How is the ADHD Brain Different?

The medical community views attention deficitthe left.
hyperactive disorder as a biological condition2) A developmental delay in brain circuitry. A delay
caused by dysfunctions in the brain - specifically, ain brain development is usually related to brain
deficiency in key neurotransmitters. Although thehemisphericity. What this means is that a child
brain of a person with ADHD is somewhatwith ADHD might be ten years old chronologically,
different from the brain of those without ADHD,but parts of his brain might be functioning at the
these differences are not the only cause of thelevel of a six year old, which is why he or she
disorder. ADHD is triggered by manysuffers from behavioral problems. These
environmental factors, and imbalances found indevelopmental problems are caused by complex
the ADHD brain are in fact expressions of theenvironmental factors called antecedents and
real causes of the disorder as well.triggers, which is why the right treatment plan for
How is the ADHD brain different from a normalADHD should be designed around neutralizing
brain? A medical doctor will probably tell you thatthese factors instead of temporarily stimulating
the ADHD brain is deficient in twothe brain with drugs. For as long as antecedents
neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine.and triggers continue to work on each other, the
These are the chemicals responsible for carryingimbalance in the brain stays and the symptoms
signals between brain cells; if there aren't enoughwill not go away.
neurotransmitters, the brain is unable to function3) Problems with sensory integration. Due to brain
optimally and the person experiences chronichemisphericity and developmental delay, an
inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. To treatindividual with ADHD may have issues processing
the imbalance, medical doctors will probablysensory information. They either feel too much
prescribe medication to stimulate the brain circuits(hyperactive) or don't feel enough (hypoactive).
and temporarily increase levels of dopamine,Either way, problems with sensory integration
resulting in increased concentration, higheroften lead to behavioral problems.
productivity, and better behavior. But the latestBefore embarking on a treatment plan for ADHD,
research on the brain structure of ADHD childrenyour child has to go through tests that can
revealed that the difference in the ADHD brain ispinpoint any deficiencies in the brain. There are
not so much due to the lack ofmany specialists who can use safe procedures like
neurotransmitters, but rather to a problem withneurofeedback, sensory integration approaches,
the electrical impulses needed to release theor chiropractic neurology to treat any problems in
neurotransmitters.the brain. The best thing about these approaches
Alternative health care practitioners go beyondis that they are 100% natural, which means your
the medical explanation of ADHD - a deficiency inchild won't be taking any potentially damaging
neurotransmitters - to locate three majordrugs to treat any brain deficiencies that might be
differences in the ADHD brain. All understanding offound.
these three differences is backed up by the latestRemember that ADHD is a condition caused by
scientific research.many environmental factors; an imbalance in
1) Brain hemisphericity. The normal brain canneurotransmitters is simply one of the symptoms.
activate the right and left hemispheres of theThat is why an effective treatment for ADHD
brain with ease. However, a person diagnosedmust go beyond treating the brain and address
with ADHD experiences a deficiency in one of thethe environmental factors triggering the disorder
two hemispheres. Researchers have discoveredin the first place.
that the right hemisphere is usually weaker than