Smart Learning Newsletter

Helping You Help Your Kids Rewire Their Brain to Reach Their Smart Potential

Dr. MaryJo Wagner, Editor and Publisher
Vol 1. No. 5 July 16, 2010

What's Happening at Smart Kids Smart Parents
Note from Dr. MaryJo
Feature Article: ADHD: Maybe It Isn't

Complimentary Coaching Calls:

Got parenting questions? ADHD questions? Set up a 30-minute complimentary coaching call with Dr. MaryJo Wagner. Just let me know and we'll find a mutually convenient time.

Tuesday TeleTips: Always Free. Always recorded. Always an Action Guide. But you do need to sign up

July 20: Brain Games to help You and Your Kids Stay on Track
July 27: ADHD: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know (including reviews of two commercial programs)
August 3: TV: Why Your Kid's Brain Doesn't Like It

If there's something you'd like know, let me know and I'll get it into the August Tuesday TeleTips.

"The Smart Parents Show" every Thursday, 2 pm Eastern on Your Radio

Sept. 2: "Aromatherapy for ADHD" with Barbara Schwartz
Sept. 9: "ADHD and Families" with Dr. Rory Stern
Sept. 16: "The Super Confitelligent Child" with Denise Hornbeak

Ongoing at Audio Classes for Smart Parents

*ADHD Success Strategies for Your Kids. Includes 122 strategies, activities, and programs to help kids manage ADHD and ADHD-like behavior. Begin your audio class immediately with your instant access and download. No waiting for a specific date and time, hoping it fits into your schedule. Sign up now for your ADHD Success Strategies.

*Brain Games Online Workshops. You'll get immediate access to Workshop One. Then another workshop every two weeks for six months. 12 workshops in all. Discover all the Brain Games, how to do them, when to do them, and so much more. Get your Brain Games Online Workshop Today.

Coming in the Fall at Smart Kids Smart Parents

*Meetup for Moms in Denver. Watch for more information. It's going to be fun, interactive, and informative.

Note from Dr. MaryJo

Greetings from a cozy cabin in Evergreen, in the mountains just a few miles from Denver. Chipmunks on the deck all day long and deer, even the occasional antelope, in the field early in the morning.

So big changes here at the offices of the Smart Kids Smart Parents. I'm discontinuing the Smart Parents Tips, shortening the newsletter, and sending it to you every Friday.

Now you can keep up with all the happenings at Smart Kids Smart Parents, the Tuesday TeleTips Schedule. And still get strategies and tips you can use to help your kids rewire their brain to reach their smart potential. Twice a month you'll get an informative article to help your kids succeed in school. On alternate weeks, you'll get a Brain Game "how to" to keep your kids moving which helps rewire the brain for optimal learning.

This week you'll discover why ADHD is often misdiagnosed and why that's important to your child's health. Next week it's a fun variation on a common Brain Game that kids can do in the swimming pool during summer vacation.

Let me know what you think. What you'd like to see. Just use the contact form. And tell your friends, other parents, grandparents, your child's teacher, anybody who works and plays with kids to subscribe.

Enjoy!

P.S. And while you're at it, check out Smart Kids Smart Parents blog. Read the latest posts. Leave a comment.

ADHD? Maybe It Isn't

One little boy who was so hyperactive that his grades suffered was allergic to red dye 40.

This common additive is found not only in candy like red licorice but even in some brands of strawberry yogurt. When her mom took away all food and candy with red dye 40 in it, her son’s hyperactive behavior stopped.

ADHD is real. That's a fact. And it can cause all kinds of problems in school, with friends, at home. It can make kids miserable and their parents frantic. It can drive teachers crazy. ADHD-like behavior is epidemic, but ADHD itself is wildly over-diagnosed.

ADHD: How Is It Diagnosed?

There's no lab test for ADHD. No throat culture. No x-ray. In short, no medical procedure is available to help doctors make the diagnosis. Usually only a series of questions from the DSM4 ("Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," 4th edition) determines the diagnosis.

Often ADHD is casually diagnosed.

Mom takes Ethan to Dr. Levin, a pediatrician and says "We think Ethan has ADHD, so does his teacher. Can you prescribe something to help him do better in school and calm down at home."

Dr. Levin, who is not trained in psychotropic drugs or neurological disorders or psychology and has only 15 minutes to spend per patient, writes out the prescription.

Or ADHD is diagnosed by a psychologist who refers Sophia to Dr. Allen, a child psychiatrist who can prescribe an ADHD drug.

Dr. Allen asks Sophia's Mom a few questions from the DSM4. Sophia's Mom answers "yes" to all the questions and leaves the Dr. Allen's office with a prescription for Ritalin, the most common drug prescribed for ADHD. Dr. Allen like Dr. Levin has only 15 minutes per patient.

Dr. Levin and Dr. Allen are both excellent physicians and have the best training in their specialties. They care about children's health and are highly respected among other doctors.

But Dr. Levin isn't trained in psychology, psychiatry, or the stimulant medications used in these fields. And Dr. Allen isn't trained in looking for medical conditions or diseases that aren't of a psychiatric nature.

Turns out that Ethan is extremely allergic to red dye 40 found in dozens of foods and most candy that isn't chocolate. As for Sophia, she has extremely low levels of Vitamin D.

When Ethan stops eating anything with red dye 40 and Sophia starts taking Vitamin D supplements suggested by Dr Levin, their behavior improves. And their grades go up.

Dozens of conditions and situations can look like ADHD.Read the rest of the story on the Smart Kids Smart Parents blog including tips on getting the right diagnosis.

Maybe your kids don't have ADHD after all and maybe just a change in diet will help with ADHD symptoms. To find out what looks like ADHD and isn't ADHD, I invite you to grab your copy of the FREE "Maybe They Don't have ADHD" inventory and checklist.

Discover 12 factors that can contribute to ADHD-like behavior Give it to teachers and parents. Help stop the over-diagnosis of ADHD! No more prescribing stimulant meds for kids who don't really have ADHD at all (Yes, ADHD is real but good chance your kid doesn't have it. And that's good news!

Watch for next week's Smart Learning Newsletter and get ready to show your kids a fun Brain Game to help them get ready for school in the fall.

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Get more ADHD strategies and Smart Parent tips at http://articlesbymaryjo.com