Ritalin ‘not always the answer to ADHD’

GILLIAN KLAWANSKY

While Ritalin has been a miracle drug for some, medication should not be the first port of call, argues Gerschlowitz. She’s concerned about the high number of children in our schools who are on the drug.

“I want to open people’s minds to thinking about the underlying causes of the way their child’s ADHD is presenting,” she says. “Every individual child’s specific circumstances should be examined.”

“I’m not a medical doctor or a nutritionist, but I’m sharing this as a parent who’s done an enormous amount of research on this. I’ve been exposed to and trained by top medical professionals in the United States. They’ve taught me how to tackle the symptoms of ADHD instead of making Ritalin the immediate go-to method.” People want a quick fix, but Ritalin isn’t always the answer.

Gerschlowitz, the author of Saving my Sons – A Journey with Autism addressed these and other issues in conversation with her co-author, journalist Marion Scher, at a PJ Library event recently hosted at the Saltzman Family Community Centre at Linksfield Shul.

While Gerschlowitz’s journey to founding the Star Academy began with her older son, David’s, autism diagnosis, her organisation Catch Up Kids also helps learners overcome ADHD and learning difficulties. Gerschlowitz stresses the importance of nutrition in the treatment of ADHD.

“Picky eating is a common symptom for some children with ADHD, which is indicative of bowel inflammation. First look at the child’s nutrition, something with which many parents of children with ADHD battle. In order to sustain attention and attain optimal brain function, the child requires enough protein. Many kids don’t want to eat solid food in the morning, so give them a protein shake instead.”

Parents also often tell Gerschlowitz that their children don’t eat what’s in their lunchbox, meaning that they eat for the first time only around 15:00. It’s therefore unsurprising that they battle to sustain attention, she says. “My recommendation to parents is to see a nutritionist qualified to guide them in a proper protocol.”

Autism and ADHD overlap, says Gerschlowitz. By way of explanation, she uses the analogy of a car accident. “The kids are in the same car and a bus collides with them. The kid in the driver’s seat where the bus hits gets a severe autism diagnosis. The child who has ADHD is sitting in the backseat. He hurts his ankle and ribs, goes to hospital, but isn’t on life support in ICU. Then, there’s a kid who walks out without a scratch. Yet, they were all in that same car accident.”

Through this analogy, Gerschlowitz explains how autism and ADHD manifest. She argues that ADHD is prevalent because we live in a toxic environment and toxins cause inflammation in the body. “For the kids in the car, the trigger is that bus. For autism and ADHD, there’s a genetic vulnerability plus an environmental trigger. The food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe have toxins which contribute to expressing the genetics. Autism and ADHD can be treated in similar ways because they’re part of the same car accident. The injuries sustained just differ in severity. We treat them through a special diet, nutrition, and detoxification.”

Removing offensive foods is key to detoxification, says Gerschlowitz. That’s why food allergy testing is so important for children with ADHD. “Many ADHD kids are allergic to gluten, sugar, or dairy.”

Testing your child’s D3 and B vitamin levels as well as their cholesterol through simple blood tests is also key. “Many ADHD kids are deficient in vitamin D3, which means they’ll struggle to sustain attention. So, too, if they’re deficient in the B vitamins – B1, B3, B6, B9, or B12 – they’ll run out of fuel more quickly. A third of children with ADHD are low in cholesterol, which is important for fat metabolism in their brain. The correct supplementation can help address these issues.”

ADHD is also associated with high levels of histamine, she says. “If the child presenting with ADHD is making too much histamine, when they encounter seasonal changes in the environment, they’re not coping well. I consult a paediatrician in New York who prescribes antihistamines to treat ADHD.”

Investigating the gut-brain connection is a focus for autism and in ADHD, says Gerschlowitz. “Children who seem spaced out or hyperactive can have a bacterial or fungal infection in their bowel which requires investigation and prescription medication.

“Ultimately my message is healing without hurting,” says Gerschlowitz. “Ritalin has its place, but only once you’ve exhausted investigation into all these other factors.”

The right educational approach is also key to treating ADHD. Catch Up Kids has been instrumental in helping students catch up, especially between Grades 0 to 3, so they can stay in mainstream schools.

 “ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) is a specific teaching methodology we use to address each learner’s skills deficits. We also focus on anxiety and emotional coping skills. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends ABA before psychiatric medication.”

What’s more, Gerschlowitz believes inclusive education is a valuable and viable option for students with ADHD and learning challenges. “South Africa tends to box children,” she says. “That’s not common practice around the world. Inclusive education is a reality in Australia and America. Our Jewish schools need to take the lead and open their minds to inclusive education. That doesn’t mean a bridging class, but rather including the learner in a mainstream classroom.”

Inclusive education is a constitutional, legal right,” Gerschlowitz says. “At Catch Up Kids, we provide the infrastructure to make it a reality. We tailor the child to the environment, not the environment to the child. We offer one-on-one classes after school, and where necessary, we provide a trained facilitator in the mainstream classroom to assist the learner. Facilitators blend into the classroom and provide necessary support.

“Ultimately, we won’t put a child in the classroom who doesn’t have the prerequisite skills to be there,” she says. “Once they do have these skills though, not putting them in a mainstream setting denies them the opportunity to model from their peers. We’ve successfully helped numerous kids this way at schools around South Africa.”