I keep reading over and over articles, blog posts, etc. claiming that teaching ADHD kids consequences will “cure” their ADHD. Anyone who spreads this rubbish can’t possibly have ADHD, know someone with ADHD, or be a medical professional of any sort. They are just yet another conspiracy-theorist anxious to fuel the flames. They do get me in a tizzy but not the one they were hoping for. I get downright angry. If they were educated on the subject whereof they take great liberty to speak, they would know this belief is pure trash.

As a parent of an ADHD child, we hear it all: behavior problems are just bad parenting; if you punish them they will comply; every child can sit still and focus if they try hard enough; ADHD medications/stimulants just drug a child into submission; blah…blah…blah.

We knew there was something going on with Luke because

* we know we are good parents,
* we punished taking away privileges until he literally had no toys and had to earn them back a few at a time and he still couldn’t follow directions (or earn his toys back)
* he wanted desperately to follow directions and please his elders and was very sad a lot of the time because he couldn’t no matter how hard he tried
* he is the sweetest, most kind-hearted little boy around but he was constantly in trouble.

Now, I know perfectly well that my son’s ADHD is very real and not something that he can control on his own (at least not at 6 years old — I certainly hope he will learn to compensate and cope when he is older). He can’t just tell himself to calm down and sit still and pay attention and have it be so. For that is the definition of ADHD! An ADHD individual cannot control their impulses — something different is happening in their brain.

TO READ THE REST OF THIS POST, PLEASE GO TO http://adhdmomma.blogspot.com/2009/04/get-facts-or-shut-up.html.

What, in my opinion, are the two most often cited sources of frustration and lack of understanding? I feel they are extended family and the school system. So I have been asking myself for days – how can I help to educate those who don’t know and don’t understand?

The problem is there is no universal definition for ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s, Anxiety or any number of neurological disorders (what is with all the “A”s?). Many of the symptoms can be associated with bad behavior, or lack of motivation or any number of negative things. There disabilities are particularly challenging, in my opinion, because they are “invisible”. I find that what little awareness exists is focused on the hyperactive and impulsive symptoms of ADHD which certainly can be challenging, are very visible but are not, often, the most challenging aspects of the disability.

The questions I have been asking myself include:

How do I quickly define what it is … It must be simple and direct calling for understanding …

What form should it be in so that it can be effective yet not require too much effort on the part of the receiver of information ?

Can it be something that can be handed to the individual to cause them to stop, reflect and want to understand more?

Jenn over at www.canmombecalm.blogspot.com is asking the same question. View her thoughts here http://canmombecalm.blogspot.com/2009/09/adhd-awareness-week-what-does-it-do.html,

I am trying to model my response to my own questions by looking at CC at http://www.ifonlyihadsuperpowers.blogspot.com (http://ifonlyihadsuperpowers.blogspot.com/2009/09/therapy-thursday-what-we-do-in-speech.html) as an example. CC was challenged by her principal “to consider our students in twenty years. What values and life skills do we hope they will learn from our class? Beyond the day to day articulation drills, what impact do we aspire for in their lives?.” This could be viewed as a tough and complicated question to answer. CC very cleverly answered it in the following way, “In speech, we learn self confidence and clear communication skills!”

Is there a simple and eloquent way to quickly make others stop and think about ADHD? I would love to hear your thoughts as I continue to mull over this vexing problem. Please comment with your thoughts and forward to family and friends for their thoughts. Let’s answer this question together and help educate those around us on ADHD and its implications.

1. Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
2. Predominantly inattentive
3. Combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive

The most prominent features of ADHD include:

1. An inability to control behavior or impulses.
2. An inability to delay gratification.
3. Excessive physical activity that is unrelated to the activity at hand.
4. Poor ability to sustain attention or to persist with tasks.
 
Each individual with ADHD is different with their own set of strengths and challenges. However, in addition to the hyperactivity or the inattentiveness, the ADHD child often has challenges in a group of skills called executive functions. According to Wikipedia, executive functions is a “concept used by psychologists and neuroscientists to describe a loosely defined collection of brain processes which are responsible for planning, cognitive flexibility, abstract thinking, rule acquisition, initiating appropriate actions and inhibiting inappropriate actions, and selecting relevant sensory information”.
 
Often with the ADHD child, the impairment is more than them being hyperactive or inattentive. Other possible ramifications or symptoms of the child with ADHD include challenges, limitations or problems with:

1. Organization

10. Great variability in task or work performance.

Bottom line, the disorder is complicated and manifests itself in many ways. In addition to all of this, there is a high incidence of learning issues as well as anxiety and depression for those with ADHD.
 
I believe that it is up to the family to educate the teachers and administers on the wide range of challenges their child faces due to ADHD. Do not assume that they know or understand. Remember that you know your child best. However the ideal situation occurs when the parents, teachers and administrators work together to creatively deploy and teach strategies that address the child’s weaknesses. Strategies like lists, reminders, previews, and repetition help the child with ADHD address the realities of the disorder and teach ways to cope with the challenges of the disorder. That ideal situation cannot occur, however, until teachers and administrators are educated. We all need to do our part to make that happen.
 
 
I close with a Bill of Rights that I found on a blog of a mother who son, 18, was diagnosed with ADHD at age 6. Her name is Angel, she lives in South Africa and shares her story of raising her son (among other topics) at http://www.angelsmind.co.za.

 
 
ADHD Bill of Rights

1.“Help me to focus…” Please teach me through my sense of ‘touch’, I need ‘hands on’ and ‘body movement’.

Author unknown

 

To learn more about the ADHD Executive Functioning Research that has been conducted please see:

Great summary chart of the Executive Function Domains can be found at http://www.lehighpsych.com/art_adhd.htm

Dr. Thomas E Brown
http://www.drthomasebrown.com/brown_model/index.html

Dr. Russell Barkley
http://www.russellbarkley.org/adhd-nature-of-self-control-book.htm

http://www.chrisdendy.com/executive.htm

http://www.thehelpgroup.org/pdf/adhd-dys/Brown_ADHD.pdf

The mother of a 13-year-old Missouri girl who committed suicide after receiving cruel Internet messages is focusing on ways to protect other children from cyber-bullying. Tina Meier says her life has “done a 360″ since her 13-year-old daughter took her own life after being bullied online. NOTHING IS THE WAY IT USED TO BE. AFTER MEGAN PASSED, I WAS JUST IN A FOG (TINA MEIER/MOTHER). Now she’s working to turn the tragedy into something positive. I KNEW I HAD TO TAKE ALL OF THE ANGER AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND TURN IT INTO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. IT NOT, IT WAS GOING TO EAT ME ALIVE. The Missouri mother has set up a foundation in her daughter’s memory that focuses on bullying and cyber-bullying. I’M KEEPING HER MEMORY NOT B/C I CAN’T LET HER GO BUT IF TRYING TO SOMETHING WRONG HAS HAPPENED AND A RIGHT HAS TO BE MADE TO PROTECT OTHER CHILDREN THROUGH LEGISLATIVE OR TALKING TO OTHER KIDS, THAT’S WHAT I’M GOING TO DO. Megan Meier– who had a history of attention deficit disorder and depression– hanged herself on October 6th, 2006. She died the following day. The teen committed suicide shortly after receiving cruel messages on MySpace from a boy named Josh Evans. But weeks after Megan’s death, her family found out Evan’s online profile was allegedly made up by a neighbor. It’s believed Lori Drew helped create the account to find out if Megan was talking about her own child. Drew’s lawyer previously denied the claims, but his client has since been indicted. SHE KNEW ABOUT THE ACCOUNT, SHE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON. AND IT WAS A JOKE, IT WAS FUNNY. AGAIN, I DON’T BELIEVE SHE KNEW MEGAN WOULD COMMIT SUICIDE BUT WHEN YOU DO THESE TYPES OF THINGS, THIS CAN HAPPEN. Tina Meier says her daughter was a real girl, with real dreams. And she hopes by sharing her story no other family will have to endure the pain that her family has.