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The Forum > Article Comments > The growing problem called 'ADHD' > Comments

The growing problem called 'ADHD' : Comments

By Linda Graham, published 7/11/2006

Stepping back to find the causes of ADHD - how do parents come to believe their child might have ADHD in the first place?

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When we live as frogs in a well, it is more difficult to see the whole problem. I have a advantage in caring for african children as a doctor for a number of years. Firstly, these little ones always have the mother or father around them, and physical contact...carried on the backs even at work like working in the field. They have a great sense of connection to their parents, and vise versa, and I have never seen a attentional problem..just big smiles that originates from real feeling of happiness deep in their being.

Our children, on comparison dont, miss out on this and I think it is our fault for not recognizing this fundamental need of our children and able or be able to give them this within the crucial first 6 years of life. Its all about the quantity and quality of time in a day with the parentchild. Blame parents forced to work long hours to keep income to maintain our good life style and big mortgage... cant...but it needs to change.

Blame a parent whom uses oppressive power and authority to control the child's behaviour to their liking...I think so, a child's nature is to be free to explore and learn within safety of the parents care and connection...does this form a significant aetiology of ADHD pathogenesis, I dont know of a single research where it has been looked at, and wonder why...all I know is another catastrophe on our society is looming when all these drugged out unhappy kids become adults...

Sam
Posted by Sam said, Sunday, 12 November 2006 11:51:53 AM
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Parents are taught to ignore their babies when they cry as they need to learn routine. As their children grow older they are told that children should be seen and not heard. Then when the kids become teenagers they are told that all teenagers are liars. How can our children feel wanted, respected, cared for and supported in this environment?

Many children that show characteristics of ADHD are actually gifted to different degrees.

The senate report on gifted children spoke about the attitudes to those that are gifted from page 21. It certainly isn’t easy being an individual in this world.

http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/eet_ctte/completed_inquiries/1999-02/gifted/report/c02.pdf
Posted by Jolanda, Sunday, 12 November 2006 1:54:16 PM
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Sam, I agree with you. In a paper, The Politics of ADHD, which I am presenting at a conference in Adelaide later this month, I argue that:

* the change to social structures in individualised Western societies, culminating in the demise of the extended family, kinship and shared responsibility for child rearing, is seldom recognised for the disabling impact it has upon parents.

* Neither is it readily acknowledged that fast capitalism, whilst producing healthy GDP and current account figures, has been extraordinarily unconducive towards social health and wellbeing.

* Public policy informed by a neoliberal political rationality borrowed from the US and UK, has forged a ‘new Australia, with its culturally and linguistically diverse population, its volatile economy characterised by new and spatialised stratifications of wealth, and new pathways from school to work, community and civic life’.

* However, the effects of the new economies upon family life are generally ignored.

* Parents, particularly mothers, are criticised for working more and having less time for their children.

* In many cases though, mothers have been forced into working longer for less, with the traditional absence of working fathers translating to greater restrictions on their flex-ability to (co)parent, in a way many modern families would like.

As a result, I welcome Kim Beazley’s idea of family-impact statements. See: http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/richer-at-the-expense-of-the-priceless/2006/11/10/1162661895837.html.

As someone who began a PhD with a two children under five at foot and since has tried to juggle motherhood and an academic life, I say get rid of the double drop off, improve child care, and make employers recognise that men have parenting responsibilities too.

Then there's the wisdom of that African proverb: it takes a village to raise a child. Problem is: we no longer have a village...
Posted by Linda Graham, Sunday, 12 November 2006 3:36:54 PM
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Jolanda – I agree with both your posts. There does appear to be a sliding diagnostic scale - a continuum of shades of grey from classic autism on one side, moving towards Asperger’s and then some argue, ADHD on the other end. However, when you look at the characteristics said to indicate ‘gifted’ children, the continuum stretches even further and there is considerable overlap between the characteristics said to indicate any of these categories. The problem is that a child’s placement on that continuum depends to a very great extent upon the subjective interpretation of parents, teachers, psychologists, doctors and so on…
In the “Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function” or the BRIEF questionnaire (similar to the Connor’s Teacher/Parent Rating Scale), there are questions that ask teachers to rate from a very scientific scale of “Never, Sometimes and Often”: whether the child, for example, blurts things out, talks at the wrong time, and/or talks or plays too loudly.
First of all, I have a low threshold for noise so what is bothersome to me, may not be a problem to another. So to whose measurements of these do we refer? What is the right and wrong time? How much is too loudly? In reality, we do not have a consistent point of reference to which we can refer. More problematically, however, a label of ADHD may mean that some put difficulties in learning to read down to problems with attentional control, rather than legitimate difficulties in phonological processing and receptive language - with the result that the child may not get the learning support they really need… The worrying thing is that we rely on signs, such as academic ability, verbal reasoning, long attention span, and good concentration as indicators of ‘giftedness’; and signs such as distractibility, high motor activity, impulsivity etc as indicators of disruptive behaviour disorder – and we treat and refer children accordingly. But you’re right – very intelligent kids can be high maintenance too... but we don't often hear calls to medicate them...
Posted by Linda Graham, Sunday, 12 November 2006 3:51:39 PM
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Linda. My children often tell me about children with ADHD in their class and how the teachers do not discipline them appropriately. It seems to them that the teachers cannot cope and the children delight in pushing the boundaries. The whole class suffers as a result.

I recall one particular child that my son said terrorised the whole class with his behaviour. My son complained that the teacher kept giving the student chances. From my sons perspective the teacher was giving the student permission to disrupt the class often up to 5 times before he actually did anything and by the time he did send him to the Principal or dealt with him in the classroom, the whole class had had their learning disrupted and the days seemed to involve just dealing with this student’s behaviour.

One particular day the student picked up a chair and threw it across the classroom. Highly dangerous behaviour and the teacher said NOTHING. It was like it was expected because he was ADHD and therefore they ignored it. A short while later the boy put his jumper over his head and the teacher went ballistic. For sure the teacher had just had enough but what message is that when you can throw a chair across the room and nothing is said yet put a jumper over your head and your head gets blown off.

There was also the case of the boy that delighted in using bad language. Nobody did anything about it because he was ADHD. My son said that it seemed that it was in a student’s best interest to be ADHD as then they could get away with anything and that other kids were noticing and copying.

There are some serious issues to be dealt with in particular with regards to consistent and fair discipline both in the home and the school.

My children believe that it is the parents fault as they haven’t taught their children well. Teachers have too many kids in the class at different levels and with different issues - they can’t possibly cope.
Posted by Jolanda, Sunday, 12 November 2006 4:29:34 PM
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Linda,
I just read your 'spectrum of disorder' post just above. The spectrum youve listed is that of severe disorders, and its difficult to get a perspective unless its connected with how far from 'normal' the child's state is.

DSM-IV manual I found is good for this; http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/dsm4TRclassification.htm#Child

First phase when things start going wrong with a child is 'Separation Anxiety disorder' further on the scale 'Reactive Attachment disorder' before attentional and conduct disorder, then off the scale on 'autism'...

Sam
Posted by Sam said, Sunday, 12 November 2006 6:31:45 PM
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