Do you 'believe' in ADD and ADHD

[indy and lara]

Also I think that the people who could help, such as teachers etc, aren't fully aware of the condition or how to help and so in some cases (I'm thinking of a non-B&Ber that I know who has fought very hard to get help for her son and who has been treated badly by his schools) they make things worse.

I know it's not possible for all teachers to be fully trained and aware of every need and condition BTW, I just think that we need more specially trained ones available for those that need them or to offer support to the mainstream teachers who may find themselves teaching a class that includes a child with a condition they don't understand.

I take a little bit of exception to this tbh. I do not know a single teacher who does not know about ADHD or who has not got personal experience of managing a class where there is a child with ADHD. When you get a new class, it is bog standard practice to read up on any condition you do not know much about. When you are managing a class you need to be able to manage all the children, it doesn't work any other way.

There is very little funding for schools to have any specialist staff, whether that be for ASN or for music/ PE/ etc. As budgets are slashed, so is support for all children. It would be lovely to have extra support but as many councils are even scrapping learning assistants it is very unlikely that there will be many extra teaching staff placed into school.

 

[Every Rose]

Also I think that the people who could help, such as teachers etc, aren't fully aware of the condition or how to help and so in some cases (I'm thinking of a non-B&Ber that I know who has fought very hard to get help for her son and who has been treated badly by his schools) they make things worse.

I know it's not possible for all teachers to be fully trained and aware of every need and condition BTW, I just think that we need more specially trained ones available for those that need them or to offer support to the mainstream teachers who may find themselves teaching a class that includes a child with a condition they don't understand.

I take a little bit of exception to this tbh. I do not know a single teacher who does not know about ADHD or who has not got personal experience of managing a class where there is a child with ADHD. When you get a new class, it is bog standard practice to read up on any condition you do not know much about. When you are managing a class you need to be able to manage all the children, it doesn't work any other way.

There is very little funding for schools to have any specialist staff, whether that be for ASN or for music/ PE/ etc. As budgets are slashed, so is support for all children. It would be lovely to have extra support but as many councils are even scrapping learning assistants it is very unlikely that there will be many extra teaching staff placed into school.

The case I am thinking off isn't mine to discuss in detail but this particular friend I mentioned has battled long and hard at one school to have her son helped and has met with resistance at every turn. To the point that she was labelled as a bad parent of a naughty child and was told to take classes to make her a better parent. She had to change her sons school to get the help and understanding they both need but it's still not quite working how it should. She frequently is in tears about it and vents on facebook and so my (admittedly little and secondhand) experience of this is as I have described it. She's a fantastic parent and neither she, her son or her family deserved to be treated so badly and the only explanation she has for the way they were treated by this particular school is that the teachers and headmistress either did not know about the condition or didn't care about it. She feels it made their jobs easier to blame her and her son so that's what they did.

 

[indy and lara]

Also I think that the people who could help, such as teachers etc, aren't fully aware of the condition or how to help and so in some cases (I'm thinking of a non-B&Ber that I know who has fought very hard to get help for her son and who has been treated badly by his schools) they make things worse.

I know it's not possible for all teachers to be fully trained and aware of every need and condition BTW, I just think that we need more specially trained ones available for those that need them or to offer support to the mainstream teachers who may find themselves teaching a class that includes a child with a condition they don't understand.

I take a little bit of exception to this tbh. I do not know a single teacher who does not know about ADHD or who has not got personal experience of managing a class where there is a child with ADHD. When you get a new class, it is bog standard practice to read up on any condition you do not know much about. When you are managing a class you need to be able to manage all the children, it doesn't work any other way.

There is very little funding for schools to have any specialist staff, whether that be for ASN or for music/ PE/ etc. As budgets are slashed, so is support for all children. It would be lovely to have extra support but as many councils are even scrapping learning assistants it is very unlikely that there will be many extra teaching staff placed into school.

The case I am thinking off isn't mine to discuss in detail but this particular friend I mentioned has battled long and hard at one school to have her son helped and has met with resistance at every turn. To the point that she was labelled as a bad parent of a naughty child and was told to take classes to make her a better parent. She had to change her sons school to get the help and understanding they both need but it's still not quite working how it should. She frequently is in tears about it and vents on facebook and so my (admittedly little and secondhand) experience of this is as I have described it. She's a fantastic parent and neither she, her son or her family deserved to be treated so badly and the only explanation she has for the way they were treated by this particular school is that the teachers and headmistress either did not know about the condition or didn't care about it. She feels it made their jobs easier to blame her and her son so that's what they did.

Honestly, there is not a single school or teacher in the country who do not know about ADHD. Sometimes problems arise when parents and professionals don't agree with what should be done. For example, I know lits of parents who have wanted a FT learning assistant assigned to their child but that will never happen due to funding. I am not sure where you are in the country but an Ed Pysch should be involved in ensuring an appropriate plan/ support is in place. Is it a recent diagnosis? If the school are not following through what is agreed then she needs to go above their heads to the Local Authority. There is a duty of care that needs to be met by the school. If it is not being followed through then it is not due to a lack of knowledge or understanding but a failing in the school.

 

[Every Rose]

Also I think that the people who could help, such as teachers etc, aren't fully aware of the condition or how to help and so in some cases (I'm thinking of a non-B&Ber that I know who has fought very hard to get help for her son and who has been treated badly by his schools) they make things worse.

I know it's not possible for all teachers to be fully trained and aware of every need and condition BTW, I just think that we need more specially trained ones available for those that need them or to offer support to the mainstream teachers who may find themselves teaching a class that includes a child with a condition they don't understand.

I take a little bit of exception to this tbh. I do not know a single teacher who does not know about ADHD or who has not got personal experience of managing a class where there is a child with ADHD. When you get a new class, it is bog standard practice to read up on any condition you do not know much about. When you are managing a class you need to be able to manage all the children, it doesn't work any other way.

There is very little funding for schools to have any specialist staff, whether that be for ASN or for music/ PE/ etc. As budgets are slashed, so is support for all children. It would be lovely to have extra support but as many councils are even scrapping learning assistants it is very unlikely that there will be many extra teaching staff placed into school.

The case I am thinking off isn't mine to discuss in detail but this particular friend I mentioned has battled long and hard at one school to have her son helped and has met with resistance at every turn. To the point that she was labelled as a bad parent of a naughty child and was told to take classes to make her a better parent. She had to change her sons school to get the help and understanding they both need but it's still not quite working how it should. She frequently is in tears about it and vents on facebook and so my (admittedly little and secondhand) experience of this is as I have described it. She's a fantastic parent and neither she, her son or her family deserved to be treated so badly and the only explanation she has for the way they were treated by this particular school is that the teachers and headmistress either did not know about the condition or didn't care about it. She feels it made their jobs easier to blame her and her son so that's what they did.

Honestly, there is not a single school or teacher in the country who do not know about ADHD. Sometimes problems arise when parents and professionals don't agree with what should be done. For example, I know lits of parents who have wanted a FT learning assistant assigned to their child but that will never happen due to funding. I am not sure where you are in the country but an Ed Pysch should be involved in ensuring an appropriate plan/ support is in place. Is it a recent diagnosis? If the school are not following through what is agreed then she needs to go above their heads to the Local Authority. There is a duty of care that needs to be met by the school. If it is not being followed through then it is not due to a lack of knowledge or understanding but a failing in the school.

They are in Scotland. It's not a brand new diagnosis and the headmistress seemed to make it her personal mission to disprove the existance of ADHD and blame my friend for her sons 'failings.' She fought for a couple of years before changing his school, where the staff have been much better but she still has some difficulties in ensuring all his needs are met. I think she knows all the procedures but she has come up against someone who has no interest in following them and it's left her feeling disillusioned.

 

[indy and lara]

Every Rose, she needs to contact Pupil Support and complain. With an ADHD diagnosis there should be an ASN plan in place and the school have to follow it. The Ed Psych should also be on board and getting involved.

 

[Jess137]

Ritilin is a controlled drug, so it does have to be signed for, i have to take ID with me. I know in the uk they dont just hand it out willy-nilly, but maybe in different countries they do just that? [/QUOTE]

I live in the US and work in a family practice doctor's office (we see everyone from newborns to elderly patients). We have 2 doctors. One has a million patients that supposedly have ADD/ADHD. He gives out ADD meds like candy. We have just as many adults that get these meds as we do kids. I know that this is a real disorder (I am bipolar so I believe that there are many psychological disorders people have). But this doctor even gives out these meds for WEIGHT LOSS. It's crazy. On the other hand, the second doctor only has a handful of patients with this diagnosis. This is how I come to the conclusion that it is real but way over diagnosed or used as an excuse for some people. I do not mean in any way that every person with this diagnosis is using it as an excuse, but I do see a lot of people who do.

Edit- sorry i messed up the quote!

 

[MikaylasMummy]

i believe they are real, over diagnosed, and should only be given medication after every diet and lifestyle change has been tried in the child first and hasnt worked.A LOT of problems stem from food and i know a tonne of kids who avoided medication by their parents controlling what they eat!

 

[Nic1107]

Diet and lifestyle can exacerbate some issues, but certainly are neither the cause nor the cure of ADD or any other condition on the spectrum. There are some food additives, the exclusion of which helped my brother sleep and calmed his hyperactivity down a bit- but he still has sensory issues, certain processing disorders and the mild synesthesia that we both have (and rather enjoy). For children in whom attention problems or being hyper is an issue, food and lifestyle are two things that should certainly be looked at- but what people fail to realize is that those are not the only symptoms of ADD and that, being related to autism spectrum disorders, there is so much more that goes into many cases of ADD. ykwim? It's hard to explain, lol!

 

[MikaylasMummy]

Diet and lifestyle can exacerbate some issues, but certainly are neither the cause nor the cure of ADD or any other condition on the spectrum. There are some food additives, the exclusion of which helped my brother sleep and calmed his hyperactivity down a bit- but he still has sensory issues, certain processing disorders and the mild synesthesia that we both have (and rather enjoy). For children in whom attention problems or being hyper is an issue, food and lifestyle are two things that should certainly be looked at- but what people fail to realize is that those are not the only symptoms of ADD and that, being related to autism spectrum disorders, there is so much more that goes into many cases of ADD. ykwim? It's hard to explain, lol!

your brothers case is exactly the type where medication obviously should be used..i mean diet and lifestyle changes would help in the same regards with the overdiagnosis where adhd is used to explain simple hyperactivity or lack of attention..i did say that medication should be used if other things have been ruled out before a diagnosis is made!

 

[LoraLoo]

Every Rose, she needs to contact Pupil Support and complain. With an ADHD diagnosis there should be an ASN plan in place and the school have to follow it. The Ed Psych should also be on board and getting involved.

What is an ASN plan? It it like an IEP? I must admit I haven't found our Head teacher supportive at all At every stage of his assessments I went in to keep her updated, she just wasnt interested.
When the teachers had to fill in the questionnaite the Consultant went through all the results with us and th schools summary which started tht he had been suffering with lack of concentration, attention and so on since NURSERY and yet they had never bothered to tell me this, simply passing him off as a boisterous little boy on parents evenings etc.
I went to see the head when he was doagnosed to ask what support would be put in placem i asked what the chance of getting a Statement for him would be and she told me not to even bother applying. So i pushed and kept asking what support he would get and she went to get the SENCO who informed me that he had been on an IEP since Feb....this was the end of June! When i asked why i had not been informed/signed anything...she tod me because i hadnt atteneded parents evening. I have never, ever missed one, and in fact had a 45 minute 1-1 with his teacher, who told me she would do a rewar chart for Ollie. 2 weeks later she said that the reward chart had been helping, so that she had stopped it WTF?
Since then he gets extra help in small groups as he finds it easier, but I still have alot of problems with the school itself. Eg. he didnt read to his teacher once between 1st dec and 13th Jan how is he supposed to be able to progress in other subjects when he's not getting enough support in even basic things like reading?
I never wanted my son to have ADHD, all the time he was being assessed i was hoping that he didnt have it, that maybe he was grieving or just a difficult child. I was devestated that he had it as it really does effect every aspect of his life, he cant play out like other kids because he would run out into the road, other kids dont invite him to partys because he is 'naughty', his older sister has actually asked to move out because he destroys all her things. Its put so much strain on my family that me and aaron have almost split up. For us it is very real, if I had a magic wand and could 'cure' his ADHD i would, but I cant...we accept him how he is and we just have to deal with it xxxx

 

[indy and lara]

Yeah, they are similar. In Scotland we have the Additional Support Needs Act which covers ALL additional support needs- eg, conditions such as ADHD, Aspergers, but also covers things like gifted and talented children, children who needs extra support due to home circumstances and so on.

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2011/03/adhd-an-interesting-development.html#comments


interesting read

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

My son has autism and ADHD and we have never even been offered meds! I dont live in the stone ages, its not that easy as people think to get!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2011/03/adhd-an-interesting-development.html#comments


interesting read

Bit rubbish though...

 

[Rhi_Rhi1]

depends on your point of view .. still interesting to the topic no need to be rude

 

[Blah11]

Do i think it exsists? Yes. Do I think it's overdiagnosed/falsely diagnosed? Def.

 

[Blah11]

lesley - my friend works at murrayburn primary and there is literally an entire class (like 10-15 kids) who have ADD or autism Surely it cant be THAT common.

 

[LoraLoo]

lesley - my friend works at murrayburn primary and there is literally an entire class (like 10-15 kids) who have ADD or autism Surely it cant be THAT common.

I only know one other child (that I know of, with ADHD) and 1 with Aspergers xx

 

[Every Rose]

https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2011/03/adhd-an-interesting-development.html#comments


interesting read

Thanks for posting that.

What was his point though? He's very rude and he seemed to be saying "I don't believe in this condition but someone else has written a better article to say why than I can be bothered to so I'm just going to quote it a bit and try to offend people."

I'm off to google the Libby Purves one to see if she what she really had to say.

 

[LoraLoo]

https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2011/03/adhd-an-interesting-development.html#comments


interesting read

Thanks for posting that.

What was his point though? He's very rude and he seemed to be saying "I don't believe in this condition but someone else has written a better article to say why than I can be bothered to so I'm just going to quote it a bit and try to offend people."

I'm off to google the Libby Purves one to see if she what she really had to say.

I kind of feel his argument falls apart on the weak, lazy parenting part If that were the case then surely my other 2 children would behave the same. Which they don't . I can also differenciate between a typical boisterous little boy, and one who's behaviour puts himself and others in danger *Sighs* xxxxx