Health

Medication-Free Treatment Aids ADHD Patients

BOSTON (WBZ) ― The number of children diagnosed with autism, attention deficit disorders and learning disabilities is skyrocketing.

Doctors don't know what causes these conditions and treatment often involves some powerful medications and a lot of trial and error.

But one man on the North Shore is using a drug-free approach to help these kids and their families.

Ten-year-old Alex Fiske of Beverly was adopted from Romania in 1999. Alex had a list of developmental delays, learning disabilities, ADHD and a violent streak.

"He was hitting his teachers and having outbursts," said Alex's father, John Fiske. "The principal of his school didn't know what to do with his behavior and called the police."

John Fiske and his wife tried everything, including psychiatrists, therapists and medication to help their son.

But the medication only made his behavior worse and Alex needed to be hospitalized for eight days to wean him off the powerful drug.

"I thought he was going to end up in jail," John Fiske said.

That's when the Fiskes met Sargent Goodchild, of Active Healing in Beverly. Goodchild relies on movement rather than medication to help kids like Alex.

"Movement speaks to all those levels of the brain that language can't," Goodchild said.

Goodchild's treatment is based on the theory that simple movements like crawling are critical to a child's brain development, and he believes that recreating those developmental milestones will help heal the brain.

"We can use movement to correct what's been mis-wired," he said.

Goodchild's theory has been around for decades but it's never been scientifically proven. Still many pediatricians say it can't hurt.

"If it works and does no harm and is not too costly and the parents know that's it's not scientifically proven and they're happy with it, I see no objection," said pediatrician Dr. Murray Feingold.

"I was a child with very significant problems," Goodchild said.

Like Alex, Goodchild had a number of developmental issues as a child. His mother read about this program and did the exercises with him at home.

He went from being a heavily medicated outcast to the top of his class. Goodchild says the program saved his life.

"I truly don't believe I'd be here today," he said. "I'd be in an institution."

For the Fisks, life with Alex has changed dramatically.

"That anger, that violence, those tantrums, that's all gone," John Fiske said. "It's made life normal. We can do normal things and it's really nice."

The future for Alex looks brighter every day.

The treatments cost from $75 for an hourly plan to $2,200 for a year long program.

Insurance won't cover it but people can use a flexible spending account.

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