The myth of ADD

JohnDoe wrote:

Peter Bowditch wrote:

"Jan Drew" wrote:


" wrote in message
roups.com...

On May 11, 8:25 am, "Sir Arthur C.B.E. Wholeflaffers A.S.A."
wrote:

Wright, we've been through this a million times,

How many people did you have to ask to help you count that high?

so please refer to my

previous posts over the many years.

Can be conveniently found he www.barf.net

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"

Wrong, numbnuts, no one claims a cure.

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.

You are as objective as that brown lump in your shorts.

Another post to take to your Rabbi.....


I'm sorry, Jan, but your theological studies and recent conversion to
Judaism are not relevant to the thread.

KACHING!! - $1

snip Rabbinical Studies essay

IIRC, last time, KACHING got the ACAHF a new printer. Do you have
anything in mind for this round of KACHING?

I think I'll use it for annual membership subscriptions to Healthy
Skepticism ("Improving health by reducing harm from misleading drug
promotion"), the Australian Patient Safety Foundation and the
Consumers' Health Forum of Australia.

http://www.healthyskepticism.org
http://www.apsf.net.au
http://www.chf.org.au
--
Peter Bowditch aa #2243
The Millenium Project http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles
Australian Council Against Health Fraud http://www.acahf.org.au
Australian Skeptics http://www.skeptics.com.au
To email me use my first name only at ratbags.com

ALL diversions deleted

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:

"Jan Drew" expounded:

ALL diversions deleted

Whoopee f*cking ding. They're still there on Usenet, Jan, you didn't
delete a thing - nor did you post anything pertinent.
--
Ann
e-mail address is not checked

"Jan Drew" wrote:

By repeating in toto a complete post which appeared earlier in the
thread, Jan has added nothing.

KACHING!! - $1

snip 100% repetition
--
Peter Bowditch aa #2243
The Millenium Project http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles
Australian Council Against Health Fraud http://www.acahf.org.au
Australian Skeptics http://www.skeptics.com.au
To email me use my first name only at ratbags.com

"Ann" wrote in message
...
"Jan Drew" expounded:

ALL diversions deleted

Whoopee f*cking ding. They're still there on Usenet, Jan, you didn't
delete a thing - nor did you post anything pertinent.
--
Ann
e-mail address is not checked

The people who are illiterates fall for the psycho , i.e. Ann, hype

"Vernono O" Here @there wrote:


"Ann" wrote in message
.. .
"Jan Drew" expounded:

ALL diversions deleted

Whoopee f*cking ding. They're still there on Usenet, Jan, you didn't
delete a thing - nor did you post anything pertinent.
--
Ann
e-mail address is not checked

The people who are illiterates fall for the psycho , i.e. Ann, hype


Speaking of illiteracy, there are at least three errors in what Vernon
wrote.
--
Peter Bowditch aa #2243
The Millenium Project http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles
Australian Council Against Health Fraud http://www.acahf.org.au
Australian Skeptics http://www.skeptics.com.au
To email me use my first name only at ratbags.com

"Vernono O" Here @there wrote in message
...

"Ann" wrote in message
...
"Jan Drew" expounded:

ALL diversions deleted
"Whoopee f*cking ding."
Demo of illitercy

"Vernono O" Here @there wrote:


"Vernono O" Here @there wrote in message
m...

"Ann" wrote in message
...
"Jan Drew" expounded:

ALL diversions deleted
"Whoopee f*cking ding."
Demo of illitercy


It is extremely bad form to make spelling mistakes while criticising
the literacy of others.
--
Peter Bowditch aa #2243
The Millenium Project http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles
Australian Council Against Health Fraud http://www.acahf.org.au
Australian Skeptics http://www.skeptics.com.au
To email me use my first name only at ratbags.com

On May 15, 2:41 am, Peter Bowditch wrote:
"Vernono O" Here @there wrote:



"Ann" wrote in message
.. .
"Jan Drew" expounded:

ALL diversions deleted

Whoopee f*cking ding. They're still there on Usenet, Jan, you didn't
delete a thing - nor did you post anything pertinent.
--
Ann
e-mail address is not checked

The people who are illiterates fall for the psycho , i.e. Ann, hype

Speaking of illiteracy, there are at least three errors in what Vernon
wrote.
Gonna splurge on a new *mouse pad* this time, eh?

Here is a possible choice ~~~ http://tinyurl.com/3xv2rt

It should help to alleviate RSI leer

In article .com,
Sir Arthur C.B.E. Wholeflaffers A.S.A. wrote:
Wright, we've been through this a million times, so please refer to my
previous posts over the many years.

You must mean all the other posts where you didn't provide any
evidence either. And I do mean *all*.

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.

The facts prove that you have never provided any evidence whatever.
All you do is make vacuous claims.

-- 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


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.

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