By TERRY VOELKER
 Special to the Northwest Herald - SUNDAY STYLE  March 1, 1998
 

I can clearly recall the day I first suspected my son, Nick, had
Tourette's syndrome/attention deficit disorder.  His kindergarten teacher
told me at a conference that he loved to have fun. When they played
choo-choo, he provided the sound effects. In fact, he was always making
different sounds.

I asked the teacher to please keep us appraised of any changes or
problems, but at 5 years old it's hard to tell what's being a fun-loving
child and what's an affliction. In first grade I kept in contact with the
teacher, who was wonderful about filling me in on the details of Nick's
day.

He was bright and outgoing, yet easily distracted and restless. His
papers were sloppy, his colorings half-done.  I thought that surely by 6
years old he should have the patience to perform basic writing and
coloring tasks. I felt it was time to contact a pediatric neurologist and
have Nick evaluated. The doctor sent Nick to play in the waiting room
and proceeded to ask me a series of questions.

Any facial tics?
Yes, he blinks and rubs his eyes frequently.
Any vocalizations or "annoying habits"?
Yes, quite often Nick snorts as if his nose were stuffy and clears his
throat.

His tics, frequent interruptions in conversations, his inability to
focus on tasks and his general "hyper" disposition led the doctor to
conclude Nick had Tourette's syndrome and attention deficit disorder.

The first decision to be made was how to treat it.  We settled on a
drug called Clonidine, commonly prescribed for people with high blood
pressure. While Clonidine alleviated the tics, it made Nick groggy and
red-eyed. It was really no help in keeping him focused.

Though I knew Nick had a confirmed disorder, I still felt like a
failure as a mother. It was hard to understand why I was unable to
control his constant interruptions.

I knew my love for him, perseverance and the aid of medication would
only see us through day to day.

I hoped for a permanent cure.

That's when my brother discovered the HANDLE Institute. In his
desperate attempt to find a treatment for Tourette's, he searched the
Internet and found the institute's Web site. Theirs is a holistic
approach to treating neurological disorders such as Tourette's, attention
deficit disorder and dyslexia. He made the arrangements for an evaluation
and subsequent exercise program.

When I saw his results after a few weeks, I knew this was the answer to
my prayers for Nick.

Now 12 years old, Nick is like a new person.

He has nearly completed his treatment program and is not taking any
medications. The only pills he takes are fish oil, flax seed oil and
calcium/magnesium/zinc tablets. He is tic-free and his ability to focus
and concentrate are greatly improved.

The fact that he comes home from school and does his homework,
thoroughly and neatly without being asked or needing assistance, is a
miracle. It's like everything I taught him was dormant inside and
suddenly the real Nick has come shining through.