They Are What You Feed Them: How Food Can Improve Your Child’s Behaviour, Mood and Learning. Dr Richardson Alex

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СКАЧАТЬ (HSC) is a good example, and in her popular book of the same name, Elaine Aaron does an excellent job of capturing many of the qualities that these children show.¹⁰

      Your child may be in august company: Einstein appears to have exemplified the ‘absent-minded professor’ syndrome. He was dismissed at school as a daydreamer with little or no potential, and he was also sacked from two teaching jobs for his poor spelling—consistent with dyslexic/dyspraxic traits. More recently, he has also been claimed for the autistic genius camp for his supposed obsessiveness and lack of social skills!

      Overlaps

      Although they’re usually regarded as separate conditions, in practice there’s a big overlap between dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and the autistic spectrum. Most children who qualify for one of these labels also show features of one or more of the others.

       30-50 per cent of dyslexic and ADHD children have clear dyspraxic tendencies.

       30-50 per cent of dyspraxic children have notable dyslexic difficulties.

       Attentional and working memory problems are found in all three conditions.

      Always remember that your child is an individual. Reality is much messier than any of the discrete diagnostic labels we may use to ‘pigeon-hole’ children, so even if your child has one diagnosis already, be aware that this may not give the whole picture.

      This is a summary of a letter I received from Jane, a grateful parent:

       ‘As a baby, when Peter started on solid food he became tearful and wakeful, began to projectile vomit and lost weight dramatically. He developed a high temperature and a red rash so bad they thought it was scarlet fever! In fact, he reacted badly to many foods including eggs, wheat, artificial food colourings and other additives. When he started school, teachers said he was hyperactive – but with advice from the Hyperactive Children’s Support Group we modified his diet, and Peter improved dramatically.

       All was fine until he started falling behind at school, and this time (aged 10) he was diagnosed as dyslexic. I heard about your research and increased his omega-3 fatty acid intake. This seemed to do wonders, and he quickly became an above-average pupil.

       Then at 15, Peter started using cannabis, which he reacted to badly. Within a year he was admitted to an adult psychiatric ward and was prescribed powerful drugs (even though he still had easy access to cannabis in the hospital!). His prognosis was said to be poor. The hospital diet contained lots of foods I knew didn’t suit Peter, and I explained his history of food allergies, but they wouldn’t listen. The doctors just decided he had ‘‘mental health problems’’. At no time was his physical health investigated.

       Then I attended an inspiring conference on diet and behaviour. With specialist help, I was able to persuade the hospital staff to put Peter onto a new dietary regime. This made such a difference – and once he himself could understand what had happened to him, he agreed to stop smoking cannabis. Within four weeks he went from being a seriously ill young man to near normal.

       Six months later, Peter was back at college and enjoying a social life with family and friends. Without the help of researchers and scientists, I really think Peter would still be a lost child in an adult ward. Thanks to them, I have my son back – the greatest gift anyone could have given me.’

      Keeping It in the Family

      Conditions like ADHD, autism and dyslexia tend to run in the same families, but the reasons for this aren’t always down to genetics. The predisposition to these kinds of difficulties is certainly under some degree of genetic influence—and research is starting to tease out some possible ‘candidate genes’ that may play a part. However, let’s get one thing clear: there are no individual genes ‘for’ any of these conditions. Many different genes can contribute to an individual’s risk; these differ between individuals, and some are widely distributed in the general population. What’s more, no genes can operate without an environment. This includes other genes, various influences that operate while a baby is still in the womb and many, many others that continue to switch genes ‘on’ and ‘off’ during every single moment of your child’s life.

      These influences include your child’s diet— because nutrition interacts with genetics in two main ways:

      1 Some genes can affect the way in which your child absorbs and uses (metabolizes) different nutrients. This is just another way of saying that different people have different nutrient requirements.

      2 Nutrients can actually affect the expression of many genes. This means that you might be genetically ‘at risk’ for something like ADHD or depression, but you won’t necessarily develop the symptoms if your environment (including diet) is good.

      Genes are not destiny—and it’s worth pointing out that families often share dietary habits as well as genes! How good are yours?

      What’s Beneath the Surface?

      Your child’s behaviour and performance at school (or in other things she does) are just the things you can see on the surface. These are often the main focus of programmes aimed at changing or influencing children’s behaviour and learning, some of which can be very helpful. But other powerful forces at work are often well hidden. What your child is thinking will affect her behaviour and performance. (If she thinks the teacher sees her as stupid or lazy, for example, she’ll be rather less likely to do what she’s told at school; or if she doesn’t understand why you won’t let her stay up late, this could lead to a tantrum.) What she’s thinking, though, is usually much harder to tell than what she’s doing. It’s beneath the surface.

      You can help here by doing your best to develop a good relationship with your child. Talk to her and try to find out what she thinks. Even more important—listen to her without judging; so that she feels able to tell you what’s going on in her mind. With some children, this kind of communication can be hampered by their very difficulties—especially if these are with language, for example, or social interactions. Sometimes a professional with the right experience can help—but keep doing what you can, and always remember that your child’s thoughts and beliefs (based on whatever her perceptions and powers of reasoning are) will affect her behaviour and performance.

      At the next level, your child’s feelings will colour her thinking. If she feels bad about herself, she’s more likely to develop negative thought patterns and beliefs, and this can prevent her from trying to learn how tackle her own problems. The same applies to you, of course. If you ever find yourself thinking ‘I’ve failed as a parent’ or ‘I really can’t deal with this’, it will be because your own feelings at that moment are negative ones. You may be feeling overwhelmed, but when those feelings pass, you’ll think differently. It’s the same with your child.

      Underneath your feelings (the things you can recognize, identify or put a name to), there is another level at work—and that involves your emotions. We’re on the physical level here—because your raw emotions actually reflect the constant shifts and changes going on at the level of your bodily functions, including your heart rate, your breathing, your digestion, and even the workings of your immune system. These things are governed by your ‘autonomic nervous system’ (which works without your conscious intervention, and usually without even your conscious awareness). They do, however, have a very powerful effect on everything you think, feel and СКАЧАТЬ