Hi Jane,
My eldest son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 7 (second year of primary school) and despite loving books since he was very little, and having a marvelous spoken vocabulary, he was completely unable to read, but could repeat word perfect every page of a book story that had already been read to him. Even 3 letter words were beyond him, and his disruptiveness and inquisitiveness often got him into classroom and playground problems.

He was put on medication, and Occupational Therapy helped a great deal. By the time I found Radiant Recovery, he was 13, and his 3 siblings were also on medication. I was too, and we had quite a crazy household as you can imagine.

I am not sure if the diagnosis of ADHD was the most helpful one. Although many of the classic symptoms fit us, the picture of Asperger's Syndrome/ high functioning Austism spectrum was suggested by another Dad in the ADD community support group as a possibly better fit. Whatever the title, I know that doing the food helped all of my family a great deal. Having some affirmation that what I had lived with all my life and what I saw my kids having to cope with too did have some name and that something could be done to help us, instead of our having to struggle to pretend to be 'normal' was very helpful.

Beginning with breakfast, we too saw the same changes that you describe. Teachers wanted to know what the 'new medication' we must be trying was called. When school holidays came, all 4 kids begged to be allowed to stop their meds, and we never looked back. They all do the food with me, and all have become well functioning young adults. My eldest is now 25, still loves with us and has a full time job caring for the elderly at a local nursing home, is happy and manages quite well with most life tasks.

Definitely our symptoms improved as we did the food, and definitely there are residual behaviours and difficulties which continue to give us challenges. I think that the underlying sugar sensitivity is added to by ADHD and Aspergers/ spectrum conditions. Doing the food heals the underlying sugar sensitivity, removing that volatility and unsteadying effect, but the separate symptoms that comprise those conditions are in addition to the sugar sensitivity. They are not all magically resolved or eliminated by eating well.

Specifically the reading of words but not being able to make meaning of what is read that you describe, I have heard of in association with ADHD, although I am not sure if it is just an associated reading difficulty, as it certainly doesn't exhibit that way in my kids.

To list very briefly some changes in ADD symptoms we have observed since doing the food:
Significant impulse awareness and choice
Less angry outbursts/ lashing out. Lots more cooperation and being able to do things together instead of having to be alone.
Much better ability to stay on and complete tasks.
Able to plan and carry through, able to listen and interrupt less.
Much more able to hear that there might be another point of view
Significantly less tearful /emotional lability
Much tidier house, individuals taking responsibility for their own belongings and tidying up after themselves (most of the time!)
Relationships, deep and meaningful discussions in which there is listening and sharing, considering each other's point of view. Funny interactions, some quite amusing things.
We have moved from what felt like constant crisis control to what I think is a pretty normal household all things considered. We are a bit quirky, but no longer dysfunctional!!

Kath

: Hi everyone

: About 5 years ago, my ADHD son went
: to live with his father because he
: missed him. Contact between my son
: and I stopped three years ago
: through his own choice after he
: had a temper tantrum (part of his
: ADHD.)

: His father is now having difficulties
: coping with him, as my son is very
: unpredictable behaviourally and
: can change in a split second, from
: being an angel, to being very
: aggressive and violent. He is 13
: years old.

: I am shortly going to be assessed by
: UK Social Services to see if I am
: a viable full time carer for him.
: I know he is definitely Sugar
: Sensitive, not only from his
: similar symptoms to how I was on
: sugars, but also before he left my
: care before, he was on step one
: for a month (with the approval of
: the School Headteacher who I had
: given a copy of PnP to read) and
: his class teachers were not
: informed he was changing his diet.
: After a couple of weeks maximum,
: they asked me what I had done to
: him, because he was a completely
: different child in the mornings,
: he was no longer disrupting the
: class by swearing, refusing to
: work, or hiding under the desks. I
: have the knowledge obviously of
: the things that changed for him
: then and the things that have
: changed in myself since being off
: sugar, but he has educational
: problems, for example, he can read
: almost up to his age ability but
: reads the letters, and words,but
: asked to explain the story,
: doesn't have a clue about it.
: Therefore he sees the
: letters,reads them, but isn't
: understanding them. He also has
: communication problems.

: Can anyone tell me if these could be
: symptoms of ADD, assuming ADD is
: symptoms additional to the Sugar
: Sensitivity ones, and can anyone
: tell me from their own experience
: with ADD or their children's, what
: sort of things have changed since
: they did the food?

: Many thanks for any responses.

: Love

: Jane
: xx