Has your child been labelled as ADHD? If so, you may have felt relieved to have someone make the diagnosis because it explains the challenging behaviours you’ve been dealing with over the years and you’ll be offered a course of therapy to hopefully lessen the symptoms. You know that you’re not alone because so many other families have a child (or even an adult member) with the same challenges.
Most children are labelled by family doctors, neurologists, pediatricians and psychiatrists. Some of them are initially ‘diagnosed’ by teachers, psychologists, school counsellors or nurses. If so, you should be careful because many of these helping professionals are not trained to diagnose mental disorders, and ADHD falls into this category. But even if a medical person makes the diagnosis, there may be a problem because ADHD is not a disease. Too often, the ‘diagnosis’ is made by a professional because they have no idea of what’s really wrong with the child.[1]
Before you stop reading because you feel irritated by the denial of the problems you’ve faced for so long, let me assure you that we understand the difficulties of dealing with ADHD children. That is, children who really have this disorder. ADHD must be the most frequently incorrect diagnosis on the planet. We agree that in these cases, you and the child need help and drugs that might be given seem a blessing because the situation lightens and comparative peace reigns in your home (and the classroom). But even then, is this the long-term solution? No.
We know that drugs do not ‘cure’ ADHD. In many cases, they don’t even help very much. This is largely because many, many children who carry the label are incorrectly diagnosed. There is no test for ADHD. There are no blood analyses or brain scans that will reliably ‘prove’ the existence of the condition. The ‘test’ usually consists of teacher, parent and perhaps another involved person completing a questionnaire and the doctor listening to a description of the child’s behaviours. These days, doctors are so used to children presenting with symptoms that are associated with ADHD that they seldom bother to probe very deeply for something that may underlie these symptoms.
One mother complained that her son was prescribed Ritalin for so-called ADHD but this boy was diagnosed with subclinical diabetes after having been on the brain-altering drug for some years. His symptoms were caused by the very real medical disorder. Here are some more case studies[2]:
Debbie, aged five, was tiny and delicate. Her mother, however, describes her as a ‘mean little girl’ who has temper tantrums and screaming fits. As a baby, she cried continuously, slept very little, refused to nap and banged her head on her crib. Now in nursery school, she’s run away from school twice. Her teacher despairs over her out-of-control behaviour and recommends medication. Debby’s first doctor agrees.
Fortunately, Debby’s mother demands a second opinion. This, more thorough examination, uncovers a defective blood vessel between Debby’s heart and lungs, preventing a normal flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. Surgery corrects this serious and potentially fatal condition. Almost immediately, Debby’s behaviour improves, her tantrums stop, and her teachers begin praising her academic achievement.
Less startling but no less telling is the case of Mandy. She is a very bright little girl who struggled to optimize her excellent academic potential because of several irregularly functioning sensory-motor systems. This led to disorganized information reaching the brain, leading to her being unable to follow instructions, organize her thoughts or express herself in writing. She was restless and irritable, prone to talking out in class and disrupting others. A Connor’s questionnaire ‘proved’ ADHD.
Mandy’s mother put the diagnosis on hold and sought the help of Integrated Learning Therapy (ILT). We uncovered the areas of neurodevelopmental delays and addressed them through a home-based movement programme. At the beginning of the following school year, I requested that her new teacher complete the Connor’s questionnaire again to see if the areas of improvement were reflected in her classroom behaviour. Her mother reported to me that the teacher refused to do so, saying that Mandy showed absolutely no behavioural or learning problems and was a star learner.
A teacher’s opinion is not based on medical or neurodevelopmental knowledge. A quickie medical evaluation and a prescription for a drug is an extremely limited and temporary solution. The children on drugs tend to be calmer, more focused and easier to live with, at least in the short term. But, these drugs are NOT benign and their benefits are questionable.
The real tragedy is that masking children’s symptoms merely allows their underlying disorders or neurodevelopmental irregularities to continue and, in many cases, become worse. ADHD children don’t simply outgrow their symptoms. Instead, many grow into troubled teens and adults.
If you have a child with all the signs and symptoms of ADHD, don’t give in too soon. Try to find a medical specialist who specializes in ADHD and understands possible underlying medical conditions. ILT practitioners may also be useful in that they can check for neurodevelopmental causes of your child’s puzzling and difficult behaviours.
Image supplied by Freepik.
[1] Dr Sydney Walker, MD. The hyperactivity hoax. St Martin’s Paperbacks, New York.
[2] Dr Syndey Walker, MD. Op cit, p.11.