ADD
As a paramedical professional, I see children as young as 4 years old on some type of medication for this problem and I ask myself is it the child or the parent who truely has the problem. Many parents are impatient and the first thing they think is, "my overly active child has ADHD" and they want their child to be medicated. Some healthcare providers that I work with are hesitant about medicating these young individuals and believe that with better parenting skills are the answer to some of these problems. One the other hand, I see what medication can help someone with ADHD and or ADD.
Paul,
It is always nice to hear from someone with personal experience who can say, definitively, that students with ADHD have potential, can be successful, and should be given credit for their ability and an opportunity to reach their potential. The route taken to that goal will vary with the individual, and no one path (with or without medication) works for everyone. Bravo!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I have a daughter that was suspected of having ADHD in the first grade me and my wife had her tested and it was confirmed that she did have ADHD. she was struggling to do her school work and failing after being diagnosed and put on a low dose medication it worked she was doing better on her grades she has since completed high school and now has her bachelor's degree and it was not just taking medication's it also took putting together a plan to follow every day to keep things structured that made her successful in her education some people think that a pill will fix every thing that was not the case. the key factor here was that her first grade teacher noticed a problem and let us know and we acted on this information buy having her tested by a professional in that field and the proper way to overcome this disability.
The parents weren't in the room, Steven. I was evaluating the child independently. But you missed the point. The child was not misbehaving as a conscious act of will. He was exploring his environment. Because of his ADHD, he means of exploring was very different than that of a typical child. For years, students with ADHD went undiagnosed because they were assumed to be demonstrating behavior problems (as you are assuming). When I was growing up, there were tons of boys sent to military schools because someone had decided that "what he needs is a little discipline. Let's send him to a good military school." It didn't help. It wasn't about a refusal of structure or a lack of guidance. It was about someone who had a brain that worked differently, processed stimuli in a different way, and needed a different kind of direction to function.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Dr. Barrow I would like to know if while this child was doing this what did the parent do? If they just let him go then I would say that is a parent problem. I have read that a child's personality is shaped by the time they are five years old. I know they are young but if he is not corrected for doing things like this then how can anyone expect anything different. Sometimes an old fashion visit to the woodshed is the best medication. Your opinion?
Alfonso,
The question then is whether the good parenting will be bolstered by good teaching! GRIN Children with ADHD become young adults with ADHD, and experience suggests that every time they hit a new environment, it takes time and patience to help them figure out how best to cope in new circumstances. A thoughtful and caring faculty member can make a big difference.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Very often children who have ADHD suffer greatly from being treated differently in school, in other public places, and even at home. Sad to say, these children don't even have the slightest idea why they are different from the others. it helps when parents know what to look for. And good parenting skills will help tremendously side by side with proper medications.
Dana,
All of those issues CAN exist (and often do). But like everything else, there are no absolutes. Not all children wit ADD/ADHD respond with such substantial symptomology. When they do, *medication can be key* in management. When the difficulties are less significant, the treatment can be less intrusive as well.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
When children who truly have ADD or ADHD are not medicated they tend to fall behind in school, have problem's with their peers, get more frequent injuries, and have low self-esteem. I know this from working in the health field and from being the mother of a child with ADHD. ADHD can be diagnosed early, especially when it runs in the family and you know what signs and symptoms to look for. Before I started medicating my son I couldn't even find a day care that wouldn't kick him out.
Aaron,
On the whole, I tend to agree with you. But I learned, first hand, that sometimes there IS another side to this. Years ago, when I was working as a school speech therapist, I was asked to evaluate a 3-year old (younger sibling of a child in the school) who was on medication for ADHD. I thought, as you do, "You have GOT to be kidding me -- 3 years old and they have him on medication? That is just WRONG!" So they brought him to my office and in the course of the 20 minutes he was there, he LITERALLY climbed the walls. Three times, I had to grab him before he fell and hurt himself, as he had used the shelves of my bookcase like a step ladder and was climbing up to see the knick knacks on top. I cannot imagine what this kid was like WITHOUT medication!!! I *do* believe that we shouldn't be so quick, as a society, to jump to medication as an answer. But I am a believer now, in the idea that there are times when medication NEEDS to be considered.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
