Neurobehavioral Disorders

Attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism all have a similar neurological basis. They have a decrease in function of the right frontal lobe in the brain. This does not mean there is a tumor or vascular lesion present, but it does tell us the cells in the right frontal lobe lack adequate fuel and/or activation and therefore, cannot maintain their proper health and function.

The right frontal lobe typically gives us the ability to recognize right from wrong by stopping inappropriate activity.  It also gives us our creativity and spatial awareness. Kids without this awareness have an inaccurate perception of their bodies and, in turn, are clumsy and uncoordinated. The ability to judge someone's body language and tone of intent is also controlled by the right frontal lobe, allowing us normal social interactions. Our personality, our abilities in making executive decisions, planning and focus are all components of the right frontal lobe, which many children with ADD, ADHD and autism have difficulty with. The right frontal lobe controls our heart rate and blood pressure of the right half of the body, angulation of joints on the right side (posture) and controls the size of our arteries. If these are all functioning well, then we have proper posture, less injury and lower blood pressure.

The urinary center of the brain is located in the right frontal lobe and acts to dampen our urge to urinate. There is another important urinary center in the Pons of the brain stem. Children with this part in their brain hindered, often wet the bed beyond a normal age due to the lack of strength in the right hemisphere of their brain.

Another area of the brain that is severely decreased and may be the most important structure to focus on during treatment of the ADD spectrum is the left cerebellum. The left cerebellum gives us coordination and balance of the left side of our body. It controls eye movements and positioning upon rest gaze. It provides information to the right side of the brain. This creates a stronger right hemisphere if the left cerebellum is healthy. Therefore, an unhealthy left cerebellum would also give us an unhealthy right brain, which may lead to the spectrum of ADD, ADHD and autism.  Using specialized imaging in the brains of children falling within this disease spectrum, the left cerebellum was seen to have a 15% decrease in size as compared to the frontal lobe and basal ganglia (see below), which had approximately a 5% loss. This explains the importance of left cerebrellar rehabilitation along with the right brain.

The final area usually affected is the basal ganglia. Problems in this area will present as tics or tremors. The basal ganglia is like a turbine creating energy for the brain. Without it, the brain cannot perform at high levels of function.

ADD/ADHD kids typically respond very well to care at Portland Chiropractic Neurology. Treatment involves neurological rehabilitation of the left cerebellum and right brain, as well as nutritional therapy.  Drugs will sometimes create a promising short-term scenario, but are not meant for long-term changes. Natural, non-drug approaches using fuel and activation are the only ways to create permanent changes in the brain. ADD/ADHD children do not need a band-aid approach, but more importantly they need a treatment designed to eliminate the root of the problem.

Three things to look for if you think your child may be exhibiting signs of ADD/ADHD or Autism:

   1. Abnormal social interactions and relationships
   2. Abnormal eye movements
   3. Clumsiness, lack of coordination and spatial awareness