How to improve concentration and school grades of ADHD children?

Do you know how many children of the school-aged population have the ADHD? I've seen many myself, as I am a speech therapist. Different sources give some estimates, but not the numbers are important.

Parents usually hear the diagnosis that their kids have ADHD when they start attending to kindergarten or early elementary school. Teachers are usually the first people to notice problems with children's attention and behaviour. It can be difficult to distinguish between the core ADHD symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention.

Typical symptoms include difficulty in concentrating during lessons, nervousness, boys tend to be aggressive, girls are usually talkative. These disorders are caused by a chemical imbalance in their nervous system and are more often in boys than in girls.

Research indicate that many factors can cause the ADHD. They mention genetic and environmental impact. To environmental factors could include nutritional deficiencies. Lack of essential nutrients can be the cause of symptoms associated with ADHD.

ADHD children are often considered as mentally weak because they don’t perform to their full potential. This is not true. ADHD children are often very bright and when they have proper attention focused on them, they can prove it. Often their main problem is their inability to concentrate and focus for a certain period of time.

Supplementation with omega-3 fish oil can be a key in solving the problem, as may help children become calmer, focused and perform to their full potential.

The recent study from Australia may be one of the most important reports indicating that omega-3 EPA and DHA (found in fatty fish and fish oils) are good for proper cognitive functioning. An adequate supply of omega-3 fats can help reduce the symptoms of ADHD.

In Australia, a group of 75 children (aged between 7 to12 years old) underwent cognitive assessments. Students with higher blood levels of omega 3EPA/DHA reported less anxiety or shyness, predicted “better word reading” compared to children with high omega-6 levels (fats found in fast food and processed foods) who had lower attention rates, poorer reading, vocabulary and spelling. This study is the first to compare erythrocyte PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) in children who have ADHD with and without learning difficulties. It gives strong evidence for the link between omega-3 and ADHD, and that children with ADHD will do better with optimal levels of omega-3 intake compared to children with ADHD with sub optimal levels of omega-3 intake.

The study from Austraila confirmed the results of previous UK trial called Durham study, which indicated that fish oil supplementation improves attention in kids. Children, who were getting omega-3 oils, had better results in reading, spelling and counting. Their ability to concentrate, their levels of reading, as well as things like hand writing improved.Other studies show that children fed mother's milk, rich in omega-3, rarely show symptoms of ADHD.

Many experts suggest that kids consuming adequate amounts of their omega-3's have a lower chance for developing asthma, ADHD, depression, diabetes and impaired cognitive development in general.

Diet, as well as environment, affects the child's ability to concentrate and easily, it can be modified to include the necessary vitamins and minerals. It should contain lots of omega-3’ to enhance the ability of the child’s attention. The human brain is made of 70% of fat and about 20% of these fats are the omega-3 DHA. Fatty acids omega-3 DHA and EPA are essential fatty acids. That means that they are a necessary part of our diet, but our body cannot manufacture them, so they need to be obtained from the diet.

Fatty fish is known as the best source of omega-3s (sardines, salmon, mackerel, swordfish are good sources of EPA/DHA fats), but there are many other foods that contain these health-boosting fats: brazil nuts, soybeans, walnuts, pumpkin and hemp seeds, almonds. Fruits and vegetables that are good sources of omega-3s include: kidney beans, tofu, certain berries, such as raspberries and strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower. Free-range beef and poultry are also good sources of omega-3s.

It's easy to add these healthy and delicious foods to everyday eating habits, but if it's impossible to provide enough omega fatty acids in our kids’ diet naturally, then supplementation can be considered. There are many quality EPA/DHA supplements available, but if not all of them are equal. I recommend doing some research before buying a random tub, as only those from quality manufacturers (free of pollutants, heavy metals) should be considered.

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