ADHD: What to Look for in Your Child & How to Improve Symptoms Naturally

“6.4 million American children ages 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD,” according to a recent article in Healthline.

And if that statistic wasn’t alarming enough, Healthline continues on to say that “Males are almost three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than females,” and we’re currently experiencing a “42% increase in ADHD diagnoses over the past 8 years.”

Now, that’s not to say that it’s all bad news when it comes to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. With this rise in prevalence, more research has been conducted to understand what’s really going on and natural (yet effective) methods of treating ADHD have emerged as a result.

So to help you understand more about ADHD, including what signs to look for in your child, I’ll be discussing everything you need to know in today’s article. Towards the end, I’ll even cover one of the most effective (drug-free) treatment options available.

What is ADHD?

Before we jump in, it’s important to understand what exactly ADHD is first.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been characterized as a mental (or brain) disorder. Essentially, the brain of someone with ADHD is firing impulses at a “hyperactive” (more activity than normal) rate. With these impulses firing so rapidly, normal functioning and development are disrupted.

What are the Common Signs of ADHD?

On the surface, you may notice symptoms in your child such as inattention or a lack of focus. You may also find that your child has a hard time sitting still and tends to fidget instead.

The last common symptom of ADHD is impulsivity. In someone with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, decisions are made in a hasty manner without consideration for repercussions. Oftentimes, this can be in the form of things like interrupting or taking something such as a toy from someone without asking for permission.

Here’s What Else You Need to Know

Some less common signs include allergies, asthma, and acid reflux as a baby. I know this may come as a surprise to many parents, but, these less common symptoms should be viewed as warning signs that something more is going on internally. These could also be an indication of other autism spectrum disorders as well so it’s best to have your child checked early if you notice these symptoms.

It’s also a good idea to pay attention to key milestones such as crawling and primitive reflexes.

What to Look for When Your Baby Starts Crawling

Around 6-10 months, you’ll notice that your little one has that itch to start crawling and begins the process of moving on their own.

In normal development, your child would progress from belly crawling (or combat crawling) to crawling on all fours (hand/knee crawling). After some practice, your baby would begin to develop what’s known as a “contra-lateral pattern of movement” which means as the right hand moves forward, so does the left knee. This pattern is then repeated on the opposite side (left hand moves forward as right knee advances).

However, in abnormal crawling situations, children are unable to make this connection and often rely on one side of the body more than the other. For example, you may notice your child is moving their right hand and knee forward yet their left hand and left knee lag behind.

If you also notice your child prefers to bear crawl (hands and feet are to the floor instead of hands and knees on the ground) or scoots their bottom and propels themselves forward using their hands, it’s a good idea to have them checked. These could be indications that something more is amiss.

What About Primitive Reflexes?

Primitive reflexes are essentially a natural response to stimuli that newborns are innately born with. Examples include the hand-to-mouth reflex of sucking on their fingers, hands or thumb, the rooting reflex which is associated with breastfeeding and the palmar grasp reflex which allows babies to grab on to items that are placed in their hands.

As the frontal lobe in the brain develops and infants progress to early childhood, most newborns normally grow out of using these reflexes. This usually happens during 6-12 months with many babies growing out of these reflexes by their first birthday.

On the flip side, if a primitive reflex is held onto for longer than this timeframe, it could have neurological consequences. Essentially, the brain’s signals are being interfered with. This confuses the body which makes it difficult for it to respond as it should.

How to Improve (or Eliminate) Symptoms of ADHD or Autism Spectrum

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, it’s not all bad news here. Thanks to extensive amounts of research, scientists have identified an effective yet natural way to improve or eliminate symptoms of ADHD and autism spectrum disorder: chiropractic care.

In this case study, a five-year old boy had been diagnosed with ADHD at the tender age of 2. Since his diagnosis, his doctor put him on a prescription of Ritalin, Adderall, and Haldol which he remained on for a period of three years.

Unfortunately, this combination of medicine proved to be ineffective in his treatment and the boy was brought to a chiropractor by the time he was 5 years old.

After answering a few questions, the child’s mother revealed that she experienced complications during childbirth and, as a result, the boy endured a 4-day stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.

As routine procedure, the chiropractor took a series of x-rays to see what was really going on. It turns out, the child did have a severe subluxation and spinal distortion.

The chiropractor recommended that the child be seen for routine visits to correct the problem.

By the 12th visit, the mother explained that she could see noticeable (positive) differences in her son’s behavior. She continued with this treatment for her son and mentioned that by her 27th visit, her son had a considerable improvement.

Excited by these results, the mother took her child in for a follow up with their primary medical doctor who deemed that the boy was no longer exhibiting symptoms of ADHD and that he could safely be taken off of the medicine that he was on for the past three years.

This proved that chiropractic care can be used as a safe and effective way to improve, and, in this case, eliminate the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

ADHD Chiropractic Treatment Recommendation

If your child is experiencing any symptoms associated with ADHD or autism spectrum disorders, we encourage you to visit our office for a consultation today.

We’ve seen firsthand (and research supports this) that noticeable improvements can be seen as early as five months in children who undergo chiropractic adjustments. Of course, this length of time will depend on your child’s specific condition, which is why we encourage you to stop by for an initial consultation so we can determine the best course of action for your child.

At Live Free Chiropractic, we are fully equipped to test your child’s reflexes as well as provide the proper neurological exercises if deemed necessary.  

Give our office a call today to learn more!