They Can't All Have A.D.D!

Cynthia Ulrich Tobias, M.Ed.

If you are the parent of a child who has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.), you have probably spent an incredible amount of time and effort trying to discover how you can best help that child succeed in an educational system that just doesn't fit. You have watched as this bright, capable, spirited child has struggled to concentrate, and has become less and less motivated to turn in assignments or study for tests. You have dealt with the frustration of that child continually failing to follow directions and consistently showing a disregard for organization and schedules. You may have turned to both educational and medical professionals for help in identifying and prescribing a remedy so that your child can learn to cope with the discipline and structure of an inflexible and impatient world.

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Thanks for this article. It actually made me tear up a little bit.

As a mother of a child who is diagnosed ADHD I struggle everyday with what is best for her. It's a long hard road for parent AND child.

My problem is findng doctors around here that don't just want to medicate. We are currently working with The Center For Children to explore all options.

MysticalMom said:

Thanks for this article. It actually made me tear up a little bit.

As a mother of a child who is diagnosed ADHD I struggle everyday with what is best for her. It's a long hard road for parent AND child.

My problem is findng doctors around here that don't just want to medicate. We are currently working with The Center For Children to explore all options.

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Check out the site www.adhddiet.com. Your childs problems may be caused by food allergies. If so, it can be treated without medicine, just diet changes. It can be a fair amount of work to get started, but the results can be amazing. This diet has worked wonders for our children.

I was a hyperactive child up until the age of 12. I was on Ritalin from about age 3 until 12, afterwhich I apparently outgrew the need for Ritalin, prbably because of the onset of puberty.

But my problem is that I couldn't pay attention, for I made good grades and had good concentration. I was just wild sometimes, couldn't keep still, and got into everything. I guess I was one of those "kinesthetic learners". Any mention of "The Pill" around my house had nothing to do with birth control. I took it three times a day, and it did indeed calm me down, perhaps too calm. I think it tended to make me lazy.

All aside, I would that people think twice before jumping on the Ritalin wagon. I believe part of the problem is societal. We live in an MTV world where images and video games and television show flash across the screen at a million miles a minute. It's no wonder that our kids have short attention spans when they are bombarded with this fast-paced world. Maybe we just need to slow down.

I also think that perhaps there is a lack of discipline in kids nowadays. We are afraid of punishing our kids for fear of damaging their egos. So in letting things slide, we are basically giving them free reign, instead getting them to focus on school.I learned the hard way with my oldest dauighter, who seemed to exhibit a lack of discipline in her school work in her early years. Quite franly, I thought she would turn out like me. But by being persistent hunkering down and getting her to focus on school, I got her into the habit of doing her work everyday, and it paid off with good grades. And now, at 14, she is independent in her school work, and highly motivated and still making good grades.

I think the OP is right. All these kids can't be all having ADD.