TREATING LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS: Traditionally, doctors treat problems such as attention deficit disorder (ADD) with medications. But Jerry Pittman, M.D., says it can be daunting for parents to try to weed through all of the different options -- many of which are from organizations that are touting a particular product that doesn’t have any research behind it. Dr. Pittman also says many treatment options don't apply to all children with the same problem. For example, the Feingold Diet is excellent for children with food sensitivities, and it can treat what looks like ADD quite effectively in those children. However, if a child has a learning disorder that is not related to a nutritional deficiency or chemical sensitivity, he/she may not receive a benefit.
NEW APPROACH: One parent offers an approach that helps combat some of these issues. Smart woman Rhonda Kline started an organization called 21st Century Children to help educate other parents who have a child with learning or behavior problems. When Rhonda's son Ian entered second grade, he could not read, he had trouble paying attention, and he did not want to play sports. His main interests were television and Gameboy. Rhonda was told by medical experts to either have Ian evaluated or just wait, but she wasn't comfortable doing either. Instead, Rhonda cut out junk food, television and Gameboy from Ian's life and replaced those with music. In order to get Ian excited about piano, she put the piano on Ian’s way to the refrigerator, as Ian loved food. And whether he liked piano or not, he was always looking at it. And soon he began to sit down and start playing. Rhonda encouraged him with praise and never set times that he had to play. Rhonda also brought in a friend who taught Ian the love of reading. Surrounding him with people who believed in him was key.
TRANSFORMING: Ian at first went through a transition period where it was difficult. But he eventually got used to not having television around. Ian began finding piano and reading fun. Eventually, Rhonda reintroduced television, and she and Ian would count the seconds of each frame, making it into a game. Ian went from being a C student to an A student. He is now a talented piano player, plays lacrosse and squash, and has good friends.
RHONDA 'S METHODOLOGY: The basis of Rhonda 's methodology is having an approach available to multitudes of people. She advocates trying things that cannot hurt the parent or child. She says, "You know you can’t get hurt exercising. You cannot get hurt taking sugar out of a child’s diet." Rhonda requires that research is conducted before promoting more risky treatments. That is monitored by medical doctors on her organization's board.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Rhonda Kline
21st Century Children
hello@21stcenturychildren.org
http://www.21stcenturychildren.org
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