ADD/ADHD Elizabeth & Elimination of Ritalin  

Elizabeth was diagnosed with ADD in early 1995. Throughout her primary school years we had been told that although bright she was not achieving the levels expected of her. From a social standpoint she was relatively immature and relied heavily on a few core friends. Looking back Elizabeth had always been quite shy and lacking in confidence but it was not until she went to senior school that there was a suggestion that all might not be well.

The problems facing a child with ADD are varied. The common threads are an inability to focus on something for longer than a few minutes, a lack of organisation and poor short term memory skills. These symptoms leave parents perplexed as to why a task performed with ease one day becomes insurmountably difficult the next and the child lacking confidence and self esteem. The behavioural pattern of a child with ADD can differ significantly. In Elizabeth's case she was quite emotional and found it difficult to understand relationships and to express affection. As time progressed these traits had become more apparent.

Following the diagnosis Elizabeth was prescribed ritalin. Initially this had a very positive affect on her schoolwork. She was more organised and concentration in lessons became possible. It was quite remarkable that Elizabeth could say when the effects of the drug kicked in and when they were wearing off. After fifteen months on ritalin it was thought necessary to increase the dosage as Elizabeth was growing rapidly. Although we had been assured that ritalin was not addictive with the prospect of an additional dose, from three to four tablets a day, we were becoming increasingly concerned at the long term effect of taking the drug. It was at this stage that we sought an alternative treatment to drugs and we were introduced to Neurofeedback.

The idea of a non-invasive treatment which offered the prospect of dealing not only with the inattention but the social awareness (which did not respond to the ritalin) was compelling. However the sessions are not for the weak-hearted. The twice weekly neurofeedback sessions were at times quite hard for an energetic and impatient teenager! There were occasions when Elizabeth would have given up but the detailed scoring of goals which we had set at the beginning of the sessions confirmed that there was indeed measurable progress being made.

At the outset the goals set reflected the changes which we would like to see Elizabeth achieve. These included broad categories with subsets which we measured on a scale of 1-10. In Elizabeth's case we were looking for improvements in attention, self esteem, social integration, motivation and organisation whilst at the same time becoming less emotional. For each session we would score her progress and prepare a detailed report noting particular behaviour patterns.

Progress was pleasing. It was encouraging to note small changes in Elizabeth's behaviour and within three months we were delighted that not only was the dose of ritalin decreasing but her social skills were developing. She was integrating more with her peers, could accept compliments gracefully and her overall well being was increasing week by week. There were one or two hiccups along the way but as the ritalin reduced we began to recognise the carefree daughter which ritalin seemed to have taken from us.

Within six months of starting Neurofeedback Elizabeth is no longer taking ritalin. In her own opinion her concentration is now better than when she was taking the drug and she finds it easier to focus her attention at a given moment and to ignore distractions. We have observed that she is less likely to give up on the task in question and less prone to panic when something does not go quite according to plan. However the most pleasurable change is Elizabeth's increased confidence and self esteem. She is more trusting in relationships and reports from school have confirmed more integration with her peer group as well as increasing success in the classroom.

As Elizabeth reaches the end of her treatment we are delighted with her progress. We are confident of the long term benefits neurofeedback will bring. The training has "stuck" and our daughter faces the future with confidence- a more fulfilled and happier person.