Let's separate your statements. Wife sees what frequently, parents that are not willing to "keep up with the kid" or ADD?

Exaggeration? I wonder if that's a medical term. Sure, there are degrees to all mental problems. But what is an exaggeration of a diagnosis?

To me an exaggeration would be when a diagnosis comes with the statement that if something is not done, the child will never perform to a degree of acceptance.

From my perspective "exaggeration" is not a medical term. I was thinking about a medical professional "reaching" for a diagnosis.

The "my wife" statement referred to the fact that she deals with a good number of students that are diagnosed with ADHD. Seems it is a more frequent diagnosis today than ten years ago. That is confirmed by the article.

The article caught my attention and I was interested in getting more info on the subject other than just doing a "Google" search.

I appreciate the feedback from all sources.

when teachers are allowed to be the front-line diagnosticians of a disorder, you know it is BS, by and large.

that said, there are legitimate cases. i know a guy that is definitely ADHD, still at over 50 years old. however, he is a lawyer, a respiratory therapist, and is now working his way into another administration position.

Reaching for a diagnosis. Yes, that is probably the case. Not very many doctors can simply say there is nothing wrong, carry on. We all know that subject.

parents and teachers want an easy way out: diagnose and drug the kids up. it is easier that way for everyone involved: the school system doesn't have to take responsibility for a bankrupt and boring curriculum and parents don't have to take personal responsibility for their child's behavior and home life. it is a win win for everyone but the children.

~stepping down from the soapbox~

I was like Milt in school during the '50s. In those days they just tried to beat it out of you. I'm married to a teacher and she tells me I display ADHD characteristics even at my age. I know I'm more energetic than most people and have always been. In the 5th grade, my teacher, the Principal & Vice Principal had a conference with my mother and told her to take me to a phychiatrist because they couldn't control me. Of course that just made her cry & nothing happened breyond that except maybe my dad whipped me more. One thing that I noticed with myself was that exercise caused me to settle down quite a bit. Starting in 6th grade at my elementary school, we could go out for sports. I was on the football, track, and basketball teams. Since we didn't have a gymnasium, we had to use the high school's gym during basketball season. This meant I had to get up at 5 AM to go to basketball practice. I was still hell on wheels but the I could tell the difference in myself during basketball season. When we moved during 8th grade, I had PE first period and I could tell it calmed my day down quite a bit. I had a real problem with not becoming distracted & still do somewhat. I also remember I would have these frequent bursts of energy that made me feel like jumping over a building or something like that. It's hard to control yourself when you feel like that.

As some of you may remember, our son was diagnosed with ADHD but through further testing with our pediatrician, it was more Aspbergers.

I was against drugs but finally realized that he did/does have a problem and through careful medication he can focus in school and has improved his grades remarkably. He will start 2nd grade in a few weeks.

As others have posted, back in my school days I would have been diagnosed as well. I had pretty much all of the classic signs of ADD/ADHD. (I play drums so I find myhself tapping on anything I come in contact with.) Apparently, that is distracting in the classroom.


Do I wish my son was like others kids who seem to have no problems? duh

What we were dealt didn't work that way. It's been a rollercoaster ride and it isn't going to go away anytime soon. We trust our pediatrician and will continue to work with him and value his guidance iin treating our son.

Oh Ha Ha,

Good information and good outcome. Thanks

I was diagnosed ADHD when I was about 6, 36 now. I don't know what kind of test there were, it's was pretty obvious I guess. They put me on Ritalin, and it worked, however I'm sure there are side effects. I couldn't tell you what the long term damages are from taking medication, as there are plenty of other things to factor in.

I was very active, played every sport I could, but containment in a classroom was not for me. It was pure hell throughout grade school for myself, the teachers, and my parents. I was off medication by the time I went to high school, but I probably should have stayed on it at least through the 9th grade. I was a habitual recidivist when off meds, and guess "better" when on them. Always in trouble at school, but not much trouble elsewhere.

I don't recall if my parents yanked me off of the pills in the summers. They probably did to save money, and honestly, I probably didn't need them. I had plenty of things to do, and at least someplace to go. You probably wouldn't think an ADHD kid would take to a sport that's as slow as golf, but I did around 9. It was great, carts rocked!! Typically, it was walk or jog 18, then go to baseball, soccer or whatever was next that particular day.

Just guessing I outgrew most of the HD by age 16. That's about the time, IIRC, I could sit still and focus. I still get antsy, just not very often. My mind still wanders, I enjoy the serenity. I'm not ashamed, and certainly don't think I'm disabled. Quite the opposite, it's definitely advantageous to unconsciously tune oral people out. I intake most everything that is verbalized, which is weird because I'm not paying a lick of attention. I'm miles down the road predicting what's next.

Matt, that's an interesting introspective. I didn't mention IQ in my posts because, well, it seems odd. But I do think a lot of ADD kids also have an above average IQ. I test pretty high as I suspect you do.

"I'm miles down the road predicting what's next."

That says a lot (to me).

I have experience with Asbergers; won't air the laundry here but happy to engage in an offline conversation with anyone. In our case the story some 15 years latter is pretty happy. But there were some damn tough years.

Is it over-diagnosed? Absolutely.

Is it over mediated? Certainly.

But when the stars align, as a parent there is nothing you wouldn't do to try to make it better. For some, meds are the answer, for others, it's diet, for others, faith. Whatever it takes is the answer.

I have seen some of the apprentices come through our program with some difficulty but I remember 1 guy that had loads of learning problems.
It was interesting to hear his thought process while troubleshooting and I have no idea how he came up with the right answers.
He was god awful on exams but a pretty good hands on mechanic.
I don't think you outgrow that type of thing. Perhaps they just develop better ways of coping with their problems as they age?

My son has a diagnosis of Aspbergers and ADHD. Like many, we resisted but also knew our son had some issues. When we discussed meds with our Doc, he put it to us like this: "Take or meds or not is your choice. The meds do not cure ADHD but will help your son focus on the other things he needs to learn/do to be sucessful. In fact, we do the the same program with or with out the meds but we see better sucess with the meds as a part of the larger theraphy".

I can tell you tha tthe days he misses his meds, he is more likey to have "attitude" and an inability to focus on the things he needs to do. His motor skills are degraded and his social interactions are sometimes not within the normal range of acceptable teen behavoir.

I would like to see him permanently off his meds but I know his school work and interactions with his peers is better when he is on his meds.

It is a tough call no matter which way you go.

It has been about 6 years since the original diagnosis and while he continues to improve, he still has a way to go.

That's nothing. Try ADHD paired with severe Bipolarism, and throw in a good dash of ODD (oppositional defiance Disorder) as well.
If you treat the ADHD, The Bipolar goes freaking berserk and get violent. If you treat the Bipolar, the ADHD is out of control with an attention span like a lighting bolt, bounding off the freaking walls.

We won't even get into the ODD. NO! WE WON"T! I don't HAVE to!



I hope to god I never see that kid again. :rolleyes:

Now throw in a mom who has Bipolar, and a laissez faire parenting style.....

Well said, Harry.

Folks that don't have first hand experience just don't fully understand how it affects everyone around the person.

Here's a good example of my son:

Last night, he and I went for haircuts. We took the 911 as I wanted to take the long way home afterward. (He doesn't have much interest in the car so I was pleased that he didn't insist on taking the Mazda.)

While I was getting my cut, he sat quietly in the chair next to me, barely saying a word. When it was his turn, he climbed in the chair without resistance and let the gal do the job. She tried to interact with him but he was reluctant to respond. You wouldn't have known he was even in the room if you didn't see him.

While on our way home we talked about many different things. At one point I ran the 911 up through the gears and he exclaimed "this sounds like a race car!! Cool!" (To say I was happy to hear him say that would be an understatement.)

After we arrived home, he went back to playing with his sister and a cousin that spent the night. He was outgoing and boisterious, on the verge of being rude/obnoxious. This continued until bedtime(9:30). Once he was under the covers, he was out for the night. He didn't wake up until 8:30 and now is running around like a madman. A happy madman but still...

Once his meds kick in he will be able to function without being out of control.

It scares that heck out of me to think of him as a teenager or adult and not being able to "fit in" with others. No, that may not be a bad thing and may actually play into him being something special in this world.

On the other hand, it could limit what he is able to achieve in life and that bothers us.

ADHD didn't affect my social life as a youth. It was a big deal to me to befriend everyone. The quiet kid in the corner, the shy girl, the special ed, the overly obnoxious, the smart kids, the athletes, I got along with all of them. I wasn't the most popular kid in school, but I know I knew more about the rest of his/her peers than whoever was.

Milt, I can't attribute my intellect to a medical condition, but I recon you are correct in your assumption. I have serious a problem explaining the thought process to a correct solution. My father can't stand it because he wants me to explain why. I'm to the point now where I say, "it just is, pop". My mother has always been cool so long as things get resolved. Both of my parents are Vandy grads, dad a CHE and law school, mom a math major.

When I was lobbying the legislature, I had had to keep a close watch on who was around and things I said. People listened too much. Why? I had an idea and a lot of inside knowledge. However, I couldn't be myself without the occasional reprimand from peers. Reprimands were generally based around a lack of supporting detail. That's not my gig.

We rarely failed, but I became bored and moved along. The move was back to the classroom, at 31, to get a piece of paper. That was a nice 3 year vacation. I needed the vacation, the degree, not so much. They now say it's a lifelong guarantee for a base salary if you have a degree. Really? Some fellow grads I wouldn't trust with a spatula.

Make what you want of your life given what you were blessed with. If your child doesn't act the same as other kids, it's not his/her fault the others are slow.