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Thumb of Michigan | I just glanced at some of the posts. Food additives were mentioned, I just want to back that angle up.
My stepson had ADHD. Wife is an RN, and wasn't buying into any medications as the first option in treating him. He was diagnosed when he was pretty small, but pills were the first thing recommended. She spent a lot of time researching alternatives, stumbled onto some info suggesting that artificial colors and flavors could be part of the issue. As others mentioned, she started eliminating different things from his diet. Eliminating artificial colors and flavors (especially red, yellow as well though) made a huge difference. It was almost night and day. He didn't like being out of control any more than anyone around him did, he realized it young (he could pick apart a label on any food when he was 3) so he kind of did a good job monitoring his food by the time he got to school.
School was a problem in some cases: some teachers and administrators just wouldn't believe the food connection. Wife and I would meet with his teachers before school started, explain that in particular holidays could be a problem (Halloween and Valentines Day parties really deserved extra monitoring) and some teachers and administrators were better than others. You tell your kids that trusting someone in authority is OK, but its a tough talk to have when a teacher tells a kid in grade school that its just fine to have a Valentines cookie with an inch of red frosting on it and then they get mad at the kid an hour later for bouncing off the walls. Sugar intake made ZERO difference to his behavior. Well, no more than anyone else. There are artificial colors in a lot of stuff that also includes sugar, takes a little monitoring to see what set him off.
My suggestion: eliminate all the food containing artificial colors first. It costs nothing to do other than some time reading labels. If it makes no difference after a month, there hasn't been anything really gained, but it didn't cost anything either. It could be sugar, could be something else other than diet. Good Luck.
All kids are different obviously, but our Daughter also exhibited some intolerance of artificial colors as well when she was young. Not as dramatic as my Stepson, but eliminating colors and flavors did make a difference in her behavior. I have a Grandson who would get a little AD when he ate anything with red colors in them, he avoids them still today at age 15.
edit for spelling
Edited by pat-michigan 11/28/2015 16:16
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I now sympathize with parents of "difficult" children
