Anyone who has school age children has heard of attention deficit disorder. This is because an estimated 7% of school age children suffer from ADD. Most parents even know that the main symptoms caused by ADD are the failure to pay close attention, the inability to sustain attention during tasks and being easily distracted, and that there can be a hyperactive component to the disorder which causes fidgeting, talking excessively and difficulty waiting your turn. However, what parents do not know is how to get their child accurately evaluated for ADD and ADHD and what to do if their child does have the disorder.
“I was so frustrated trying to get a definite diagnosis for my son. My school hinted that something was wrong so I went to my pediatrician for help, but was told that was not her specialty. I was referred to several specialists who ruled out a lot of things but did not really know what it was. I was finally given a questionnaire and asked to have those who worked closely with my son fill it out. Although the responses given were very inconsistent, I was told it was probably ADD. The suggestion was to give him Ritalin,” says the mother of a 9 year old boy.
“I was not comfortable with the diagnosis because I did not feel that it was really credible. I was concerned about giving my young child medicine that has negative side effects and insufficient long term studies,” she says. This is a common story heard by Dr. Kyle Bonesteel. Dr. Bonesteel is a board certified clinical neuropsychologist and assistant professor at Loyola University.
Dr. Bonesteel is one of only a few who has a Ph.D. in the highly specialized field of behavioral neuroscience and uses his expertise in ADD and ADHD to take a much different approach to diagnosing and treating these disorders. “I understand exactly how parents feel. I would not allow someone to give my child medicine or any other treatment if they could not prove that my child had ADD, ADHD or any other disorder,” says Bonesteel.
“To clearly determine if someone has attention deficit disorder, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive series of tests that look at their physiological history, neurodevelopmental history, behavioral symptoms, neurocognitive abilities and brain function,” says Bonesteel. These painless tests take between two to five hours to complete and are done in his office. “Individuals especially like seeing the sophisticated 3D brain map results. These detailed maps along with the technologically advanced neurocognitive test results show the individual why their brain is not functioning as well as it should and why they have the symptoms they do.”
“Only after my team has carefully reviewed the results from the five phase testing, do I give a diagnosis. There are so many incorrect diagnoses of ADD and ADHD and I have seen the consequences of these. That is why I make certain that the diagnosis is correct,” says Bonesteel.
Like his diagnostic approach, Dr. Bonesteel’s treatment approach is on the cutting edge for this disorder. “We use a combination of neurofeedback and strategy therapy. We use neurofeedback to teach the deficient areas of the brain the appropriate functionality. This is done by using a complex computer model to correct and retrain the individual’s brain wave patterns. Strategy therapy gives the individual and their family a chance to talk about the issues that arise from having ADD or ADHD. We tell them what is reasonable to expect and give them coping strategies to help them better deal with the disorder,” says Bonesteel.
Dr. Bonesteel’s goal is to significantly reduce or eliminate the symptoms of ADD and ADHD. The treatment plan lasts between seven to ten weeks has no side effects and is long lasting. Some individuals come in for a three to six week maintenance program to make sure everything is going as planned. “My goal is for the individual to get better and not to see them again,” laughs Dr. Bonesteel.
To contact Dr. Bonesteel for a complimentary consultation call 630.969.3233 or meet him and his staff at the ADD/ADHD Treatment Center on 9/23 from 5-9pm and 9/25 from 9am-4pm at 477 East Butterfield, Suite 310 in Lombard or visit www.theaddresource.com.
