Helping Your Child with ADHD or Sensory Challenges Thrive This School Year Without More Meds or More Stress
If you’re like a lot of parents who walk into our office, you’ve probably already tried it all for your child behavior charts, meetings with counselors, maybe even starting to consider medication for the challenges your child is facing at school.
And if you’re still searching for answers, I want you to know… we get it.
In our practice, we specialize in helping kids with ADHD and sensory processing challenges get back on track especially when parents are feeling that mix of hope and anxiety about sending their child back to school. Maybe you’re worried about the phone calls from teachers, the focus issues, or the meltdowns over homework. Maybe you see that spark in your child’s mind, and it hurts to watch them struggle in a system that doesn’t seem built for how their brain works.
Here’s the thing:
📊 In 2022, there were 1 million more ADHD diagnoses compared to 2016.
👧 Sensory processing challenges now affect nearly 1 in 6 kids.
Even though these challenges are becoming more common, many families are still given the same solutions doctors were using decades ago solutions that don’t address the root neurological issues.
So in this post, I want to help you understand what’s happening in your child’s nervous system and share practical, drug-free strategies you can use to help your child thrive this school year.
Grant’s Story: From Struggling Fifth Grader to Thriving Student
When Grant first came to see us, he was in fifth grade with a diagnosis of ADHD and an auditory processing challenge.
The smallest noises kids talking, a pen tapping pulled his focus away from lessons. He was falling behind in reading and math. To make things more stressful, he would sometimes throw up while traveling, which puzzled and worried his parents.
When we assessed Grant, we found his nervous system was stuck in a stress mode like a gas pedal that wouldn’t let up. Over the next two months, we worked on bringing that gas pedal down and activating his “brake pedal,” so his brain could focus, rest, and process information again.
Two months later, his mom reported:
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An A+ on a math test
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New excitement for reading
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No more travel-related nausea
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A promotion to the next math level
And the best part? We didn’t have to change his environment, give him medication, or restrict him to a quiet room for tests. His nervous system simply became more adaptable.
The Gas Pedal vs. Brake Pedal Analogy
Your child’s nervous system has two main modes:
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Gas Pedal → Focus, run, compete, respond to stress
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Brake Pedal → Rest, digest, heal, concentrate calmly
Healthy kids switch between these easily. But when the “gas pedal” is stuck on, they’re wired for fight-or-flight. This can mean:
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Difficulty focusing
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Trouble sleeping
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Digestive challenges
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Increased anxiety or meltdowns
Step one is assessing which pedal is overactive then gently helping the system rebalance.
Four Core Strategies for Thriving
1. Prioritize Quality Sleep
During sleep, your child’s brain integrates the sensory input and experiences from the day. But if their gas pedal is stuck on, sleep can be hard to come by even if they’re tired.
Help them create a calming bedtime routine, avoid stimulating activities right before bed, and make their bedroom a restful environment.
2. Keep Their Environment Organized
For a child with sensory processing challenges, clutter is more than just messy it’s overwhelming.
One of our families went through a kitchen remodel, which visually overstimulated their daughter. We helped them create a calm, organized bedroom as her safe zone. Even small changes, like having a dedicated spot for shoes, backpacks, and homework, can lower stress levels.
3. Build in Daily Exercise
Research in Spark by Dr. John Ratey shows that exercise can be as effective as medication for some kids with ADHD especially in the morning.
Gross motor activities like running, jumping, or climbing help release calming brain chemicals and strengthen the proprioceptive system, which helps the brain feel grounded and organized.
4. Address the Root Cause: Nervous System Stress
This is where our neurologically focused chiropractic care comes in. For kids like Grant, it’s often the missing link.
When the nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight, all the other strategies sleep routines, healthy eating, organized spaces can only go so far. By using gentle adjustments to release that stress, we help kids become more adaptable, focused, and confident.
The Next Step for Your Child
If this sounds like your child, we can help. Our neurological scans allow us to see exactly where your child’s nervous system is stuck and create a personalized plan to help them thrive.
📍 You can learn more about our process here and see how we’ve helped hundreds of families just like yours.
Your child already has the brilliance, creativity, and drive to succeed. They just need a nervous system that’s ready to support them every step of the way.