Replies

ADHD/ADD are now considered to be on the same spectrom as autism, which the most severe cases of autism have skyrocketed so why wouldn’t other disorders on the same spectrum also be increasing?

no, its not because we don’t spank kids or that teachers don’t know how to handle spirited children. When you work with kids you quickly figure out that some of them have “issues”, having lived with an ADHD brother my DD can quickly spot others kids like her brother

This spike in ADHD/autism etc- I suspect something is going on in our advanced society perhaps prenatally with kids’ exposure to toxins while still in the womb.

I know my son’s ADHD is an offshoot of his being poisoned in womb by his BM’s alcoholism. It is stunning what just a few days of toxic exposure can do to the fetal brain and other development at even selected days in the pregnancy. For example the FAS “mask” of distorted facial features comes from exposure to alcohol during just a single 3 day period in gestation

I would agree that ADHD is somewhat like autism and its mild form, Asperger's Syndrome. (Look it up. Some of the signs may click with you and remind you of people you know.) I had several AS students. One of several signs is they can't maintain eye contact. Processing thoughts and trying to process the other person's facial signals at the same time confuses them.

Also, while having trouble concentrating on some things, other things that interest them can be given intense concentration for long periods, such as reading a book from cover to cover without putting it down, but being unable to complete a simple worksheet in school.

Some of these kids have poor social skills and either ignore others or don't know how to interact with them. This turns other kids against them.

There was a particular brilliant student I had who was unintentionally rude on a regular basis. I knew an adult who was the same way. They both would barge into a conversation I was having with another person, would completely ignore the other person, and start talking to me about something completely different.

For both of them, their current thoughts became THE most important thing in the world for them at that moment. Even trivial things demanded their and others' full attention.

The younger person was working on his problem and would sometimes say, "There I did it again. I'm working on it. Excuse me."

The older person was a total loss. He often irritated numerous people without having a clue.

Fascinating behaviors to watch. You feel sorry for them since their brain works in a non-standard way in some (or maybe all) situations. Thankfully, both of these people were brilliant. The kid who is average or a bit below average in intelligence gets punished by their peers. They can react in different ways to this by going into a shell or by acting out violently.

I am very sorry for your loss.

ADHD/ADD are now considered to be on the same spectrom as autism, which the most severe cases of autism have skyrocketed

I know many kids diagnosed with being on the "autistic spectrum." My personal opinion is that the numbers have increased because, in some cases, parents, teachers, and doctors have gotten better at recognizing autism, and in other cases, they're looking a bit too closely and over-diagnosing. JMHO.

The point I was making about ADHD is: ADHD is an easy label slapped onto so many children (and adults) today, ignoring all other possible explanations. Your example - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - is a real diagnosis. Whereas ADHD is just a collection of symptoms. It doesn't tell us what's causing the symptoms. That's my beef with it.

I do have personal experience with this issue. I just have a different opinion. I worried and worried and worried about one of my children, especially when he was little. Then I read Thomas Armstrong's book, "Myth of the ADHD Child." And, later, I attended a seminar on learning patterns, and the researcher told me that kids with different learning patterns tend to be slapped with the ADHD label.

That doesn't mean that some kids don't have real issues that need to be addressed, maybe even with medication. But such a great number of kids are diagnosed with ADHD and medicated today that the whole system seems suspect.

BTW, this particular child always was a nice boy, and he has grown into a nice young man who has empathy for other people. He might not always know what to say in social situations, but, if you want something done, HE is the kid to ask: Zip-zip-zip. Job done. "Will someone take out the trash?" Done. "Will someone pick up that - " Done. Boundless energy that most people wish they had. I've come to see that he's really not moving too fast. If he seems impatient and fidgety, it's because the rest of us are moving too slowly. ;-)