When is it ADHD and when is it just normal attention issues?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, I do have a special needs child but I do not agree with the positions that the few posters here who claim to be the ultimate authority over all others keep pressing. Can you believe it? I don't agree with you and frankly, I think you are the one dismissing science. You can not comprehend anything beyond your own opinion on all this.

Second, parents of children who do not have special needs do come here to ask questions about concerns. Its fine to have strong opinions but there is more than a small tendency for at least a few posters to push any parent describing anything toward thinking their child must have XYZ or they must run not walk to a high end developmental pediatrician when this could be an over-reaction. You may have an attitude that any test is fine, any number of consults is fine, or its fine to try out expensive therapies even if they don't work but not everyone agrees with this.

The OP asked for opinions and 'go immediately for an evaluation because so many people have ADHD or Childfind must have missed it so find someone else to do another evaluation' is not the only valid opinion or in IMO not a good one. It is valid to take a wait and see approach, or talk with your pediatrician.

Try watching Frontline's the medicated child. It offers a balanced view of both sides. It doesn't dismiss people who have true need but it also rightly questions the trends in current diagnoses and medications.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/medicatedchild/

Or look up the 60 minutes piece on the pharmaceutical industries marketing campaign directly to consumers for adult ADD medication. Big pharma is hoping for 8 million subscribers.Does this mean that no adult has ADD or would not benefit from these drugs? Absolutely not. It does show that there is a significant financial interest and a tactic from big pharma to pressure consumers to pressure their doctors for prescriptions.

You provide the Frontline link to bolster your argument? Didn’t you notice how similar it is to what people are saying on this thread? It’s pretty much what we all have been saying – you need good information in order to make good decisions, you need to use good judgment, these issues aren’t easy, this disorder is underdiagnosed and undermedicated. It doesn’t posit that these diagnoses are a fad or there is harm in getting an evaluation. All the experts quoted indicate rising rates because of better diagnostic criteria and reduced stigma. I’d also like to point out that it aired 9 years ago. Even though it’s not current, things haven’t changed much.

You’re also naïve if you don’t think the pharmaceutical companies aren’t trying to make a buck. Every company is profit driven and wants to entice consumers to buy their product. Why do you think every ride at DisneyWorld exits through the gift shop? That doesn’t mean you mindlessly buy whatever’s in front of you. But, when was the last time you saw an ADHD medication advertised on TV for kids? I can’t recall one, not like I can for adults – that’s because pharmaceutical companies are afraid of the risk associated with pediatric medications. It’s why it’s so hard to get trials for kids. It’s why pretty much every single toy has a warning label “not for use in children under the age of 3”. They are risk-adverse and afraid of lawsuits.

Finally, not a single post said “go immediately for an evaluation” or “run, don’t walk to a high end developmental pediatrician” and there certainly isn’t anyone diagnosing anything. People are saying that it can be very difficult to diagnose disorders and the best way to do it is to get an evaluation by a specialist – not a general pediatrician. Most people have already taken a wait and see approach before posting on this forum. Now, they’re looking for direction. You are creating hysteria and drama where there is none.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I've been reading this thread since interest since my DD can be hyper at times. Right now, it seems situational only, she acts like a normal kid and her teachers have no concerns but who knows. I understand your concerns about locking into the track. The zealous ADHD posters are not convincing and pretty much highlight the whole obsessive everyone must be ADHD trend. I can't imagine thinking its cool to put a kid through a MRI.

Who said everyone must be ADHD? I missed that post. All I saw were people trying to combat the "conventional wisdom" about ADHD. Anyone advocating that everyone with ADHD is just repeating a myth. Only an estimated 5-10 percent of the population has it. I thought people were just saying that it was underdiagnosed and under-medicated. If your DD is only hyperactive in certain situations and that's her only symptom, there's no reason to suspect ADHD which makes me wonder why you even bothered to look at this thread? In fact, why do you even bother to lurk in the Special Needs Forum?

BTW - I'm the the mother of the kid who did the MRI - you should just go back to trolling on the General Parenting Forum. Not only do you not get Special Needs, you don't know anything about MRIs, ADHD or the value of research. You might think about how you and your DD have benefited from the people willing to participate in research rather than get all judgmental. Don't think you haven't benefitted.

Wow - I'm sounding like some of the harpies on General Parenting. I don't know why I let the trolls get to me. Maybe I'm tired - it is late. I'm not going to feed them anymore.

I agree. An MRI is non-invasive and contributes to valuable research. Thank you for your willingness to be part of something that benefits us all. Why is she in the Special Needs Forum?

[Anonymous]

And why would any of us want to try out expensive therapies that don't work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find the positions by 11:26 and 11:59 so exhausting. I feel like I battle these attitudes all the time. What really gets to me sometimes is that I feel like they repeat conventional wisdom yet dismiss science based, peer reviewed research that contradicts what they think - and then accuse me of being ruled by emotion. My kids have ADHD and it runs throughout my and DH's families. We've seen the tragic toll it takes when left untreated. We recognize that medicine is a "practice". It is not perfect, so we educate ourselves by doing our own digging, considering the source and the motivation, and using our best judgment. It's hard not to be emotional about your kids but emotion doesn't get my kids where they need to be.

There is absolutely no evidence that today's educational demands have led to an increased diagnosis of ADHD. A PP provided links to some peer reviewed studies and I'll provide some more. Pretty much every mental disorder is underdiagnosed and undertreated.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15939840" target="_new" rel="nofollow"> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15939840 In adult populations (which parallel child populations), only a fraction of those with ADHD are being treated for it. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/163/4/716 The treatment rate for ADHD is much less than that for anxiety, substance use disorders, depression and bipolar disorders http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15939840 (Thanks to Gina Pera author of Is it You, Me or Adult ADD for pointing me to the studies).

Increased educational demands also don't cause ADHD. Even if the demands were reduced, they would still have ADHD, it's probably just being noticed more at an early age because we know "normal" kids are capable of a lot more than what educators thought they were 20 years ago - that's a good thing on both accounts when it leads to increased recognition of problems. My kids have absolutely no problem sitting still. They don't get fidgety or inattentive because of lack of recess, they get fidgety because of mental challenges that their peers don't have a problem with. It is an age appropriate education, they just can't do it without accomodation and modified instruction. They could have recess three times a day, wouldn't make any difference. It's not stress that inhibits the functioning of elementary/middle/high school kids, it poor brain functioning.

It's so exhausting.

13:16 here. Hugs to you. It IS exhausting. The point of my post was that my kids school environment has zero to do with whether or not they have ADHD. They function a bit better in a private school setting perhaps, but make no mistake, they have significant issues that are apparent in all settings - school, home, friends' houses. They have poor brain functioning, period. We actually instigated evaluations with both because of what we were seeing at home. Neither child is hyperactive btw. People need to understand the science and the research behind these disorders, and stop dismissing them as figments of the pharma marketing groups.