| Last week new research was released that shower | | | | By creating circumstances that do not necessarily suit |
| that giving medication to children with ADHD did not | | | | children and restricting their outlets for letting off steam |
| improve their grades but made them considerably | | | | behavioral issues can be created. However, these are |
| worse. It also showed the drugs increased the blood | | | | behavioral issues and do not necessarily constitute a |
| pressure of children. This week a US paper has | | | | medical illness which requires a drug treatment. |
| shown that following treatment guidelines for ADHD | | | | Another big issue with children these days is their |
| helped symptoms but had no effect on school | | | | nutritional status. There is a growing view that children |
| performance or their relationships. Last year a US | | | | are often overfed but malnourished. This paradox |
| government backed study showed a six-fold increase | | | | comes about because whilst they are consuming |
| in deaths in children on medication compared to those | | | | increasing amounts of food, they are not getting the |
| not medicated. | | | | nutrients that they need and in particular, not the |
| Let me be up front on this. I do not believe that | | | | essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. |
| attention issues in children (or adults) are caused by a | | | | Furthermore, their bodies may be exposed to a variety |
| lack of amphetamine like stimulant medication in the | | | | of preservatives and toxins, which their young bodies |
| blood stream. Lets examine the facts. | | | | are even less designed to cope with than adult bodies. |
| There are children who display behaviors, which are | | | | We need to look at the child in their total environment, |
| consistent with some of the diagnostic criteria for | | | | look at what their genuine needs are and consider |
| ADHD. This presents a genuine management issue for | | | | what expectations are placed on them. Not all children |
| the child, their parents and often the school as well. | | | | will be brilliant scholars and it is ridiculous to expect |
| There has been a significant increase in the number of | | | | them to be so. This is not to say that doing your best |
| children (and more recently adults) who are being | | | | in school is not important, but many extremely |
| diagnosed with ADHD or similar over the last 20 years. | | | | successful people did not score brilliantly in school |
| So what has led to this increase in diagnosis and, what | | | | exams. One of the justifications for use of medication |
| can be done to manage the problem? The diagnosis | | | | has been that it improves academic performance. This |
| of ADHD is based on fulfilling certain criteria and is | | | | argument would not be acceptable in a sporting |
| completely subjective. There is no scan or blood test | | | | environment and has been proved wrong now |
| to detect the condition. Certain behaviors may be | | | | anyway. |
| acceptable in certain circumstances but not others. For | | | | 1) Ensure that simple things like vision and hearing have |
| example, grabbing a person and throwing them to the | | | | been checked |
| ground is acceptable on some sports fields but not in | | | | 2) Ensure that children do have the opportunity to be |
| the street. The behavior is the same but the context is | | | | active and are encouraged to be so. |
| different. Answering questions early is rewarded on | | | | 3) Allow children to have a variety of interests and be |
| TV quiz shows with buzzers but is one of the | | | | on the move |
| diagnostic criteria for ADHD in a classroom setting. | | | | 4) Reduce processed and packaged foods, minimize |
| The issue then is how we look at behaviors may have | | | | food coloring and additives. |
| changed more over the last 20 years than the | | | | 5) Ensure an adequate intake of key minerals, vitamins |
| behaviors themselves. Furthermore, children are not | | | | and essential fatty acids like the omega threes. It has |
| actually designed to sit still for long periods of time. | | | | been shown that children eating a Mediterranean type |
| Boys in particular need to be running around to use up | | | | diet (lots of fruit and vegetables) had less behavioral |
| pent up energy. The number of avenues for them to | | | | issues than those eating a "typical" western diet of |
| do this has decreased. Fewer children walk or ride to | | | | processed grains. |
| school and they are less likely to run around in a park | | | | 6) Say no to demands for soft drinks and other |
| after school. They still have the same amount of | | | | packaged foods. Parents need to be aware that |
| energy to burn up as their predecessors. Bottle up this | | | | saying no is quite OK. |
| energy and it may well come out where you do not | | | | It is likely that in 20 years time, people will look back in |
| want it. | | | | horror at the medicalization of behavior that we have |
| Another significant change has been the teaching | | | | seen over the last two decades and in particular, the |
| methods for literacy. The whole of language approach, | | | | over medicalizing of children's behavior where we |
| which has become almost a religion in certain | | | | have repackaged behavioral phenomenon and labeled |
| education circles, does not serve the interest of all | | | | it a disease and provided a drug treatment. By that |
| children and particularly not a large number of boys | | | | time we will hopefully be catering to the genuine needs |
| who will learn literacy in a phonetic manner. Guess | | | | of our children rather than seeking to force them to fit |
| what happens to a child sitting in a classroom if they | | | | a narrow definition of "normality" and labeling them as |
| are not able to keep up or understand the lesson. | | | | diseased when they do not. |
| They will get bored and they will misbehave. | | | | |