The school year brings questions of what parents can do to ensure their children perform at their best. For any parent who has wondered about the disability commonly known as “ADD,” there are some important facts to consider, as well as a multitude of misconceptions.
What is ADD? To begin with, ADD is not called ADD any longer by the mental health and medical profession. The full name of the disorder is Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. There are three subtypes of this disorder, including the Hyperactive, Inattentive, and Combined types. The Hyperactive subtype includes a much greater than normal level of restlessness, activity, and impulsivity. Although it is sometimes confusing to parents, the ADHD, Inattentive-type child does not exhibit hyperactivity. Inattentive symptoms include poor attention to detail, distractibility, daydreaming, and forgetfulness. In the Combined-type, symptoms from both subtypes are present.
How can you tell if a child has ADHD? In all forms of the disorder, the problems must be markedly different from that which would be expected given the child’s age, and must cause significant impairment in the child’s school, social, or home life. Clinicians must be able to rule out, through psychological testing or a thorough history, that the disorder is not better accounted for by another problem. For example, depression often causes a child to have trouble concentrating, or a recent divorce may cause a child to act out impulsively or aggressively. Symptoms also have to be present from an early age; not emerging, for example, around adolescence.
What about those who say ADHD isn’t real? ADHD has been a controversial disorder. There is a large group of laypersons who believe it does not exist, and many mental health professionals who believe the disorder has been greatly over-diagnosed. Some worry that normal childhood exuberance is being treated as an illness. Many have noted that the disorder seems to be applied as an excuse for conduct problems or a general lack of parental discipline. In the last decade, the diagnosis of Adult ADHD appears to be on the increase as well, explaining various problems from addictions to failed marriages. Critics believe these trends proliferate myths about ADHD, such as, the idea that a large percentage of the population suffers from it, it encourages dependence on medications and it discourages personal responsibility.
Despite the controversy, ADHD is a real disorder. However, like any disorder, it cannot be assumed to exist solely because a child exhibits a few of the disorder’s many criteria. ADHD must be properly diagnosed by a trained professional, and other causes for the problem behaviors ruled out.
What can be done about ADHD? Once established, the disorder is manageable. The most common treatment approach is medication, although it is not the only approach. Medication is helpful for approximately three fourths of all ADHD cases. However, side effects, including a “rebound effect” as medication wears off, as well as the potential for growth suppression, are often a concern.
Therapy for the disorder, including behavioral modification, parenting skills, social skills training, and help for related problems such as low self-esteem, is often recommended whether or not medications are used. It is especially important to get educators involved in developing a plan tailored to the child’s needs, and parents should not feel shy about doing so. Appropriate educational accommodations for any individual with a disability, including those with ADHD, are a right granted by law.
ADHD is a problem not unlike many children will face in their lives. Although we wish we could shield children from struggles, we know the challenges we face in life help us grow and learn more about who we are. Ideally, we want children to learn that a problem can be managed once we ask for help, properly identify the issue, and learn not to become discouraged but to use our strengths to achieve all we can.
By Jeanne Latiolais, PsyD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist
The Myths and Realities
of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
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This page was last updated: October 28, 2011
