I am 70 years young, with many attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) symptoms.

Some of my children and grandchildren also have ADD/ADHD symptoms, too. I want to help people understand those with ADD/ADHD, because denying special assistance to such people during their early years is a travesty. Though often specially talented, outside pressures can unnecessarily leave ADD/ADHD children mired in anger, frustration, and low self-worth.

"JB lost his appetite and started losing weight."

This story centers around my grandson JB. As a newborn, JB slept only four hours in 24, unusual for a baby. He started creeping and climbing earlier than normal, and also walked sooner. When he entered school the teachers found him hard to handle, becoming so frustrated that he usually ended up in the principal's office by midmorning. There they noticed he conversed like a grownup, discussing his favorite TV program and the news. Yet at home he never sat to watch, instead just listening while doing many other things.

Changes

After a while, JB's teachers decided he needed to control his activity and sent social workers to talk to my daughter. She took him to the recommended doctor, who diagnosed JB with ADD/ADHD. He was put on Ritalin and the teachers were pleased.

Then JB lost his appetite and started losing weight. He had circles under his eyes, would stare like someone just awakened, and you could see his heart pounding from six feet away. Then he began crying a lot. We took him back to the doctor and his Ritalin dose was reduced, but the symptoms remained, then grew. He began clinging to his mom, became afraid of loud noises, the dark, and being alone. Believing the medication wasn't good for him, my daughter cut the Ritalin dosage again, but by now JB didn't want to go to school, and still had no appetite. Finally my daughter stopped giving him this body- and mind-destroyer.

Soon, Child Protective Services (CPS) came calling and told my daughter it was essential for JB's emotional well-being that she put him on Ritalin again. She refused. CPS later came back to remove JB from my daughter's custody, but she wouldn't let them into the house. Closing the door, she grabbed her son, went out the back and drove 60 miles, bringing JB to me with a note giving me parental rights.

New Avenues

Another grandson with reading difficulties had recently moved nearby and hadn't enrolled in school yet, so I began teaching both boys -- having been a teacher for 12 years previous to this. I also began feeding the boys the Feingold diet, where artificial food dyes and flavors, as well as BHA, BHT, TBHQ, and salicylate-containing foods and non-foods are eliminated. In one week it was as if I had different children.

"When JB had trouble paying attention...I put his hands on my cheeks and asked him to listen."

I also took JB off milk products and several fruits, which really gave us results. He could now sit and learn, and try to read and write. He should have been at the second grade level but wasn't able to read even the pre-primers when we started. He had dyslexia and could barely write his name. So that's where we began.

In two months he passed the first grade level in everything except math -- he just couldn't get the concepts. To help him overcome the dyslexia I had him write letters with his feet, his hands, make them in clay, and line up cut-out letters, too.

When JB had trouble paying attention, as sometimes happened, I put his hands on my cheeks and asked him to listen and look straight at me. I kept all learning sessions under 10 minutes, with 15 minutes of play and then back to learning again.

Hints

My first-grade teaching experience had taught me many small teaching tricks. I rewarded JB with his favorite Feingold-compatible foods and gave him verbal rewards, which were extremely important. I made games requiring words, action, and reading. We had bridges of words over rhyming words, and matching words to put on furniture or colored objects. Learning was as full of action and fun as possible.

JB regained much of his health and confidence in the two months school was out, so he went home and accompanied his mom on a long road trip. I gave JB special easy-to-read books -- he loved Dr. Seuss -- and so for two weeks he alternated reading with enjoying the passing sights. JB was at second grade reading level by fall. Second grade levels, confidence, self-worth, smiles, and love -- it was so special to see!

My grandson is now 23 years old and is a sincere, likeable young man with plans to go into the recording business. He sings and plays the guitar and has learned to tile sculpt and to paint.

"Put their energy to work in developing a talented child because they are."

I went back into teaching, a mornings-only job with 22 first graders in a private school. In my classroom I had four ADD/ADHD children some had thought unteachable. I used the methods with them I had used with JB. With active games I taught new words daily, trying to use every word up to 100 times that day. The kids were reading, behaving, their anger was gone, and they felt good about themselves. I don't have much sympathy for teachers who say we can't help these children because they can learn, they can behave.

Advice

Everyone around a child afflicted with ADD/ADHD suffers, but things can change. Such children can be our most inventive, bright young people if given the chance.

Wake up, parents! Stop the junk foods. Learn natural ways. Be patient. Stop punishing the kids for things they find so hard to control. Schools that set up detention instead of teaching are setting up failures. Get these children in activities that require physical movement, put their energy to work in developing a talented child because they are.

The member story above may have been edited for clarity.