ADD and Autistic-like behaviors.
Is there an alternatives to drug therapy for your child?

Lynn Murphy,
parent of a formerly-hyperactive, autistic-like child

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No parent likes to have to choose drug therapy for their child. As anxious as parents and teachers are to get children's behavior and learning on track, drug therapy has a major drawback -- it's not addressing the cause of the problem. Many experts believe there may be various causes. Until we know exactly what they are, looking at what triggers attention, behavior and learning problems is important. Parents all over the world have noted that certain environmental agents can trigger their children's symptoms. For many families, managing the symptoms lies in making some changes in diet.

How many children fit into this group? One double blind, placebo-controlled study of children with ADHD who also had signs of allergy showed that 73% responded favorably to treatment with a multiple-item elimination diet. (Boris and Mandel, Annals of Allergy, May 1994.)

If you think your child does not have allergies, consider that allergy can show up as ear infections, nasal symptoms, skin rashes, red ears or cheeks, puffiness or circles under the eyes, gastro-intestinal problems, asthma or frequent upper respiratory infections.

The Feingold Association can help determine if food chemicals and natural salicylates are a trigger of behavior, learning or attention problems. They are a world-wide, nonprofit organization, dedicated to helping people know if there is a connection for them or their child with symptoms of:

• ADD, ADHD,
• Learning Disabilities and
• PDD (Pervasive Developmental Delay) and Autism

They also assist people in determining

• sensitivities to natural salicylates (a relative of aspirin)

and help people to make the transition to foods without certain chemicals.

The Feingold Programs has as its foundation an elimination diet developed by Ben F. Feingold, MD in the 1970's at Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco. Dr. Feingold, noted pediatrician and allergist, pioneered this work linking behavior, attention and learning problems in children to the ingestion of natural or synthetic chemicals.

The Feingold Program is the choosing of products and foods without synthetic (artificial) colors, synthetic (artificial) flavors, antioxidant preservatives BHA, BHT, & TBHQ and, for a trial period, foods which contain natural salicylates (such as apples,oranges & tomatoes) and aspirin and medication containing aspirin.

After a favorable response, the salicylate-containing foods and medications can be added back into the diet one at a time and any reactions noted.

Support groups of parents who saw a difference in their children sprang up around the world after his book Why Your Child is Hyperactive was published in 1975. These organizations exist today as the Feingold Associations of the United States.

Who supports the diet-behavior connection?

Published Research supports it:

• "Dietary factors may plan a significant role in the the etiology of the majority of children with ADHD", Boris and Mandel, Annals of Allergy, May 1994. "...the suggestion that diet may contribute to behavior disorders in children must be taken seriously." Egger, et al, Lancet, March 9, 1985.
  
  
• "These results suggest that pediatricians and other practitioners might consider dietary modification worth trying, particularly in younger children." Kaplan et al, Journal of Pediatrics, 83 (January 1989), pp. 7-17.
  
  
• "This study demonstrated a functional relation between the ingestion of a synthetic food color (tartrazine) and behavioral change..." Rowe and Rowe, Journal of Pediatrics, 125 (November 1994) pp. 691-8.
  
  
• For a complete bibliography on ADD, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Feingold Association, Bibliography (indicates ADD or autism) 127 E. Main St., Riverhead, NY 11901
  
  

Parents who have seen it work support it:

For over two decades families and thousands of people of all ages have been dramatically helped by this program. Many have been able to eliminate or reduce medication, including Ritalin and other amphetamine-like drugs.

The Feingold Program is made easier to use by the Feingold Association of the United States through the excellent materials it provides and the help it offers from families who are using it. Updates to the product lists are made through the newsletter which also reports on the breaking research in the areas of ADD, ADHD, autism and other developmental delays. The Programs are based on published research and the reported results in the homes of thousands of families.

Believed to be on the same continuum as ADD/ADHD are PDD (Pervasive Developmental Delay) and Autistic-like symptoms. The rates of diagnosed PDD and Autism are increasing an an alarming rate. For some, a metabolic connection has been found.

The Feingold Association's Autism, Intolerance and Allergy Program can help parents become "detectives" in tracking down biochemical connections to autistic-like behavior. They work with the leading doctors world wide involved in this cutting edge research. Many families report a decrease in symptoms when they follow the Autism, Intolerance and Allergy (AIA) Program. The following are symptoms that are addressed by the AIA Program. Please note: All children exhibit these at one time or another. It is the persistence and the intensity that are cause for concern. Check with your doctor.

• Unaware of the world
• Lack of eye contact
• General learning disability
• Difficulty relating to others
• Hyperactivity
• Withdrawn and miserable
• Repetitive behavior/speech
• Fixation on one object
• Sleep problems
• Obsessively spinning objects or self
• Compulsively touching smooth objects
• Fascination with lights
• Arm flapping with excited
• Jumping up and down
• Walking on tiptoes
• Giggling and/or screaming for no apparent reason
• Eating strange substances (earth, sand, paper, toothpaste, etc.)

The Feingold Associations are supported almost entirely by memberships and donations from families for whom the Feingold Program offered help for their child. Contact them for free information at 1(800) 321-3287 or e-mail help@feingold.org or at their website:www.feingold.org .

IMPORTANT NOTES: If you have tried the Feingold Program on your own, you probably missed many hidden additives. Without the benefit of Feingold Association materials, including the most current, updated approved product list, you cannot be assured of the maximum response. Membership in the Feingold Association will provide you with the necessary materials, and a newsletter to keep them and you up to date. Members support is offered to help make the change and to customize the program to your individual needs. This information is not meant to replace medical evaluation. Behavior, attention or learning problems can be triggered by many factors. Parents need to document any triggers and work in partnership with their doctor.