It seems like summer just started and school just got out, but We are 1/2 way through at this point. It’s time to start putting a bit of attention to potential issues for the up coming school year. This series is on kids who could be diagnosed with ADD / ADHD and then have to deal with that label.
The big problem is the drugs that teachers and administrators expect a kiddo with that diagnosis to take. So before we get into all of that, lets explain how the diagnosis works.
You might think that the diagnosis is very scientific, maybe something like a blood test that looks at the levels of different chemicals in the brain is used. But that is not how it’s done. The diagnosis is much much less scientific. A big part of the diagnosis is based on a very subjective system of observation.
In the parameters that are used, there are 9 markers in the 2 categories of inattentive and hyperactive/impulse symptoms. There must be at least 6 inattentive symptoms and/or 6 hyperactive/impulsive symptoms present for at least 6 months of time to a degree that is considered inappropriate for the individual’s age. VS how long other children there age sit and pay attention, or act our impulsively.
Th problem begins when we start comparing behavior to behavior, behaviors of different children, in different homes, with different parents and families, different environments, diets, teachers. The factors really are endless, and yet time after time small children are diagnosed with ADHD. In fact about 11% of children age 4-17 qualify for the diagnosis. Some guidelines allow the diagnosis to a kiddo as young as 2 years old. Boys are nearly 3 times as likely to get this diagnosis.
So as a parent, I look at these kids and their diagnoses and my heart breaks. If my child wasn’t of average height I wouldn’t give her hormones to make her taller. Or if my son wasn’t an “average boy” and liked doing make up I wouldn’t take away his passion away and force him to play football. So why do we take children that aren’t quiet average in this way and medicate them? Every child, every human is different and we should cut out these averages that leave out children drugged and permanently alerted.
Here’s the thing that will really blow your mind…. Studies can’t be conclusive on this disorder persisting into adulthood. It depends on how you were diagnosed in the first place! So we have a disorders based upon criteria that doesn’t account for the entire person and diagnoses based on words like “often”.
I realize that there are some kiddos who are on the spectrum that have symptoms that are too much and something has to be done. But even in these cases you have to make decisions based on all the facts not just the ones that you medical doctor gives you.
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