Over the weekend, I got a chance to have brunch with a former neighbor and a close friend. She and I needed to do some catching up. It was rather enjoyable but we could have covered more ground if my three-year old son had not accompanied us. Having a little "girl time" with the preschooler isn't really "girl time," is it? While I watched from the corner of my eye, the kid inch slowly under the table, my friend brought up a concern for putting her nine year old son being on medication for ADHD. "You were a teacher and you're into the holistic lifestyle. Do you know of a drug-free alternative for him?"
I started off teaching pre-k 10 years ago. Since then, I've been a piano, creative movement, and storytelling instructor to all ages as well as a substitute teacher for grades 1 through 3. In those years there has not one class I can remember that didn't have at least one child diagnosed with ADHD. Some of them were on medication, some were not. All were charismatic, intelligent, and challenging! Even though I had to learn how to deal with these demanding children, (as managing a classroom can be overwhelming even with the most docile children,) I learned a lot about myself in the process. As a result to finding new ways to work with my students, and finding outlets for myself, I happened to stumble into creative arts therapy.
ALTERNATIVES
Music, dance, meditation, art, storytelling and even cooking are all activities that can ease stress and emotional conflicts while increasing one's self-awareness, personal expression, and social skills. Most importantly, these arts can build self confidence and in many cases with the people I've worked with, including myself, self confidence is a big part of controlling our own behavior. These creative arts therapies are wonderful long term alternatives to consider when facing a decision like placing your child on medication to help manage ADHD. Or simply just trying to find a fun outlet for yourself. They are again as follows:
Music therapy
Dance therapy
Meditation therapy
Art therapy
Storytelling
Cooking/Food and Diet
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a psychosocial disorder in children, perhaps the most common as it affects almost 4.5 million kids. As a result of impaired communication in the brain, it affects the decision-making functions of a child or adult's brain. This includes planning, organizing, attention, focus, and memory. Symptoms commonly associated with ADHD are impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and inattentiveness.
ADHD: Finding Alternatives to Medication
J. N. Simmons runs a business with her husband that teaches the importance of media usage and exposure to our youth. We believe the media is not the enemy of our young people. Yet, consumers and product creators should be educated and show responsibility in media. Today's youth are native media users. Help them become critical thinkers who create a healthy and safe tomorrow; Access, Analyze, Evaluate, Create and Participate with media content.
ALTERNATIVES
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