ADHD or Lack of Vitamin D?

We've long known that kids need plenty of vitamin D for healthy bones. We urge parents to make sure kids get plenty of sunshine. We put vitamin D in milk. And my Mom went a step further: forcing me to swallow tablespoons of nasty cod liver oil.

Now scientists at Children's Hopsital and Research Center in Oakland California have discovered that a lack of vitamin D can cause brain dysfunction.

Turns out that vitamin D affects proteins in the brain directly involved in learning, memory, and motor control. There's also a suggestion, no proof yet, that lack of vitamin D is involved with controlling behavior.

So you can add vitamin D deficiency to the growing list of factors that look like ADHD but aren't. Get kids drinking enough vitamin D fortified milk, playing outdoors in the sunshine, and eating the few foods high in vitamin D (oily fish like salmon). Maybe those annoying ADHD behaviors will stop.

Fish oil capsules and vitamin D supplements are also recommended but that's up to a pediatrician, not a blogger.

African-American kids and their parents tend to lack more vitamin D than whites because darker skin absorbs absorbs fewer ultra-violent rays from the sun. So it's not racial profiling to ask if Black kids who show ADHD behaviors suffer nothing more than a lack of vitamin D. An easily corrected deficiency.

And, of course, those blond, fair-skinned kids can end up with brutal sunburns from too much sun--eventually leading to skin cancer.

MaryJo

P.S. Be sure to sign up for the free, weekly "ADHD Answers Now" TeleChat. Each week I'll look at a new ADHD topic. You can ask your question right there on the sign up page. I'll answer your question on the call.

On the next call, May 6, I'll be talking about how to raise Dopamine levels without drugs. (Most ADHDers have low dopamine levels. Stimulant drugs increase Dopamine.)

ADHD Drugs: Do They Really Cause Heart Attacks?

Do ADHD stimulant drugs such as Ritalin cause heart attacks? Yes, they can--in a small number of children. Children who have a pre-existing heart condition.

Since 1999 thirty kids have died from sudden death attributed to stimulant drugs. And more have suffered heart-related problems. Again, all of these children had a pre-existing heart condition. The drugs didn't cause the heart condition!

As my readers know, I’m not crazy about giving drugs to kids for ADHD Lots of strategies help enormously with ADHD that don’t involve Ritalin. However, I don’t want to be part of the over-reaction and scare tactics running amok on the Web. Most children will not have a cardiovascular problem with ADHD stimulant drugs.

But the American Heart Association's doing the right thing! They're recommending that every child have an electrocardiogram (ECG) before a prescription for a stimulant drug is written. Some people--mainly bean counters--think this is extreme and way too expensive.

Total cost could be as high as $250 million--that's assuming 250 million kids have ECGs at the cost of about $100 per child. Hmm. Am I missing something here? A hundred bucks per kid sure doesn't sound all that expensive to me--given that it could save a child's life!

Keep in mind that a child can have a heart "problem" that your pediatrician isn't aware of. Exactly the reason the AHA's saying "get an ECG" first before taking an ADHD drug. And, yes, there's a strong possibility of a false positive since children's ECG's are hard to read. So have a second ECG, a second opinion, more cardiac screening. But don't skip this important evaluation.

In addition to an ECG, an ADHD cardiac checklist would also include

• Patient and family history with attention to fainting, palpitations, dizziness, difficulty with exercise
• Physical exam including blood pressure and a check for abnormal hearbeats.
• Consultation with a pediatric cardiologist if necessary.

For me, that a drug requires an ECG first is enough to "just say no." I say do Brain Gym, Brain Breaks in the classroom (we'll have some of those in future posts), get dopamine-increasing foods on the table, establish routines and schedules and boundaries. Look into non-drug programs for ADHD like Tomatis, Dore, and Cog Med. Let drugs be the very last resort.

MaryJo

P.S. The next "They're Driving Me Crazy: How to Manage ADHD at Home and in School" telechat starts Thursday, May 1. Includes discussion of the non-drug strategies mentioned above and lots more. Check out all the topics covered at http://www.adhdchildrentoday.com/telechats.htm

Is Project-Based learning a Brain Booster?

What parent can forget the dreaded science project? Even though assigned months ahead of time, science projects have often keep moms and dads up all night the night before they're due.

And the cause of family friction. "Why didn't you start on this last month? What do you mean we have to go to the craft store now? It's already 9 pm. Next year, things will be different. No more of this last minute stuff. And young lady, you're doing it on your own. Do you hear me?"

And what about teacher stress. He'd sure like to have a couple of winners in the district science fair. "Hey, you guys, how're doing on your science projects? You know they're due Thursday. Any questions?"

These science projects are the early prototype of today's popular Project-Based Learning.

But Project-based Learning has come under lots of fire. Does it work? Or is it just "fun." In other words, does it raise test scores--sadly the most often asked question these days.

There's no doubt, however, that Project-Based Learning is a brain-based learning strategy. It's often kinesthetic and requires critical thinking skills, imagination, problem solving, and social skills.

Well, there's good news in Jane David's article. David, Director of the Bay Area Research Group in California, tells us that test scores have gone up. In Britain, three times as many students from Project-Based Learning schools passed the National Exam.

But, it all depends on the project, it's design, the questions asked, and the teacher facilitation. Guess it's not all that different from the well-thought out science project versus the stay-up-all-night variety.

Check out "Reinventing Project-Based Learning:Your Field Guide to Real-world Projects in the Digital Age" by Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss for suggestions on meaningful (and we hope test-raising) projects.

MaryJo

Reminder: The Brain Gym Basics TeleChat starts tomorrow night, Tuesday, Feb. 26. Still a couple slots open.