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The myth of ADD
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=54544 The myth of ADD By Sadaf Shahid I couldn't help but admire the 10-year-old boy. He was excited but eloquent. He rattled off facts and figures like an encyclopaedia. He could recall every record made in the last two cricket world cups. Exceptionally articulate for a 10 year old, his eyes gleamed with excitement and passion as he extolled the feats of his heroes. With intelligence and maturity that belied his years, he argued with conviction why one player was better than another and how certain conditions favoured one or the other player. His face flushed, he shifted from one position to another, rocking the chair, constantly tapping the pencil in his hand and generally giving the impression that his words could not keep pace with the speed of his thoughts. His rate of speech increased and intonation varied with his excitement level. Clearly, here was a boy of above-average intelligence with a mind that could sift facts, place them in a certain order and rattle them off eloquently. Surely, he must be an excellent student with grades to match and a source of unmitigated joy for his parents! Such, unfortunately, was not the case. The child was having huge problems settling down in the classroom, his test scores were below-average and his parents were regularly summoned by the school administration complaining that the boy was either inattentive or rude. His attitude and performance was marked by wide fluctuations. Very well behaved and enthusiastic in a music class, he was unable to complete a math or any other worksheet. The history teacher considered him amongst the best pupil. While the math teacher found him inattentive at best, unruly and disruptive at worst. His mother, who had brought him to me and was witnessing the speed with which the boy was talking to me and how he tapped his pencil incessantly, rocking his body to and fro, apologised again and again, while unsuccessfully trying to rein the boy in. The symptoms were classic. The boy was neither inattentive nor rude. He suffered from ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder) "Over the past thirty years, attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has emerged from the relative obscurity of cognitive psychologists' research laboratories to become the "disease du jour" of schoolchildren the world over", says Dr Thomas Armstrong, an educator, psychologist and consultant. "The Myth of the A.D.D. Child" is the first book of its kind to challenge the misdiagnosing of millions of children with attention-deficit disorder and to question the overuse of psychoactive drugs in treating hyperactivity. The Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM 1V) describes ADD/ADHD as one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood and can persist through adolescence and into adulthood. Currently the causes are unknown. It is characterised by pervasive inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity resulting in significant functional impairment. The definition of disorders or a disability may differ from one generation to the next. It is context dependent. It is society that determines behaviors as normal or abnormal, its people -- able or disable and ordered or disordered. Not too long ago, poor vision was considered a defect or a disability. Similarly, a child may be hyperactive while seated at a desk doing a boring worksheet, but not necessarily while singing in a school musical. These behaviors are also very general in nature and give no clue as to their real origins. A child can be hyperactive because he's bored, depressed, anxious, allergic to milk, creative, a hands-on learner, has a difficult temperament, is stressed out, is driven by a media-mad culture, or any number of other possible causes. Over the past few decades, there has been a dramatic change in almost everything. Life has become far more complex than it was. The family unit has broken down, respect for authority has eroded, television has become a babysitter, video games leave little time for any physical exercise, bedtime stories have become a thing of the past, junk food and energy drinks have replaced fresh fruit and natural drinks, stress levels have skyrocketed, competition -- not cooperation and interaction -- has become the order of the day. Each one of us is living in a constant state of insecurity and unpredictability. When our children start reacting under the strain, we start looking for scientific labels for the "symptoms" and effective drugs to mask the symptoms. This does not mean that stimulants should not be prescribed or they haven't worked for children. Ritalin has served as a miracle drug for many children and there are many dramatic success stories. The real cause of ADD/ADHD is still under investigation. One of the theories is that it is caused by the imbalance of certain brain chemicals which regulate attention, aggression, impulsivity and self-control. These medicines help in the production of neurotransmitters (the chemicals which help the brain cells to communicate with each other) which are affected. Some children need it but what needs to be avoided is a knee-jerk prescription of Ritalin for every child whose behavior and/or attention doesn't match our norms. As the textbooks themselves declare that there is no blood test (or other objective tests) to tell when a child has ADD. Many of the tests used for the diagnosis are based on behaviour-rating scales and are very subjective. Dr Armstrong says: "If this is so, then how do we really know for sure if he or she has it? It has been observed since ADD came to be known as a disorder that the symptoms of ADD disappear or lessen under several real life situations: when the child is doing things that interest him, when (s)he is engaged in one-to-one interaction with someone (s)he trusts, when being paid to do something, and when the outcomes of activities can be controlled. If ADD can disappear under these conditions, then how can ADD really exist as a medical disorder?" ADD or not ADD, we as teachers, educators and parents need to be more flexible, accommodating and acceptable towards diversified and different ways of learning. We should encourage hands on learning because experience is mapped in the brain for longer than the print. It enhances three dimensional learning. There are some children who crave for this kind of learning. The emphasis on respect towards teachers should be emphasised but at the same time movements like the tapping of pencil or rocking of the chair should not be taken as signs of sheer disrespect. Perhaps that child can only concentrate when he is on the move, with no intention of being disrespectful towards the teacher. A child might be restless because he is scared, has been threatened or has had a bad day. Penalty for such behavior creates negative attention. And negativity breeds negativity. The problem is that we have always been trained to deal with symptoms, not the root cause. They might be beautiful dancers, athletes or leaders. They just can't fit in the stereotypical classroom mould. This does not mean that they can't learn. They just learn "in a different way". It will not be fair to label him/her as ADD, put them on stimulants and get the desired result. Give them a chance to show their creativity when they are on the go. The writer is a speech therapist. Email: |
#2
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The myth of ADD
ADD is a completely phony Spin-Drome, made up by and for the
spychiatric community, and promoted by the Iron-Fist Mafia of the Medical-Industrial Death-Complex. Excellent post. If there even a few people NOT conviced that ADD/ADHD is totally bogus, this post will convince them it is! Thanks again Jan!! Jan Drew wrote: http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=54544 The myth of ADD By Sadaf Shahid I couldn't help but admire the 10-year-old boy. He was excited but eloquent. He rattled off facts and figures like an encyclopaedia. He could recall every record made in the last two cricket world cups. Exceptionally articulate for a 10 year old, his eyes gleamed with excitement and passion as he extolled the feats of his heroes. With intelligence and maturity that belied his years, he argued with conviction why one player was better than another and how certain conditions favoured one or the other player. His face flushed, he shifted from one position to another, rocking the chair, constantly tapping the pencil in his hand and generally giving the impression that his words could not keep pace with the speed of his thoughts. His rate of speech increased and intonation varied with his excitement level. Clearly, here was a boy of above-average intelligence with a mind that could sift facts, place them in a certain order and rattle them off eloquently. Surely, he must be an excellent student with grades to match and a source of unmitigated joy for his parents! Such, unfortunately, was not the case. The child was having huge problems settling down in the classroom, his test scores were below-average and his parents were regularly summoned by the school administration complaining that the boy was either inattentive or rude. His attitude and performance was marked by wide fluctuations. Very well behaved and enthusiastic in a music class, he was unable to complete a math or any other worksheet. The history teacher considered him amongst the best pupil. While the math teacher found him inattentive at best, unruly and disruptive at worst. His mother, who had brought him to me and was witnessing the speed with which the boy was talking to me and how he tapped his pencil incessantly, rocking his body to and fro, apologised again and again, while unsuccessfully trying to rein the boy in. The symptoms were classic. The boy was neither inattentive nor rude. He suffered from ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder) "Over the past thirty years, attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has emerged from the relative obscurity of cognitive psychologists' research laboratories to become the "disease du jour" of schoolchildren the world over", says Dr Thomas Armstrong, an educator, psychologist and consultant. "The Myth of the A.D.D. Child" is the first book of its kind to challenge the misdiagnosing of millions of children with attention-deficit disorder and to question the overuse of psychoactive drugs in treating hyperactivity. The Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM 1V) describes ADD/ADHD as one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood and can persist through adolescence and into adulthood. Currently the causes are unknown. It is characterised by pervasive inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity resulting in significant functional impairment. The definition of disorders or a disability may differ from one generation to the next. It is context dependent. It is society that determines behaviors as normal or abnormal, its people -- able or disable and ordered or disordered. Not too long ago, poor vision was considered a defect or a disability. Similarly, a child may be hyperactive while seated at a desk doing a boring worksheet, but not necessarily while singing in a school musical. These behaviors are also very general in nature and give no clue as to their real origins. A child can be hyperactive because he's bored, depressed, anxious, allergic to milk, creative, a hands-on learner, has a difficult temperament, is stressed out, is driven by a media-mad culture, or any number of other possible causes. Over the past few decades, there has been a dramatic change in almost everything. Life has become far more complex than it was. The family unit has broken down, respect for authority has eroded, television has become a babysitter, video games leave little time for any physical exercise, bedtime stories have become a thing of the past, junk food and energy drinks have replaced fresh fruit and natural drinks, stress levels have skyrocketed, competition -- not cooperation and interaction -- has become the order of the day. Each one of us is living in a constant state of insecurity and unpredictability. When our children start reacting under the strain, we start looking for scientific labels for the "symptoms" and effective drugs to mask the symptoms. This does not mean that stimulants should not be prescribed or they haven't worked for children. Ritalin has served as a miracle drug for many children and there are many dramatic success stories. The real cause of ADD/ADHD is still under investigation. One of the theories is that it is caused by the imbalance of certain brain chemicals which regulate attention, aggression, impulsivity and self-control. These medicines help in the production of neurotransmitters (the chemicals which help the brain cells to communicate with each other) which are affected. Some children need it but what needs to be avoided is a knee-jerk prescription of Ritalin for every child whose behavior and/or attention doesn't match our norms. As the textbooks themselves declare that there is no blood test (or other objective tests) to tell when a child has ADD. Many of the tests used for the diagnosis are based on behaviour-rating scales and are very subjective. Dr Armstrong says: "If this is so, then how do we really know for sure if he or she has it? It has been observed since ADD came to be known as a disorder that the symptoms of ADD disappear or lessen under several real life situations: when the child is doing things that interest him, when (s)he is engaged in one-to-one interaction with someone (s)he trusts, when being paid to do something, and when the outcomes of activities can be controlled. If ADD can disappear under these conditions, then how can ADD really exist as a medical disorder?" ADD or not ADD, we as teachers, educators and parents need to be more flexible, accommodating and acceptable towards diversified and different ways of learning. We should encourage hands on learning because experience is mapped in the brain for longer than the print. It enhances three dimensional learning. There are some children who crave for this kind of learning. The emphasis on respect towards teachers should be emphasised but at the same time movements like the tapping of pencil or rocking of the chair should not be taken as signs of sheer disrespect. Perhaps that child can only concentrate when he is on the move, with no intention of being disrespectful towards the teacher. A child might be restless because he is scared, has been threatened or has had a bad day. Penalty for such behavior creates negative attention. And negativity breeds negativity. The problem is that we have always been trained to deal with symptoms, not the root cause. They might be beautiful dancers, athletes or leaders. They just can't fit in the stereotypical classroom mould. This does not mean that they can't learn. They just learn "in a different way". It will not be fair to label him/her as ADD, put them on stimulants and get the desired result. Give them a chance to show their creativity when they are on the go. The writer is a speech therapist. Email: begin 666 shim.gif K1TE&.#EA`0`!`( ``/___P```"'Y! $4````+ `````!``$```("1 $`.P`` ` end |
#3
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The myth of ADD
Robert Schumann expounded:
ADD is a completely phony Spin-Drome, made up by and for the spychiatric community, and promoted by the Iron-Fist Mafia of the Medical-Industrial Death-Complex. Excellent post. If there even a few people NOT conviced that ADD/ADHD is totally bogus, this post will convince them it is! Thanks again Jan!! Thank *you*, fArty, for exposing one of your other socks! -- Ann e-mail address is not checked |
#4
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The myth of ADD
"Jan Drew" wrote in message . .. The evidence that ADHD is real is overwhelming. People with ADHD have differences in brain function that are visible on PET scans and other tests compared with people who don't ADHD. Jeff |
#5
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The myth of ADD
That is another myth. The only so-called difference is that certain
people think they are special by acting totally irresponsible, such as the person here posting as "Ann" - a total nutcase! Jeff wrote: "Jan Drew" wrote in message . .. The evidence that ADHD is real is overwhelming. People with ADHD have differences in brain function that are visible on PET scans and other tests compared with people who don't ADHD. Jeff |
#6
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The myth of ADD
"Sir Arthur C.B.E. Wholeflaffers A.S.A." expounded:
That is another myth. The only so-called difference is that certain people think they are special by acting totally irresponsible, such as the person here posting as "Ann" - a total nutcase! This is how fArty supports people. Isn't he a peach? Actually I could give a **** what trolls think. -- Ann e-mail address is not checked |
#7
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The myth of ADD
"Sir Arthur C.B.E. Wholeflaffers A.S.A." wrote in message oups.com... That is another myth. The only so-called difference is that certain people think they are special by acting totally irresponsible, such as the person here posting as "Ann" - a total nutcase! There are literally thousands of articles on how the brains of people with ADHD function differently than the brains of people without ADHD. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...arch&DB=pubmed Here are examples. Neurosci Lett. 2007 Apr 19; [Epub ahead of print] Cortical excitability in adult patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). * Richter MM, * Ehlis AC, * Jacob CP, * Fallgatter AJ. Laboratory for Psychophysiology and Functional Imaging, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Wuerzburg, Germany. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is more and more focused on, and the awareness of adult patients with ADHD increases. Deficits in inhibitory processes in cortical brain areas are discussed as possible causes for ADHD. An easy measurement of these processes is provided by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We applied single- and double-pulse TMS to the left motor cortex while an electromyogram (EMG) was taken at the abductor pollicis brevis muscle (APB) of the right hand. Intracortical inhibition (SICI) and facilitation (ICF) were measured in ten adult ADHD patients and ten healthy participants using inter-pulse intervals of 2 and 3ms (SICI), and 8 and 15ms (ICF). Furthermore, resting motor threshold (RMT) and latency of the motor evoked potential (MEP) following magnetic stimulation were compared. t-Tests were calculated for statistical analysis. TMS measurements resulted in impaired inhibition in ADHD patients, whereas there were no differences in facilitation, RMT and MEP-latency between groups. Large variability in the patient group was found. This study expands the findings of deficits in inhibition described in earlier studies in children to an adult population, which could be a hint for similar neurophysiological mechanisms underlying ADHD symptomatology in children and adults. PMID: 17481816 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Mol Psychiatry. 2007 May 1; [Epub ahead of print]Click here to read Links Right parietal dysfunction in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, combined type: a functional MRI study. * Vance A, * Silk TJ, * Casey M, * Rinehart NJ, * Bradshaw JL, * Bellgrove MA, * Cunnington R. 1Academic Child Psychiatry Unit, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, combined type (ADHD-CT) is associated with spatial working memory deficits. These deficits are known to be subserved by dysfunction of neural circuits involving right prefrontal, striatal and parietal brain regions. This study determines whether decreased right prefrontal, striatal and parietal activation with a mental rotation task shown in adolescents with ADHD-CT is also evident in children with ADHD-CT. A cross-sectional study of 12 pre-pubertal, right-handed, 8-12-year-old boys with ADHD-CT and 12 pre-pubertal, right-handed, performance IQ-matched, 8-12-year-old healthy boys, recruited from local primary schools, was completed. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a mental rotation task that requires spatial working memory. The two groups did not differ in their accuracy or response times for the mental rotation task. The ADHD-CT group showed significantly less activation in right parieto-occipital areas (cuneus and precuneus, BA 19), the right inferior parietal lobe (BA 40) and the right caudate nucleus. Our findings with a child cohort confirm previous reports of right striatal-parietal dysfunction in adolescents with ADHD-CT. This dysfunction suggests a widespread maturational deficit that may be developmental stage independent.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 1 May 2007; doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001999. PMID: 17471290 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Jeff wrote: "Jan Drew" wrote in message . .. The evidence that ADHD is real is overwhelming. People with ADHD have differences in brain function that are visible on PET scans and other tests compared with people who don't ADHD. Jeff |
#8
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The myth of ADD
In article .com,
Sir Arthur C.B.E. Wholeflaffers A.S.A. wrote: That is another myth. The only so-called difference is that certain people think they are special by acting totally irresponsible, such as the person here posting as "Ann" - a total nutcase! "Myth," eh? Sure, "Artie." Let's see your evidence. By the way, simply announcing that you are an authority does not constitute evidence. It wouldn't be evidence even if you were an authority, which you are not. -- David Wright :: alphabeta at prodigy.net These are my opinions only, but they're almost always correct. "I'll kill anyone that tries to stop me from killing anyone." -- Yellowbeard Jeff wrote: "Jan Drew" wrote in message . .. The evidence that ADHD is real is overwhelming. People with ADHD have differences in brain function that are visible on PET scans and other tests compared with people who don't ADHD. Jeff |
#9
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The myth of ADD
Wright, we've been through this a million times, so please refer to my
previous posts over the many years. I understand your cults obvious conflict of interest or should I say: CONFLICTS of interest! Yes, ADD/ ADHD are complete myths, made up of whole cloth to be "cured" by certain pharmaceuticals, which really only exacerbate and mask those conditions, which are be to determined by the spychiatrists convienence! The facts prove that my knowledge of this subject is vastly suprior to yours, and besides that, I am completely objective on this subject. David Wright wrote: In article .com, Sir Arthur C.B.E. Wholeflaffers A.S.A. wrote: That is another myth. The only so-called difference is that certain people think they are special by acting totally irresponsible, such as the person here posting as "Ann" - a total nutcase! "Myth," eh? Sure, "Artie." Let's see your evidence. By the way, simply announcing that you are an authority does not constitute evidence. It wouldn't be evidence even if you were an authority, which you are not. -- David Wright :: alphabeta at prodigy.net These are my opinions only, but they're almost always correct. "I'll kill anyone that tries to stop me from killing anyone." -- Yellowbeard Jeff wrote: "Jan Drew" wrote in message . .. The evidence that ADHD is real is overwhelming. People with ADHD have differences in brain function that are visible on PET scans and other tests compared with people who don't ADHD. Jeff |
#10
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The myth of ADD
"Sir Arthur C.B.E. Wholeflaffers A.S.A." wrote in message oups.com... Wright, we've been through this a million times, so please refer to my previous posts over the many years. I understand your cults obvious conflict of interest or should I say: CONFLICTS of interest! Yes, ADD/ ADHD are complete myths, Bull****. The evidence that people with adhd have brains that work differently than people without adhd is overwhelming. made up of whole cloth to be "cured" by certain pharmaceuticals, While pharmaceuticals are one way to help people with ADHD, there many other things that can help these people. In the case of kids, moving them to the front of the room where they will be least distracted is one such thing. which really only exacerbate and mask those conditions, Actually, what the pharmaceuticals do is enable people with ADHD to focus and make their own decisions free of distractions. which are be to determined by the spychiatrists convienence! Determined by experience of psychiatrists and other professionals. The facts prove that my knowledge of this subject is vastly suprior to yours, and besides that, I am completely objective on this subject. You have yet to demonstrate that you any useful knowledge on this subject nor are you objective. Jeff David Wright wrote: In article .com, Sir Arthur C.B.E. Wholeflaffers A.S.A. wrote: That is another myth. The only so-called difference is that certain people think they are special by acting totally irresponsible, such as the person here posting as "Ann" - a total nutcase! "Myth," eh? Sure, "Artie." Let's see your evidence. By the way, simply announcing that you are an authority does not constitute evidence. It wouldn't be evidence even if you were an authority, which you are not. -- David Wright :: alphabeta at prodigy.net These are my opinions only, but they're almost always correct. "I'll kill anyone that tries to stop me from killing anyone." -- Yellowbeard Jeff wrote: "Jan Drew" wrote in message . .. The evidence that ADHD is real is overwhelming. People with ADHD have differences in brain function that are visible on PET scans and other tests compared with people who don't ADHD. Jeff |
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