More on point to your second post, sparing the rod is not the issue with my son.
WOW! I never had to spank my kids to stop their tantrums. And once they learned it didn't work they stopped trying it. Your reaction is telling. You automatically, and reflexively, assumed I meant corporal punishment was the solution.
And don't lecture me on ADD/ADHD. I've been battling people for years on this topic. I know a nurse who is completely rational on every medical topic except ADD/ADHD. She was so informed >spit< that she didn't even know that amphetamines/stimulants were what were being given to children. She simply swallowed wholesale what she was being fed.
And I've seen "the wounded bird gambit" played out more times than I can count. Ooooh...ooooh, I've got a son/daughter/cousin/friend's child who has ADD/ADHD and I can assure you blah, blah, blah.
Your responses, especially your last, look to fit that category. I don't know you or your background, but you wouldn't be the first to spin a yarn to "prove" your point.
It’s a free forum. I can respond if I choose, and ignore you if I choose. You have the same choice.
I made the jump I did because your first post (#14) said:
“I wouldn’t have a problem with diagnosing kids with ADD/ADHD if the tests were physiological instead of psychological.
One is objective while the other is subjective.”
Combined with your subsequent posts correctly pointing out that ADHD diagnosis is clinical (and therefore inherently subjective), I took you to be an “ADHD skeptic” who believes that most/many/all cases of ADHD are just bad behavior.
**Please accept my apologies if I read too much into what you said.**
As to this “wounded bird” trying to “prove” something, I am trying to say only this:
1. ADD/ADHD is real for some kids. I agree that it is overdiagnosed, as I said in my previous post. But for some children it is real. I am not “spinning a yarn.” I have told the forum honestly about my own experience with my son. I had hoped that it might help some other parents who are struggling with a potential diagnosis or with treatment options following a diagnosis. It was not my intent to start a flame war with you. However, I don’t appreciate that you all but called me a liar for sharing part of my life.
2. Drugs are not the only treatment that works. I am well aware that amphetamines/stimulants (as well as antidepressants and other drugs) are used to treat ADD/ADHD. Those are powerful drugs with nasty potential side effects. That’s exactly why I wanted to try other things first, and use drugs only as a last resort. In my case, diet modification is working, and I have not had to use any medications so far. And remember that I only changed our diet after ruling out learning disabilities, vision problems, and trying educational and behavioral strategies for years.
By the way, I used the phrase “sparing the rod” as a figure of speech for discipline in any form. That was a very poor choice of phrase on my part, given the visceral reaction you had to it. I never spanked for tantrums, either, because just riding it out and not giving in IS the best strategy. I have used corporal punishment, but rarely, since time out (for younger kids) and taking away privileges (for older ones) work better.
Again, it is your right to disagree and debate facts with me. But I respectfully ask that you don’t call me illogical or imply that I am lying while doing so.