Is
the Problem Dyslexia, ADHD, Child Abuse, or Allergies?
Allergies are often misdiagnosed as
dyslexia, ADHD and/or learning disabilities. Seventy percent of our students have
allergies with thirty percent hurting.
Child abuse may be associated with allergies. When a child cries, screams, and/or
hollers for hours and hours, the adult
may lose their patience and abuse the child. In Fighting for Tony,
Mary Callahan, RN, mother of a boy initially diagnosed as autistic when he
actually had severe allergies, recounts her struggles with Tony’s
allergy induced behavior.
These children are in the bottom of their class
academically. They are always in
trouble at school. They have good
days and bad days. They know
something one day and not the next.
This often shows up in spelling and/or math. These children also reverse letters such
as b-d. They frequently leave out
obvious sounds in spelling. They are poor spellers. If they are louder than other children
their age they probably had ear infections and took a lot of antibiotics. The antibiotics cause yeast infections
and the yeast infections cause allergies.
These children with allergies are usually clumsy and auditory processing
is poor. Allergies will plug the Eustachian tube which adversely affects balance,
coordination, and auditory processing. They have trouble jumping rope or doing
jumping jacks. They are hard to get along with.
What can
parents do about it? Parents can
have their child write in a journal every day. When their handwriting becomes poor they
need help. Elimination diets and/or
antihistamines often help along with as much exercise as there is time for in
the day. Blood tests can let parents know what the child is allergic to and to
what degree. Body movement programs the brain, getting
it organized and ready to learn, and helps lower the affect of allergies on learning.
What can
schools do about allergies? Schools
can provide phonics computer programs so children, wearing earphones, can turn
up the volume and hear phonics consistently. Research indicates that exercise at
school also helps children overcome allergy problems. Whether it develops more
synapses or changes the chemistry of the brain doesn’t matter. If
it works-do it. Schools can
also provide a good library on allergies for parents to check out and become
informed.
Allen Crane
Co Founder
areadingpro@aol.com