Neal Boortz and ADD

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[Houmatt]

The following are short pieces recently written by Neal Boortz regarding Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, appearing in Neal's Nuze:

DON’T PAY ATTENTION TO THIS. JUST KEEP DRUGGING YOUR KIDS.

More and more medical and psychological professionals are speaking out against this phony disease of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Dr. Bob Jacobs, a psychologist, is on the advisory board of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology. He recently told a conference in Australia that ADHD is a behavioral problem, not a medical disorder. He correctly points out that there is no proof that ADHD exists.

Jacobs notes that many children who are “diagnosed” with ADHD – children who it is said can’t pay attention – are perfectly capable of sitting still with a video game and paying rapt attention for hours on end. He also points out that when parents pay attention and change the way they are treating and handling their children, the ADHD symptoms go away. “A real diseas doesn’t go away when somebody else does something.”

I just love it that this debate is surfacing again. Sure, Ritalin works. It’s a drug, of course it’s going to have an affect on children. It makes them more docile and compliant. Take that word “compliant” and put it next to “government.” Would anyone argue that government doesn’t just love a compliant citizen? Then why wouldn’t a government school teacher love a docile and compliant child? It sure makes their job easier, doesn’t it?

In 2001 U.S. drug companies made more than $600 million profit in ADHD drugs like Ritalin. If ADHD goes away … so do those profits.

It’s time for you parents and teachers to stop looking for the easy way out here. Your easy way out is a potential disaster for your child.

I’M STILL HERE …

The controversy over my comments on ADD/ADHD continues. Station management continues to feel the effects of an organized campaign to have me either silenced or fired. Hey, I don’t blame these people. If I was drugging my child for a non-existent disease I wouldn’t want anyone reminding me of my irresponsibility either.

Just to fuel the fire, here are some excerpts from letters and e-mail I’ve received in the last few days:

I am a Special Education teacher in Kansas --anti-NEA, extremely conservative: endangered species. Agree with you on ADHD. Problem - liberals insist all students with behavior problems have the right to disrupt the education of others, so meds used to control behaviors. In Kansas, ADHD students receive special education services under the label of Otherwise Health Impaired (OHI). Some of us know that OHI really stands for Otherwise HOME Impaired. Please do not use my name publicly -- retaliation from liberal dominated administration probable

Before you delete this please read on. I am ecstatic on your position on add and ADHD. I have a son that was so diagnosed, they, she who is always right, put him on Ritalin. it is a devastating drug, they are doped up and not themselves. Chris is adopted has a handicap and parents that care. i took on the problem, the problem was not a condition it was a matter of wills. i withdrew him from the medication and worked my ass off making the difference. Neal is right, get off the medication, instill confidence, give a damn about how they behave and stand firm. today my son has a 4.0 average in his junior year of high school and has been accepted to Penn State, will get a partial scholarship and is a GREAT KID. Not bad for someone the system wanted to put into a stupor. Dad's can make a difference, although you may not be the most popular guy around. God Bless

Man, when your right your right! The stories that I could tell you about my ex-wife and hooking my son on this drug since he was two are unbelievable. Parents and teachers are not alone in this. Doctors who are prescribing this and other mind altering drugs are the number one problem. My ex-wife found a doctor in Miami that did "testing" on my son only by giving him some blocks to assemble, and when my son started looking around instead of putting all of the blocks in place that was it, instant A.D.H.D. Oh yeah, this boy was not only A.D.D. He was hyper as well.(here's a clue HE'S TWO YEARS OLD!!) Needless to say this eventually lead to our divorce, but to make matters worse, there are judges out there who believe this crap also, so I did not get custody. He's now 15 and my Ex-wife and I have another court appointment to settle this issue.

AND NOW --- INTRODUCING YOU TO “ODD!”

This will be the next great fad disease for school age children. Oppositional Defiance Disorder. The “ODD child” is a child that gets angry or frustrated and defies authority. In other words … a child. He argues with adults, he loses his temper, he has a negative attitude, he blames others for his mistakes. Teachers.net has a chatboard discussing this grand new disease. One post by a teacher says: “Today was a really bad day. I have been teaching grade seven for four years and today was the first time I was called a "Whore," by a kid who has Oppositional Defiance Disorder.”

Stand by folks, this is soon going to become a full-fledged disease and some drug company is going to develop some mind-altering drug that will make these kids compliant and passive. Oh man, are the parents going to love this one. Here’s a link on this new fad-disease so you can start getting your excuses ready. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/9346/odd.html

http://www.4troubledteens.com/odd.html

ADEQUATE DICIPLINE DEFICIENCY

There’s been quite a firestorm of controversy on the show since I started talking about the various experts who are debunking the ADD/ADHD craze. We had Dr. Bob Jackobs, a psychologist, telling a youth conference in Queensland, Australia that there has never been any proof that ADHD exists. Then there was neurologist Dr. Fred Baughman Jr. who, in a 1998 letter to Attorney General Janet Reno called ADHD “the single biggest health care fraud in U.S. history.” This has all been very unsettling to parents who have decided that drugging is certainly easier than parenting when it comes to controlling the behavior of their children. These parents really know that ADD stands for “Adequate Dicipline Deficiency.”

But, alas! There are many parents out there who have been unable to find a doctor or a shrink who will write that invaluable Ritalin prescription. Wow! You poor saps have actually had to deal with your children being … children!

Well, maybe there’s hope. There’s a new disease on the horizon out there. It’s called ODD! Oppositional Defiance Disorder? With any luck, your child may have this nifty new disease! As a public service, here is some help diagnosing your very own child to see if they might have ODD! The symptoms are:

Arguing with adults. Losing temper. Angry or resentful of others. Actively defies adult’s request or rules. Negative attitude Blames others for their own mistakes misbehavior Seems touchy or easily annoyed by others Deliberately annoys others Acts spiteful or vindictive. The psychiatrists are telling us that if your child displays four or more of the above traits … you may be a winner! You may have a child with ODD! Now you don’t have to feel so left out when the neighborhood moms get together to discuss their children’s afflictions. Looking at that list again, I would suggest that if your child doesn’t display at least four of those traits, he’s probably in a coma on a respirator.

Now … the really good news! The Psychiatric Alliance of the Blue Ridge is studying an “investigational medication” that may help children with ODD! So, in the very near future you may not only be able to discuss your child’s hideous new disease, you may actually be able to DRUG him!

[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.