Learning disabilities.

[Mrs Bucket]

Wait until you have a child. If he or she should have autism or ADHD you will soon understand if you live with it, and you can't stop them from having it just by wishful thinking or telling them to stop.

Well said. There are days I have a hard time controlling my impulse thinking and it is because of my ADHD. It is rough when there are some people that give very little praise and too much criticism.

 

[Jiro]

Wait until you have a child. If he or she should have autism or ADHD you will soon understand if you live with it, and you can't stop them from having it just by wishful thinking or telling them to stop.

autism is a different story. but ADD/ADHD is just... too gray especially in young children. for adults - that's real. for children - definitely way too over-diagnosed.

 

[Mrs Bucket]

autism is a different story. but ADD/ADHD is just... too gray especially in young children. for adults - that's real. for children - definitely way too over-diagnosed.

You have medical expertise in this field, Jiro?

Have you actually worked with children in this field?

Have you had family members struggling with how to communicate only to have their communication and emotions further compounded by other learning problems?

Really Jiro, this is where you really need to practise discretion with your opinions and reserve judgment. What makes you decide that ADD/ADHD is not real for children yet real for adults? Autism a different spectrum than ADD/ADHD for children?

Here's some education about ADD/ADHD.

Myth #1: All kids with ADD/ADHD are hyperactive.
Some children with ADD/ADHD are hyperactive, but many others with attention problems are not. Children with ADD/ADHD who are inattentive, but not overly active, may appear to be spacey and unmotivated.

Myth #2: Kids with ADD/ADHD can never pay attention.
Children with ADD/ADHD are often able to concentrate on activities they enjoy. But no matter how hard they try, they have trouble maintaining focus when the task at hand is boring or repetitive.

Myth #3: Kids with ADD/ADHD choose to be difficult and could behave better if they wanted to.
Children with ADD/ADHD may do their best to be good, but still be unable to sit still, stay quiet, or pay attention. They may appear disobedient, but that doesn’t mean they’re acting out on purpose.

Myth #4: Kids will eventually grow out of ADD/ADHD.
ADD/ADHD often continues into adulthood, so don’t wait for your child to outgrow the problem. Treatment can help your child learn to manage and minimize the symptoms.

Myth #5: Medication is the best treatment option for ADD/ADHD.
Medication is often prescribed for Attention Deficit Disorder, but it might not be the best option for your child. Effective treatment for ADD/ADHD also includes education, behavior therapy, support at home and school, exercise, and proper nutrition.

The three primary characteristics of ADD/ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

source

Children do not grow out of the ADD/ADHD "stage", they learn how to cope with it.

 

[Jiro]

You have medical expertise in this field, Jiro?

no I don't. do you?

Have you actually worked with children in this field?

Have you had family members struggling with how to communicate only to have their communication and emotions further compounded by other learning problems?

Really Jiro, this is where you really need to practise discretion with your opinions and reserve judgment. What makes you decide that ADD/ADHD is not real for children yet real for adults? Autism a different spectrum than ADD/ADHD for children?

Here's some education about ADD/ADHD.

source

Children do not grow out of the ADD/ADHD "stage", they learn how to cope with it.

Yes. Like I said in my other post -

I do recognize the existence of ADHD but it is definitely over-diagnosed on overkill level.

I would say 90% of people diagnosed with ADHD isn't really ADHD... more like a common form of "bored-the-f***-out-of-your-mind" thing or just that some people learn it differently.... and 10% has a real case of ADHD that needs professional help and/or medication.

and plus - Shel is a teacher who deals with many children. Her experience substantiated my suspicion.

It seems to be overdiagnosed especially in deaf children because of the communication issue between the pychologists who have little or no experience with deafness or Deaf culture. When the kids come to our program with all kinds of diagnosis from LD, AAHD, and so on but once they develop language, those problems identified by the staff at the public schools are no longer there. It just makes me wonder.

and plus - here is an article by a psychiatrist who shares similar concern as mine.

The Crisis of Overdiagnosed ADHD in Children

Dr Mota-Castillo is a psychiatrist in the Orlando Regional Behavioral Health Services in Longwood and in Florida Hospital at Fish Memorial in Orange City; he is also medical director of the Grove Academy, a dual-diagnosis residential treatment center in Winter Springs, Fla. In addition, Dr Mota-Castillo is in private practice in Lake Mary, Fla. His book, Protecting Your Children From Bad Medicine: How the ADHD Diagnosis Has Been Abused, is currently in press. He reports that he is a member of the speakers' bureau for GlaxoSmithKline and holds stock in Merck & Co, Inc.

This commentary arises from my concern about the superficiality that characterizes the process of diagnosing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children—usually followed by the prescription of one of the most powerful drugs on earth, methylphenidate. The years pass and I see an even more frightening picture—one in which disorders in children are often given inaccurate and punitive psychiatric diagnoses and treated with inappropriate medication. And yet, the 2 organizations that represent the majority of American psychiatrists, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) show no sign of worry, despite the terrible consequences that often follow when a disorder is incorrectly diagnosed and treated in emotionally disturbed young people.

 

[deafskeptic]

I have ADHD and I am very sensitive to the fact that there are some people who will go too far to the point to say they think ADHD is too quick to diagnose.

I hope some people take the time to understand that ADHD is not a trip in the park. It took me this long enough to finally recognise that there are behaviour triggers and stimulants that overexcites my ADHD. I have to work extra-hard to make sure I don't associate with those behaviour triggers such as stress, over-excitement and even I have to make sure I watch what I eat.

Dealing with ADHD on a daily basis is hard enough. Those who deal with ADHD on a daily basis need support; not criticism or judgment.

I concur here. Some of my behavior triggers include being in an environment that has too much going on at once or when my parents give me a long list of things to do and I'm already having trouble remember the first four things to do on their list, etc.

 

[Lighthouse77]

The reason I think ADD may be misdiagnosed in deaf because deaf people get overwhelmed, bored, unable to pay attention to boring lipreading, etc. Sometimes stress and brain-overload tend to make you forget things. That's what I think and why I feel it take a special psychologist to diagnose a deaf person because he is experience with deaf people and which behavior is normal and whichis a sure sign of ADHD

 

[Mrs Bucket]

no I don't. do you?

I have personal experience in this field as well as professional experience in this field. I have worked with both children and adults who have ADD/ADHD. Deaf and Developmentally Delayed children and adults who have learning disabilities. I have compassion, empathy and I am very patient in working with them. I get to know what their triggers are; I work within their boundaries, I leave when they inform me that their triggers are starting to appear.

and plus - Shel is a teacher who deals with many children. Her experience substantiated my suspicion.

You are basing your suspicions on one educator's experience, you need to have more substantiation.

and plus - here is an article by a psychiatrist who shares similar concern as mine.

The Crisis of Overdiagnosed ADHD in Children

Using a psychiatrist that double-serves on two committees - GSK and Merck.

GSK and Merck are competitors in the medical drug field as well as the vaccines field.

Vaccines
GlaxoSmithKline’s major competitors in the vaccine market include Aventis Pasteur, Merck and American Home Products. Engerix-B and Havrix compete with vaccines produced by Merck – Comvax and Recombivax HB for hepatitis B and Vaqta for hepatitis A. Infanrix’s major competitors are Aventis Pasteur’s Tripedia and TriHIBit, and Wyeth Ayerst’s Acel-Imune and Tetramune.

source

Naturally a doctor is going to take advantage of that and your source is biased. Your source focuses solely only on medication. Please remember that those who suffer from ADD/ADHD do try to stay away from medication. Your source gives flawed information which is why I say your source is biased.

 

[Jiro]

I have personal experience in this field as well as professional experience in this field. I have worked with both children and adults who have ADD/ADHD. Deaf and Developmentally Delayed children and adults who have learning disabilities. I have compassion, empathy and I am very patient in working with them. I get to know what their triggers are; I work within their boundaries, I leave when they inform me that their triggers are starting to appear.

whoa.... too verbose for a simple question that only requires either a "yes" or "no". I'm only asking if you have a medical expertise in this field. That usually means some kind of medical degree like Ph.D or related.

You are basing your suspicions on one educator's experience, you need to have more substantiation.

Using a psychiatrist that double-serves on two committees - GSK and Merck.

GSK and Merck are competitors in the medical drug field as well as the vaccines field.

source

Naturally a doctor is going to take advantage of that and your source is biased. Your source focuses solely only on medication. Please remember that those who suffer from ADD/ADHD do try to stay away from medication. Your source gives flawed information which is why I say your source is biased.

well - do you acknowledge that some people can be misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD?

 

[Mrs Bucket]

whoa.... too verbose for a simple question that only requires either a "yes" or "no". I'm only asking if you have a medical expertise in this field. That usually means some kind of medical degree like Ph.D or related.

No I don't have a medical degree.

I feel I can do better than some doctors because I have what some doctors are missing - compassion, empathy and understanding the same pain.

well - do you acknowledge that some people can be misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD?

I still cannot answer that question because I used to think the very same thing as you did until this happened to me.

Misdiagnosis is such a tragic thing to do and I would rather not answer this question.

 

[Jiro]

No I don't have a medical degree.

I feel I can do better than some doctors because I have what some doctors are missing - compassion, empathy and understanding the same pain.

well I understand but the point is - you are not qualified to make a diagnosis. You only know how to work with them AFTER the fact that this person is diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. In short - you are a support type so that's not my beef. My problem is with doctors making misdiagnosis especially in young children simply because they were exhibiting a behavior that is above or below the normal - the outliers.

I still cannot answer that question because I used to think the very same thing as you did until this happened to me.

Misdiagnosis is such a tragic thing to do and I would rather not answer this question.

yes misdiagnosis is terrible and I also think it is terrible especially for young children to be misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD because it would not be easy to wean the children off the ADD/ADHD medication.

 

[Jiro]

I concur here. Some of my behavior triggers include being in an environment that has too much going on at once or when my parents give me a long list of things to do and I'm already having trouble remember the first four things to do on their list, etc.

Based on your post - I believe that we all do things differently and we all respond to it differently. Some people can do what you just mentioned easily.... some just get easily lost. Just because you have trouble remembering first 4 things on the list doesn't mean there's something wrong with you unless it's making a negative impact on your life.

I'm a bumbling absent-mind fool who easily forget to do a simple task that was given to me just a moment ago.... does that mean I need a psychiatrist examination and maybe a medication?

 

[paperclip]

In highschool, my teacher pulled me aside and ask me to tell her about the time I found out I had autism. She asked if I had any special gifts. Turned out she read the wrong file and didn't realize I wasn't paying attention in class because I couldn't hear her.

 

[Bebonang]

I was misdiagnosed as Autism by the hearing doctors in Chicago, Illinois where I was born. And then few years later I had epilepsy which is mild pal mal (not sure if that is what it was call as I don't remember it) and of course with medications until I outgrew it when I reached at 21 years old. Then when I came to Univeristy of Minnesota Hospital, the doctor found out I don't have autism at all and turn out that I could not hear at all. I had to go to hearing specialist to get my first hearing aid at 8 years old.

Also I had trouble with comprehension (difficult understanding like Math or English) and today I still have trouble with it. I am great with vocabulary. I can not lipread very good and had trouble with it. That is why I need sign language when I was in the mainstream high school in the middle of 1950 to 1960, but both my principal and my mother feel that I can do it in the mainstream without the accommodations for the deaf. That is why I get upset with them about not having access to my needs.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

I have had ADD and dyscalculia since I was little. Math is a huge struggle for me. I hate math anyway. But I do quite well with the English language...I guess it is from being a bookworm all these years.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

I believe ADHD is a greatest hoax ever invented like Global Warming (except the severe form of ADHD). It's a simple diagnosis - YOU ARE BORED THE F**K OUTTA YOUR MIND with whatever you're doing

It's not a hoax. This is insulting. I have ADD and it is difficult to stay on the task since I have very short attention span, and my mind is difficult to stay on task. No matter how hard I try, ADD still affects me. Doing a paper is hard. I wish it was easier to stay on task for things like papers, math, and listening to a person speak for a long period of time, etc. It isn't easy. And I haven't been taking my ADD meds in a long time because I'm not in school nor working. I was on Ritalin as a child. I've also taken Adderall in college. When I go back to school to study nursing I will have to go back on an ADD medication so I can focus.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

Also "mild" PTSD........It's real but way over diagnosed.

I wouldn't wish PTSD on my worst enemy. It's SERIOUS.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

I read early and well and have what Bott said - the dyscalulia. Diagnosed in college after continually failing remedial math. I was diagnosed through Disabled Student Services at my college, with Division of Voc. Rehab. There are many kinds of learning disabilities, problems with reading and writing are just one type. I also have auditory processing problems un-related to peripheral hearing difficulty.

I failed remedial math too in college. It was so FRUSTRATING!

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

My English is good, but you wouldn't want me to do your budget! Although actually I do ours because it is simple and it involves adding and subtracting.

And I function well because I force myself to do so. I think lots of people know after high school I spent three years in group home living, where I determined to get away from and developed a terror of not being in control.

Asperger's kind of features OCD like behaviors and that is the epitome of control.

Same here. I can't even balance my checkbook worth a damn. Thank goodness I have a VISA card which makes it easier on me to keep track of where and how much my money have gone, and cuts down on the overdraft fees. I only write checks for rent (they don't take VISA) but for everything else I use my VISA card. VISA card is a lifesaver!

 

[Bottesini]

Same here. I can't even balance my checkbook worth a damn. Thank goodness I have a VISA card which makes it easier on me to keep track of where and how much my money have gone, and cuts down on the overdraft fees. I only write checks for rent (they don't take VISA) but for everything else I use my VISA card. VISA card is a lifesaver!

Me too! And pay one bill a month. Plus they give me free money for paying it off each month.

 

[LuciaDisturbed]

You have medical expertise in this field, Jiro?

Have you actually worked with children in this field?

Have you had family members struggling with how to communicate only to have their communication and emotions further compounded by other learning problems?

Really Jiro, this is where you really need to practise discretion with your opinions and reserve judgment. What makes you decide that ADD/ADHD is not real for children yet real for adults? Autism a different spectrum than ADD/ADHD for children?

Here's some education about ADD/ADHD.

source

Children do not grow out of the ADD/ADHD "stage", they learn how to cope with it.

Thank you, Mrs. Bucket! I am rather insulted by what Jiro said.