Expert: Sharon Crandall - 3/23/2010

Question
My son is 12 yrs old and suffers from ADD his not at all hyperactive and doesn't have sleeping problems.
Our only problem is staying focused at school. Ihave had him assessed by a neurologist and he prescribed Stratera
I have since read about side effects and I am horrified
His appetite is good but he is a thin boy and was put on ritalin at age 7 he felt terribly anxious and had a poor appetite.
Please advise me on any alternate safer treatment.

ps what sports should he try out for

Answer
Dear Pam,

What really upsets me is that it is very natural for many children to have problems in focusing in school. Many children are just not built to sit all day in a school situation and needs an entirely different type of school and yet they pressure you to have your child conform to a regular school setting.

Some children have the type of brain that works best when they are physically moving. I do hope you are horrified by the side effects of these drugs. They are addictive and can cause serious physical problems, including Ritalin,

I wish I could work with him, personally, because I could assess his personality traits and know exactly what is going on.

So, If you can write back and give me more detail to his personality and also what you mean by difficulty in focusing. Give me an example or two of what happens when you say he can't focus, and perhaps I can help you.

Let's start there and then we can go from there. Also, go to my website listed below, and click on "raise dynamite children" and there will be more information on learning, etc. That will save us some time once you have read the information. I will wait to hear from you.

Sharon Crandall
Personality Science Consultant
www.personalityconsultant.com