Neal Boortz and ADD

www.boortz.com ^ | various | Neal Boortz

[Zavien Doombringer]

Thanks, I was close :)

[Sloth]

It doesn't bother me much if the military uses that info... they're another gov't agency & we don't need chemically-impaired soldiers running around.

But *this* is what you said:

Prospective employers will all know that the kid was drugged in order to function.

And that's complete and utter nonsense. No employer I ever dealt with even requested grade school records. Nor are schools obligated to give them out. I had to go physically sign something at my old school just to release a record of my immunizations for college admissions purposes.

[ericthecurdog]

Dunno. I've been in Research Administration (and away from ADHD dx and treatment) for three years now. Google that drug and see what you come up with (with your BS detector/filter in place)... and (I would) get a second opinion.

[Zavien Doombringer]

I do know on certain applications, as with State Applications it asks if you use mind altering drugs, and this falls in this category.

[LizardQueen]

I've often wondered if I have it, in adult form. I have that hypo/hyper-focus pattern in spades. Husband gets really ticked at me because he can be yelling at me to get my attention but I'm so zoned in on what I'm doing I physically don't hear him.

Yet I can never find my car keys, routinely put cereal in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard, and any place where I keep paperwork (which is pretty much all over the house at this point ::lol::) looks like a bomb hit it.
I've driven off with my work shoes on top of the car multiple times.
I've also gotten in trouble by blurting out non-complimentary things at work instead of thinking before I spoke.

I was labeled "bright" as a kid and got skipped a grade because I was daydreaming and reading books under the desk instead of paying attention in class. My mom called me "The Absent-Minded Professor" my entire childhood.

I've sometimes wondered if my caffeine habit is a form of self-medication.

Zavrian - if you want to try diet for your child I suggest the following: A good multivitamin, and a balance of nearly equal parts of protein, complex carbs and fat (good fat like olive and fish oil if you can get it into them. Stay away from the hydrogenated fats in chips etc.). Lay off the sugar and food with a lot of preservatives.

I've found that the amount of protein in my diet makes a HUGE (hugh? ::grin::) difference in my ability to focus. Too much carbs, I'm spacy and sleepy.

LQ

[Andrewksu]

I was diagnosed with ADD as a child and my parents reluctantly put me on Ritalin. It did have an effect of calming me down, but made me feel like a zombie, with a racing hart and loss of appetite. We tried various dosing and switched to Aderal for a short time, with little real effects. I hated taking the meds and my parents took me off the drugs and we just worked on dicipline. I still have problems with certain tasks, so i do believe that their is someting to ADD, but I don't beleive that it is a disorder, just different brain function. It is actually benificial to multi-tasking, creative thinking/brainstorming, etc. You just have to learn how to handle the problem and work with the benefits. The key is to find interesting line of work/study and just bear down on the boring stuff. I made it through a difficult architecture program, have an excellent job, and on my way to launching my own line of furniture and high-end speakers, without the help of ADD drugs.

[luckystarmom]

Special ed kids are special ed because academically they don't stand up.

My daughter now does not qualify for special ed because she is doing well academically except for speech. She qualifies under Other Health Impaired because she has brain damage.

Sometimes it is very important to get these "diagnosis" because the kids needs services like speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, reading help. The least of my concerns are whether she will be eligible for honors classes in high school. I'm worried that she won't pass 1st grade, and she won't without special help.

[ericthecurdog]

ADDERALL. Amphetamine mixed salts (Dextroamphetamine Saccharate, Dextroamphetamine Sulfate USP, etc.). The blue ones are 5 and 10 mg and the 'beige' ones are 20 and 30 mg. It's a longer acting med than Ritalin. Because of this there is a slightly decreased potential for abuse (chopping and snorting).

[widowithfoursons]

THE ID CHIP IS AROUND THE CORNER. AND DON'T FORGET THAT THE PERCENTAGE OF KIDS ON DRUGS PRECLUDES THEM FROM SERVING IN THE MILITARY. (CAPS NOT INTENDED; KEYBOARD SCREWED UP)

[drjimmy]

This pattern bears an eerie similarity to a common symptom of autistic spectrum disorders.
That is a good point, and there tends to be co-morbidity with these neurological impairments. My 13-year-old son has ADHD, in addition to some--but not all--of the characteristics of Asperger Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Tourette Syndrome. He can spend hours playing his Game Boy, then spend hours telling us in great detail every move he made in the game, then go outside and climb to the highest point in a tree, then read nearly an entire Tom Clancy novel in one night, then go to school the next day and crawl under his desk to read the newspaper during French class, then ace his French test. He is scarily smart, and rather than turn him into a zombie, the drugs he needs to take help bring out the best of the person that had previously been held back by the biology of misfiring brain connections.

[Zavien Doombringer]

I agree with you, totally! It isn't a disorder as it can be a medical issue...I mentioned that the synopsis isn't making connection and the Adderall is helping. You can see it working. My daughters grades are straight A's from D's. It doesn't make her a zombie, it actually ballances the chemical attributes. She is "normal" per se. When she isn't on meds, she cannot concentrate on one subject for long periods of time.

[luckystarmom]

We've started adding EFAs to my kid's diet. My son has Tourette's syndrome and my daughter has brain damage which mainly affects her speech. My son's tics seem to diminish when we started the EFAs and my daughter's speech seems to have improved.

I'm in a speech group for parents and there are a lot of parents that swear by the EFAs helping speech.

I think changing a diet is always a good first step. At least, it doesn't harm anyone.

[Zavien Doombringer]

Zavrian - if you want to try diet for your child I suggest the following: A good multivitamin, and a balance of nearly equal parts of protein, complex carbs and fat (good fat like olive and fish oil if you can get it into them. Stay away from the hydrogenated fats in chips etc.). Lay off the sugar and food with a lot of preservatives. I've found that the amount of protein in my diet makes a HUGE (hugh? ::grin::) difference in my ability to focus. Too much carbs, I'm spacy and sleepy.

Thanks! I will try this, as well as some other ideas from the web. Cards by the way have a tendency to do that to everyone :)

[brianl703]

It's possible the records laws changed. I graduated HS in 1995, moved here in 1988 (to Manassas where I still live today), and I know the cat I/II policies were in effect in 1988 (and the Code of Behavior for Prince William County schools still allowed corporal punishment..that was quietly removed sometime in the next 2-3 years).

Prior to that? I have no idea. At the beginning of every school year they gave out a sheet of paper with the records policies on it, so that's where my info is from.

[widowithfoursons]

My heart goes out to you. Had a good friend whose son had encephalitis as a babe, and was speech impaired. The school was wonderful in aiding him (after a threat of lawsuit). I suggest homeschool, and make the district pay for therapy. After all, it is your tax dollars.

[realpatriot71]

This isn't a flame, but I have friends with the disorder. One guy, who I went to high school with, almost flunked out of law school, until being diagnosed. The ritilin made a world of difference in his case. Is ADD/ADHD real? Yes. Is it more than likely over-diagnosed? Probably. Should kids be given powerful brain altering drugs when brain development isn't even fully done? I don't know, but drugging our children in this regard should be stopped until it can be looked into further. I think there could be a very real chance that giving these drugs to kids while their brains are still developing could actually cause more problems than it solves. Ritilin for adults with ADD has a very real time and place.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Check her access to caffeine too. I never cease to be amazed at the huge quantities of caffeine ingested by young children, often with their parents' full approval. It's an incredibly powerful drug and can both cause hyperactivity and disrupt sleep patterns (which in turn can cause hyperactivity and concentration problems).

Last year I watched while a dad and two little boys ahead of me in line at a Wendy's ordered dinner at about 8PM. The boys looked to be about 6 and 9, and both ordered large Mountain Dews, with no objection from dad. This is equivalent to 3-4 cups of coffee, and translated for body weight, equivalent to an adult drinking 8 or more cups of coffee!

Years ago when I worked for professional tennis tournaments that employed volunteer ballchildren, everybody thought I was some kind of kook when I discovered that every single soda on the coolers provided for the ballkids' contained caffeine -- no other adult thought this was any problem at all, even though keeping the kids' behavior under control was a constant problem, as was dealing with the effects of dehydrated kids who'd been sweating on a 110 degree court for a couple hours after ingesting diuretics in the form of caffeinated sodas.

Also make sure that any breathing problems that could be affecting sleep have been identified and addressed. Even minor allergies/sniffles can result in a child not being able to breathe through the nose all night, and the dry throat that results from mouth-breathing while asleep can cause frequent partial awakening.

[Zavien Doombringer]

interesting, I wonder if it is State, as it is District policies. Not every College has the same requirements to retreive transcripts either, some will take a hand carried copy, most require a faxed copy from the last institution, some you have to pay for that, some are free...you know what I mean? I grew up in the Tidewater region/Hamptonroads, things are a bit different here.

[mouse_35]

Also, try elimintating foods that have dyes. Orange colored cheeses are a major offender and no one thinks about them.

[brianl703]

I'm 99.99% sure it's a statewide policy; I also attended Manassas City schools and they had the same policy, about word-for-word.