Dr Phil Bate Orthomolecular Pioneer |
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The terms ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder) were coined in the 80's so as to conform to the psychiatric "bible" of symptoms and diseases (DSM-IV), This allows for convenient compartments of diagnosis in order to get paid by insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, etc, It has little to do with actual diagnosis in too many cases,
Before that time, it was generally known as hyperactivity, and was primarily about boys in a ratio of about 4/1, It was known that girls also suffered, but instead of the hyperactivity, they became slower in actions and did not pay attention, Few girls suffer from hyperactivity (ADHD), but many suffer from ADD.
There have been many "questionaire type tests" developed to help clinicians diagnose ADD/ADHD, Some of these are as follows:
It should be kept firmly in mind that every "dysfunction" or "disorder" (unlike a real "disease" such as mumps or measles) is just one point along a continuum, That is, ADD/ADHD can range from a "slightly abnormal" kid behavior to autism, or brain injury, Where a particular child is along this line, depends on individuality, This includes genetics, environmental factors, health of mother during pregnancy, and a host of other factors too numerous to describe.
It should also be kept firmly in mind that virtually all ADD/ADHD children are well above average IQ, although due to their crippling symptoms of ADD/ADHD (or drugged out on Ritalin et al) they may not appear so, Many are well above 120 if tested AFTER treatment is successful, Kids of 100 IQ and below are rarely ADD/ADHD, If we treat these bright AD(H)D kids with drugs, we are losing one of our most important resources, the intelligent minds we need.
Adding to the problem is the fact that all too often in public and private schools, the hyperactive (or even just overactive) child is so disruptive to the rest of the class that the school nurse prescribes Ritalin, Ritalin, and the other similar drugs are all a form of "speed" that's an illegal street drug, For just a few of the dangers inherent in this class of drugs, see Ritalin Dangers
ADD/ADHD is a neurological or neuro-biological based developmental disability, which is estimated to affect between 3% - 7% of the school-age population, The medical literature has references to these ADD/ADHD symptoms for about 100 years, (Is it just a coincidence that that's about the same time as sugar intake increased, and white flour was first produced?)
ADD/ADHD is one of the most thoroughly researched of all childhood disorders, According to all the "experts", ADD/ADHD is a disorder that can cause serious lifelong problems, if it is left untreated, Certainly parents and children who have suffered with it will certainly agree.
Food allergies/sensitivities, sugar handling problems, poor absorption and deficiency of nutrients all can cause production of abnormal neurotransmitters, These neurotransmitters are brain chemicals and they help the brain to regulate and coordinate the normal brain functions, The brain uses glucose (blood sugar) and oxygen for fuel, and research shows that ADD/ADHD subjects do not utilize sugar very well, This can be due to an allergy or sensitivity to sugar, or other carbohydrates that turn into glucose.
An interesting experiment many years ago had two sets of rats in the same lab environment, with the only difference that set B had sugar added to the water, Interesting to me was the fact that the exercise cage in B was turning up to 10 times as much within a day or so, This correlates to excess energy due to excess sugar and the hyperactivity in ADHD, This experiment was terminated within a few months because the rats in B were being stillborn, fighting territorially with undifferentiated rages, etc, (Perhaps a lesson for we humans about sugar?)
Scientists like to name and classify things (no matter that it isn't a "thing", but a continuum), In the 1940's, hyperactive children with emotional problems, and impulsive with short attention spans were called "Minimal Brain Disorder (MBD), and later classified as Hyperkinetic Disorder of Childhood.
This alphabet soup of names then had children with dyslexia and other learning problems named Learning Disability, These are somewhat different symptoms, but many of the ADD/ADHD children may have both sets of symptoms intermixed.
Generally, a "normal" child has an minimum attention span of 3 minutes for each year of life, thus a three year old should be able to concentrate on a problem for 9 minutes or more, A kindergarten child should be able to concentrate for 15 minutes or more, A TV show, or even a computer game is a form of hypnosis in effect, and NOT a sign of good concentration.
If the child hasn't been taught by either the parenting or siblings or contemporaries to listen when others speak, or to wait their turn, or to complete tasks, that child may have the characteristics of ADD/ADHD, This may well be within normal behavior, not really ADD/ADHD, but just "bratty kids", Or, it could be a combination of poor parenting skills, and a borderline ADD/ADHD.
Remember it's a continuum with added individuality, This behavior is usually moldified with better parenting skills, and actions of peer groups, This group perhaps is responsible for the common belief that ADD/ADHD "goes away" with age, particularly in the teenage years when peer groups are most important (and mean to "brats"), This is also partially responsible for many parents of real ADD/ADHD children feeling guilt as "bad parents", The truth is that real ADD/ADHD children cannot be disciplined into good behavior any more than a bed-wetter can be.
If an ADD/ADHD child is not treated in childhood, they will often grow up with serious emotional problems, I personally have treated one schizophrenic who grew up on Ritalin, but was only allergic, and was easily treated for the allergy, although his Ritalin addiction was more difficult, A common belief is that children will "outgrow" the ADD/ADHD symptoms, but recent research shows that belief to be untrue, At least 50% of all (correctly diagnosed) ADD/ADHD persons untreated except for Ritalin (and other forms of speed), grow up with emotional problems (not least is being addicted to the drugs).
The distinguishing difference between ADD and ADHD is the hyperactivity, Hyperactivity is just that, These children are in constant motion, "off the wall" activity, They just can't sit still, The have to use up excess energy (like the rats above) by running, skipping, jumping, and climbing, If forced to sit, they wriggle, tap fingers, and swing their feet, At mealtimes, they're up and down often, may play with food or even toss it, They'll often play with utensils, drumming or tapping, In school, they are the ones who distract the teacher and the rest of the class, and many schools unaware of the dangers of Ritalin and similar drugs, force parents to go that route because of this.
One major reason why this affects boys more than girls is that allergy/sensitivity and low blood sugar all release adrenalin, and often low blood sugar releases hormones (testosterone in boys, estrogen in girls) to be converted into glucose, The combination of adrenaline and testosterone can result in undifferentiated rage as well as hyperactivity, (See Hypoglycemia on my alternate-health web site.
There are two other factors that an ADHD diagnosis is based upon, Impulsivity is characterized by acting or speaking without thinking, This is probably because the high IQ "thinks fast", and "knows" or believes he/she knows the answer already, Often right, but often wrong as well, Being wrong often causes ego damage, frustration, and anger.
The other important factor is Distractability, The human brain is bombarded by thousands of messages from all our senses every minute of every day, The brain has to filter out the "important" messages, and ignore the rest, For example, you wouldn't be aware of an airplane overhead if you were about to jump over a wall, ADD/ADHD children seem to have less "filtering" ability than most, Too many messages distract the child as a result.
With girls, the reaction of estrogen with adrenalin may cause them to "slow down", be inattentive or even depressed, They are very distractible, and may be impulsive or even hyperactive, although that isn't common.
The diagnosis of ADD is usually based on attention span, and "slow learning", without the hyperactivity, Because many more girls are ADD, while boys are much more often ADHD (causing classroom problems), much more research has been done on the hyperactive boys.
I sincerely hope that the above will help you in your evaluations.
