One Simple Trick to Naturally Treat ADHD

When a child is diagnosed with ADHD, doctors automatically want to give medications, but there are other ways. I do admit that some people do need medications, but trying the natural approach first would be better. Like I stated in my earlier blog, I believe that the increase in technology has caused ADHD numbers to skyrocket and all we need is to stop using it as excessively. 
I could not find data to back me up on this, but I'm sure that if you asked a parent whose child is newly diagnosed with ADHD if they let them use apps or have an iPad or something similar, they would say yes. It may originally be harder because it requires discipline, but once the technology withdrawal period is over, a huge difference will be seen. To make it easier, I am going to list some fun ways that I believe ADHD can be prevented and treated:

1. Limit, don't stop, phone or tablet use. This may sound like it goes against everything that I am saying, but it's not. So many new research studies are coming out about technology giving children different skills and with the world becoming more technologically savvy, they will need this. Therefore, phone and tablet use should be limited to a maximum of thirty minutes per day.

2. Don't stop at limiting time. Limit the amount of games allowed on a tablet as well. Constant hyperactivity and jumping from one game to another should not occur. Tell children that they are only allowed to play one game per day.

3. Extend use if the app is educational. I think technology is great in the sense that it can make learning more fun for children. Try a Duolingo app which teaches children different languages or a brain teaser app. For smaller children, use apps that teach the alphabet and numbers or math.

4. Find the "real" version. There are many apps that kids use that we remember as a board game or something done on paper. Buy a crossword puzzle book. Buy Chess or Checkers so children can physically move the pieces. Play pictionary or the Game of Life. Go old school and go to Toys R Us and find new games or old ones that you remember as a kid.

5. Buy toys. Whatever happened to Legos or Barbie dolls or arts and crafts? All kids may be talking about how they want an iPod for Christmas or a new Kindle, but stick to the basics. Get a real, physical toy. If a child plays with them, it has to stimulate the imagination part and creative skills of their thinking. 

6. Have quiet time. There should be a time in the house everyday where no electronics can be used. No phones, tablets, videogames, or television. This forces children to figure something else out to do and will keep their attention focused on that and not worrying about which piece of technology to jump to next. 

7. Participate in sports. A great distraction to technology is being physically active. I couldn't find any studies supporting this, but if a child is on any sports team and is used to a structured schedule, that is a step in the right direction. With ADHD, you want to take steps in the opposite direction. That means less hyperactivity in the sense that they are not jumping from activity to activity and they are staying put and focused on one thing.

8. Keep the technology away from other activities. If your child is on the football team or softball team or in dance, keep the devices at home. Everyone gets water breaks or times when they are sitting out and that is when they run to see if they got a text message or just to check and see if any new activity is going on. Without their phones or iPods there, they can't do that. This keeps their minds focused on what they are there for, the sport.

9. School comes first. Many times children with ADHD struggle in the classroom setting to pay attention or not interrupt. This, in turn, affects their school performance and grades. When a child comes home from school, the first thing that they should be doing is their homework. Don't even give the option of watching TV or playing videogames or using an app. Make homework and school the first priority before anything else so that your child knows they won't be allowed to have these luxuries if they do not try hard or do well in school.

10. Be patient. If you and your child are not used to habits like these, it will be very hard to get used to them. Don't just cut cold turkey. Take it slow, and start with these suggestions one at a time. Integrate something new every few weeks and within a few months you should hopefully begin to see an improvement!

The Proof is in the Pudding

Here are just a few of the many graphs and statistics that I found and put together to show you the increase in ADHD alongside the increase in technology:

ADHD is up 29% in children and teens since 1998

This chart portrays these technology changes as a positive, but when looking at attention span and relation to ADHD, it is the complete opposite of what is being preached here.

How much data use has increased over time

This one demonstrates my point exactly about multitasking in my previous blog. 

Just another graph showing the increase of smartphones in the past 9 years alone

Why is ADHD increasing?

Lately, the number of cases of ADHD, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, has skyrocketed. This leaves many to wonder what is the cause? Food? Vaccines? Schools? No. There is one simple explanation for it all, technology. With all the new technology coming out, such as iPads and smartphones, the brain is being put into sensory overload. Children (and adults) do not just sit down at the table anymore to have a nice dinner or spend time without some type of technology going on.
There is always something around to disturb our senses, whether it be the radio in the car, or TVs in the supermarket at the checkout, or going from app to app on a smart device, today all we are worried about is multitasking. We want to do as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. We are programmed to be distracted. How can be blame our children for ADHD when we encourage the same type of behaviors, just outside of the classroom setting?
We are so used to moving on as quickly as possible in real life and technology that we do not just stop and take time to unload our senses. Here is an example of what tends to happen now: "Let me check my texts. O and now I'm gunna jump to my Snapchat. Wait a second, I forgot to check my e-mail. Well now what do I check, I'm bored. O how about I play Temple Run". This is what technology causes us to do. It consists of a constant jumping from one item to another and we never relax.
In the younger generations, there is an allure of multitasking. How many apps can I download and use? Because of this mentality, we have begun living in a lifestyle of distraction. We partake in sensory overload everyday, and it has become a part of normal life. Take a look even 20 years ago. This was not an issue. We are in an era of sensory overload, and THIS TECHNOLOGY is what plays a role in ADHD.