| DISORDERS |
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADD/ADHD is becoming the malady of the decade in the United States. The public hears of ADD/ADHD as an irreversible disorder, diagnosed by physicians, responsive to medication to control the varied symptoms. The symptoms may include: difficulty sustaining attention, impulsive actions, disorganization, defiant behaviors, low self-esteem, problems with transitions, sleep disorders, etc. These behaviors interfere with school, work, home, and social situations. Teachers, parents, and supervisors may receive information on ways they can change small details in the environment or alter the demands placed on the individual in order to reduce some of the disordered behaviors.
Many studies conclude that ADD/ADHD is hereditary, since several family members frequently exhibit the symptoms. Other studies on school drop-outs, drug addicts, delinquents and criminals indicate that a very high percentage of individuals with ADD/ADHD do not receive adequate help with their problems, become alienated, and turn to deviant behaviors.
HANDLE holds a different view. No one has an attention deficit. Everyone is always attending to something. HANDLE has renamed the difficulties many people demonstrate as Attentional Priority Disorder (APD). HANDLE clinicians incorporate information from many disciplines to discover why a specific individual blocks certain types of stimulation and seeks others, and why s/he has difficulty adjusting attentional priorities flexibly to meet varying demands. APD is not hereditary or irreversible. Tendencies are inherited. Problems develop. Based on developmental traditions and medical research, the HANDLE approach treats APD at the root of the problem, yielding permanent changes in the nervous system, rather than just masking the symptoms.
Most people who have difficulty sustaining their attention and/or adjusting readily to the demands of new situations demonstrate irregularities in specific developmental functions, on an input level:
On an output level, they have difficulty processing various elements of a situation and acting upon those that require response in a self-regulated way due to problems such as
:Each person who demonstrates symptoms of APD is an individual, with unique life experiences and developmental features. For this reason it is important to learn each person's functional patterns and to design treatment programs that speak to the individual needs.
HANDLE relies on the fact that the nervous system is intended to adapt continually throughout the lifespan. Medical research indicates that individuals diagnosed with APD have thinner neural fibers than other people, and that thinner fibers process more slowly than fatter ones--ones that have more mylenation. Stimulant medication speeds up processing, without improving the system. Through regular gentle enhancement of weak functions and providing proper nourishment to strengthen the nervous system, weak aspects of the nervous system can be strengthened. Permanently. Thus, the individual gains the ability to focus, sustain attention, adjust to changes, respond appropriately...
The mother of a six year old with severe attentional disorder and developmental delay comments:
"We would be happy to talk to people considering treatment with you. [Our son] is doing so well that we are absolutely thrilled with the results of his treatment. We feel like everyone ought to know about this.
H. Walker
Please also see:
AD/HD retrospective outcome study by Judith Bluestone and Marlene C. Suliteanu, OTR
Judith Bluestone's remarks at the NIH ADHD Consensus Conference in 1998
Copyright © 1996 The HANDLE Institute