Help for Attention Deficit Disorder

ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder; Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) is one of the most controversial learning disabilities around.  Harp Learning Institute in Lodi, California offers drug-free help for attention deficit disorder.

ADD/ADHD is a biologically based condition causing a persistent pattern of difficulties resulting in inattention or impulsivity that interferes with academics and social performance.  At Harp, we know there’s more going on than just that!

The Brain and Attention Deficit Disorder

As explained on our page on the brain, the left hemisphere is the logical, step-by-step, organizational side of the brain.  This side is what schools judge a student’s intelligence and performance with.  It is logic, bit-by-bit thinking, math, numbers, phonics, reasoning, and logic side.  

Pictures, color, movement, daydreaming, creativity, and rhythm flourish in the right side of the brain. A learner who is right-brain dominant can remain in the daydreaming, creative, impulsive state, which can make it difficult to focus. 

In addition, students with ADD/ADHD can get stuck in the “movement” portion off the brain.  These are the kids who need to move to learn.  They might be tapping their pencils, bouncing their legs, poking their neighbors, or wriggling in their seats. 

Nothing is Wrong with These Children!

Being a right-brain dominant thinker isn’t something bad.  It only seems that way in today’s classroom that is primarily left-brain dominant. Keep in mind that most of the creations, inventions, and masterpieces throughout history have been created on the right side of the brain.

Certainly not creative thinking. 

Even worse, since the 1990’s the United States has had a push for math and sciences, which has only served to confuse and upset the bulk of our top, creative thinkers.  

The problem comes when a student has a difficult time functioning in a typical classroom.  These kids present as bored to death with wandering minds. They fidget and squirm, staring out the window. 

A child with ADD/ADHD often loses assignments due to disorganization. Of course, grades suffer, even if the subject matter is known. Additionally, kids with ADD/ADHD struggle to hold still and are often sent out of the room, perhaps to the principal’s office for being disruptive. Behavior problems occur due to frustration or being misunderstood, not because the child is truly “bad”.

It’s a vicious cycle, and sadly, the child suffers unnecessarily when all that’s needed is appropriate help for attention deficit disorder.

The Downside of Medication

Some kids really do benefit from ADD/ADHD medications.  But at Harp, it is our stance that a young child has a growing and maturing brain. We know that Ritalin use can cause users to be suicidal.  We know that it can cause users to lose weight and disrupt sleep cycle.  Less severe side effects are irritability, stomachaches, headaches, and loss of appetite. 

Adderall has similar side effects.  Loss of appetite, weight loss, dry mouth, stomach upset/pain, nausea/vomiting, dizziness, headache, diarrhea, fever, nervousness, and trouble sleeping may occur.  This medication may raise blood pressure as well.

However, we don’t hold judgment against those who choose to medicate. It is a personal choice, and we certainly respect that. We want to make it clear, though, that we offer a drug-free alternative to get help for attention deficit disorder.

Treating the Whole Child to help with Attention Deficit Disorder

At Harp Learning Institute, we believe in treating the child as a whole being. Kids with attention deficit disorder can be taught to access both the left and right hemispheres of the brain so that they can succeed academically.

Of course, this takes time and effort. But it is long lasting and has no side effects.

​”I can’t begin to tell you how many parents I’ve talked to who’ve told me they ‘lost’ their children when they were medicated for ADD/ADHD,” Lisa relates. 

“I’ve heard so many sad stories, mostly about how their once energetic, lively, exuberant children turned out to be ‘zombies’ while medicated.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  There are alternative and better treatment plans available that aren’t so hard on the child’s growing body and brain.”

The Crossover Problem

One serious problem with ADD/ADHD is that the symptoms can crossover with those of an auditory processing problem, visual processing issues, dyslexia, or other learning disabilities. 

In addition, if the images or text in a book is moving around, distorted, has halos, is tilted or diagonally, or appears in some other odd, way, it would make it difficult to focus and concentrate. The student might wiggle in his seat, look out into space, or avoid doing assignments.  

These are symptoms of a visual processing disorder, and at Harp, we treat both visual and auditory processing issues to help with attention deficit disorder.

​Perhaps the student is experiencing auditory processing issues and might hear noises like they are as loud as a jet taking off.  Maybe she hears her neighbor’s pencil scraping across the page and it sounds like scraping fingernails down a chalkboard. 

Maybe he can’t tune out background noises like the computers whirring in the back of the room or the kids playing on the playground.  Can you see how difficult it would be to concentrate if you were experiencing these things?  

“I’ve talked to scores of parents who’ve told me they ‘lost’ their precious child while they were on ADD/ADHD medications.  These once smart, animated, and verbal children turned into ‘zombies’ on these harsh medications,” Lisa relates.  “There is a better and safer way to help these kids focus.  It’s not as easy as taking a pill, but it’s a lot better for the child in the long run.”

Since there is no definitive measurement when a child is tested for ADD/ADHD, it makes it difficult to determine which learning disability it truly is.  The tests used for diagnosing ADD/ADHD

The diagnosis for determining if a child has ADD/ADHD is purely subjective.  A team of people fills out a checklist on the student’s behaviors. From there, a doctor decides if medication can help.  There is no blood test, no definitive measurement used.  

Symptoms of ADD/ADHD:

• Inability to give close attention to details
• Makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities
• Does not seem to listen when spoken to directly
• Has a difficult time following instructions, especially multi-step instructions
• Has temper problems
• Avoids or refuses to do activities that take mental effort, such as school work
• Loses materials necessary to complete tasks, such as pencils or books
• Displays disorganization
• Easily distracted
• Often shows forgetfulness in daily activities

Myths About ADD/ADHD:

• Kids with ADD/ADHD will outgrow the condition
• Poor parenting causes ADD/ADHD
• If these kids just try harder then they’ll power through it
• All kids with ADD are hyperactive 
• Children with ADHD are brats and just need discipline
• You can turn focusing on and off according to interest
• Only boys have ADD/ADHD
• Kids with ADD/ADHD aren’t very smart
• Medication is the only way to treat ADD/ADHD
• Kids are just daydreamers and they’ll learn to focus later on
• ADD/ADHD is a learning disability
• ADD/ADHD is just a children’s disorder

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Truths About ADD/ADHD:

• ADD/ADHD isn’t a passing phase. By accessing the left hemisphere of the brain through brain-based learning, focusing skills rise.
• ADD/ADHD isn’t caused by poor parenting.  It is a real condition and children with this condition have a difficult time focusing and sometimes behaving.  They need a set of tools to help them succeed not only academically but in life. It’s exhausting having a child with ADD/ADHD.
• There are other solutions to helping kids with ADD/ADHD than medications.  If medication works, you’ll see an improvement in your child’s focusing abilities.  If you don’t see a change in your child’s behavior with medication, you need to explore why.  
• No matter how hard a child with ADD/ADHD tries, it doesn’t affect his ability to focus or hold still.  He needs skills and tools to help him deal with this condition.
• Not all children are hyperactive with ADD/ADHD.  Some students are calm and can stay still for a long time but still struggle to focus on assignments or other activities. 
• Kids with ADD/ADHD are not brats who need discipline.  These children are impulsive and act before they think.  They often have a difficult time holding still or respond to loud noises.  Visual stimuli can also set them off, such as fluorescent lighting.  Most kids, especially those with ADD/ADHD are sensitive and want to please others.  For some of these children, it is extremely difficult. 
• You can’t turn ADD/ADHD on or off.  The brain doesn’t work that way.  Kids with ADD/ADHD, like anyone else, pay better attention to something that interests them.  
• Children with ADD/ADHD are just as smart as anyone else.  Often, they are smarter than their peers and have a difficult time channeling this intelligence.  Focusing affects academic performance, but it has nothing to do with intelligence.
• There are numerous approaches to help children with ADD/ADHD that don’t include medication.  At Harp, we have had excellent results in helping children and teens overcome ADD/ADHD through our research-based brain integration program.
• Not all children with ADD/ADHD are daydreamers who will rein it in as they grow.  Some kids do learn to power through their inability to attend to focus, but many have a difficult time their entire lives.  Many children can’t focus, and they aren’t daydreaming.  
• ADD/ADHD isn’t a true learning disability because it affects more than learning.  It affects the person’s ability to deal with life.  
• Kids with ADD/ADHD aren’t lazy.  Many have true learning disabilities and are simply retreating because it is painful to learn.  Most kids want to do well in school but if they find it too difficult, they might give up or think they’ll only fail, so why bother.  With the proper set of learning tools, they gain confidence and the ability to not only learn but succeed. 
• ADD/ADHD is not just a children’s disorder.  It affects adults as well as children and follows its victims through life.