Alternative Therapies for ADHD
Many people who have ADHD take medications to manage their symptoms. Other people prefer to avoid the use of pharmaceuticals for a range of different reasons, including side effects, personal preference and ineffectiveness. A successful treatment plan for ADHD requires the use of multiple therapies regardless of whether or not medications are used.
Alternative and complementary therapies may be used as the primary interventions for ADHD symptom management or as adjuncts to conventional treatment. A wide array of complementary and alternative therapies effectively reduce distractibility, impulsiveness and other challenges that ADHD presents.
Unfortunately, there is a great deal of misinformation about which therapies are effective and which ones are not. Let’s take a look at complementary and alternative treatments that have been proven to be safe and helpful for adults and children who have a diagnosis of ADHD.
1. Alternative Schools
Alternative schools emphasize hands-on learning experiences are an outstanding option for many children and adults who are challenged by ADHD.
These schools teach students to learn how to cooperate and use real-life problem-solving skills. Students have opportunities to socialize with others and are less likely to feel like “the kid with ADHD.” It is important to ensure that alternative school programs provide opportunities for the students to regularly interact with others who do not have ADHD for them to gain a well-rounded life experience and education. An alternative school setting need not be just for children who have ADHD to be valuable.
Many alternative school programs stress multiple ways of learning and recognizing the value of each individual. Class sizes are frequently small.
Alternative colleges enable students to successfully obtain a college degree while gaining real-life work experiences. Students have opportunities to develop marketable skills and job placement assistance is often offered.
Unfortunately, these schools can be expensive and are not available in all locales.
There are many different ways of treating ADHD without meds, examples include lifestyle and dietary changes to building a routine.
