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Sorry to say, but I don't really agree with you. I have tow sons, 13 and 15, and they both like playing games. The 13 years old is outstanding in school. The 15 yrs old has ADD, and although extremely smart, has trouble concentrating. You are making some generalizations here, and they don't stand. BTW, we choose NOT to put our oldest son on medication, and we are working extremely hard with him every day. He's made tremendous progress in many ways, however, it's still a huge effort for him and us. He is trying very hard to concentrate, but his mind does wonder. My spouse is the same way (they do say it's genetic), and if it were so easy as you make it seem, you would think that a 47 yrs old can be over all that by now...
I applaude you for not putting the 15 year old on medication. It may be a challenge, but it's far better to face the challenge without medication.
The school has recommended an IEP or 504 plan. The diagnosing physician recommended a 504 plan. I imagine that additional screening will be necessary.
The way it was explained to me at the IEP meeting is that under 504 the therapist was going to consult with the teacher to make the necessary changes. Under an IEP the therapist will work directly with my dd. IEP is preferable to me because I do not believe the teacher can offer my dd the help she needs while teaching all the other students.
Fact is, nowadays, EVERY kid (ok, maybe like 96% lol) is said to have some degree of ADHD. In this day and age of video games, music videos and all things instant gratification, more kids than ever have not learned to settle down and control their minds to where they can concentrate. Combine that with the fact that it's now "en vogue" to have ADHD, and the trend has tilted grossly towards medication and dysfunctional and/or worthless special education programs. This is not a judgment of you, but rather a judgment of the process people are following these days at the first sight of distractability. I stick by my advice to you. And, let's just say I know a thing or two about the subject.
You know literally NOTHING about this particular child. So while ADHD is grossly over diagnosed you have no idea whether or not that is the case with this child. Obviously this parent is not trying to find a label to absolve themselves of responsibility but is rather trying to educate herself about the child's condition.
Just because ADHD is over diagnosed does not mean it does not exist.
Diplomas are diplomas, no asterisks or fine print involved. And most universities have some form of disability support services to assist students who have documented disabilities....I've also seen that most professors will include in the syllabus a blurb about notifying them if you have any such disabilities. Ultiamtely students cannot be denied the right to pursue an advanced degree because of their disabilities if they've mastered their high school curriculum with the necessary modifications.
But being that your daughter is in second grade, the most important thing is to worry about now and getting her the early intervention support she needs, which will improve her odds further down the road.
Self-regulation is always better than turning to drugs. Dependency on outide sources is far less desrirable than managing the issue on your own. Drugs can have other unintended consequences. When a kid takes medication for a while and then goes without it for some time, the withdrawal is awful.
You know literally NOTHING about this particular child. So while ADHD is grossly over diagnosed you have no idea whether or not that is the case with this child. Obviously this parent is not trying to find a label to absolve themselves of responsibility but is rather trying to educate herself about the child's condition.
Just because ADHD is over diagnosed does not mean it does not exist.
Self-regulation is always better than turning to drugs. Dependency on outide sources is far less desrirable than managing the issue on your own. Drugs can have other unintended consequences. When a kid takes medication for a while and then goes without it for some time, the withdrawal is awful.
I suppose you simply have not encountered anyone whose brain does not function correctly and no amount of self regulation can fix the problem? I have. So I'll completely disagree with your opinion and encourage you to accept that there are indeed some people who cannot function successfully in life with out medical intervention for ADHD.
However, I will agree that there are many children diagnosed with ADHD that are very slight cases that can be controlled with ways other than medication and that there are many who have a need for a different diagnosis. The totals are definitely over blown. That doesn't negate the cases that are very real and only work with medications.
Regarding medication, some meds used for ADHD do not have withdrawal issues. The med works for 4-6 hours then it's out of the system entirely. Many children are only taking their meds during the day while at school. Not at night, on weekends, holidays or during the summer.
Self-regulation is always better than turning to drugs. Dependency on outide sources is far less desrirable than managing the issue on your own. Drugs can have other unintended consequences. When a kid takes medication for a while and then goes without it for some time, the withdrawal is awful.
Okay. If a child can do that. But when it's clear that a child cannot do that, then medication can make a difference.
Two questions:
1. Why is it that folks worry about the "unintended consequences" of ADHD and psychotropic drugs but not of drugs for physical ailments? Both can have unintended consequences and side effects, you know.
2. You do know that ADHD is self-regulation-based disorder, right?
I suppose you simply have not encountered anyone whose brain does not function correctly and no amount of self regulation can fix the problem? I have. So I'll completely disagree with your opinion and encourage you to accept that there are indeed some people who cannot function successfully in life with out medical intervention for ADHD.
However, I will agree that there are many children diagnosed with ADHD that are very slight cases that can be controlled with ways other than medication and that there are many who have a need for a different diagnosis. The totals are definitely over blown. That doesn't negate the cases that are very real and only work with medications.
Regarding medication, some meds used for ADHD do not have withdrawal issues. The med works for 4-6 hours then it's out of the system entirely. Many children are only taking their meds during the day while at school. Not at night, on weekends, holidays or during the summer.
Nope, I've encountered it myself as well. Just not when ability to sit still or pay attention was the issue. Mind you, it's not just self-regulation. You can get outside help from psychologists or...even parents to help. Drugs aren't neccesary if "ADD" is the issue. Now, how do you "know" those people HAD to have medication to function with "ADD"? What remediations were attempted that failed? How long were they tried for? At what age was the person(s) in question declared unable to fucntion without ADD drugs?
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