Posted on 08/19/2010 3:38:18 AM PDT by tlb
Nearly 1 million children in the United States are potentially misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder simply because they are the youngest -- and most immature -- in their kindergarten class.
These children are significantly more likely than their older classmates to be prescribed behavior-modifying stimulants such as Ritalin.
Such inappropriate treatment is particularly worrisome because of the unknown impacts of long-term stimulant use on children's health, Elder said. It also wastes an estimated $320 million-$500 million a year on unnecessary medication.
Elder said the "smoking gun" of the study is that ADHD diagnoses depend on a child's age relative to classmates and the teacher's perceptions of whether the child has symptoms.
"If a child is behaving poorly, if he's inattentive, if he can't sit still, it may simply be because he's 5 and the other kids are 6," said Elder, assistant professor of economics. "There's a big difference between a 5-year-old and a 6-year-old."
ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder for kids in the United States, with at least 4.5 million diagnoses among children under age 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Elder's study, the youngest kindergartners were 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than the oldest children in the same grade. Similarly, when that group of classmates reached the fifth and eighth grades, the youngest were more than twice as likely to be prescribed stimulants.
Overall, the study found that about 20 percent -- or 900,000 -- of the 4.5 million children currently identified as having ADHD likely have been misdiagnosed.
Thus, even though the students were a single day apart in age, they were assessed differently simply because they were compared against classmates of a different age set, Elder said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
ping
Sweet! Now we can spank our children again!
Follow the money. Schools get big bucks for each “disabled” child enrolled.
It’s in the hundreds of dollars.
The are not “misdiagnosed”, they are falsely labeled and it’s all for disability. I know 2 families right now that are collecting based on this scam.
There is no doubt in my mind that the majority of the kids diagnosed with ADHD are nothing more that normal rambunctious youngsters that need nothing more than a swat on the pants or a hug at the right time to keep them in line.
Very very seldom is there any need for medication, certainly not the way they are dumping drugs down kids throats these days.
I am certain I would have been pumped full of Ritalin. No doubt. My parents just didn’t know what to do with me sometimes.
only 1 mil?
The way they slap the diagnosis on every other kid (especially to neuter boys for doing actual boy-like things) I’d have figured it to be higher.
Before ADHD, the nuns correctly diagnosed me as “incorrigible”.
I have taught for 6 years granted, I am not a doctor but out of the 50 to 60 kids I have had that were on ADHD meds, only 2 during those six years in my opinion needed them. I NEVER tell parents to put their kids on meds. I tell them to whoop their kids behinds when they don’t behave. You should see the shocked faces I get when I tell parents that.
All because the teachers ‘can’t cope.’
There is another sinister reason for all this labelling and classifying.
In many cases the classification brings social security benefits to the families. The schools convince the parents more easily by helping them gain dollars from the government.
And they kids get a “crazy” check each month. It’s a win-win situation for the parents and school system. And another needless burden on the backs of the taxpayers.
The more skilled parents don’t need either of those solutions: the success of behavior modification therapies demonstrates this. But there aren’t that many more skilled parents.
ADHD is what I call BCS—Bad Child Syndrome. You can either take the time to raise them properly and give them discipline or you can get them diagnosed by a “professional” and get some pills.
I know what you mean. Thankfully, I grew up before our schools were hit with the scourges of ADHD and Ritilin. Many of my schools used the “Board of Education” to deal with problems such as falling asleep in class, forgetting to get parent’s signature on test papers, having a bad attitude (not saying “yes ma’am/no ma’am”).
Amazingly, even without the NEA, “school resource officers” or Ritilin, we actually learned to read, write and do arithmetic!
I have a confession to make. I stole your tag line and emailed it to my entire list. (Operating on the premise that it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission.)
Thank You
Yeah, and the gremlins sneak into the scary machines at night so they can paint the brain scans differently.
Sure.
OMG, my middle son transfered to a new school this year. You would not believe the amount of paperwork I had to fill out regarding our personal information, and forms practically begging us to get money from the government! Language survey’s, living arrangement surveys, nothing having to do with school, just social issues. I was pissed!!!
I HATE public school. It is not school anymore, it is a social experiment. My oldest is 19 and my youngest is 13, the difference is astounding.
And as for boys with ADHD, that is BS too! They make them behave like robots, no talking EVER, recess and PE are a joke, I don’t even think they sweat cause someone may get hurt. The administration invites these behavior issues themselves.
I'm sorry but you are incredibly misinformed on this issue.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.