The probable underreporting of ADD/ADHD among adults and girls should be addressed as a matter of urgency. Another area that demands our attention is the stark gender imbalance when it comes to ADD/ADHD diagnoses. The gap between boys and girls are so large that it will almost certainly not be closed by more accurate identification of cases among girls. This leaves the question: Are boys simply more prone to the condition than girls? There are many scientists who come to this exact conclusion. Many others point out that this may be partially true but that there are also additional factors that should be taken into account.

I find myself in the second camp and I firmly belief that the one factor that could go a long way towards explaining the over-diagnosis of boys is the modern school system and the way in which it is geared towards the needs of girls. I realize that this is a startling assertion to make but it is one that is supported by the latest research into childhood development.

One of the most serious conditions that are often missed due to overzealous ADD/ADHD diagnoses is bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder (also called bipolar depression or manic depression) is a serious mental condition. Sufferers experience severe swings between high-energy elevated moods (the ‘manic’ phase) and low-energy depressed stages. Bipolar disorder can have a dramatic impact on the quality of life of a sufferer and requires specialist, often prolonged, medical intervention.

About half of one percent of children suffer from bipolar disorder in various stages of severity. This makes the condition much less prevalent than ADD/ADHD, a condition generally thought to affect 3-4% of children (certainly not the more than 10% that prescription rates in many parts of North America would seem to suggest). There are some cases of co-morbidity (i.e. where both conditions are present). It is far more common, however, for bipolar disorder to be confused with ADD/ADHD. This is a very dangerous situation as the drugs that are used to treat ADD/ADHD are almost guaranteed to increase the severity of the mood swings of patients with bipolar disorder.

In this video my 3 year old daughter Mackenzie and I show you how to mix vitamins.

You will have to work up to this advanced method.

Note:  When I shot this video I accidentally cut off my head.  I have not had time to re-shoot the video.  Sorry.

Its kind of funny.  It reminds me of “Wilson” from that show “Home Improvement”

you know.  the neighbor who you never see his face.

Anyway.  I digress.

The video is still helpful.

enjoy 

*video only available in the “Ultra” area

“3 Steps” is all about choices.

When it comes to snacking, we have to become smarter.

Many of us don’t think twice about what we are eating as snacks.

I shot this video on my iphone.

It features my 3 year old daughter Mackenzie.

She is talking about one of her favorite snacks…

Wheat Thins with cheese and turkey.

Its subtle, but think about it.

You could have chosen potatoe chips.  Which means saturated fat and no nutritional value.

By adding the turkey to the snack we are “sneaking” in protein.

Once again, its all about choices.

It turns out that many of the people who have the most to say about the deficiencies of a nutrition based strategy have a vested interest in continuing the status quo (i.e. drugging people on a massive scale). I suppose that, on one level, you cannot blame them. If you have successfully created a cash cow it is perhaps only natural that you will react with alarm when someone threatens its ability to inflate your profit statement.  We should note, however, that individuals and companies who perpetuate the wholesale profit driven medication of a significant part of an entire generation cannot be relied upon to provide the most accurate and objective information about how best to deal with ADD/ADHD.

The recommendations that form the basis of ‘No Child Left Inside’ are not revolutionary but rather a restatement of ‘back to basics’ principles that we ignore at our peril. The suggestions below may help you to get these foundational principles right:

Analyse your current situation: People living in urban and suburban areas can sometimes go for weeks without any meaningful interaction with nature. Recognising this fact and determining that you will do something about it is the first step towards re-engagement with the natural world. Begin by analysing whether ‘nature deficit disorder’ is indeed a factor in your life. This is normally not too difficult. The challenging part is to develop a strategy to counteract this deficit (if it does indeed exist). Most people would say that any ‘nature deficit’ that may exist can be traced back to 1) Lack of time and 2) Lack of access (real or perceived) to natural environments. Any ‘re-engagement strategy’ should therefore address these areas.

Start with ‘baby steps’: Getting a bit more nature in your life (and that of your children) need not be a monumental undertaking. Most people can dramatically increase their exposure to the natural environment by making just a few simple changes to their lifestyles e.g.:
•    Find a nearby park and see if you cannot include it on your route to/from school/work (while walking or cycling of course). A 10 minute detour along a ‘road less travelled by’ can sometimes make a world of difference!
•    Get a dog! The fact that your new ‘best friend’ will require regular walks will ‘force you’ (in a good way of course!) to get out more.
•    Scout out your local area. Most people live within striking distance of a nature reserve or other natural area. A simple Google search should confirm this fact if you wonder whether it is true in your case!  Moving some of your leisure activities to such areas (e.g. meeting friends at a nature reserve instead of the local coffee shop) is an easy and often inexpensive way to increase your ‘natural exposure’
•    Make nature part of your vacation planning. The most obvious way to do this would be to go on regular camping trips. I recognise that this is not everybody’s cup of tea (or mug of black coffee more likely!) but non-campers can still include visits to National Parks or other natural attractions in their holiday planning without necessarily ‘roughing it’.

Link up with local nature groups: Unless you live in a very small town (in which case lack of exposure to nature is perhaps not such a big problem) you will normally have easy access to groups and activities dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of nature. Many such groups organise fun activities (e.g. ‘night stalks’, nature sleepovers, guided hikes etc.) that will delight and excite even the most dedicated couch potatoes. A list of ‘No Child Left Inside’ coalition members offering environmental education initiatives can be found here.

Combine nature and technology: Many children (especially older ones) will respond to calls for more ‘nature time’ with claims that they have much more ‘exciting’ things to do. One of the best ways to counter this is to introduce them to the sport of Geocaching. Geocaching is the perfect way for combining a love for nature with a passion for modern technology. The object of the game is to find hidden objects (caches) with the aid of a GPS receiver. Participants can find caches to hunt on the internet and can also share their experiences with other users. Those with a competitive streak can even compete with other geocachers by trying to ‘outfind’ them. The fact that the vast majority of geocaches are hidden in natural areas means that you cannot really participate in the sport without getting hefty doses of ‘outside exposure’. Participants will also find levels of ‘real world’ excitement, suspense and skills development that no video game can even come close to matching. Click here for more information about Geocaching.

It must be emphasised that the strategies profiled in this article should not be seen as ‘magic bullets’ that will automatically solve all attention problems. They will, however, go some way towards addressing the ‘nature deficit’ that has such a negative influence on modern life. They may also in the process dramatically improve attention – In the most natural way imaginable!