January 4, 2000
My name is Nancy R. We live in Louisville, KY and have been on the
Feingold diet for a year now. I can't begin to tell you the difference it
has made for our family. I have 2 daughters - age 5 and 3. I was
raised with a brother who was ADHD - he now has two daughters - ages 13 (ADD) and
8 (ADHD and ODD). Don't tell me this doesn't run in families!
Anyway, my older daughter started having problems in daycare right before
her 3rd birthday. During the next year we went through 3
daycare/preschool situations and things just kept getting worse. I had seen enough from my
brother and his children to see which direction we were heading. I can go
into all the specifics later if you want, but that would be a book! My
daughter's main problem was EXTREME impulsivity and a lack of any self
control. She also had temper tantrums, wild mood swings, was often really
mean for no apparent reason. She had some noticeable obsessive/compulsive
traits (constant need to rub her hands in something or against each other)
and some mild autistic traits (rocking, wouldn't meet your eyes, problems
with social contact). She was obviously NOT autistic, she just reminded
me
of autistic kids sometimes. Anyway, we scheduled a formal evaluation but
it took 3 months to schedule. I was desperate and didn't want to wait
that
long. My pediatrician mentioned Feingold as something I could try if I
wanted to - while we were waiting.
At that point I would have done anything. I didn't want my family to be
in
constant upheaval and crisis (like my brother's often was). So we started
Feingold. After 5 days my 4 year old told me she loved me and gave me a
big hug. I cried. We had had an adversarial relationship for a long
time because of her inability to control herself. We had a wonderful day that
day. After two weeks, I checked with her teacher and she said she had
really noticed a change too. Suzie could sit still in circle time and
wasn't jumping up and running out of the room impulsively. We started
having a 50-50 split of good and bad days - which was a major improvement
for us.
By the time she actually got her evaluation - she didn't qualify for any
special services. Her teacher said she could still see weekly
improvement.
Suzie had friends for the first time. She was able to follow the rules.
Now Suzie sometimes goes almost a whole week without a single time-out.
Her self-esteem is much better. She's in a Pre-K class now and her
teachers say she is just like all the other kids. We have also learned
better what she can and cannot eat (fine tuning) and I don't notice being
on
Feingold anymore, except when we travel. Eating out is a little more
complicated, but it is worth it to have my child happy and see her
successful.
Feingold was a challenge for about 3 weeks just because we had so much to
learn. Once we learned what brands to buy, I didn't think it was hard.
The only 2 investments were a membership to the Feingold Association and a
bread machine.
We did other things for Suzie too. We limit TV watching and computer time.
We keep a regular schedule at home. We try to give her good nutrition.
She's in a terrific school.
But the biggest difference was Feingold.
Whatever you decide, I hope you
and
your child find what works best for you.
N.R., Louisville, KY
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