Success Stories
Shelby's Story
Shelby at age five was always an active little girl, yet she seemed to struggle more and more with paying attention, listening, and always seemed to have that glazed look in her eyes. As her parents, we worried she suffered from attention deficit disorder (ADD), like her dad, and would need medication to help control the condition. My husband and I were familiar with the medical treatment options and knew that drugs were the most common treatment for ADHD, but we wanted to find other treatment options for Shelby, including alternative therapies.
Based on a friend’s suggestion, we decided to visit ADD Health and Wellness Center in Plano, TX. The Center offered a unique, one-stop care facility where medical treatment, testing and counseling for ADHD and related conditions were all integrated, and all at the same location. At the Center, we were able to learn about their unique treatment approach and various tools, which included nutritional counseling, psychologists, social workers, individual and group therapy, education, and coaching, along with medical treatment.
After Shelby’s initial evaluation and assessment, the psychologist Dr. Karen Friedman, created a customized treatment program that focused on behavior modification. She explained that through non-pharmaceutical treatments like coaching, counseling, and nutrition therapy; we could help Shelby with her attention disorder.
We learned how to manage and modify Shelby’s behavior with positive reinforcement using a powerful technique called the “token system.” When Shelby achieved specific goals in her program, she received pink chips. We began seeing results quickly and were amazed at how well Shelby focused and enjoyed the new “token program”. I was able to take part by making the actual token chips, which Shelby seemed to enjoy.
Dr. Friedman explained to us that the token system was an effective technique because it focused on positive reinforcement and well-defined goals. She explained that it was like giving a child with poor eyesight the glasses needed for them to see and that ADHD children needed something external to help with their behavior.
We found that ADD Health and Wellness Centers’ treatment program involved the entire family, not just Shelby and we began to learn how to effectively coach, and administer Shelby’s treatment in the comfort of our own home. The results were amazing and soon found that Shelby was doing so well we could do the program ourselves and no further visits were needed.
With just a few simple changes to her diet, and daily activities the results stunned us. For breakfast, protein replaced sugars and processed foods and Shelby’s day was structured around a programmed schedule so she knew what to expect and could remain comfortably focused.
It was like night and day, and even her teachers and Tae Kwon Do coach immediately noticed an improvement. ADD Health & Wellness Centers gave us the foundation to help our daughter succeed and by focusing our time and energy on her treatment, we have made huge progress.