Sept. 08, 2014
by Luella May
(Health Secrets) I will forever be grateful to my son’s pediatrician who back in 1989 examined him for what is now known as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) but was called ADD then. He told me, “The only thing wrong with your son is that he is a boy.” It was the usual scenario where because of discipline problems, the school automatically assumed that he had what was then known as ADD and needed medication. Of course, the medication recommended by the school at that time was Ritalin.
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This doctor was careful to point out to me the side effects of Ritalin and tell me how some of them are quite dangerous. He emphasized that one of these side effects was stunted growth. Now some 20 years later, my son has grown into a fine young man and every now and then I say a silent thank you to that doctor because had he not had that important heart-to-heart talk with me, I would have been one of those uninformed but concerned mothers who would have consented to administering Ritalin to my son.
As with other psychological disorders, there is no standardized testing to determine if a child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the new name for what was then known as Attention Deficit Disorder. Diagnosis is made simply by observation. Is the child hyperactive? Is he impulsive? Does he become distracted easily? This is the criteria for the label of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, or ADHD.
Labeling children with ADHD actually does them an injustice. It clumps them into a certain classification and ignores their individual needs. For example: Does the child have any emotional problems (what’s bothering him)? Is he merely bored in a traditional school? Does his behavior improve when he participates in activities he enjoys?
Let’s look at the complexities of 21st century life. To name just a few, we live in a society that promotes instant gratification; the divorce rate has skyrocketed, leaving many children to grow up in single-parent households; respect for authority is at an all time low; and everyday stress levels are at an all time high. Children today have a lot more to cope with than in past generations, yet traditional schools have not changed much in the last hundred years. Another very important factor to consider is that food allergies and nutritional deficiencies also result in behaviors associated with the ADHD label.