A Civil World. Off-topic discussions on a variety of topics. > Time For a Coffee Break!
ADHD
NotCinderell:
That's funny. When I was diagnosed at 24, I thought of it as validating. There's a book on adult ADHD called "So you mean I'm not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?" That's how I felt.
I think that Sally's mother could have gone a lot further in helping Sally be comfortable with her diagnosis. Rather than being disappointed in her for being diagnosed with a learning disability, she should have emphasized all the things that a learning disability does not mean, and how much better Sally will function in school and in life knowing that she has a condition and isn't just dumb or spacy.
hobish:
--- Quote from: NEDESAPIO on January 04, 2007, 12:42:45 PM ---As I've said before on this Forum, I work as a teacher at a learning center, a place for children who have trouble in school. Some of my students are ADHD, what used to be called just "ADD," or Attention Deficit Disorder. This story concerns "Sally," an eight-year-old girl I've mentioned here before. Sally has been coming to the center for a year; she is very bright and talkative to the point of being distractable. However, she's been improving a lot in the last months, especially in her oral reading. She's always had a good attitude and doesn't get frustrated or discouraged easily.
Yesterday, Sally came in for her scheduled session a half-hour late. Her mother came in with her; the normally cheerful Sally was upset and crying. While Sally used the restroom, her mother took me aside and told me that Sally had "just been diagnosed with ADHD," which means "she has trouble paying attention and following directions." The mother seemed very frustrated and depressed. Now, I know nothing about ADHD, and in fact it's not my job to discuss the children with their parents; that's the job of the Education Director, and I (politely) told Sally's mother this.
What bothers me is the following. Here is this bright child who has been making progress during the past year. Suddenly, she and her family receive a professional verdict of ADHD. This is supposed to mean she can't follow directions or pay attention for long. But in fact, she follows directions very well and is much less distractable than she used to be. Yesterday she was crying when she came in, but once her mother left she was fine and did very well in her work. As I said, I know little about the subject, but it seems to me that labels like "ADHD" can easily become crippling: they can make the child believe he or she can't do certain things well, and before long "ADHD" can become a crutch or excuse for poor work.
What do you think?
--- End quote ---
I have seen that happen not so much with ADD/ADHD; but with ODD - opositional defiance disorder. i.e. "Oh, my 10 year old has ODD; you can't tell him what to do or he won't do it. He really hates being told what he can & can't do. It makes him argumentative and defiant."
Wha...?
NEDESAPIO:
Rather than being disappointed in her for being diagnosed with a learning disability...
Actually, I wouldn't say that Sally's mother was disappointed in Sally; she acted more as though some giant burden had just been laid on Sally and the rest of the family, and as though Sally was somehow suddenly a different girl because she'd been officially diagnosed with ADHD.
Gwywnnydd:
--- Quote from: RuneGuardian on January 04, 2007, 12:56:45 PM ---Things like ADHD and ADD in children are so grossly overdiagnosed anymore. Maybe she has a hard time paying attention - what kid her age doesn't have that problem? I have yet to see a child at that age who can quietly sit still and behave constantly, and I would be more worried about a kid who acted this way than one who was slightly to very distracting. Either the mother is overreacting, or just looking for some kind of validation for her poor parenting techniques.
--- End quote ---
Or, another possibility, the girl really does have ADHD. I agree that ADD/ADHD is overdiagnosed, but that doesn't mean it doesn't *exist*. My two stepsons both have ADHD. They both have problems in school (we're working on getting them into a more focused environment, but we don't (yet) have primary custody). As has been mentioned already in this thread, one-on-one teaching and tutoring works much better than trying to concentrate in a class of 25-35 people.
BatCity:
First off, my own experience, then I'll try to give you some insight as to what you can do now.
My daughter's ADHD diagnosis was the best day of her life. She was six and in her second go-round with Kindergarten. She had always been immature and had trouble controlling her impulses, but by that time she was coming home crying, saying things like "I don't know what's wrong with me!" She would try and try to behave in class but would always get in trouble anyway.
I finally took her to a pediatric neurologist and she started responding to treatment immediately. She is now happy, well-behaved and no less energetic than she was before...she can just control herself now, when she has to.
As a teacher, I think the best thing to do is let it blow over with the daughter. After a few days or weeks she will figure out that she is still the same person she was before, as will her mom. Let them figure out how to handle the diagnosis within the family.
Hope that helps,
Lara
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