ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in Children

ADHD is a learning and behaviourial problem where low attention span, hyper activity, impairment in motor skills and language can be found. It is believed that more than 5 % children in schools have this problem. If not treated at an early age it can continue to be there with the person at adulthood also. Such people tend to face many failures in their life, like in education, relationships, marriage, profession etc. If we work on children with ADHD at young age they could lead a better life.

 

Diet- There are certain foods which increase hyperactivity. For example eating lot of refined food, fried food, cola, ice cream, certain types of sweets can increase this problem. Tamsic* food should be avoided and sattvic* food can help the child to be more calm because there is a connection between the gut – brain. So let food become the medicine.

 

Exercise – Combination of physical and mental exercises (memory games) can help a lot to channelize their energy and reducing their hyper activity. It can also improve the attention span. Breathing exercises are also helpful.

 

Sleep pattern– It has been observed that lack of sleep creates lot of confusion and restlessness. Children should sleep enough to be peaceful during the day.

 

Acupressure– There are acupressure points, which can activate certain areas in the brain and the nervous system.

 

Mind – sound- resonance technique (MSRT)- Chanting aa- uu-mm- aum in rhythm five times each, morning- evening, will help to calm down the mind.

 

Mindful techniques- Self awareness activities can help the child to be in the ‘present’ and can increase the concentration. It has to be done on a daily basis.

 

Make them aware of their behavior and change them– Narrating good stories of famous people, how they did well in their life and motivating them to be like those good people

 

Health of the whole family – Happy environment in the family can make a huge difference to temperaments and attitudes.

 

Take the child for outdoor activities- Not being confined only in the house, taking children close to nature, playing outside, planting trees, seeing them grow and flowering can help.

 

Time management- This very common in ADHD. They either delay or avoid finishing the work on time. Teaching them time management by creating time tables, reminders and rewards systems can be helpful.

 

Emotional balance– Usually these children are very aggressive, they can get angry very fast, they can quarrel even with their closest friends. Knowing their problem and helping to create emotional balance is very essential. They should be taught about the various human emotions and how they can be more observant towards each emotion they go through.

 

Optimising the brain function- By finding their strengths knowing the capability and creativity they can be engaged in various activities, like puzzles, drawing, painting, creating things with their hands, as they tend to use their hands better than the brain.

 

Ayurvedic treatment– One can use Brahmi- for memory, Ashwangandha– for nervous system, Amla– for detoxification

 

Freeing from limited belief- Sometimes we start giving up, thinking that the child cannot do anything. We need to stay positive to succeed.

 

There could be some other factors that could aggravate their behaviour like thyroid, single parent, not getting enough attention in the class, being discarded by teachers for not doing well or disturbing other children in the class. It is important to identify the reasons and teach them how to stay healthy emotionally- mentally- physically

 

Medication should be the last thing to be given.

*As per Ayurveda, Tamsic food denotes a class of foods that are dry, old, foul, or unpalatable. sattvic food denotes a class of foods that are fresh, juicy, light, nourishing, and tasty, and thus give necessary energy to the body and help achieve balance. source oxford dictionaries

 

 

by: Saroj Modi, Founder, The Inner Startup