ADHD or a poor diet

[Top totty]

I was watching the Jamie Oliver food programme last night and could have cried. It was so very depressing to see what food is served to our children at school and in the home. It proved many things to me and the main one being that 'I THINK' a lot of children who have behaviour problems and are labelled with ADHD or whatever really need their diet changing and then their behaviour will follow (as completly proved on the programme)

I know there will be people on here ready to scream at me that I don't know what I am talking about etc etc and their child has ADHD and a Doctor says so. BUT surely not every single child really does have this problem and maybe a change in diet for the better and to drop all the rubbish might just help, at home and in school.

I have 3 children and have never had a behaviour problem with any of them and I make sure they get a good diet with the best food I can buy and lots of fruit and NO junk (turkey twizzlers spring to mind) I was buying some fruit last week which came to about �8.00 and my friend was amazed that I was prepared to spend that much on fruit. What amazed me more was that she was not willing to pay for decent food yet would happily hand over �10 for cigerattes every day. And yes she has a son with cronic behaviour problems and would love to have him labelled with ADHD.

[EssJay1]

I have to teach these children. Yes there are genuine conditions on the autism spectrum. Yes there are children who have genuine difficulties socially and academically because of where they are placed on the autism spectrum. But other children are naughty because they are not given the correct boundaries by their parents for so many complex reasons and we teachers are left to proivide the consistency lacking in their lives. A healthy diet would solve problems with concentration and behaviour and also improve issues with fitness and health.

[TheGodfather]

There is no doubting ADHD exists, but it is often wrongly diagnosed. I do some voluntary work on a 'troubled' estate and so many of the kids are labelled ADHD when they are blatantly just the victims of poor parenting. I know ADHD, both of my children go to special needs schools - one has Autism the other a condition called SOTO Syndrome which is on the Autistic spectrum. If you had to spend your life caring for two children with such complex issues you would see the difference between true ADHD - not just plain naughty in other words - and what a doctor has diagnosed as ADHD because he needs a label - these are the 'naughty' kids who could do with a bit of discipline and a health check.

Some ADHD children are over active and may be 'naughty' - what a horrible word - but there is so much more to it and although a balanced diet can help to control the condition and give them some of their lives back it is not a solution. ADHD is on the autistic spectrum, and labelling a kid ADHD for the sake of it just dillutes Autistic Spectrum Disorders so it seems that every kid has a condition within it's boundaries.

When someone asks what is wrong with an Autistic child and they are told and rebuke 'oh yeah, I know this naughty kid with ADHD, that's the same thing innit' it is slightly more than frustrating.

For the benefit of those children who genuinely suffer with ADHD Doctors should learn to diagose properly and stop handing out badges for fun, and parants should learn how to look after their children properly, starting with a healthy balanced diet to give them a chance of a decent life - like it or not all this processed junk is not good for you.

[jocasey]

top totty......are you an expert in ADHD?.its just you seem to know all about this nuerilogical disorder!.how dare you insinuate that parents of these children would "love" to have them labeled ADHD.i have 4 children...the eldest is 14 and a grade A student, my 7 year old is on a talented and gifted school programme,i have a wonderful 2 year old with no problems.they dont eat crap only good old fashioned meat or fish and veg.rarely eat sweets.we are a good family. i dont smoke,drink,live off benefits, etc.so please explain why my 11 year old son has ADHD?. it took us 5 years to get a diagnosis. hes been seen by many different doctors who have given us the same diagnosis.i agree that a bad diet can make this condition worse but it doesnt cure this condition.id research ADHD a little before you label us parents of these special children as bad parents.hey i have even been accepted as a foster parent so i must be doing something right.

[Roo 66]

I am so fed up of people sitting in their perfect worlds critiscising our children. I have twins. Both exposed to exactly the same things at the same time from conception on! They have never had a diet of junk food. We do occasionally eat pre made pizza or at a certain burger place but these are treats not the norm. In view of this, why has one of my twins got a diagnosis of ADHD and the other not?

ADHD is a medical problem just as diabetes or asthma are. All these respond well to medication. In all these cases, diet plays a role. It can be a very important role. No one is disputing that diet and parenting play a huge part in how our children, ADHD or not, turn out. I know a lot of children for whom certain foods or additives are banned due to the child's reaction to this. My own son reacted adverseley to MILK!

I would like to suggest that all of you who think those of us with ADHD kids are bad parents try living in our shoes for a while. No amount of dietary change is going to 'cure' my son's behavioural problems. I only wish life were that simple.

It must be nice for all you perfect parents, sitting in your perfect houses with your perfect children. Rather than judging those of us with children who have hidden disabilities try understanding us and our children. We face predjudice every minute of every day. Our children shout out, they run off, they touch when they shouldn't. It is NOT always the parents fault. Sometimes it is just the way life is.

So, parents of perfect kids, try imagining what it would be like if your child couldn't follow a simple set of instructions. Take your inhalers, brush your teeth and wash your face. Then go and get dressed. Simple? Not for a child with ADHD or autism. For us, if we can get our kids to do this without a fight then this is a major achievement.

Think about it.

[SmallHobbit]

Oh TT how nice it would to be you - living in your ideal world with your perfect children and junk-free diet?

Sadly - I have the misfortune to have a child who is "labelled with adhd" poor little mite - it isnt her fault we both have to bear the humiliation of being continually subjected to unthinking hurtful remarks made by uneducated people like yourselves. She is only 7 so I suppose she will get used to it - but I dont think I ever will.

Our diet is junk-free too!!!

 

Maybe you could use your brain a little more before YOU label people with bona-fide disabilities?

Not vey nice really is it?

[adhd parent]

as a parent of a child with autism, adhd and dyspraxia i am very disappointed at the level of ignorance displayed on this q/a post. it took six years to get my daughter diagnosed, in that time she has seen a variety of qualified doctors, who are all in agreement with her diagnosis. adhd not summed up by saying "oh thats the "naughty" condition!" there is far more to it than that. life is very difficult for my daughter, she is made to feel like a leper by other children, and adults. she has already suffered from depression and she has not even celebrated her tenth birthday. to casually make a comment that parents who cannot control their children hope for a diagnosis of adhd so that they are freed from any blame and responsibility is absolutely disgusting. in this country the rate of adhd children in the population stands at about five percent. so where are all these children who are wrongly put on meds just to shut them up? i have never seen any.

as for diet, my daughter has never eaten junk food, she eats plenty of friut and veg, she hardly ever eats chips and sweets, so how can her diet be possibly blamed for her medical condition? there is a very big difference between children  mis-behaving and children with adhd, and rather than jumping on the "school dinner " bandwagon, surely you would be far better off educating yourselves and getting the facts, rather than picking up a tabloid, which is full of sensationalism / lies and believing whatever they print?

top totty, i have to say that you did get something right, you dont know what you are talking about. just because you know one woman who has no clue about diet or discipline, it does not give you the right to make such offensive generalising remarks.

[addermum]

we have all met these mothers who feed their kids junk and then claim their child has a nuerological problem. i know someone who has a two yr old who i have never seen her eat anything more than chocolate buttons and crips, and she wonders why her child is a looney.

however, there is a very real condition that is adhd, i should know i have a 6 yr old girl diagnosed with it. for people to assume i am a mother who feeds my kids on crap, have bad parenting skills, and lives on benifits and pehaps some might imagine im a single parent aswel with no relevant parenting experience, am i right?  wrong, very very wrong. my children have never had sugar on their breakfast, not had salt in their vegetables, yes i said vegetables, and they do NOT have sweets.i am happily married, with a WORKING husband. i also have 2 older sons who do NOT have the behaviour difficulties that my daughter has had for as long as i can rememeber. would someone like to explain this apparent misfit of nature?

contrary to popular belief, most parents of adhd children have gone down just about every avenue before seeking a diagnosis and the medication does NOT just undo all the harm that junk food does, it helps the child concentrate and achieve their potential. like an asthma inhaler helps an asthmatic to breath.

so please read up the facts about the very real condition that is adhd, and stop confusing us with kids that come bred right from dysfunction.

[mw]

i too have a child with ADHD, and i am annoyed at being labeled a bad parent!  TT, your comments are of what we would all expect from a mother who does not understand or want to understand what ADHD is.  It is a neurological condition which they can not help, not down to bad parenting or a diet of just junk food.  Any child which only eats junk will react to all the additives in junk food.

My child has a varied diet and is sometimes loud and noisy and cannot control his behaviour at times but is also a caring, kind and always willing to try hard to please.

Why not find out information on ADHD and what it is really like.  Unfortunately they cannot help their condition and don't want to have it but have to manage it as best as they can.  This is not helped by comments from uninformed people who are quick to blame others.  Some of us do genuinly have medically diagnosed ADHD children who they wouldn't change for the world and if by chance they are in a class in main stream schools should be given the same respect as a "normal" child not given the label as a trouble maker.  They cannot help their condition but want to be treated as other children and given the respect they deserve

[addlabelled]

Dear Top Totty,

I  wonder how you would react when your 3 so well behaved kids with this good diet suddenly would be different.

That�s the situation which happened to the most of us parents with ADD/ADHD kids. Yeah they are labelled and I am fed up with this as our kids except of their condition are normal kids for us.
You so intelligent parents with those so well behaved kids don�t even know what it means for us to go searching for help and medical advice. How it is when our kids struggle?

I am in the �lucky� position that my son was diagnosed in another country, where ADD/ADHD is not even really recognised. My son suffers beside of that from other illnesses as well. And he is the 3rd of three sons I have.

Please before you tell the world your wisdom go and get information about those conditions like ADD/ADHD. It is a medical condition and there are existing medications for it. My sons all are on healthy food two of them are grown lad�s already and don�t suffer from any illness.

So better to think twice you super Mum, before you judge all parents who have kids with ADD/ADHD. You can easily get an invitation to spend a day or a night�a week with kids who suffer from ADD/ADHD or Autism or Aspergers. We don�t need to go to any doctor because we love to have our kids labelled with those illnesses. They suffer from it and mostly it is inherited not any strange result of eating junk food. This illness exists already 100 years�.I doubt there where junk food in common then???

[MS099203]

I cannot believe the comments made by 'Top Totty', FP and Loosehead about parents of children with ADHD. I cannot comprehend that TT would be friends with someone who smokes and feeds her children turkey twizzlers! People like the three of you should be watching programmes like the Horizon programme a few weeks ago showing what it is like to have a child who suffers from this awful condition and not believing everything a TV chef who is not in any way or form a Dr or specialist in medical conditions says. Yes some children will 'flip out' if given too many E nos or sugar or fizzy drinks and parents should be mindful of this and yes, I agree fresh fruit, veg and non-processed food is best all round but for children with ADHD or ADD the food makes little real difference. They have an illness and need medication for it. Your comments on these children disturbing your well behaved 13 year old at school really made me angry. My son is 8 and has ADHD and has had problems at school leading to parents of so called 'normal' children not inviting him to parties or wanting their children to mix with him. My son is the most loving son a mum can have. He doesn't like feeling how he feels. He cannot help the terrible mood swings he has and he suffers tremendously with depression and lack of confidence. I am pleased for the people who have written in whose kids don't have 'problems' but hope that they don't ever have the misfortune of their kids say suffering a head injury and undergoing a personality/behavioural change as they seem like the kind of parents who would not cope very well with this challenge. Parents - in the main mothers of kids with ADHD should be applauded for the courage and effort they show every day in dealing with the narrow mindedness, ill informed people out there. Our lives can be Hell.

[kyla]

My son is almost 8 years , since he started school his teachers have made their concerns known to me about my son's behaviour.  Teacher's were requested to make assessment's  on his behaviour and as a result of this was diagnosed as having ADHD . I have argued for many years that he does not behave badly at home and find it bewildering that  these comments are made. The ony time I was aware of any changes to his mood was if he ate foods high in sugars and made my concerns known. I was assured by the school he was not given these types of food in school. Since watching Jamie Olivers programme, I have a better insight into what the school is providing him for a school meal and have asked my son what he has had for dinner - pizza and chips have figured in his school diet. The schools are making the teaching of children more difficult for themselves. Children like my son get a 'label' as being disruptive and figgety, unnecessarily and this will be hard to shake of in the future. We will be resulting to packed lunch in future. Let's send the caterers back to school!

[ajcmum]

I cant belive (well I can actually) the amount of ignorance still out there. Some of the comments on here are totally incorrect, and very hurtful. I have a 13 year old son who has ADHD and ODD.  Yes I am a single parent, but I work full time and have ALWAYS given my child a healthy balanced diet. In fact, his favourite thing to eat is a traditional Sunday dinner - home-made of course.  He is very rarely poorly and is in excellent health.  There are so many other children I know that constantly have colds, coughs etc. who do live on convenience food, crisps and coke, and their behaviour is "normal".   I dont doubt for one minute that there are children out there that have been labelled with ADHD, and their poor behaviour is down to poor diet and bad parenting, but this certainly does not apply to all of them, just a minority, but all children get tarred with the same brush, especially when people read comments like TT's.  I have tried every parenting skill there is, but because ADHD is a neurological condition, these skills can only make life a little easier.  There is NO cure for ADHD.

People who think and say things like TT and others have said causes so much pain and hurt for our kids and their families.  If a child was asthmatic or epileptic, would you make the same comments about them?   And no, we did not "love to have him labelled with ADHD"

[cupcake]

I have a 7 year old son who has DCD(developmental co-ordination disorder). This is a combination of dyslexia,dispraxia, ADHD and Asperger's.  I knew when he was a baby that there was something not right but it was only when he went to school that he was properly diagnosed. Neither of my children(the other a girl aged 10) have been fed a diet of crap before or after he was diagnosed. I don't know about any of the other parents who have replied here but sometimes TT just to be told that your child ' has something wrong with him' is enough for some of us to feel like we have 'failed' without perfect parents like you making us feel worse. My son is on Equasym twice a day to help him concentrate in school so he can achieve his academic potential not to cancel out junk food . I am well aware that some children who have behavioural problems are given junk food and additives and that they may not be parented as well as they could be but being a parent isn't always easy and some are just lacking in knowledge. My son does not have ANYTHING with additives in it. That includes colourings, emulsifiers, stabilisers and loads of other things which would be detrimental to him. it can take up to 3 hours to do the shopping because almost everything has to be checked before I buy it. But even with these seemingly drastic changes to his diet it does not cure him of anything. it is the ignorance of people like TT who think that all ADD/ADHD children are brats and the result of substandard parenting that continues to make these children's lives a misery. I was actually once told by a mother that she wouldn't be inviting my son to her child's party as she had heard that he has ADHD and didn't want any of the other children to get hurt. What a piggin' cheek! I also think TT that if your are going to make a habit of educating the bad parents of the world you should be a little more informed on the subject your whinging about.