ADHD IN CHILDREN 1 Abstract ADHD in children has become a persistent controversial issue in schools, households, and the medical field. Teachers are learning new ways to successfully overcome the obstacle of teaching children with ADHD, parents are trying to understand how to punish or discipline their children with ADHD, and doctors are trying to decide whether or not medication should be given to children with ADHD. There have been many studies, but the controversy over all of the issues surrounding ADHD endures.
ADHD IN CHILDREN 2 ADHD in children has become a topic of much controversy in recent years. Many questions arise in relation to ADHD: How can you tell if the child really has it? Is it a true mental disorder? Should the child be put on medication? There are many opposing viewpoints concerning each of these questions and how to approach the situation of children with ADHD. Many people want to know if ADHD truly is a disease, or if it is just a label that we place on people who have a hard time focusing (Nigg 53). David Stein and Steven Baldwin made the claim that Autistic and Schizophrenic children cannot control their behaviors and they are not in touch with reality; they then came to the conclusion that ADHD children are not out of touch with reality, therefore not nearly as severe cases as those with schizophrenia or autism, and do not have a disease, but a disorder (Stein no page). In David Stein s research, he found that many pharmacies are pressing to convince people that ADD and ADHD are diseases because the profit they make from the medication is so high (Stein 27). Because of such disagreements and the many opposing viewpoints over ADHD, whether or not it is actually a disease remains an unresolved issue. Another controversy revolving around ADHD in children is concerning medication. Considering that most medication for ADHD is made from stimulants many people worry that the drugs are addictive (Lesser no page). Researcher David Stein gave responses to parents who were worried that Ritalin and other medications for ADHD might be gateway drugs. His responses state that there is no way to know if a child is at risk of becoming addicted to the medication or
ADHD IN CHILDREN 3 further pursue the use to more serious drugs, it depends on the person and their personalities, backgrounds, ethnicity, and many other factors (Stein 14). A problem regarding the medicating of children with ADHD is whether or not some children being prescribed with medication, such as Ritalin, truly have the disease/disorder. While physicians are able to write a prescription for the child to get the medication, it is usually up to a mental health physician to diagnose ADHD, so a physician can write a prescription for a child to be put on medication for ADHD even if a mental health physician has not actually diagnosed the child with ADHD (Austin no page.) Also in relation to the controversy of medicating children with ADHD comes the pressure from teachers wanting children to be on medication. Some teachers want the children with ADHD to be put on medication so that the student isn t a disturbance to the rest of the class. Many teachers are able to notice the signs of ADHD before the parents in many cases because of the type of interactions they have with the child (Lesser no page). While many teachers just want all of the children to be able to focus, other teachers know how to deal with cases of ADHD, and have had so many experiences with children having ADHD that they are much more patient. There are concerns with why punishing children doesn t work and why disciplining them does work (Stein 149). As defined by David Stein, punishment involves doing something specifically painful to a child ; discipline is the use of consequences that does not hurt the child but effectively control his or her
ADHD IN CHILDREN 4 behavior (Stein 149). Punishment makes a child nervous, discipline does not; trying to teach new behaviors to ADHD children is completely defeated if you make the child nervous. Punishment trains a child to tune out his or her environment which, once again only makes the ADHD worse, or in some cases even shapes a child to be ADHD (Stein 150). Punishment causes children to become aggressive and to have built up anger that will eventually come back to haunt the punisher. In Stein s studies, he showed that by properly disciplining a child, rather than punishing him or her will prove to be an effective measure in helping the child somewhat overcome their ADHD (Stein 151). Although some people think that medication is the best way to fix ADHD, I disagree; I think it has to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Giving some kids Ritalin really does help and the child can focus and participate the same as students who do not have ADHD. With others it just puts them in a fog and they may be able to focus, but they are no longer themselves. I have a friend that is extremely ADHD and he was put on medication for it, and he had no personality and was basically a walking zombie while on the medication. Whether or not this is the case with every child, I think that different measures should be taken rather than just labeling a kid ADHD and putting them on medication. If the case is serious enough and the medication helps, then I think it is fine. ADHD shouldn t cause people to be treated like mentally ill people and it should be approached medically case-by-case.
ADHD IN CHILDREN 5 In my personal experience of observing and working in classrooms, children who have ADHD do have a lot more trouble focusing than the other students in a classroom setting, but giving them extra time to work one on one with a teacher or a teacher s aide to finish an assignment seems to help a lot. I strongly agree with Stein s discipline versus punishment method, and I have noticed that when a child gets punished, whether ADHD or not, the child just shuts down and no longer wants to engage in the assignment or activity because they are embarrassed or mad or some other emotion that causes them to disengage. I realize that in some cases medication is required for any progress to be made, but I think with the proper approach and attitude that an ADHD child can be on the same level as any other student and that their learning ability can be shaped into a more focused student.
ADHD IN CHILDREN 6 Works Cited Nigg, Joel T. (2006). What Causes ADHD? Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8tphsozr- AkC&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=ADHD+controversies+scholarly&ots=X7htjla YzH&sig=2WxeOWj14r1vNLPlf6Ljb-NzhfE#v=onepage&q&f=false. Stein, David B. (2001). Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=v581g0roaw4c&oi=fnd& pg=pr9&dq=adhd+controversies+scholarly&ots=bruaspvugx&sig=lj Mq4M0JhY3mCdausl1jXs5qM7A#v=onepage&q&f=false. McBurnett, Keith and Linda Pfiffner (2007). Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Concepts, Controversies, New Directions. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=qhzn3kwklggc&oi=fnd &pg=pp1&dq=adhd+controversies+scholarly&ots=qn_qqul2lq&sig= FnNm8g7goG7NAj6AjrRtE-phEOI#v=onepage&q&f=false. Lesser, Sarah (2005). ADHD and Education. Retrieved from http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.lesser/adhd_controversies. Austin, Margarett, Laura Burgdorf, and Natalie Staats Reiss (2007). Controversies Surrounding ADHD. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=13852&cn=3.