Help me understand A.D.D

[Other.]

I don't pay attention in class. I like to day dream and fall asleep. My teachers want me on medication for ADD. I don't want to be medicated. This is who I am behaving the way my genetics made me be. I honestly agree with the statement about ADD being too widely diagnosed to make parents feel better that their child would rather think about what the school is serving for lunch then to write down notes. This kind of reminds me of how stupid people are when they diagnose themselves with Social Anxiety. "Oh I feel nervous when I  was talking to that extremely hot girl. I must have social anxiety" Then walk around like they have some kind of disorder or something.

[Hoover]

Grimlin,

My daughter and stepson were diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).  My daughter was diagnosed early on.  My stepson exhibited symptons in the 4th grade but was not diagnosed until the 7th grade.  Both are on different medications.  My daughter received early treatment and has made a world of difference for her in school. 

My stepson has struggled but is now able to focus and do well in school.  However, he has other issues other than just ADHD. 

Each child is very different.  Your pediatrician can either prescribed the appropriate medications or can refer you to someone who knows better. 

Our family was continually upset by the behavior, resistance and fighting.  Now, we are on a relatively normal path to family life.

I wish you well and will be happy to further share my experience with ADD and ADHD, a diagnoses that have existed since the 1950s, not just 20 years ago.  Good luck!!

Tom

[Carrington]

i have it, but its not horrible.  go to your doctor and talk to him about medication.  i only take it during school days to help with school and it works great.

[Grey Wolf]

Half the parents I know tell me that their kid's got ADD, the other half tell me their kid's in the "gifted" program. ADD was invented by doctors, and perpetuated by pharmaceutical companies. Kids naturally get squirmy, don't pay attention, scream, fight, fidget, lose focus and become distracted. 95% chance your kid will grow out of it.... eventually. It's amazing how this so called disorder did not even exist 20 years ago, but now has become a national calamity that has to be dealt with by the use of prescription drugs. I wish you the best with your child.

Open mouth , insert foot.

[Turtle.]

Half the parents I know tell me that their kid's got ADD, the other half tell me their kid's in the "gifted" program. ADD was invented by doctors, and perpetuated by pharmaceutical companies. Kids naturally get squirmy, don't pay attention, scream, fight, fidget, lose focus and become distracted. 95% chance your kid will grow out of it.... eventually. It's amazing how this so called disorder did not even exist 20 years ago, but now has become a national calamity that has to be dealt with by the use of prescription drugs. I wish you the best with your child.

Tin that is by far the most ignorant statement I have ever read on this site.

It is also kinda funny seeing how I was diagnosed with add over thirty years ago and my brother with adhd not long after that.We were not treated at the time for my mother refused to medicate her children. Which later turned out being a huge mistake.

With that said, let's start with the history of ADHD because it has been around a lot longer than one may think. The disorder was first noticed back in 1902 and the terminology used to describe the disorder then was, Defect of Moral Control. As time passed, the disorder went by many names until identified as ADD in 1980 and then ADHD in 1987. In 1998, the AMA disclosed that ADHD was one of the best researched neurological disorders so proof indeed does exist and researchers want to know more about this most misunderstood disorder. Also, Ritalin began to be used to treat the disorder back in 1956.

I now have two children with ADHD. My son age 9 diagnosed at age 6. Has severe ADHD along with,Deficits in working memory.

Difficulty with social interactions and social networks.

Anxiety disorder

Learning and cognitive disorders

Impulsivity and aggression

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Which is all linked back to his ADHD.

Medication is the key, but finding the right one is the trick. No two children are the same and every med. affects every child differently. It was easy with my daughter. She was a D student, struggling in every subject. Losing work totally unorganized and they wanted to hold her back. We got her on the right medication and in three months her grades were coming up. Within eight months and I kid you not she was on the honor roll , she is now straight A student. And I am very proud of her.

My son is a different story. And being a single father he honestly sometimes wears me out. Finding the right doctor and the right medication is the key.

stratos 375 

How dare you with your ignorant statements and total lack of knowledge on this,tell me or anyone else that ADD can be fixed by slapping or beating the child. Are you kidding me?

That's all I have to say for now.

[.dsaavedra.]

there was a kid in my 4th grade class that had ADHD hardcore. this kid was craaaaaaaaazy. never did his work always threw fits, always complaining and being obnoxious. one time the teacher walked out in the hall to talk to another teacher, and this kid got up, stood on top of the teachers desk, and told the class about this elaborate plan he had to kill the teacher, blow up the school, and run away. the class was in shock and as soon as the teacher walked in everyone squealed on him.

[Sam]

I have it.

You have to read slower and not jump ahead or try to see an entire paragraph at once.

People with this aliment are extremely smart as shown by the research. 

[Bassn Blvd]

I'm not sure I buy into the whole ADD thing either.  Perhaps some have it but it seems to be abused. A friend of mine said their son has A.D.D but apparently it only shows up when he's in school or has to do his chores.  He can sit in front of the t.v for hours or play xbox all day with no problem at all.

Remember, we aren't born disciplined. We have to be TAUGHT discipline.

[Carrington]

yes sam they are. i have it and am a few years ahead of most kids in my grade as in i already have enough college credits to be considered a college sophmore in my senior year of high school.

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

I used to have it bad but then i started taking medicine for it and after about 3 years of it i kinda grew out of it. I still have moments when i cant focuse for the world but only sometimes

[ichigo]

i was labeled as A.D.H.D and A.D.D so my mom make me changed my food from regular food to whole grain,eat more vegetable and protien and no soda and no junk food

by at age of 15 which is 2 years later my adhd and add has gone

if u need help reduce adhd and add try changing the food and less tv and comp and phones usually helps

i'm 19 now so that was 4 year ago i am glad i dont get them anymore

[IwillChooseFreeWill]

I have more of what I coined "subdued autism", and my oldest daughter is the same way.

All the same symptoms but in much lower "doses" than the normal diagnosis. It is not really ADD or ADHD as I can concentrate but sometimes there is a misfire where the information I am trying to convey or explain comes out completely off of the wall compared to how it should be explained.

It also affects us worse when extreme emotions are tossed in the mix, like fights with my wife, extremely tired, and so on.

The only thing that has really kept me calm and thinking straight has been smoking, I guess the calming effects of the nicotine and tobacco help counteract the symptoms. since I quit smoking a few months ago things have gotten worse that I am trying to deal with.

[dave]

I'm not sure I buy into the whole ADD thing either. Perhaps some have it but it seems to be abused. A friend of mine said their son has A.D.D but apparently it only shows up when he's in school or has to do his chores. He can sit in front of the t.v for hours or play xbox all day with no problem at all.

Remember, we aren't born disciplined. We have to be TAUGHT discipline.

Actually, it is very common for ADD kids to be good at video games and to be completely in a more normal state while playing. I've seen some kids that can't sit still to save their lives, sit content for hours while playing.

[firefightn15]

By five or six my nephew was memorizing different drugs and there usages off of the TV.  Any time a medical subject would come up he would start listing the corresponding drug and what it would do along with all it's side effects.  This is before we understood what was going on with him.

[FishingBuds]

Hang in there man, I believe it does excist,

I use to not think so, untill I seen the eyes of a child that had it bad.

I think its something that does exist but they jump on it too quick.

My son has turrets, he has to have a thing, like a twitch. Either blinks alot or lifts his eye brows up and down to much, even sometimes he likes to twitch his shoulder. im told he should grow out of it.

He's extremely bright, two years ahead of his age in book smarts.

I just don't like how they want you to jump to quick on an answer, kinda why it took me 6 yrs to marry my wife

Probably gets it from me, cause im a nut ball, im extremely possessive on the small things and I know it. The other thing I do is notice all the things that happen to my body as I get older so my possessive disorder makes it tens times worse.

[Tokyo Tony]

I've heard great things about this book:

https://www.savageonlinestore.com/productDetails.jsp?catid=&sku=855

[grimlin]

By five or six my nephew was memorizing different drugs and there usages off of the TV. Any time a medical subject would come up he would start listing the corresponding drug and what it would do along with all it's side effects. This is before we understood what was going on with him.

wow...that wild...

[J Francho]

I have more of what I coined "subdued autism", and my oldest daughter is the same way.

Autism is a spectrum disorder, and nothing like ADD or ADHD.

********************************************************

These are real disorders, and nothing is really new, we just now have names to label the diagnosis.  Whether these disorders are over diagnosed, misdiagnosed, or that many are over medicated is a totally different issue.  For some kids, its real.  For their caretakers its more work than many parents can comprehend.