Patterning is based on the theory that individuals develop through stages that correspond to human evolutionary stages. The theory was developed in the 1940s and 1950s. The belief is that children pass through stages in which the use of specific central nervous system functions must be mastered in a sequential manner. Humans attain six functions (Doman & Delacato, 1968) including:
Failure to pass through a developmental sequence will result in difficulties in mobility and communication. Therefore, an explanation for a lack of attention or a lack of ability to perform in school is this developmental failure.
Once this developmental “difficulty” is recognized, an intense regimen of remedial motor activity is started. Motor behaviors such as rolling over, sitting, crawling, standing, and walking are all relearned and performed at an acceptable level. For example, an individual with ADHD may be required to practice crawling until crawling is mastered. If needed, the individual is physically guided through the crawling motions until the individual can do so independently. Once the individual is able to move through or relearn the developmental sequence, improved skills in the aforementioned functions will improve.
The research backing up these claims is weak. Replications of earlier works (e.g., Delacato, 1966) have not been successful.
In a world where the use of vitamins is a large industry, it is no surprise that vitamins have been touted as aiding individuals with ADHD. The theory put forth by proponents of megavitamins is that hyperactive behavior results from vitamin deficiencies. Therefore, treatment may consist of differing dosages and combinations of the following vitamins: vitamin C, B complex, and vitamin E. Vitamins A and D are usually excluded (Mercer, 1997).
Although megavitamin therapy may seem logical, studies have not shown this therapy to be of any benefit. In fact, major negative side effects of this therapy are toxicity, liver damage, scurvy, cramps, cardia arrhythmia, fatigue, diarrhea, and headaches. Therefore, megavitamins therapy seems to have far more risks than benefits.
There have been reports that many individuals with allergies also have learning disabilities (Silver, 1995). Based on this interesting finding, Feingold (1973) hypothesized that hyperactivity and learning difficulties in children resulted from allergic reactions to salicylates. Salicylates are compounds naturally found in foods such as apples, oranges, tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers, berries, and teas. The compound is also found synthetically in food colors and flavors. Feingold indicates that there are 34 food colors, 1,610 synthetic flavors, and 1,120 other chemicals added to foods. Therefore, Feingold hypothesized that we should keep children away or control the intake of these foods and other items such as toothpaste, perfumes, and aspirin. Therefore, he proposed the Feingold Diet.
While early results appeared positive, several researchers were unable to replicate these successes. Today, professionals generally do not believe that diets have much if any affect on the behaviors of children with ADHD (Meese, 2001). Rarely will professionals advocate diet treatments for ADHD; however, diets are still discussed by parents and other lay people. Other diets have also been developed (Rapp, 1978) and advocated through the years; unfortunately, research has not shown that they are effective as a treatment for ADHD.
Problems such as poor spatial orientation, faulty eye movements, and poor balance have been found in many individuals with learning difficulties. Thus, it was thought that this dysfunction of the vestibular system results in poor academic performance (Levinson, 1980). Motor, eye movement, and spatial orientation activities are used to improve students’ performance (Meese, 2001). As with the other treatments, there is a serious lack of research supporting the efficacy of such an approach.
One popular treatment today is vision training. Many optometrists practice such training with individuals who are experiencing academic difficulties especially in the area of reading. The training is based on perceptual-motor theory in that the central nervous system and the eyes are involved in learning how to engage in a complex vision for complex tasks such as reading (Meese, 2001). Therefore, reading problems are due to visual malfunctions. The treatment consists of fine visual discriminations such as drawing a fine line between two close objects, eye movement exercises, and practice in focusing in and out on objects.
The research supporting such treatment is nonexistent. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (2001) is critical of the approach and indicates that there is a lack of scientific support. With such little professional support, it is surprising that so many parents and vision specialists still practice such a treatment.
Similar to vision training, Irlen proposes that reading problems result from difficulties with vision such as eye strain, impaired depth perception, poor visual resolution, and poor sustained focus (Irlen, 1983). Therefore, Irlen proposed to use lenses--therefore, called Irlen lenses (or some educators will use colored overlays on print material) to reduce print and background distortions, ease eye strain and fatigue, and improve depth perception) (Mercer, 1997).
There is still a lack of empirical support for the use of colored lenses and overlays. The general consensus among professionals is that the treatment has minimal if any impact on the improvement of reading skills (American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2001).
The following treatments are used with children with ADHD (Arnold, 1988). Unfortunately, none of these is supported by scientific research for all children with ADHD.
Therefore, use of these approaches on a wide scale is not recommended at this point until researchers are able to document their effectiveness, if they are effective.