Robert,

Your response is much appreciated indeed.

It seems to me, that Ms. Graham said, that it was teachers who were sending parents to doctors, who were then prescribing medication because the teachers sent the parents there in the first instance. Because the teachers had to met what could be performace targets.

This point seems to have been missed by most who have responded to Ms. Graham.

I am a 66 year old ADHD combined, who managed to acheive a B.Sc at the age of 43,with dyslexia. I have made a very thorough study of ADHD. I will say it has taken several years to do so. While I most certainly do NOT claim to know all, I most certainly know a great deal. As a parent, as grand aunt. Meeting a great many of ADHD adults. I would think I was qualified to say what I have said.

The references that Ms. Gramham made apply to the US. Those laws were put in place in several states because teachers were reporting parents to the relevent child welfare agencies. These agencies were impowered to declare any child who a teacher said should be on stimulate medcation as a neglected child, then take that child away from the parents. Ms. Gramham did not report the full story. Nor did she state which country this occured in.

Yes ADHD is a very serious disorder, a very debilitating disorder. And yes, medication is on most occasions required. It can make the difference between a child going to jail in later life, or becoming a speed addict.

As Ms. Gramham has decided to ignore direct questions. I will not be posting in this area again.

I have no wish to be part of Ms. Grahma's thesis for a PH.D if this is the reason why she left her message in the first instance.

I will leave those of you who do not know enough about ADHD to continue on. I am very sorry that no one else stuck up for teachers or the parents.

So be it, enjoy,

JennyWren

jenny, thanks and good luck in looking for better solutions.

I'm saddened that you are moving on. I would have liked to hear more of what you have learned and your views on what can be done better.

R0bert

RObert, You are very perceptive. I am not opposed to medication per se. I am very concerned about the rising prescription of medications to children - particularly because prescription is concentrated by socioeconomic status. We do not know enough at this stage about what these medications do to developing brains. That is what the medical research literature says. Undoubtedly these medications offer respite for some children - but certainly not all. 30% of all children diagnosed with ADHD do not respond to medication. Many others experience side effects severe enough to counteract therapeutic use. Given this, I do not see the harm in questioning what alternative there is to drugs and labels. And you're right, as a scholar in education, an area where so many of these children struggle, I have looked at the problem from the scene of the school. Many of the children who come to be described in these ways have learning styles that simply do not fit with the dominant ways of doing things in schools. Didactic (chalk & talk) instruction and rigid expectations for seat work fail. On the other hand, many of these kids are visual learners, have difficulties with receptive language and abstract concepts - they need teachers who can explain things in different ways. They need instructions to be broken down into smaller parts. They need reminding. Teachers need time to be able to do this - as well as teach all the other children in their class.

I also speak as a parent who has been at the ADHD (gifted, ODD, comorbid anxiety disorder, Asperger Syndrome etc etc) coalface for the past 8 years. My research question was whether an ADHD diagnosis is educationally helpful and whether it is the best we can do. Comprehensive analysis of education policy in Australia, three years of doctoral research, time spent with mothers and fathers in support groups, parenting classes, and interviews tells me it is not.

Linda, I suppose my son must be part of the 30% (I would have thought it was greater than that) of ADHD kids who respond well to the right type and dose of medication.

He was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia early on by an educational psychologist, who also said his IQ was then in the top 3%. My wife had to teach him how to read, because the school would not. The primary school principal actually said to us: "We'll just have to accept the fact that we'll never be able to teach some kids how to read." He can read quite well now as a third-year apprentice carpenter, but it is not a leisure-time activity for him.

We tried him on medication in Year 2, but the child psychiatrist must have prescribed too high a dose or the wrong type of medication and he turned into a "zombie" temporarily. So that was it for drugs and we tried behavior management for the next 10 years. However, his behavior got worse and worse (self-medicating on marijuana, brushes with the police) until he saw a youth counsellor who recommended trying medication again.

The ADD clinic at Toowong diagnosed him in Year 11 and started him on one-quarter of one tablet of dexamphetamines. He built this up gradually to find the right dose (which is now 5 tablets a day to enable him to concentrate and focus). So after 11 years of failing at school, he actually got A's in Grade 12 and finished high school with success and went on to get an apprenticeship.

The right medication saved my boy from a life of failure and crime. I believe the real problem in this area may be that too many ADHD kids are undiagnosed and not getting the help they need, including the right medication as required.

I would say that if I was at school now I believe I would be diagnosed as ADHD. Why, because my 'normal' level and pace of functioning is so fast that when having to deal with teachers that need to talk slow so that the whole class understands the obvious and when they need to present the work at such a low level and pace so that the whole class can be included it causes boredom, frustration and stress - alot of stress and frustration and it can drive you mad. The days are long and draining.

I spent half my school life outside the classroom for talking waiting for recess, lunchtime and sport.

The problem with the education system is that they function at one pace only and that doesn't suit some children. Some children need to move faster as their bodies are wired faster. The only way to slow them down is with drugs.

Add to that the issue with the lack of discipline and lack of time spent engaging with parents in the home then, when kids get to school, there are going to be issues and problems.

There needs to be an acceptance and understanding that every child is different and that trying to treat them and teach them the same is not going to work.

Romany's experience in China seems to fit in nicely with the so-called Little Emperor Syndrome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Emperor_Syndrome

I'm not trying to suggest a "fit-all" answer, but I'm sure that many [certainly not all, so don't jump on me over this] of our problem kids are inadequately/inappropriately spoiled, undisciplined, un-nutritioned, unsupervised [or over-supervised], unparented, unexercised etc etc.

And I'm equally sure that many kids with genuine problems are undiagnosed and/or wrongly diagnosed and/or wrongly treated [just the same as many other physical or psychological health problems are mishandled for all of us at any age].

Congratulations to all of those who persevere until they get the right answers, treatments [if necessary] and results. Just as in all other aspects of health, we can't know too much, so congratulations also to those researchers who keep plugging on to reach the answers.

And I too am sorry to see JennyWren leave this topic and I hope she will reconsider her decision. Most of us are probably speaking, at least mainly, from the point of view of conjecture. But personal experiences add intrinsic value to any subject.