"We've bought into the idea that education is about training and 'success', defined monetarily, rather than learning to think critically and to challenge. We should not forget that the true purpose of education is to make minds, not careers."

                                              - Chris Hedges, Pulitzer-winning journalist

More and more children have behavioural problems and  learning problems in school. Hyperactivity, concentration disturbances, ADD; ADHD and learning disorders have become hot topics of our times. Many desperate parents look to their paediatrician for advice and support. Is our child OK or is it the school system which has a problem? Have we done everything right with our education in the family?

We live in a time in which affluence has exceeded the basic needs of people, and technology exerts an overwhelming influence on society. Behaviours of excessive consumption and violence have become commonplace in the family scene and school yard. These are further intensified and widely spread through the media.

The education of children begins at the first place in the family.  Only after the first years does the child go to kindergarten and then to school. Parents have to find time for the children. The individuality of children regarding their personality and temperament have to be recognised and accepted. Not every child who is lively suffers from ADD. An introvert child could well prefer to play alone without  needing any psychological pedagogic assessment. A child who lacks concentration in school often shows good concentration on something in which he is interested. Could there be a highly intelligent child hidden behind a “failure pupil”?

Ritalin is not the wonder drug for most of these children. If parents are loving and responsible in their education, they should also have enough confidence in  their children. If you feel uncertain, do obtain an appointment for a talk (without the child concerned) with the aim of a homoeopathic constitutional treatment, or to discuss about nutrition, or possible hormonal imbalance. Chinese herbal medicine could be used as supportive treatment. The impulsiveness and concentration weakness of a child could be part of his hormone make-up and could well be influenced by his  nutrition. Some stimulating views in these directions are expressed by Dr. Michael Platt, a physician in California, in his book “The miracles of Bio-identical Hormones”.

Please take note of the lectures about this topic and also meetings among parents for exchange of experience which take place from time to time in our practice. (Read “current information”)