ADHD: Case Study #2

Ethan is a 11 yr-old boy with a history of difficulties with attention, alertness, distractibility, task completion, listening, sensory processing, and restrictive eating. 

His birth was complicated by his mother going into labor at 36 weeks and followed by “a couple of days in the NICU because of weak lungs.” Ethan had acid reflux as an infant and was described as “picky eater,” which continues today. His parents reported that Ethan only eats “chicken nuggets, french fries, strawberries, mac and cheese, cheese, pretzels, and a few other things on occasion. He presents with sensory defensiveness and is food averse mostly based on textural issues. 

He has historically been a poor sleeper but improved as he got older. He has had his aedoids and tonsils removed due to frequent ear infections as a toddler.

Ethan did well with learning and socially in preschool but was described as, “active” by his preschool and teacher. His phonics and reading skills developed normally. It was in the first grade that Ethan's difficulties with focus and task completion became an issue. Seat work, writing, and multi-step directions were his primary issues with the later two continuing to be an issue today. 

Socially, Ethan gets along with others and is a kind child that is well liked by his peers. His primary issues that impact him at school and home are distractibility, transitioning, task completion, time management and listening. His parents and teachers report that he often is “daydreaming” and that is why he misses directions. He loves baseball and can do well when he pays attention to the coach. 

The fourth grade was especially challenging for Ethan because of writing demands. After a parent-teacher conference about Ethan's distractibility and lack of focus, his parents sought medical guidance from the pediatrician. After his parents and teachers filled out ADHD behavioral rating scales, Ethan was diagnosed with ADHD by his pediatrician who recommended Adderall for attention. 

At first, the Adderall improved Ethan’s focus but within weeks he decompensated and he had numerous ADHD medication side effects. He stopped eating except for late evening and he had difficulty falling asleep. His pediatrician recommended a trial of concerta, then ritalin and when those failed, then she suggested something to help him sleep. Ethan was already uncharastically crabby, more unfocused and eating less, so his parents decided to look for other solutions for ADHD. 

After watching my webinar, 5 Ways to Boost Attention and Executive Functioning and purchasing the BrainBehaviorReset™ Toolkit, his parents decided to seek support and participate in our one-to-one program. 

His QEEG Brain Map reflected classic ADHD brainwave patterning: too many unfocused brain waves (Theta and Delta) and too little focused brain waves (Beta). This pattern meant that Ethan's brain couldn't easily alert and that foundational executive functioning skills weren't developed. His brain patterning also reflected poor gut bacteria and poor protein absorption in his brain, which is likely due to a combination of a poor diet (typical standard American diet SAD) and ADHD medication chemical toxicity.