Anonymous wrote:now that DS1 is in middle school, he is focused and doing well, without any medication. My approach has been one of natural supplementation, detoxification and balancing Ph levels.

Quite impressive that you were able to manage that.

I've seen even just supplementation go a long way. My personal favorite is I Need To Focus (Solomon & Samson brand). It tastes pretty good (with OJ), and doesn't take long to work.

i can't get through all of this, and I am no expert--not the parent of the child about whom I am concerned. but the kid is on a varying cocktail of at least 4 to 5 different meds (attentional, antidepressants, etc) that get constantly changed--while the kid is pretty dysfunctional without them, also not so great with them--gets every side effect of the drugs, and functioning is still not anywhere near optimal. The drugs and dosages are a constantly shifting target--its not like they found something that 'works' and could stick with it and I just can't hep thinking that poor little brain is a bit like a lab rat's brain by now. I sometimes wonder how there's any way of knowing what are the baseline issues with the brain--eg, the brain's functioning without any medications--and the issues of being on a varying cocktail of drugs for a number of years. I am no particular advocate of alternative practices either, but i can't imagine an extremely limited diet of lots of junk food is good either.FWIW, I am not judging the parents--have not walked in their shoes, know that they are desperate for the best for their kid--but I just sometimes wonder if in 30 years this generation of medical treatment of neurological disorders will appear monstrously wrong or, at least in the case of shock treatment--something that was way overdone, because no more subtle, better ways were then discovered.....

I wish my student's family would adjust his diet. Instead of giving an aut kid ritalin.