Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: The Speed Free Child

Lori came to us,  in 1976. Her long, brown hair, blowing in the September breeze with her wide brown eyes, eager and excited by the adventure of driving from her mother’s Queens, New York home  for Long Island’s  country flavor. An undersized girl of 7, who was the only child of a single woman, who worked in a bubble gum factory. Catholic Charities was the Placement Agency of this Foster Child, and since I had 3 sons, I wanted to  provide care to a little girl. She was outgoing, animated, and vibrant, ..she had chattered, nervously and nonstop for the 30 mile trip. As she entered our West Babylon, home,  bounding through the front door, she greeted my sons, and went directly to the back door and question my, then Husband, Al. “Hi, are you the Super?”  Lori was an apartment dweller in the City, and when she noticed that he was repairing the door, she believed that he was not a part of the family. In Queens, only Superintendents of the building made any repairs.

Al & I thought this was endearing and fell in Love with her, instantly. We showered her with, what we thought a female child deserved. I made it a point to fill her closet with frilly, lacy, feminine, clothing and all the girlie accents for her  pink and lavender room, to help her feel comfortable, but most of all, wanted.

School was in session, so she began attending the first grade shortly after she arrived “HOME”, which was her reference to the house. I noticed shortly after her arrival, that she made no comments about her mother, or her life in Queens.  She demonstrated no inkling of loyality, or committment to her previous environment. The Elementary School was only a few blocks away, so I walked with her on her first day in order to help with her transition more easily. Lori was a chameleon. You know, those lizards that are able to change color to conform to the surroundings? That was this frail little girl. She had learned, during her short life experiences, to anticipate the expectations of others and promptly adjust and comply, only superficially, so she could survive in her new or different environment. That was the beginning.

It was brought to my attention by Lori’s Teacher, that she may need new glasses, since Mrs. Smith noticed she had some difficulty paying attention in class. Lori had worn glasses for most of her young life. She had a turn in her left eye, and did have several unsuccessful surgeries to correct the condition.  Mrs. Smith was compassionate and concerned about Lori’s vision. I never dreamed that it might be more agonizing.

The new glasses arrived, and Lori “BOUNCED” off to school, accompanied by our oldest son, Allen. She is always so full of energy, I thought, as she ran, jumped, and skipped ahead of him, next to him, and behind him. She was everywhere, almost at the same time. I watched them,  and as they both faded from my view, I became a little concerned about the amount of energy Lori really had.

Several days passed,  Lori had her new glasses for less then a week. I sat at the window, watching for the children to get home from school. I drank my coffee at the breakfast counter, and saw her, “BOUNCING” up the road, with our oldest son a few paces behind her. Then she fell behind him, as they crossed the street.  Allen started crossing the front lawn toward our front door, both of them directly in my view. Lori ran  up, from behind him, and darted toward him, pushing herself into his left side, directly into his body, and at the same time, flipping her glasses to the ground with her left hand. She screamed and yelled out, that he had just broken her “New Glasses”. This was the first experience I had with a hyperactive child. Her glasses, were, in fact, broken; however, I learned later in the week, from Mrs. Smith, that she had broken them, herself, as he was walking down a stairway at school. “Didn’t you get my note?”. I had Not.

In an effort to avoid becoming boring, I will spare you most of the extensive, dangerous, events that involved razor blades, holes in the walls, clothing cut up with knives, stolen objects taken from other family members, and so many other various odd behaviors, perpetrated by this precious child.

Finally, I sought the help of Lori’s Primarily Care Physician. I had absolutely no experience with this type of behavior, but Dr. Chakka was a very wise, experienced, knowledgeable woman and I not only respected her, I trusted her.  She was from one of the Baltic states, near Poland or Germany, I learned on one afternoon visit, when I overheard her speaking ..what I thought was German..as she talked on the phone. She had been in a Concentration Camp, she told me, along with her first husband and her three sons. She was a renowned Physician in her Country, as was her husband. During the time she was being held, it was demanded of her, to treat the female captors, after she witnessed the murder of, not just her husband, but also her precious three sons, she agreed to care for the female Patients.  But that’s another story.

Dr. Chakka advised me to place Lori on a special diet regimen. She said that ADHD children were ALERIGIC to Preservatives, Artificial Flavorings, and Additives.  I was astounded by this simple bit of information. Allergies! How simple! This was pure logic.  The child was super-sensitive to what we were adding to foods, just to make them taste better or to last longer on the shelves.

I always felt so much better when I became enlightened, by this remarkable older woman. I was so grateful that I found the Doctor in Freeport, just down the road from my home, years ago. This visit was no exception. She told me about a group called “THE FEINGOLD ASSOCIATION”, that followed the theory of Dr. Feingold, since the early 1970’s. The avid proponents of this dietary discipline claimed remarkable results, in behaviors and interactions with others. The quality of life for those children, who suffered from the effects of refined sugars, and processed food, made 180 degree turns in attitude, and behaviors, after the removal of the targeted ingredients. I knew that the efforts invested into this special diet was worth a chance and might be the  solution for the outlandish behaviors of this small, frail, waife of a child. I decided to start the next morning.

We began with breakfast foods. Lori and I focused on non-processed foods. She could not have bacon, since it is cured, so we started with basic omelets. This was fast and easy for me and Lori liked the special attention to her,  she felt  special, which she was. Several Breakfast cereals were also free for Lori to eat, too. She liked her “Special Foods”, and was very agreeable to the change in her intake.

Lunch was our next focus. I learned that there was natural peanut butter, as well as, preservative free, natural strawberry jam. Lori could eat a particular Whole Wheat bread, that was sold close to our home. So, Lori began to take her lunch with her to school. Whole juice or milk was available for her, and Nabisco vanilla wafers were her favorites. Most fruits and vegetables were available for snacks, and as a part of her regular menu.

Dinner was quite simple. We all ate meat, veggies and a starch, so Lori had most of what the rest of the family ate.  Her desert may have been slightly different, but as a rule, dinner went really well.

We eliminated candy, gum, cookies, soft drinks, and many other things from her former diet; and, after only ten days, Lori was alert, orientated,  sweet, charming, agreeable, and cooperative. All the garbage was out of her system. She was enjoying the friendship of other little girls, a luxury she did not have before, because of her erratic and dangerous behaviors. To the delight of her Teacher, who tried in vein to reach her, during classes, was astounded by the change in her attention span. 

There was an elderly lady, who lived just one block from our home, and Lori would visit her from time to time. One evening, just before dinner, Lori came BOUNCING through the kitchen door. It was apparent that she had had something that was not a pre-approved substance. Either food, drink, or treat had been consumed by this little girl, that set her off. I asked her if she ate something that she shouldn’t have had?  Lori was an honest child and told me how the lady down the block had given her HOT CHOCOLATE.  It only took one cup of the substance to put her right back to the beginning, just like an alcoholic.

Eventually, it was time for Lori to returned to her biological mother. She lived with us for almost two years. The Feingold Program was an integral part of her life, while she was an integral  part of ours. The evening before she returned to Queens, she and I sat in the middle of my bed, I held her in my arms,  rocked her, cradling her like an infant, humming softly, and savoring the last night with this child. I was afraid for her. Would her Mother continue the food program? I prayed that her mother would read the letter, that I was sending with Lori. Her Mom needed to know that this precious child would flourish and grow, easily, if provided the appropriate foods. The foods that she required. Queens is a rough place, sometimes, but Lori’s mother could help the child prevail, if the proper nutrition was provided for her. 

I wrote down the phone number of The Feingold Association, (800) 321-3287, and tried to impress on Lori’s Mom how important it was, for Lori, that she continue her food program. I wrote how much of a change in behaviors she would see in Lori, if she maintained her proper food intake. I said many things, but most of all, how our family had fallen in love with this child, almost instantly, and  how the love had grown during the time we shared our lives.

Speed (Ritalin…Cylert) is the drug of choice, recommended and prescribed by the Professionals, for ADHD.  Give it some thought. If speed, produces the effect of the child being slowed down, then the child’s body is reacting just opposite to the original desired effect.  I would suspect that if the ADHD child is given an Anti-Anxiety Medication, would it make them more active than they were before the medication? I don’t really know the answer to that question, since I now work with the mentally challenged and the elderly. I do know about what I lived, with Lori. The benefit from the “Special Foods” for that child was astounding. Our entire family benefited by the foods Lori consumed. Most of all, Lori was the beneficiary of Natural Food Intake. I hope she still does.