The Controversy between Red Dye#40 and ADHD

Another issue floating around regarding ADHD has to do with the addition of Red Dye #40 into many of the food choices available for children.

The FDA recently concluded a study of children with ADHD trying to find a possible link between food dye and hyperactive behavior. The government sponsored advisory panel reached the conclusion that there is no direct link between food dyes and increased hyperactive behavior. However, it has been noted that many of the studies that were used to come to this conclusion were inherently flawed because the tests were either skewed due to the formula used or the quantity of dye in each test. Because there were no set levels or single dyes used in any of the tests, the panel was unable to come to a decision. (See Full Report HERE)

It should be noted, though, that the European Union decided to ban specific dyes from food imported from the United States or produced in the Union in 2007 and required products that included other food dyes to place a warning label in plain sight of the consumer.

So, what does that mean to us parents of kids with ADHD? Can we determine that hyperactivity is either exacerbated by food dye or that it can even cause ADHD symptoms in kids who don't have clinically diagnosed ADHD? Scientifically speaking- no, we can't determine that there is a direct and sure link between food dye and ADHD.

However, as a parent to a child who would become extremely violent within 20 minutes of eating something with Red Dye #40, I can tell you that I found a connection, one that was very disturbing and frightening to witness. Now, my child can be extremely hyperactive, I admit that in every way but he has never been violent towards me or intended to hurt me. I have never seen his eyes go from the bluest blue to full, black pupils except when he has eaten something with Red Dye #40. How do I know it is from the Red Dye? Because I didn't change anything else in his diet. And my son did not spontaneously decide to kick me and bite my arm that was around him for the hour prior to his "treat." Because I started keeping notes about what he ate and his reactions and noticed that a trend started to come through...anything with Red Dye #40 not only enhanced his hyperactive behavior, it even added an element of violence and determination to hurt those in his path of destruction.

I couldn't stop this behavior even though I tried everything in my arsenal of tricks and every possible calming method I knew. I put him in time outs, took away his toys, even had his father come home to physically hold him so he wouldn't hurt us, the animals, or himself. He didn't calm down until he physically exhausted himself and when we realized this, we would take him to the track and let him run it out. Sometimes this would take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours of just running back and forth, helping him metabolize the dye in his body to where it didn't affect him as much.

Of course, some people did not believe me, especially my parents and in-laws and still gave him foods with red-dye...that is until they were watching him after giving him said food and had to handle the fall out themselves instead of just sending him back to us before the tornado hit. After they were able to see first-hand how it affected him, they agreed with me and honored our wishes to stop giving him food with added food dye.

For us, this meant changing the way we did things. Yes, it was hard to change what we ate, where we went out to dinner, saying "no" when he wanted that strawberry ice cream cone or yogurt from a friend's house. It meant packing his lunch with food that required greater preparation and close reading of items from the grocery store. In fact, it even meant that we needed to completely change the places we shopped and the dinners we made. Instead of popping into Vons or Ralphs and picking up a microwave entrée and rewarding him with McDonald's, we had to consciously plan our meals, looking through condiments and throwing away perfectly good food, declining party invitations, even bringing our own cupcakes to friend's birthday parties.

So, yes, it was hard.

But the effect was immediate. He stopped reacting so oddly after eating food, even food that are considered treats, such as candy or ice cream. He was able to feel better and although he realized that he was different than his peers, it didn't seem to bother him, especially after he ate a cupcake with Red Dye #40 by accident one day and went into crazy mode. After he came out of it and had some space, he actually told me he didn't like how he felt after eating the cupcake and he didn't like not having control over his actions or thoughts. I think he was about four and a half at this point and he hadn't had anything with Red Dye in about 6 months. It was the validation that I was looking for to prove to me the connection between Red Dye and ADHD.

Look, you can do what you want to do with your child, that goes without saying, but if there was a chance, even a small chance that you could help your child be more successful or less hyperactive, wouldn't you want to help him or her? If there was a chance to bring some calmness to your house and less chaos, isn't it worth it to try? Besides, it is not like you are completely changing every thing your child eats, you are just swapping their favorite foods with dyes with different brands of similar food that don't have these additives in them. Why not give it a chance?

The Other Side of ADHD- Hyper Focus!

Most people who are aware of ADHD or have some experience with a person with ADHD, they can all recognize the hyperactive elements. The inability to stop moving, getting up, the impulsive behavior, and even the need to constantly talk or be the center of attention. However, the hyperactive behavior isn't the only reaction that comes from a person with ADHD. Sometimes, when a person becomes really interested in something or really involved in creating something, they become hyper-focused.

This hyper-focus allows them to stay on one task for hours on end, trying to either perfect something, accomplish something, or come to the end of the activity they find fascinating or challenging. When this happens, it can be extremely difficult to get their attention, even impossible in some situations where the activity requires all a person's senses.

I find this type of focus fascinating and although I can recognize when I get into the "zone," as my husband calls it, it is especially interesting to see my extremely hyper seven year old focus in on creating a huge multi-dimensional lego jet bomber. All of a sudden, his need to move shuts off, his need to be stimulated quiets down, and he sits in one spot for hour at a time, methodically piecing together this incredibly difficult airplane without even the need to tap his foot. He will be like this for as long as it takes to completely finish it, even if it takes three days. 

It is so hard to get his attention because he replies, "Wait a minute Mom, I just need to ______________ (insert the next step here)" While I respect his need to finish the task at hand, since I can recognize this intense, almost uncontrollable need to complete the task, it becomes difficult to get him to accomplish ANYTHING! I have had to actually pry a half-completed lego formation from his clenched hands so he can go to sleep. But then, he will come out a half of a dozen times to "tweak" his creation and it goes back and forth until the end. 

Now, when he finally DOES finish it, he can put it to the side and forget about it. He doesn't play with it, or even care if it gets destroyed. For him, it is the PROCESS of building the lego formation, not the end result. As his Mom though, I can be proud of him and his ability to complete something like this and be content knowing that when he does find something that speaks to him, he will likely see it through- we just need to get him through those other less appealing tasks required of him by education!

Tweeting Shakespeare was A HIT!

I had seen this idea somewhere on Pinterest and thought to myself, "My kids will NEVER go for that! They hate anything that is popular and 'cool'!"

But after struggling to get them to attend and having to do 90% of the work for them yesterday, pulling out every trick in the book to get them to understand what Shakespeare is saying in the beginning of Macbeth, I was out of patience and completely out of ideas. This was my Hail Mary shot in the dark, a chance that turned out to actually get them involved and even *gasp* interested in what the heck Shakespeare was saying through Banquo about the potential for ruin in the face of realizing your greatest dream.

So after my customary QOTD (Question of the Day), I wrote the specific lines they needed to pay attention to with the instructions about character length and a little note about Banquo and who he is in the story to give them a sense of understanding about who is who and what is what.

I paired them up based on strengths and weaknesses, interest in the story, and excitement about the challenge. Then, I made it more interesting by saying that 5 minutes prior to the end of the class, they would have to write their tweets on the board and I would judge the best tweet for correct context, interpretation, and interest. I would be looking for a unique hashtag at the end to connect all of the ideas together and at the end of the judgement, I would also award points to the best tweet onto their ongoing "Positive Points" count, which gives the winner a surprise at end of the month.

Here is the original mini-speech by Banquo to Macbeth in Act I, Scene III:

That trusted home
Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,
Besides the thane of Cawdor. But 'tis strange:
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's
In deepest consequence.

Tweet #1: 

Going to be given the crown and title "Thane of Cawdor". Evil can tell the truth, but can lead to death. Going to be king. Don't screw it up! #Macbeth

Tweet #2: 

Macbeth we want you to be a noble and faithful leader so as not to bring us to our doom #savior

Tweet #3: 

Face and make friends with your fear, this may mean battling demons but deciding to will encourage self growth #struggles

WOW! I was shocked! I didn't know how they would do and how they would feel having to interpret the passage without my help, but I was so pleasantly surprised with their response and how they felt after completing the assignment that I think I will do something like this again with other passages in the play and passages from other literature we tackle this semester. 

The ideas are endless and interesting to see them actually embrace an idea that has a following or such a huge place in modern pop culture. All in all, it was a great day of instruction and seeing them take SOME ownership over their own education- something that I have been fostering in some of these guys for three straight years now- is a really good feeling.

So...Reality Came and Smacked Me Across the Face....

Remember how I said that my Senior class period 6 was going to be a lot of fun? Yeah....I was wrong. Like- dead wrong. HOLY MOLY!!! They are a tough crowd. First, I have this class at the end of the day when their meds have just about worn off. Second, they enjoy having me as a teacher and they enjoy the class, which means I am constantly trying to contain the optimism and enthusiasm of eight 17-18 year old boys, all of whom have ADHD, one with the addition of Aspergers, 2 with auditory processing disorders, and 1 who thinks because he is an actor that he can get away with anything. It take so much energy to just get them to attend to what I am teaching that day that I am usually left exhausted and feeling like I have survived a tornado when that 50 minutes is finally over.

By Thursday of the first week back to school, I started thinking of ways to get them to settle down instead of using the time as Social Hour. I also realized that most of them have had some type of discipline modeled for them since childhood and if I could bring that back into the classroom, I might be moderately successful. With this in mind, on Friday when the class began, I wrote three red Xs across the top of the board and explained that I was going to erase an X each time they got too loud or were not paying attention to the lesson because they were talking. When all three Xs were erased, they were going to have to get out of their chairs, find a spot along the wall, turn so they were looking at the wall, and complete their work in their laps. Since I only have 8 students, I could space them out enough to prevent more talking and socializing.

Once I explained my tactic and reasons, they calmed down enough to get through some of the preliminary explanations on Macbeth and Shakespeare and by the end of the period, I only had to erase 2 of the 3 Xs. I think this is going to be a standard practice in this class and with these boys.

I love teaching them and I know they like the class, but trying to contain their energy is like trying to herd cats...its basically impossible without the right incentive!