Medicine Goes to School: Teachers as Sickness Brokers for ADHD

Public Library of Science ^ | April 11, 2006 | Christine B. Phillips

[neverdem]

Over the last twenty years, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has emerged as a disorder of importance in childhood. Prescription of psychostimulants for ADHD escalated in many countries through the 1990s. Between 1990 and 1995, prescriptions of methylphenidate for young people increased 2.5-fold in the US [1], and 5-fold in Canada [2]. In New South Wales, Australia, rates of treatment for children in 2000 were nine times those in 1990 [3].

ADHD joins dyslexia and glue ear as disorders that are considered significant primarily because of their effects on educational performance. Medicalising educational performance can help children receive specialised medical and educational services; at the same time it can lead to them receiving medications or surgical therapies which may have short-term and long-term ill effects.

In the case of ADHD, there has been a complex, often heated debate in the public domain about the verity of the illness and the personal cost-benefit ratio of treatment with psychostimulant medication [4–6]. Much of the polemic for and against psychostimulants is concerned with the part played by doctors, the prescribers of medication, in diagnosing or discounting ADHD. ADHD is, however, a disorder of educational performance, and so teachers have a critical role in advocating for the illness, and its medical treatment. This essay explores the roles of teachers as brokers for ADHD and its treatment, and the strategies used by the pharmaceutical industry to frame educators' responses to ADHD.

[luckystarmom]

Autism is not a trendy diagnosis. There's a real problem with it, and it is getting worse. The real question is why??????

[luckystarmom]

I don't know what your point is. My brother just died of Skin Cancer last year, so I don't know the point.

[luckystarmom]

If your kid really is special ed, then the schools don't get enough to educate that kid.

I have a daughter with brain damage (documented with an MRI). Schools don't want her because they don't want to spend the money on her therapies. It sucks!

[jamaly]

Bump for later.

[Dawggie]

Next to global warming ADHD is the biggest fraud sold to the american people. It is just an outgrowth of the emasculation of the west. Schools do not know how to handle boys, so they drug them. My son was labeled with ADHD and like ignorant parents we put him on drugs. Now he is dead, most likely from the drugs. Boys understand fear and when we all understand and accept that; ADHD go bye bye.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Your story sounds so very much like my son's. He too has overcome much. Congratulations to you.

I am of the opinion that one of the overlooked and easily dismissed dynamics of ADD/ADHD is a sleep component. My son stopped taking naps around the age of two. For many years he was a restless sleeper. Studies now indicate that it is in that very deep sleep that the brain files things away. Makes sense of the information taken in. We finally were able to find something to deal with the sleep issue.

Another component as you know is diet. Doctors will tell you there are no double blind studies that support the existence of food allergies. Parents have to use their common sense. If your child goes crazy after blue Gatorade, ditch the blue Gatorade. And so it goes.

We can really relate to the issue of social cues. I believe that medication really contributes to this problem. (Perhaps this is not so in your case) Children who are made listless by medication will be much more unlikely to learn acceptable social behavior by observation. Past a certain age the appropriate behaviors must be learned by failing at relationships. This is a hard lesson.

[LauraleeBraswell]

I have ADHD and I'm not a boy. Why don't you go back and read the posts here. You're very wrong.

[ntnychik]

It never occurred to me to have my daughter tested for a learning disability. She was a child every teacher loved having in class. She seemed to be a strong student until her freshman year. She became overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, had panic attacks. High school was a nightmare. She tried community college, but still struggled. One day she planted herself in front of me and told me her brain is different than other students. She believed herself to be smart, but was frustrated at not being able to learn and continually feeling like a failure. She begged me for help.

I got a referral for a specialist and she underwent many tests. His report to us identified the ADHD, but gave us much vital information. He showed us why he believed Ritalin was indicated in her situation, but left the decision to us and her family physician. She takes Ritalin. We didn't find any other alternative that worked. She went from being on academic probation at community college to her current status as an honors student, having carried a 3.75 average for two years at a state university. Personality-wise, she is a different person. I thank God for her progress.

[LauraleeBraswell]

""I am of the opinion that one of the overlooked and easily dismissed dynamics of ADD/ADHD is a sleep component. My son stopped taking naps around the age of two. For many years he was a restless sleeper.I am of the opinion that one of the overlooked and easily dismissed dynamics of ADD/ADHD is a sleep component.""


WOW, that describes me too! I stopped taking naps at 18 months. I am and have always been a restless sleeper- I've sleptwalked a few times too, always talk in my sleep. yes.

[IrishRainy]

Thank you for posting that. My husband and son have been diagnosed with it, and my daughters and I probably also have it, but the easily-distracted kind which often goes undiagnosed, unless you know the symptoms. It runs in both of our families, but so does alcoholism, as well as giftedness.

It definitely DOES exist, but not everyone has to be medicated since there are different degrees of it. It's caused some difficulties in our lives, but there are also a lot of pluses -- and there's definitely never a dull moment in my house!

[gov_bean_ counter]

The University of Florida has done studies that have found a correlation between the bodies ability to process milk protein and presence of autistic type behaviors.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/1999-03/UoF-URCP-150399.php

[LauraleeBraswell]

I think my case was more easily identified, because I was hyperactive. Your daughter was probably not hyperactive, so it went unrecognized.

[IrishRainy]

I didn't really notice a willingness to diagnose my son as special needs - until he got to 7th grade. THEN they wanted to put him in all-day self-contained special education classes, even though he had an IQ of 140. We said "no, thanks," especially after we learned they got like 50% more funding for the all-day kids.

We pulled him out and home-schooled for a while, then sent him to a computer-based high school for ADD kids where he graduated at age 16.

[IrishRainy]

My professors (and bosses) wondered how I could do nothing for two months then do two months (or more) work in a few hours. I do know others that have had the same experiences.

That is SO me....in fact, I'm supposed to be working right now, but here I am on Free Republic. I'm so easily distracted, it's pathetic.

[Nik Naym]

Hmmm....

I have had SFB my entire life, and never was put on medication or received any special treatment at school.

Now that I am in my "middle ages, I have CRS on top of it.

When do they come up with pills for this?

Nik

[gov_bean_ counter]

We used to joke with our son. He remembers the smallest most irrelevant details from events that happened years ago, but can't tell you what he did five minutes ago (sometimes).

[taxesareforever]

DRUG FREE ZONE (Except Ritalin may be administered as often as teachers request)

[zeebee]

Thomas Edison had ADD

And what would have happened if he were given drugs in childhood? Would he have been a better inventor?

Don't think so.

[gov_bean_ counter]

The book "The Way They Learn" by Cynthia Tobias was probably the single most important resource my wife and I stumbled upon. Gave tremendous insight into various learning styles and helped us design a learning process for our son. It made a huge difference it his classroom performance. Teachers (IMO) are much less likely to teach to various learning styles as they once did.

[originalbuckeye]

Gosh, could it be DAYCARE? I read recently that the ADHD diagnosis seemed to coincide with the beginnings of Sesame Street. Too many quick, short pieces of information. No, I am not commenting on daycare; my son was in part-time daycare from age 2. He's fine.