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I disagree. I am 36 years old and have ADD. The medicine that I take for it doesn't mask the symptoms, it actually helps me to function in a way that is normal to most. And I'm sorry, but no amount of therapy or practice is going to make up for chemicals that are lacking in my system. While that might work for some, it certainly doesn't work for all, and I have no guilt about taking medicine that I need, but I do take offense to your assumption that I am taking the "easy way out".
I don't understand how a synthesized drug "makes up" for the natural chemical you lack???
Did they do blood tests or a spinal tap or brain scans to find this out???
If you are an adult, you have every right to do what you want to your body. My "assumption" above was geared more towards parents and their children.
I just think a diagnosis has more validity for an adult, not a child
Yes, and parents need to be instructed to get off their cell phones, take the TV out of the kid's rooms, take the TV out of the car, limit video games, no instant foods etc.
Teach your children how to live "slowly" when needed.
And when you've done all that? I am a stay at home mom. I am here 90% of the time when my son gets out of school. He has no TV in his room and actually is only allowed to watch it on the weekends when he has had a good week. Same thing with video games. 90% of what we eat is whole foods unless we go out to eat.
There is clearly something different about these children whether you chose to believe it or not. When 1-2 children per class just have a hard time sitting still, following the rules, not disrupting the class, when they have a calm home and eat well, how do you explain it? I agree it is discipline in many cases or too much sugar but when it is not?
I think ADHD and ADD are legitimate conditions. At the same time, I think a lot of schools and parents confuse those that have these conditions with what can be just undisciplined kids.
I know for me it is the FACT that a drug CANNOT fix a problem it only masks the symptoms.
That is a very blanket statement and I'm not sure how you can make it about a variety of individuals, diagnoses, and drugs.
Back to my dog as an example, her body's anxiety chemicals were freaking out in her brain. And yes, there were circumstances that caused that to be the case that would not have been there if she'd had a normal life before then (analogous to your chemical-laden food and bad parenting). HOWEVER, the medication allowed those chemicals to calm down just for a moment to allow some of all that other good stuff I was doing to get through to her. It was not an easy way out, it was one necessary part of her treatment.
Some drugs DO fix problems for certain conditions. Some, I agree, simply compensate for them. For some drugs, it's a complex interaction. And even if it was "just a mask", if that kid or that adult or that human is having a better life because of the mask, experiencing positive reactions instead of negative ones, might that not be one thing to consider when weighing the options?
Teachers are not doctors, it's true. But I can find you just as many (more) doctors who would prescribe meds to a kid than teachers who would suggest it. I could also probably find you a doctor who thinks that when Saturn is aligned with Pisces, that's how you'll fix little Johnny.
By the way, I am totally for improvement of diet, avoidance of chemicals and dyes in food, lots of exercise and energy-release, sensory input or reduction, etc, etc, etc. I think all of those things probably do help, more so in some than others. I think parenting (and teaching style!) can certainly affect how a kid with a tendency towards energetic sparkiness actually manifests this temperament. But I also think that medication is not always an evil nasty to be avoided at all costs, even at the cost of making a person and everyone surrounding them miserable.
Anyway, my major points are, don't be so quick to pass judgement on what another person decides is best for their child and situation, and don't be so quick to assume that teachers want, above anything else, quiet, compliant kids.
I don't understand how a synthesized drug "makes up" for the natural chemical you lack???
As with many other conditions involving the brain and/or central nervous system, the chemicals stimulate (or in other cases, retard) the affected hyperactive or hypoactive areas of the brain. With ADD, it's mostly the areas that influence memory, organization skills, self-modulation, and social interaction, which are hypoactive (understimulated) and hence the use of stimulant-based chemicals to correct it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by miasmommy
they do blood tests or a spinal tap or brain scans to find this out???
You can get neuropsychological testing, as well as PET scans, which show any abnormal behavior in the areas that affect the symptoms for ADD/ADHD. It is quite expensive and I am sure that some people choose to rely on the symptoms without the testing for a diagnosis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by miasmommy
you are an adult, you have every right to do what you want to your body. My "assumption" above was geared more towards parents and their children.
I just think a diagnosis has more validity for an adult, not a child
Oddly enough, I was once also a child with ADD, undiagnosed and unmedicated. I wish that I had not had to go through that, and it breaks my heart to think about the kids that are suffering with ADD simply because their parents are against medicating them. Of course there are cases that are misdiagnosed, but for the ones that truly have this, I think withholding/ignoring something that could make such a huge positive difference is cruel. And expecting them to improve by just "trying harder" is as mind-boggling to me as telling a diabetic to "try harder" to produce insulin, and in my opinion and experience, set them up to feel guilty and inadequate because they are trying their hardest and still not truly succeeding.
Looking back on my educational history as well other areas of my life, I very much wish that I had been diagnosed and medicated at a much younger age.
And for the record, I grew up with 3 siblings, and both my parents, on an idyllic island on the coast of Maine. I had plenty of super-fresh air, outside time, and certainly was not overscheduled with extra-curricular activites. Texting, cell phones and the internet were not yet invented, and we didn't get cable TV on the island until I was 16. My mother was a SAHM who had a nutritious home-cooked meal on the table every night at 5:30, kept a usual daily schedule and a pristine house, and met with my teachers every single Friday afternoon to gather the work that I had messed up or not passed in at all during the week and work with me on the weekends to finish it. She also dragged me to multiple therapists over the years in hopes of finding out "what was wrong" with me. And yet... I still have ADD.
I would hope that all of you who are opposed to medicating their children that have ADD or ADHD to go and seek out people who actually have ADD/ADHD and ask them how they feel about having been medicated or unmedicated in school.
Last edited by deerislesmile; 04-07-2009 at 08:20 PM..
And when you've done all that? I am a stay at home mom. I am here 90% of the time when my son gets out of school. He has no TV in his room and actually is only allowed to watch it on the weekends when he has had a good week. Same thing with video games. 90% of what we eat is whole foods unless we go out to eat.
There is clearly something different about these children whether you chose to believe it or not. When 1-2 children per class just have a hard time sitting still, following the rules, not disrupting the class, when they have a calm home and eat well, how do you explain it? I agree it is discipline in many cases or too much sugar but when it is not?
I'm sure metabolism plays a part. Some kids are naturally more active.
What part does sugar play? People keep saying to limit sugar. How does it directly affect behavior?
That is a very blanket statement and I'm not sure how you can make it about a variety of individuals, diagnoses, and drugs.
Back to my dog as an example, her body's anxiety chemicals were freaking out in her brain. And yes, there were circumstances that caused that to be the case that would not have been there if she'd had a normal life before then (analogous to your chemical-laden food and bad parenting). HOWEVER, the medication allowed those chemicals to calm down just for a moment to allow some of all that other good stuff I was doing to get through to her. It was not an easy way out, it was one necessary part of her treatment.
Some drugs DO fix problems for certain conditions. Some, I agree, simply compensate for them. For some drugs, it's a complex interaction. And even if it was "just a mask", if that kid or that adult or that human is having a better life because of the mask, experiencing positive reactions instead of negative ones, might that not be one thing to consider when weighing the options?
Teachers are not doctors, it's true. But I can find you just as many (more) doctors who would prescribe meds to a kid than teachers who would suggest it. I could also probably find you a doctor who thinks that when Saturn is aligned with Pisces, that's how you'll fix little Johnny.
By the way, I am totally for improvement of diet, avoidance of chemicals and dyes in food, lots of exercise and energy-release, sensory input or reduction, etc, etc, etc. I think all of those things probably do help, more so in some than others. I think parenting (and teaching style!) can certainly affect how a kid with a tendency towards energetic sparkiness actually manifests this temperament. But I also think that medication is not always an evil nasty to be avoided at all costs, even at the cost of making a person and everyone surrounding them miserable.
Anyway, my major points are, don't be so quick to pass judgement on what another person decides is best for their child and situation, and don't be so quick to assume that teachers want, above anything else, quiet, compliant kids.
As with many other conditions involving the brain and/or central nervous system, the chemicals stimulate (or in other cases, retard) the affected hyperactive or hypoactive areas of the brain. With ADD, it's mostly the areas that influence memory, organization skills, self-modulation, and social interaction, which are hypoactive (understimulated) and hence the use of stimulant-based chemicals to correct it.
You can get neuropsychological testing, as well as PET scans, which show any abnormal behavior in the areas that affect the symptoms for ADD/ADHD. It is quite expensive and I am sure that some people choose to rely on the symptoms without the testing for a diagnosis.
Oddly enough, I was once also a child with ADD, undiagnosed and unmedicated. I wish that I had not had to go through that, and it breaks my heart to think about the kids that are suffering with ADD simply because their parents are against medicating them. Of course there are cases that are misdiagnosed, but for the ones that truly have this, I think withholding/ignoring something that could make such a huge positive difference is cruel. And expecting them to improve by just "trying harder" is as mind-boggling to me as telling a diabetic to "try harder" to produce insulin, and in my opinion and experience, set them up to feel guilty and inadequate because they are trying their hardest and still not truly succeeding.
Looking back on my educational history as well other areas of my life, I very much wish that I had been diagnosed and medicated at a much younger age.
And for the record, I grew up with 3 siblings, and both my parents, on an idyllic island on the coast of Maine. I had plenty of super-fresh air, outside time, and certainly was not overscheduled with extra-curricular activites. Texting, cell phones and the internet were not yet invented, and we didn't get cable TV on the island until I was 16. My mother was a SAHM who had a nutritious home-cooked meal on the table every night at 5:30, kept a usual daily schedule and a pristine house, and met with my teachers every single Friday afternoon to gather the work that I had messed up or not passed in at all during the week and work with me on the weekends to finish it. She also dragged me to multiple therapists over the years in hopes of finding out "what was wrong" with me. And yet... I still have ADD.
I would hope that all of you who are opposed to medicating their children that have ADD or ADHD to go and seek out people who actually have ADD/ADHD and ask them how they feel about having been medicated or unmedicated in school.
I agree that I am not going through this situation with my child. I know that I cannot say exactly what I would do. But I can say that drugs will NEVER be a first, second or even third line of defense. I am not completely opposed to that option, but you can be pretty damn sure I'm trying EVERYTHING else before the "drugs."
I am NOT religious but a firm believer that "nature" put everything we need right here on Earth. I also believe that man made toxins, pollution and synthesized crap is the cause of many of these disorders.
That is a very blanket statement and I'm not sure how you can make it about a variety of individuals, diagnoses, and drugs.
Back to my dog as an example, her body's anxiety chemicals were freaking out in her brain. And yes, there were circumstances that caused that to be the case that would not have been there if she'd had a normal life before then (analogous to your chemical-laden food and bad parenting). HOWEVER, the medication allowed those chemicals to calm down just for a moment to allow some of all that other good stuff I was doing to get through to her. It was not an easy way out, it was one necessary part of her treatment.
Some drugs DO fix problems for certain conditions. Some, I agree, simply compensate for them. For some drugs, it's a complex interaction. And even if it was "just a mask", if that kid or that adult or that human is having a better life because of the mask, experiencing positive reactions instead of negative ones, might that not be one thing to consider when weighing the options?
Teachers are not doctors, it's true. But I can find you just as many (more) doctors who would prescribe meds to a kid than teachers who would suggest it. I could also probably find you a doctor who thinks that when Saturn is aligned with Pisces, that's how you'll fix little Johnny.
By the way, I am totally for improvement of diet, avoidance of chemicals and dyes in food, lots of exercise and energy-release, sensory input or reduction, etc, etc, etc. I think all of those things probably do help, more so in some than others. I think parenting (and teaching style!) can certainly affect how a kid with a tendency towards energetic sparkiness actually manifests this temperament. But I also think that medication is not always an evil nasty to be avoided at all costs, even at the cost of making a person and everyone surrounding them miserable.
Anyway, my major points are, don't be so quick to pass judgement on what another person decides is best for their child and situation, and don't be so quick to assume that teachers want, above anything else, quiet, compliant kids.
As with many other conditions involving the brain and/or central nervous system, the chemicals stimulate (or in other cases, retard) the affected hyperactive or hypoactive areas of the brain. With ADD, it's mostly the areas that influence memory, organization skills, self-modulation, and social interaction, which are hypoactive (understimulated) and hence the use of stimulant-based chemicals to correct it.
You can get neuropsychological testing, as well as PET scans, which show any abnormal behavior in the areas that affect the symptoms for ADD/ADHD. It is quite expensive and I am sure that some people choose to rely on the symptoms without the testing for a diagnosis.
Oddly enough, I was once also a child with ADD, undiagnosed and unmedicated. I wish that I had not had to go through that, and it breaks my heart to think about the kids that are suffering with ADD simply because their parents are against medicating them. Of course there are cases that are misdiagnosed, but for the ones that truly have this, I think withholding/ignoring something that could make such a huge positive difference is cruel. And expecting them to improve by just "trying harder" is as mind-boggling to me as telling a diabetic to "try harder" to produce insulin, and in my opinion and experience, set them up to feel guilty and inadequate because they are trying their hardest and still not truly succeeding.
Looking back on my educational history as well other areas of my life, I very much wish that I had been diagnosed and medicated at a much younger age.
And for the record, I grew up with 3 siblings, and both my parents, on an idyllic island on the coast of Maine. I had plenty of super-fresh air, outside time, and certainly was not overscheduled with extra-curricular activites. Texting, cell phones and the internet were not yet invented, and we didn't get cable TV on the island until I was 16. My mother was a SAHM who had a nutritious home-cooked meal on the table every night at 5:30, kept a usual daily schedule and a pristine house, and met with my teachers every single Friday afternoon to gather the work that I had messed up or not passed in at all during the week and work with me on the weekends to finish it. She also dragged me to multiple therapists over the years in hopes of finding out "what was wrong" with me. And yet... I still have ADD.
I would hope that all of you who are opposed to medicating their children that have ADD or ADHD to go and seek out people who actually have ADD/ADHD and ask them how they feel about having been medicated or unmedicated in school.
Another great post. Thanks for saying it better than I could.
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