[APPLAUSE]
KERRI: WE ARE BACK
TALKING ABOUT
THE CDC.
6 MILLION CHILDREN IN THE U.S.
FROM AGE 4-17 HAVE BEEN
DIAGNOSED WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT
DISORDER.
IT IS A DIAGNOSIS THAT CAN
AFFECT EACH CHILD DIFFERENT, BUT
IT DOES REQUIRE SOME TREATMENT.
HERE TO DISCUSS SOME WAYS TO
SPOT THESE ISSUES AND HOW TO
TREAT THEM IS DR. ELLIS,
THINKING FOR BEING ON THE SHOW.
DR. ELLIS: GREAT TO BE HERE.
KERRI: I AM SURE PARENTS ARE
WATCHING THEIR CHILDREN AND
WONDERING, IS THIS ADHD?
DR. ELLIS: IT COULD BE A LOT OF
DIFFERENT FACTORS.
THERE COULD BE DEPRESSION,
ANXIETY, BUT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
THE SYMPTOMS SUCH AS BEING OFF
TASK, DIFFICULTY WITH FOCUSING
AND THEN THE VERSION WITH
HYPERACTIVITY WHERE THE CHILD IS
RESTLESS AND MOVING AROUND A
LOT.
SO WE LOOK AT HOMEWORK, HOW ARE
THEY DOING DOING THEIR HOMEWORK.
DOES IT TAKE FOREVER TO GET THE
HOMEWORK DONE?
DOES THE TEACHER REPORT THAT
THEY ARE TOO ANXIOUS OR TALKING
TO OTHER KIDS DURING CLASS?
WE LOOK AT THOSE SYMPTOMS.
WE HAVE COMPUTERIZED TASKS WE
USED TO LOOK AT HOW WELL THEY
CAN FOCUS.
WE HAVE CHECKLISTS THE TEACHERS
AND TO THE PARENTS COMPLETE.
WE WANT TO GET A WHOLE PICTURE.
WE LOOK AT ACHIEVEMENT AND
READING DISABILITIES.
COULD THAT BE THE ACTUAL REASON
FOR WHAT APPEARS TO BE ADHD?
KERRI: IT IS IMPORTANT TO LET
PEOPLE KNOW THAT YOU NEED TO BE
THOROUGH, YOU NEED TO SPEAK TO
EVERYBODY WHO IS INTERACTING
WITH YOUR CHILD ON A DAILY
BASIS.
BUT ONCE YOU HAVE THAT COMPLETE
PICTURE AND YOU HAVE BROUGHT IN
PROFESSIONALS WITH A DIAGNOSIS,
THEN PARENTS ARE FACED WITH THE
OPTIONS OF TREATMENT.
AND I KNOW THAT WE ARE NOT HERE
TO DEBATE WHETHER MEDICATION
SHOULD BE USED, BUT YOU WANT TO
TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WHAT YOU
DO.
DR. ELLIS: AND I DO RECOMMEND
FOR PARENTS TO LOOK AT DIET.
SUGAR IS A BIG ISSUE.
SOME ADVOCATE DIETS WITHOUT RED
DYES IN THEM.
ALL THOSE DIFFERENT PIECES.
BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT, MINDFUL
MEDITATION, RELAXATION, ALL
THOSE THINGS WE SEE AS
CONTRIBUTING TO HOW WE SOLVE THE
PROBLEM.
BUT I HAVE SEEN SO MANY KIDS ON
SO MANY MEDICATIONS AND THEN YOU
HAVE ANOTHER MEDICATION FOR
THE SIDE EFFECTS OF ADHD
MEDICATION, BECAUSE THE DYE IS A
PROBLEM.
SOME KIDS WILL NOT EAT LUNCH OR
DINNER.
THEN THEY WILL BE FAMISHED.
THERE COULD BE A REBOUND EFFECT
AFTER THE MEDICATION WEARS OFF
WHERE THE ISSUES ARE EVEN WORSE.
KERRI: WHAT IS NEURO-THERAPY?
DR. ELLIS: WELL, I LOOKED
AROUND
TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO BESIDES
MEDICATION.
NEURO-FEEDBACK HAS BEEN USED
WITH ADHD CHILDREN FOR 45 YEARS.
THE EARLY VERSIONS OF IT, IF
SOMEBODY WAS AT A UNIVERSITY
THEY HAD A CONTROL GROUP THAT
THEY WORKED WITH AND THEY SAW
GOOD RESULTS.
BUT I DID NOT SEE KIDS WHO HAD
COME BACK TO SAY IT REALLY
HELPED THEM.
AND I LOOKED INTO IT, I
FIGURED
WITH COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY THINGS
WOULD BE IMPROVING AND WHY
HADN'T I HEARD ABOUT IT?
NOW WE DO QEEG.
JUST LIKE AN EEG, BUT WE ARE NOT
LOOKING FOR TUMORS OR SEIZURES,
WE TAKE A MAP OF THE SQUIGGLY
LINES AND WE COME UP WITH WHERE
IN THE BRAIN THE DYSREGULATION
IS.
AND WE TAKE THAT INFORMATION AND
WE DEVELOP A CUSTOMIZED PLAN FOR
THE INDIVIDUAL CHILD.
IS IT MORE HYPER, IS IT MORE
DISTRACTIBLE?
WE FIND OUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO
IT WE COME UP WITH A PLAN.
AND BASICALLY THE MAIN PART OF
THE PROGRAM IS WATCH A MOVIE
FADE IN AND OUT.
KERRI: IT IS NOT PAINFUL FOR THE
CHILD.
THEY GET TO WATCH A MOVIE, THEY
MAY EVEN FIND IT FUN.
MORE THAN WE COULD COVER IN ONE
INTERVIEW, SO I HOPE YOU WILL
COME BACK.
IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU WANT TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT NEURO-THERAPY,
THE NEURO-FEEDBACK MAY GET IN
TOUCH WITH DR. ELLIS WHO IS
AT
SPECTRUM PSYCHOLOGICAL 4542
, BONNEY ROAD, SUITE B, VIRGINIA
BEACH, VIRGINIA 23462.