September is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) month.
I'm only 31 . . . but I remember, as a child, being very energetic! I remember my mother asking the peditrician about hyperness, and the doctor telling my mother not to worry . . . just a kid.
Today, times have changed and doctors are writing prescriptions left and right. Some children may need these types of medication, however, I do not feel the doctors are probing and diagnosing as thorough as they should. These medications are controlled substances.
What's your feeling on ADHD and medication? Has your child been diagnosed with ADHD? And if so, does your child take medication to help focus in school? What medication? How many times did your doctor have to switch medication to find the right medication for your child?
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Sunny- Not all Dr's just slam kids on meds and shove them out the door. I worked for a local pediatrician who HATED to put kids on meds unless they had been properly tested by a behavioral specialist and had letters from classroom teachers with their observations before just plopping them on Ritalin or other meds. There are other good docs who do the same - just don't make a broad statement that "all doctors just put them on meds". A lot of the time it was the PARENTS who couldn't handle their kids and wanted a fast fix.
ReplyDeleteWhats the question?
ReplyDeleteoh my, dont i understand this. within our family tree we have had several kids on meds, they seemed to create other problems in the kids. i think we have to learn to channel this abundant energy into something that will be positive in the young peoples lives, use the energy for learning,working and growing. turn a negative into a positive. i dont like medicating the kids, its dangerous. but these decisions are probably best left up to your respectable trustworthy doctors.
ReplyDeleteI would have been labeled ADHD for sure. Probably until I was about 40! In my honest opinion, if this "label" and the "medicate them" attitude had been around hundreds of years ago, we would probably still be riding horses for transportation and relying on the Pony Express for our mail. Find things to hold these kids interest! Keep them challenged! Focus their energy and I believe you will see them truely soar!
ReplyDeleteMy son has all of the symptoms of ADD. He has a terrible time paying atten......
ReplyDeleteHey Look....a squirril!
They say you should never discuss politics, religion or sex...add ADHD issues to that list!
ReplyDeleteIf you monitor and change what your child eats you will see a huge difference in behavior. Todays fast foods are actually slow poisons. Convenience is not always a good thing. If teachers had the ability to teach to the potential of the child instead of teaching to the test there would be a big difference in class behavior. Some kids are bored stiff with classwork because they've been fortunate enough to have been taught at home before reaching school age. Not every kid is average some require a challenge to keep them focused.
ReplyDeleteCut out all red colored foods and drinks. Cut out the candy and starches. No sodas or caffiene. When my son was having a bad day, I gave him a bit of coffee and watched it help settle him down. My son was diagnosed as hyperactive when he was in 2nd grade, 1982. After seeing kids on Ritalin, Trival or whatever it is they are doping these kids up on I decided I'd go another route. It took about a month to clear his system of everything that was of harm to him. We substituted pectin candies for sugary candies, carob for chocolate, water for kool aid, canned veggies for fresh or frozen veggies. Fast food was a treat that didn't come around often. I don't know this will work for every child, it worked for mine and I'm thankful.
Doping up and dumbing down of our kids has got to stop. It stops with the parents.
I agree with 9:31, who beat me to the punch (and 9:14, who also beat me to it. Man, I wanted to use my "ooohhh, shiny" joke!) It's true; we are what we eat.
ReplyDeleteMan, I've got to stop sleeping late when I'm on the evening shift!
I hate medicating my son. BUT when I finally caved, after 4 years of fighting it (and forcing the schools to make accommodations without the ADA/504 plan) we noticed such an immediate difference that it made it worth it.
ReplyDeleteHis grades immediately shot up and he said, "I can feel my brain working."
9:31 & Grannydragon, I am glad the food plan worked for you. It didn't work for us.
maybe if kids got out more and channeled their energy it wouldn't be a problem.
ReplyDeleteyears ago they knew what sunshine was. and spent more time outside and not in front of a video game/computer
There is a Federal Law going in to effect called RTI that will require classroom teachers to work through tiers of interventions before referring students in to Special Services - so the small percentage of teachers who have, in the past, referred kids who were jus totugh to handle will be given different classroom management tools instead.
ReplyDeleteParents need to look at ADD and ADHD like any other MEDICAL condition - if you suspect a true problem, get your child tested, do some research of your own, and get a second opinion.
Some kids benefit GREATLY and see improved lives as a whole with medication. Some kids WITH true ADD or ADHD do not respond well to medication, and have to seek alternatives, which often have varied results.
In the end, it's all about parents really paying attention to their kids and what their kids REALLY need, and making those tough choices.
I can't help but feel that many of these kids who are medicated haven't been exposed to good ole' discipline.
ReplyDeleteI'm not talking about beating the hell out of your kids, but making sure they understand what is expected of them, and having consequences - which are followed through on - if these expectations aren't met. For the record, I can count on one hand the number of times I've spanked my youngest, now 8 years old. Same goes for my older kids.
My 17 yo son, sometimes wise beyond his years, has opined to me that a number of kids he knows who are medicated just don't know how to behave.
I do think that there *is* such a thing as ADHD, but I think too many parents use it as an excuse for poor parenting.
::donning my flameproof suit::
I am going to take alot of heat for this comment but I can only offer my personal experience and its close to
ReplyDeleteLaurels opinion.Thankfully my child is fine,but I am also shocked at the jump in ADD and related diagnosises and it has alot to do with our society that not only makes excuses for bad behavior but rewards it as well.I personally know of one family where the parent was encouraged by a doctor to apply for SSI and other entitlements because her kid had "behavioral problems".All the kid needs is some firm discipline and maybe a less-dysfunctional family dynamic(like some family values and consistent parenting)Unfortunately in this "make excuses" society,the kid is allowed to disrupt other kids in a public school setting because we cant "leave him behind".Said child has assaulted classmates in the past but is still allowed to "mainstream" and likely will until he damn near kills another kid and their parents sue the school system.Meanwhile Mom & Pop get a fat SSI check for the kid,as well as a food stamps,Medicaid and free childcare.Instead of college and career someday,the only future for this kid is more shrink drugs,juvenile hall,dependency on government handouts and eventually prison.No serious attempts at discipline and structure are ever made.Its a gravy train for a parent with unruly or unmanageable kids and believe me I know there may be some that truly have mental issues but not this many.Wheres the accoutnability?And why is it that ADD and ADHD diagnosises have soared????Look around at the disintegration of family and work ethic.
I have 3 sons all raised in the same manner, but one clearly demonstrates all the symptoms of ADHD. After years of refusing to see reality, we finally relented and put him on the meds. Fortunately, they worked and his behavior and grades have improved greatly.
ReplyDeleteI was one of the first to say that kids are labeled ADHD when all they need is a bit of discipline, until it affected my own son.
Yes, it is overdiagnosed. That's why we did not just go with what one teacher had to say. Sometimes, it seems that some teachers would rather have half of the class catatonic on meds than actually deal with the class. We had our son tested by his pediatrician and a behavioral psychologist, as well as through the school before we put him on meds. Hopefully, he will grow out of it, as his doctor has indicated once puberty sets in. We'll see...
My Grandson has ADD as did his dad. It is sad to see what some of you have written. I too have a tendecy towards ADD and I am almost 65 years old. It works like this, you have 3 trains running on a track at the same time. It is hard to concentrate. I remember when I went to school all my friends did their homework listening to the radio. I had to have everything quiet so I would not lose my thought process. Since my grandson was in the 1st grade he has been on either Concerta, Strattera, Focalin or Ritalin and now he is 10 years old. The Concerta caused him to not gain weight so he was taken off that and switched, but he does best on the Concerta and is able to concentrate perfectly. He is in the magnet program at school. His parents do not keep him on the meds in the summer. He is a very delightful and extremely intelligent child. I love him on the meds or off. He has no discipline issues, just being able to focus off the meds is impossible for him. The sad or good part depending out how you look at is that HE knows he can focus and do better on the medicine. Until you have experienced it first hand, don't judge and obviously you have not. P.S. I can be at a party and listen to 3 conversations going on at the same time with no problem, so you know, ADD does have its perks!
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