With new treatment practices available,

doctors at Harbin Clinic Psychology feel

that they are on the path to keeping kids
with ADHD on track.
text Lauren Jones
photos Cameron Flaisch
and Ellie Borromeo

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very weekday, at about 2:30 p.m., you

brace yourself for the same ordeal.
Anxiety grips you. When your
child walks in the door from school
with a few lessons to complete for
homework, clich phrases like it takes an act of
Congress or its like pulling teeth dont even
come close to explaining how you may feel.
Getting your child to sit still for just five
minutes and start their first math problem feels
like nothing short of war. And in many ways, it
is a war, a war on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD).
For parents of children with ADHD, everyday
activities can usher in feelings of helplessness,
and not just because your child runs wild or cant
focus. Its a heavy feeling knowing your child has
every ability to excel academically and socially, if
only he or she could calm down and pay attention.
On the flipside, children who suffer from the
disorder often feel trapped, frustrated and like
they are always getting into trouble.
But the journey to managing ADHD usually
starts with a parents gut feeling, a note in a school
folder, some concerned calls from a teacher and
a parent-teacher conference or two.
We have to give serious accolades to his
second grade teacher, says Sandy* of her son,
Jon*. She told us he was a smart boy, but he
wouldnt stay focused throughout the course of
the day while he was doing his classwork.
Sandy and her husband were referred via
their pediatrician to Harbin Clinic Psychology.
Its within these walls that hundreds of parents
and children like Sandy and Jon focus in on the
disorder that affects 11 percent of children in
the U.S.
Breaking it down
Dr. Frank Harbin, who has practiced at Harbin
Clinic for 26 years, said his young patients are
brought in usually because ADHD symptoms
have greatly affected at least two major areas of
their lives. Dr. Candice Claiborne, another Harbin
psychologist, explained some of the warning
signs of ADHD.
Whether in the home or in school, parents
are having concerns about their child not being
focused, not paying attention or listening. Claiborne explains. Theyre getting up out of their
seats, showing hyperactive behavior and making
a lot of mistakes when it comes to their schoolwork. Theyre having trouble completing their
assignments or even starting their assignments.
Harbin says ADHD is mostly genetic. A child
of a parent with ADHD is 50 percent more likely
to have ADHD as well. However, ADHD can also
be developed if a brain injury or head trauma is
sustained.

Symptoms of ADHD include impulsive,

hyperactive, aggressive or attention-seeking behavior. Inattentiveness, disorganization, being
easily sidetracked, throwing tantrums or having
difficulty communicating are symptoms as well.
Children who have these symptoms must have
them for longer than six months, said Harbin, in
order for it to be considered ADHD.
When diagnosing ADHD, both parents and
teachers must fill out a checklist before more
extensive testing is performed by psychologists.
Dr. Claiborne notes that other stressors such
as the birth of a new sibling, a divorce between
parents or any other major lifestyle change like
moving or changing schools may trigger ADHDlike symptoms. The psychologists at Harbin
Clinic work on finding the root issues before
treatment.
Is it anxiety? Thats something we are always
considering, Claiborne says. We look for an
overlap of other symptoms. It may even be depression, too, in kids who are showing irritability
or any type of aggression.

Its his ability to focus

now. You can tell at
home, too. Now,
when its homework
time, hell sit down,
go to it, complete it,
and hes done.
Claiborne added that emotional issues and
aggression associated with ADHD are among the
issues she addresses in therapy with kids. Many
kids become angry and aggressive because they
feel as though they are constantly getting into
trouble and they cant comprehend why.
Especially if the child is on medication,
what we work on is that emotional control and
impulsivity, she says. Helping them to stop,
think and then act. Coming up with a better
problem-solving approach can be really hard on
them because despite their best ability; theyre
just not meeting everyone elses expectations. The
goal is to help them communicate their needs to
others and solicit feedback in a positive way that
will be helpful to them.
Alternative Lifestyles
After her son *Max grew out of his terrible
twos and threes - and fours and fives - and was
still acting excessively rambunctious, *Norma
knew something was going on with her son
beneath the surface.
I was a Pop-Tart mom, Norma says. If he
would act wild, I would give him a Pop-Tart and
tell him to go watch cartoons. I didnt realize the

food I was giving him was what was contributing

to his behavior.
Norma was not comfortable with the thought
of putting her son on medication. She discussed
this with Dr. Harbin and began her own journey,
researching alternative ways to help her son.
While she says she wasnt completely against
the medication, she ended up finding a better
alternative. Norma stumbled upon a book that
changed the lives of her family: Healing the
New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD,
Asthma and Allergies by Kenneth Brock, M.D.
and Cameron Stauth. The book guided her toward
alternative routes to handling ADHD, which
included completely changing her sons diet.
After cutting down on carbohydrates, cutting
out wheat and gluten completely, and limiting
sugar, her sons behavior changed and his symptoms all but disappeared.
Every meal he had was either organic or
prepared by me, she says. I immediately saw a
major difference. It was a huge sacrifice, but I felt
compelled to go this route. Afterwards, people
would come up to me and tell me I had the most
well-behaved, gentlemanly son. I literally cried.
No one had ever said that to me before.
However, there were some problems with
his attention span. Though Max was infinitely
better-behaved, Norma says she would hit a brick
wall with her alternative methods when it came
to getting her son to focus.
Thats where the Harbin Clinic Neurofeedback
Training came in.
Medicine and Neurofeedback
Training
Neurofeedback Training or EEG Biofeedback
is an alternative, non-pharmaceutical treatment
for ADHD. It can be administered to children
on medication or for those who arent taking
medication, and basically reconditions and trains
the brain to pay attention.
It works by having a technician place sensors
on the surface of the childs head to monitor brain
waves on a computer. The sensor wires are run
through an amplifier and a video game control.
The child plays video games that are controlled
by their brain waves. So, if the child is playing a
racing game and is paying attention, the car goes
fast and stays on track.
When the childs attention wanders, the car
slows and veers off the road and may crash. Not
only that, but the video game control the child is
holding, beeps and vibrates. So, the child, whose
attention has bounced around to other things,
receives a nudge back to reality.
Neurofeedback Training is 40 minutes a
session, twice a week for 40 sessions, and costs
$2,800 - but the results speak for themselves.
Harbin Clinic Psychology also offers a 25
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cards amazing. Its his ability to focus now. You

can tell at home, too. Now, when its homework
time, hell sit down, go to it, complete it and
hes done.
Whether its the amazement of being able to
pay attention to a project for hours, receiving a
report card with all good marks or finally being in
control of their emotions, these groundbreaking
ADHD treatments help kids stay focused on
the future.

On right: Dr. Claiborne

percent discount for those paying in full before

the treatment saving $700 for a total of $2100.
They also offer other payment options for those
that cant afford that much up front.
Its a considerably bigger investment in time,
energy and money to do this, says Harbin. It
takes three or four months, but were getting
80 percent (of patients) who are either on lower
doses of medication or off medication completely.
When it works, for most people, its long term.
You dont need a booster session two years later.
Getting things under control
I felt wild, out of control and unfocused,
recalls Max of the days before his mom changed
his diet, and he began Neurofeedback Training.
And when I say out of control, I mean I literally
could not control myself.
Max says the change in his diet as well as the
EEG Biofeedback were the first stepping stones
to helping him focus.
I would not be where I am today without
that. Its done a lot, he says. I used to not be
able to sit. I used to not be able to read. Now, I
can sit down and focus for hours.
Normas younger son, Sam*, was also diagnosed with ADHD, but rather than being
hyperactive, his disorder was more of an attention
and focus issue. Sam is currently in the Neurofeedback Training program at Harbin, and says
its been helping him a lot, especially with his
math lessons.
I have to concentrate to pass the games. That
can be hard, but the games are fun, says Sam.
Theyre challenging. There are easy parts, and
there are hard parts. I prefer the more challenging
ones, because theyll help me better.
Sandy, whose son Jon is also in Neurofeedback
Training, says she didnt put him on medication,
because she and her husband felt it would be like
putting a band aid over the real problem. Her sons
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improvement at school, she says, is a testament

to the effectiveness of Neurofeedback Training.
Since hes been (in the program), his report

To schedule an appointment or
for more information, call
706-295-2028 or find Harbin
Clinic Psychology on the web at
harbinclinic.com.
*Names have been changed to protect patients
and families.