!) who couldn’t get his head around my philosophy of learning ‘style’ or ‘difference’ of dyslexia.
That it doesn’t exist in Australia is because the word isn’t used in ANY EDucational POLICies-rather they use Specific learning difficulties which tends to boarder on being meaningless at times.
It’s so hard for parents as their journey with their child as schools can be influenced by the diagnostic. It depends on who they see as to how much that individual knows about dyslexia. IT’S VITAL to educate the educators!!
The ADD label I agree is over done in Australia and is often given out without considering allergy and other nutritional needs
I believe dyslexia is a different or diverse learning style and shouldn’t been seen as a DISAbility.
The way the system works is making dyslexics ‘mad’ or ‘ bad’ – we are disabling people in the way we treat their learning needs!
If there are any adult dyslexics wanting some support in their learning and study in HE this is what my PhD study is actively doing as well as developing resources within the institutions.
I work through email/phone calls.
19. Elizabeth | December 15th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Hi, my 12 son has was disagnosed with anxiety disorder and ODD. He also complains about headaches and he cannot relax and concentrate in classrooms. He does get very frustrated and has had at times obsessive behaviour. My son also has chronic tonsilitus which exaserbates all these issues as he has missed alot of school. He is quite bright and he is very sensitive. He also complains about seeing black swirls sometimes in his eyes and we have had him to doctors, phsycharists, phsychologists, over the last 6 years. I am extremely tired seeing of doctors who have offered my son all types of medication to cure what they think after let me see 10 minutes of seeing my child. Who do they think they are. Medication is a long term diagnosis. I have lost a considerable amount of trust for doctors in the area I live as medication is not always the answer. They need to take the time and at least test my son over a period of time. It was a shock to me as a mother to be offered a drug over the doctors table. Not even with a script. Here give these a test he said. Yes I believe that ADHD exists and dislexia and children may or may not have either one of these illnesses. But we need to take the time to fully investigate what the individual child is suffering. Not the mass marketing agent of the Drug/Pharmacy companies. I suppose I’m mad as I have to many people try and nothing is succeeding and now we are heading to high school. Thank you for all who have read this and I am still trying to get my son help in everyway possible through a wonderful counsellor, because after all HE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON and needs my love attention and help.
20. Dawn Matthews | December 18th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Hi Sacha
thanks for emailing. i totally agree. if your child had ADHD then he would not be happy or social. do not allow him to be put on drugs for having dyslexia. these drugs do not in any way help dyslexia and they are dangerous. kids are actually being killed by them.
i do not know for certain that he is dyslexic as you mention motor problems, which is not normally a part of dyslexia. if you did the tick tests for dyslexia and dyspraxia, that are on my site, then i would have a better idea, but either way the alternative ways of teaching are to be found in my book and in the phonics course which is about to be published.
when this is published your child’s school will be able to buy, for less than $70 everything they need to teach your child literacy and it can be photocopied for ever. i am doing my best here to help.
get back to me if you do the tests on your son.
cheers
dawn
21. Dawn Matthews | December 18th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Hi Elizabeth
Thank you for your email. I so endorse what you are saying. My own son had Wolfe Parkinson White and if i had been in Australia they would have tried to give him drugs and tell me he was ADHD, when in fact he was dyslexic, and the drugs could easily have killed him. This is why i am currently writing a book on this. Have you done my tick test for dyspraxia, that is on the site as kids with ODD can be dyspraxia.
If you live in WA i would be interested in assessing your son, just from a personal view point to see if i can help. Food allergies should not be rules out either. Or food sensitivities as many of the allergies are actually to known toxins they put in food.
cheers
dawn
22. Dawn Matthews | December 18th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Hi Elizabeth
Thank you for your email. I so endorse what you are saying. My own son had Wolfe Parkinson White and if i had been in Australia they would have tried to give him drugs and tell me he was ADHD, when in fact he was dyslexic, and the drugs could easily have killed him. This is why i am currently writing a book on this. Have you done my tick test for dyspraxia, that is on the site as kids with ODD can be dyspraxia.
If you live in WA i would be interested in assessing your son, just from a personal view point to see if i can help. Food allergies should not be rules out either. Or food sensitivities as many of the allergies are actually to known toxins they put in food.
cheers
dawn
23. Stacey Paterson | January 2nd, 2009 at 11:54 am
Diet plays only a small role in the treatment of AD/HD. Diet never causes AD/HD, though in a minority of AD/HD and non AD/HD children, certain foods may make their behaviour more active and irritable. There seems to be little evidence that diet directly affects attention, impulsivity or instability.
Parents should be able to follow any treatment they choose, however it should be based on well-researched, proven treatments before resorting to debatable methods.
Reference: Egger, J., Stolla, A. & McEwen, L.M. ‘Controlled trial of hypersensitisation in children with food-induced hyperkinetic syndrome,’ Lancet, 339:1150-1153, 1992. An exclusion diet (which is nutritionally inadequate and requires vitamin and mineral supplementation) and re-challenge are required to properly diagnose food intolerance in hyperkinesis. This group of researchers previously found that about 60% of children with hyperkinetic syndrome responded to an oligoanatigenetic diet. Because of the difficulties associated with such restriction diets, hyposensitation using a series of injections was suggested as a means of treating the substantiated food intolerance-induced hyperactivity.
I spent years trying different treatments for my daughter including diet, fish oil and tutoring, just to name a few. Some of these strategies were in fact helpful, however, four days on a low dose of Ritalin (which has been on the market for over 40 years, last count 155 controlled studies which document it’s safety and effect) made more of a difference than years of alternative treatments.
24. nicole | January 8th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
recently i have had a diagnoses for my daughter it has taken 4 years to get it they have said adhd with terretes her learning has been effected over these 4 years to the point that for most of her subjects she is at a grade 1 level she is in grade 4 this year she has never been medicated we have tried fish oil changed her diet since she was little they want to put her on medication im a bit worried about this but she has always been on the go since she was little her concentration is poor short memory under average but has above average processing speed so in the meantime i have to think of a plan to help her when she goes back to school for her teachers do you have any strategies to help us out in a classroom setting ps she is just like the boy in the terrettes ad. but with adhd mixed together . ps very good at art visual things can you help.
25. Dawn Matthews | January 9th, 2009 at 8:44 am
hi, Nicole
thanks for your email
Now what you should do is monitor her very carefully. If she should be on the medication then she should catch up at school very quickly. Everyones concentration improves on riitalin, this is what the drug is used for. It was given to soldiers during the war to keep them fighting all day. But if she has true ADHD then the improvement should be very dramatic. If this does not happen then consider a dyslexia test . Try the tick box text on my site first. you cannot sort dyslexia with ritalin.
good luck cheers
dawn
26. Dawn Matthews | January 9th, 2009 at 8:44 am
hi, Nicole
thanks for your email
Now what you should do is monitor her very carefully. If she should be on the medication then she should catch up at school very quickly. Everyones concentration improves on riitalin, this is what the drug is used for. It was given to soldiers during the war to keep them fighting all day. But if she has true ADHD then the improvement should be very dramatic. If this does not happen then consider a dyslexia test . Try the tick box text on my site first. you cannot sort dyslexia with ritalin.
good luck cheers
dawn
27. emily | April 19th, 2009 at 9:38 am
hi, i don’t know much about dyslexia but i am worried about myself as i have been looking on websites all night and have noticed that i have most of the symptoms, there isn’t much wrong with my spelling but i think i miss read and can’t concentrate in classes. its begining to worry me as on a resent school trip a girl was picking on me because she is better at english and other subjects. she still does it now but i have thought about me maybe being dyslexic for a while now. please write back on my e-mail adress i am so scared.
28. Larnie | June 12th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Hello,
Any parents who may be interesting in a focus group for parents of children with ADHD, please check out the link above.
If you cannot make it to the focus group, leave your details on the ‘contact us’ link and the questionniare will be sent to you.
29. Coral | June 27th, 2009 at 1:40 am
I am VERY frustrated with the educational system.
My son has been diagnosed with dyslexia and visual processing problems.
We were told “not to label him”by the school nurse in Primary School but teachers have never been backwards in incorrectly labelling him ADD! Unfortunately, the school nurse’s reaction made me shy of asking how he could be tested and it wasn’t until he was in year 6 and we had access to the internet that I looked into it further. We took him for Educational Psychological tests and we also had his visual and audiological processing tested. Now I am exasperated by teachers and the systems’ refusal to aknowledge the results and a preference to continue to question me on using ADD medication by some teachers. He is now in High School-Year 10 and he is slowly loosing self esteem, motivation to try anymore and has started to get into trouble at school. I am very sad to see this happen and do not hold much hope for any success at school. What worries me most is the effect it is having on his spirit and hsi faith.We are sending him to a Christian private school but they do not see our concerns as valid because they say he is a very intelligent boy but in their mind he doesn’t try. Cannot argue with that NOW but it is not because of lack of trying before.They tend to be very legalistic and expect organised and educationally capable students also.Not possible for my son and I would guess, the majority. The comment about the system making children mad or bad is sooo true. Help!!! What can I do? Is it too late? Is there any good tutors who can help a strong willed dyslexic boy to return to his fun-loving, inspired and enthusiastic old self? I agree with Stephanie, Ithink the schools are pushing our kids too hard. There seems to be a much greater emphasis on the Gifted and talented children’s needs and schools use the children’s results(if good) as an advertising ploy for the school. School with students with high grades equals a good school. NOT SO! Every child and student has different gifts and talents and the system does not recognise them all. Coral
PS I want to get your book. Is it suitable for older teens? Or can you suggest another?
30. matthew | July 7th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
School is hell because of the drug called Ritalin that I was on for five years. I need to wear glass to read, because the people for eyes thing did not find my astigmatism until last year and the drug screwed up my talking.
And I hate all you people for doing is to me.
And I FEEL good now I been off it.
31. admin | July 16th, 2009 at 7:14 am
I am sorry that you were put on ritalin for so long. Far too many kids are in Austrlia This does not happen where i trained in te UK. The drug is only used accaisioally over there. You might be interested in the following 2 paragraphs taken out of the book I am currently writing on ADD.
The massive increase of these drugs was triggered by the findings of a Trial involving 436 Kids labelled[1] with ADHD, which began more than eight years ago. After a few months it was determined that the kids had improved in concentration and school work when on amphetamine drugs.
However in March 2009 follow up data to the original study has been published. After revaluating this study, after the children have been on the drug for 8 years, Dr Pelham, a pivotal scientist in this study, has concluded that after 8 years the researchers could find “no differences in behaviour between children receiving medication (since 1999) and those who weren’t.”[2]
Cheers
Dawn
[1] the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
[2] What Doctors Don’t Tell You vol 20 no 2 may 2009
32. Admin | July 20th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Hi,
Emails like yours are getting far too familiar to me.
First let me say that it has been proved that dyslexic kids, and n fact any kid who fails at school is far more likely to be super successful than other ids. In a study carried out in the UK on the 5000 self made millionaires it was discovered that the VAST MAJORITY had done very badly at school. It is a very sad fact that Australia is abandoning its best talent.
Yes the book, How to Win is aimed at all ages and a whole chapter is devoted to adults. It you live anywhere near Perth WA I would be able to help you both.
Cheers
Dawn
33. Christine Jeffery | August 15th, 2009 at 11:15 am
I have a prescription for Ritalin that I cannot bring myself to fill. it is for my 8 year old son who is a visual learner and a very creative thinker. I have had him tested by a Clinical Pyschologist who has shown that he has extreme intelligence with scattered abilities. Scattered as the ‘experts’ believe he has ADHD (inattention only). He cannot concentrate or focus at school and spends a lot of his time in his own dream world. His processing speed was faster than the Psychologist had ever seen but his working memory was very poor. Currently an average Student, however there are signs that he will eventually give up as his self esteem is incredibly low. I have read everything there is to read. The experts I see point me in the direction of Ritalin. I really need someone who can help me through the maze of drug free treatments. Any thoughts?
34. admin | August 31st, 2009 at 9:47 am
Hi,
Now you might be interested yo know that ADHD inattentive does not exist in Scotland. In my experience every child who has been labelled as having this, who I have seen, has been dyslexic.
You might also be interested in knowing that the trial they did which led to the amphetamine prescriptions being given to Aussie kids is now complete and the final conclusion is that these drugs do not good at all. they only worked for a very short time.
I quote “After a ground breaking eight year study to ascertain the true value of Amphetamine drugs on ADHD kids for “no differences in behaviour between children receiving medication (since 1999) and those who weren’t.”[1].
They did however discover that kids on these drugs became 1kg lighter and 1cm shorter every year they were on the drugs.
If you send me the WISC subtest results I will be able to tell you, probably if your kids is just dyslexic. Also do the tick test from the top menu bar on my site and let me know the result.
I am not a doctor and as such cannot advise as to wether your kid should be on these drugs but I am currently writing a book on this and my advice is that if you decide to give him the drugs you do not tell his teacher and friends. If they all go on about the difference in your son then the drugs may be doing some good but if they say nothing then will not be.
I hope this helps. I would not put my kids on them unless they had massive social problems and i had tried everything else.
cheers
Dawn
35. Anne-Marie Nicholls | September 10th, 2009 at 12:05 am
“Fed up” by Sue Dengate is what lots of parents would probably love to read, before considering going down the path of medicating their child. As mentioned by Dawn, food additives can cause serious problems in people… it’s called having food intolerances, as opposed to allergies. These intolerances can affect people of any age, children and adults alike, from irritability, tantrums, non-compliance issues, to headaches/migraines, stomach pains/cramps, etc.
Testimonials by adults in Sue’s book speak of their own and/or their child’s experiences. Preservatives in wine are an example of what may give an adult regular headaches.
Sue also has other books, including, “Fed up with ADHD,” and “The Failsafe cookbook.” Failsafe foods are those that people with various food intolerances can usually eat. Just checked her website, address below, Sue now a has a DVD, “Fed up with children’s behavior: how food and additives affect behavior.” Two of her books and the DVD are available via her website. Good bookstores have her range of books. Sue also does speaking tours across all states around the country in various regional areas as well as cities. Check the website.
Sue Dengate spoke on a current affairs program several years ago about the bread preservative 282, and sure enough, it was in our bread! I bought Sue’s book, and now always read ingredients labels when I shop. All those numbers indicate artificial colours, flavours, preservatives or flavour enhancers….
Sue Dengate also has a website: http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info
and you can subscribe to an online newsletter.
Hope this helps many of you out there still struggling…
36. Allison | September 10th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
My five year old daughter has always been bright, highly spirited and adventurous, she spoke very early and very clearly from quite a young age. In the main she is very well behaved – toilet trained easily, eats dinner without fuss most nights and loves her vegies. She goes to bed at 7.30 most nights without any trouble and has always socialised ok with other kids, and gets on pretty good with her younger sister.
And then she started kindergarten, within the 1st month my husband and I were called up to the school for the 1st of several meetings.
I am repeatedly told by her teacher that she cannot sit still or focus and that the harder the work gets the further she is falling behind. I do homework with her every night and she does try so hard.
I have seen my doctor and she sent us for a behavioural and psychological test, which came to the conclusion that she was not ADHD but may need to be re-tested in the next few years. The test and report cost us almost $900.00 I took this to the school and they said the psychologist was not a proper doctor and that the report was not worth the paper it was written on. On several occasions my daughter’s teacher has told me she thinks my daughter is ADHD and that she thinks she will benefit from Ritalin. (Her teacher has a son who has been diagnosed with ADHD and is on Ritalin and he seems to have benefited greatly from it as well.) But for me the only problems we are having are in the classroom with her focusing. I realise she is falling behind but I personally don’t think that it is ADHD. In a meeting I asked if they though it might be dyslexia and I was told they were not doctors and could not diagnose dyslexia (even though they have already diagnosed her with ADHD) Even the Psychologist said they don’t test for dyslexia until at least the age of 7. The school want me to see a paediatrician, which I now have an appointment with one in November. I have felt very judged by the school and by other parents.
But yesterday I was driving my car listening to Drive with Richard Glover and I heard you Wendy talking about dyslexia, so much you said sounded like my daughter so I looked up this website and have sat in tears as I have read all the stories. I will do the tick test tomorrow and let you know how I go.
Thanks Allison
37. Dawn | September 28th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Hi,
It seems to me that teachers are not medical experts and should not be diagnosing ADHD in your daughter. This is a very common label in Australia but in Scotland virtually no kid gets put on ritalin. I have assessed so many kids that have been on this drug, since returning to Australia, that are just dyslexic that it is now making me really angry. I get them off the drug and teach them properly and they flourish. There is a need for this drug but it should be a last resort.
Children should not get further and further behind at school because any work given to a kid at school should, by law, be doable by the kid. This idea of every kid being given the same work whether they can do it or not does not happen in Scotland, Any teaching being seen to continually give a kid work she cannot read or do would loose their teaching qualification in Scotland.
Get back to me if i can be of further help.
cheers
Dawn
38. Samara | November 14th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
I am a violin tutor, and have just started teaching a student who has a true case ADHD. Her mother has chosen not to medicate her daughter. This girl is exceptionally intelligent. If anybody has any suggestions on how I can more easily teach her with this disorder, without restricting her intelligence and creativity, please post, or email me. All of her lessons are 1 on 1, and go for 30mins, ( I will put my email up if asked)
39. Vanessa | January 26th, 2010 at 7:28 am
I have a son who is now 5. When he turned 3, everything stopped. His muscle tone had weekend, he started running to one side with his muscles tightening. He wasn’t communicating at all, as he used to grunt and repeat a word a thousand times.
Though very intelligent at age 2, he just stopped at 3. Did not socialise with others. Did not show any interest in other children. He also had sensory issues like screaming for just about everything if it wasn’t his way. Couldn’t work out how to hold a pencil or pass over from one hand to another.
By 3 we enrolled him at a Pre-school and thats where it hit us. He was severly language delayed. That went on up until he was four. Then we got him into Gymbaroo, which was very good for adapting to listening, focusing and co-ordination.
Between 4 and 5years of age I saw an enormous improvement with his behaviour and focus. At this stage he had language therapy and occupational therapy. At this point I was sort of watchin the diet. His food intake was very limited.
It was bizarre that one day he could speak and 2 days later he was all over the place. That clearly showed me that his diet was crucial. He would get very hot with red ears and red patches on his skin.
When this would happend his behaviour was more evident in terms of anger and hyperactivity. Although he was not violent, just extrmely angry and gets quite upset. Which can go on for hours with zero reasoning. You would ask him by this stage, ‘how was school’, and his reply would be, ‘school’.
I am very pleased to say that all of those symptoms have literally been lifted. We have seen a Bio Medicine doctor who provides natural therapy with supplements.
My son has something called Pyrolle which is a blood disorder which depletes the aborption of Zinc and B6, therefore causing all of the above.
The Bio Medicine Doctors approach, is thru vitamins and minerals. They look into your biology and try to repair your genetic code or at least normalise it as much as possible.These doctors treat Bi-Polar, Schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, Autism and Behavioural Issues including Depression. PLease believe this, they are now recovering Autism depending on how severe it is and reversing it.
There are more and more children with these imbalances now. Most of these children have sensitivity issues with certain chemicals, which is present in food, and the environment. Because of this it is important to eliminate anything with additives/preservatives. Basically anything that will give our children a chemical imbalance as their little bodies are a little imbalanced anyway.
I have seen an enormous imporvement since I have taken him off Gluten and Dairy milk also. My sons body cannot breakdown the protein in gluten and caesin in milk.
To make it simple to understand, gluten (wheat) and caesin in milk acts like a toxin to the brain for some people. He has major intolerances to processed foods and artificail drinks etc.. It will affect his speach and his speed in processing, the behaviour and can not concentrate at all. His body cannot cope.
I have eliminated everything possible that is interfering with blocking his brain. It’s truly fascinating and rewarding to see his improvements. Maintaining this level is hard and now with kindergarten approaching, I really need to be prepared.
There is a lot of work and sometimes I feel like Im a fanatic, but its worth it and I do spread the word.
I am now looking for a program that will help us with reading etc, as I feel that his problem solving will be an issue. He knows how to de code words and at times he looses interest. Still a long way to go as he was only diagnosed with Pyrolle 3 months ago.
Im happy that I finally have my family on board and we are all working together. It was tough to educate them all.
I will definatley keep you posted on his progress. I have read many articles on this website regarding medication for add/adhd, and I would like you to please consider Natural therapy also, as we need to really go deep inside and see genetically what is so imbalanced and get to the core of the problem and not just medicate.
This is truly a revolution in treatment as I can see an enormous improvement with my little boy.
There is help. Have a read on Bio Medicine and the Bio Balance web site.
Cheers
40. dawn matthews | January 31st, 2010 at 11:58 am
Hi,
Thanks for your email on this.
We have a Nutritionist on board at the Dyslexic Centre Australia and she covers all this.
I myself has a massive shortage of zinc for most of life which resulted in dry eyes and mouth, which made reading even harder for me. Once this was fixed life became a lot better.
I have noticed again and again that dyslexic children especially are much more sensitive to toxins and food additives.
Cheers
Dawn
41. ADD/ADHD - Developing Con&hellip | February 11th, 2010 at 5:33 am
[...] [...]
42. ADD/ADHD - Developing Con&hellip | February 11th, 2010 at 5:33 am
[...] [...]
43. Geraldine Mullins | February 28th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
This comment is unsolicited by Dawn.My grandson now nearly 10 yo was tutored by Dawn for at least 2 years. Dawn is highly competent and skilled in getting the best from children who struggle with literacy and numeracy. She provides amazing levels of dedication to teaching, gently giving Jack re-assurance so he could focus and learn. He was relaxed, confident and had lots of fun while improving his self image at a time when he could have become negative and felt he was dumb.
Sadly Jack’s parents moved to an Eastern District suburb and did not continue with dyslexia tutoring. This is a very tragic outcome because he has had an entire year without dyslexia tutoring, he has been taken out of his school classes,wrongly assessed as ADHD and medicated with Concerta, a long-acting Ritalin drug. This diagnosis and chemical treatment by WA paediatricians cannot be clinically substantiated but is favoured by a parent or teacher who does not want to be harrassed by a child who is inattentive simply because he needs to be educated in a specific learning model.
44. sue | May 7th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Our 8yr old son in year 4 was diagnosed with “attetion deficit low active” although he outsmarts the teachers and quitely sits and does no school all day, but when asked he says he did allot of work that day. He works hard and does well with a 1 on 1 learning, I guess that because we have been doing speech, occupational therapy, literacy, brain gym etc over the years as he had suffered several delays due to many years of ear infections since he was a baby and glue ear at the age of 4. by 41/2 yrs he was begining to hear sounds clearly back then a peadiatrics dr in sydney recommended we use adhd drugs to help him improve PS he never has been hyperactive in his life. He has always struggled inschool and tried to do as little as possible thus falling behind so we repeated his school year at 6yrs of age to help him catch up but this impacted his Self-esteem but he took it in his stride and became positive about it. at year 1 he hated school and his teacher shouted allot at the students by end of term 3 we moved to perth and put him in yr 2 with a wonderful structured and very organised and focussed teacher, this helped our son allot he loved school and going to school. by yr 3 his teacher found that he was very slow at getting things done and not understanding class work, so she devised a program for him to help him with areas that were difficult for him. in thata year he was doing literacy clases, speech therapy, sport and braingym after school each week. by the end of that year we also found out he needed glasses after doing a visiong processing test.
So in year 4 he started wearing glassesand this has helped only slightly as he states he sees words moving and coming at him still, so this year we started visual processing therapy. he still sees the words moving but now feel comfortable wearing 3d glasses over his normal glasses, but there has not been any improvement with his classwork we received allot of pressure from the school teacher and psychologist to get him on ritalin. the peadiatrics dr perscribed ritalin to our son and did not check his blood pressure and left us to believe this was the only hope we have. so we started ritalin mid last term and the teacher praised it as he was doing his work on his own and completing set tasks. But I am concerned as I still do not feel comfortable that I received pressure from his teacher who has no medical experience and has only been teaching for 4 yrs and has seen a child from the previous year change over night just because they were taking perscription drugs that it would be good for us too. Also the school psychologist did not perform any tests on our son nor indicate any other alternatives and as he is not dissable they were not able to get in an aid to do 1 on 1 and the teacher has 31 students in the class and could not give our son the attention. (so drugs was our only options as it worked for another child whom we know nothing about)
when we went back in term 2 I did more investigations stopped ritalin and increased our sons fish oil and vitamin intake, but the teacher pulled me aside and asked me if our son has stopped ritalin as his performance has stopped. so in last 2 weeks we are back on ritalin and there has not been a great improvement in his work.. PLease Help Us as I do not want DRUGS to be the only answer to getting our son to focus and concentrate on his school work, he is too young and not enough diagnosis has been conducted by the school and pediatrics dr to warn us about the risks in the future. PLease help or if you can direct us in the right direction please.
45. shana dean | September 24th, 2010 at 12:48 am
I have just read through the comments on this page, some really interesting stuff, will look forward to reading your book Dawn. I am of mixed opinion on your comments on ADHD, I was diagnosed with adhd (inattentive )(and it definetly exists let me tell you from experience) in early adulthood mid last year and the medication has changed my life, I was also diagnosed with a “non verbal learning disorder” dyslexia I believe. I am shortly to be screened for IRLEN syndrome. I have done counselling, braingym, put myself and my children on Failsafe diet by Sue Dengate which all helped immensly also but not enough for myself to get off medication (i tried and failed once). All I know is I felt like I was in the wrong skin before I began medication, needed a 3 hr nap every afternoon, snapped at everyone, could not turn off my thoughts, oversensitive to everything, overthought everything, took on too much and burnt out leading to a few days in bed fairly regularily. Binged ate, had panic attacks, suicide thoughts etc…it was horrible and the medication solved about 80% of that for me with the rest pretty well being fixed through the other therapies I mentioned. so its hard to see so many people damning the medication being offered. All things in balance is a better approach I think. I hope in the future an alternative route come up that is less harsh especially as so many of the people taking the medication are children, that would be wonderful. I am keen to learn more about dyslexia and how I can learn about myself further and help myself get even greater results. My experience is that there is no one answer to such issues as there are so many individuals in the world each with their own make up. It would be great if the people focused on these issues looked more towards providing a full spectrum of information and choices and less towards pro or neg medication. Cheers
46. judy | November 1st, 2010 at 10:44 am
My son has undergone the worst year at a reputable private school. In the beginning of the year, it was very apparent that the teacher had a problem with who our family are, my husband is Chinese and I am English. My son is the most gorgeous, sensitive, loving child. It crushes me everyday knowing he is in the presence and control of the teacher. I have on numerous accessions witnessed the teacher ignoring my son. She has caused so much havoc in my family this year. Previous to this school, my son was at a preschool where he achieved. For four years, his reports stated how popular he was, intelligent, a confident leader. So I felt so confident when he started grade R at the popular boys only school.
It was a nightmare from day one. My son, an only child, become like a insecure child I didn’t recognise. It was devastating. I was phoned by the teacher on the first day asking if my child does not know how to draw free hand. I was like what? She continued to say how crèches only teach the children how to colour in the same picture, but at this school the new programme was for children to draw on their own.
Give my son a break. He has been at a reputable pre-primary school (co-ed) where he was confident, nurtured and loved.
The teacher at the new school was not nurturing, ignored him and always highlighted what he didn’t know. Friends were very important to my son, so I could just imagine how he felt been
Insulted and highlighted in front of his friends for what he didn’t know. To cut a long year short, after seeing an education therapists, speech therapists, a need that arose due to my son’s new found anxiety in class. The speech therapist explained that due to his desperate attempt in getting the teachers approval he didn’t learn a lot in the “war zone” but was anxious to be accepted by her, which was not going to happen. Just to let you know, I didn’t just accept this, I took the case to the headmaster who informed me that they do not remove children from the class they are initially appointed in.
So I am now sitting in a situation where my anxious child is been accepted into a remedial school and a streamline school for next year. I don’t trust that school now to handle any situation that may arise as there was no support before. So my anxious child has to now change schools, which I have not informed him as yet.
If he goes to the remedial school, which is temporary, how will he cope the following year when he joins the streamline school or should I let him join the streamline co-ed school for grade 1 instead.
I am dreading telling him he has to change schools already as he loves his friends and is so excited to join grade 1 there already. I cannot leave him in a school that does not support the children but rather protect the teacher. I know this sounds like a case of, it’s easier to blame the teacher, but I am not a parent to just take a child out of a school and I am very aware of the negative consequences. I need my son to be happy. Do I place my son in a remedial school due to the anxiety he has due to a teacher who would just not acknowledge him. He has definitely suffered, in his language skills, which I have placed him in extra lesson for with a therapist.
I have had comments from friends that this will only worsen the situation as he will feel inadequate and even more so under the spotlight. My son is a perfectionist and his intuition is scary. That is why I think he is very aware of how the teacher fells about him. He just dreaded going to school doing things like Letterland as he just felt he would fail, and would comment “ I cant do it” My husband doesn’t want to hear any of it and states that his son will not enter remedial school because of what “she” has done to him. I just want to do what is right for my son.
Please advise as I have to make a decision this week.
I am so scared of making the wrong choice for my son, which can affect him forever.
Kind Regards
47. freelance writing | February 2nd, 2011 at 4:27 am
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48. Gina Langworthy | March 1st, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Dawn,
I wonder if you would be able to test my daughter for Dyslexia? I am not sure where you are based at the moment and want someone who will be positive about her to test her. She is 12 now and a creative kid who lacks self esteem and confidence in the classroom. She gets ç ‘s in Maths and Language but must work harder than other kids who (in my opinion) are no more intelligent than her. She does well in art and music but does not fulfill her potential there either due to confidence lost in other learning areas. Her visual-spatial skills are very strong (ie can direct the way to a place only visited once before. She is treated as a ‘plodder’ at school and there is so much more to her than this (she knows it too). She has suffered some depression and social anxiety and feels that ‘no-one thinks she can do anything’.
Please let me know if you can help.
thank you,
Gina Langworthy
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50. Kel | June 4th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Interesting what this says about being diagnosed in Australia, because I found it very difficult. Before anyone would even consider prescribing me ritalin I was assessed by the GP, referred to a Psychologist for 6 hours of testing, then had to find a Psychiatrist who was willing to deal with someone with ADHD, as a lot of them weren’t, my referral got passed around until someone who was willing to take those cases was found. Only the Psychiatrist can write me a prescription, unless he writes a letter to my GP giving her permission to do so, but I still have to check in with him at regular intervals to have my progress monitored. I understand that the entire process is needed to be thorough to prevent misdiagnoses, but man it costs me a fortune!
My dyslexia was classed as mild, messy writing, having the wrong letters come out when writing, terrible spelling but no problems with reading whatsoever.
Being able to take medication turned me from the worst student in my class into the best. I did a lot of work myself using different coping methods, but that was the final thing needed for it to all come together.
51. Kath | June 5th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Hi there, I’m not actually sure where to start here…. my 6 year boy is struggling considerably at school. His teachers say he’s beautiful and well behaved, but has unpredictable attention span. I have a background of ADHD, treated as a child by diet, so we’ve tried all the same things like no colours and flavours, MSG, refined sugars etc, and he’s a great sleeper! We’ve been to various specialists, including the paed – who said he’s obviously not ADHD or autistic…. SO, being at a loss, I thought I’d consult the internet and stumble only your site. Oh my goodness! I know they are just guides, but the screening test for dyslexia fits exactly…. and your blub regarding the link between ADD and dyslexia… another oh my goodness! We are at a loss, but if not for anything else, you have given me a hope that this could be an answer! So, thanks for putting your own experiences our there and using it for the good of others!! Thank you!
52. abdalla | August 21st, 2011 at 1:33 am
See my father is about to retire and i think i would be no body and i have a feeling i would not have a good life when i grow more and more oldder i wouldnt get better live any way life sucks so badly and when i was young i had an operation in the skull over the UK southren general hospital in Glasgow it’s all because of my sibling parents my life is full of deformities and weird stuff…
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