I teach 6th grade English and have some challenging students. While some have an official diagnosis of ADD, other do not, but exhibit ADD behaviors. Since ADD is diagnosed by a behavior checklist, how can we tell what is neurological and what is parenting? Sometimes I feel like parents are making excuses for their child’s behavior. Is there a more definitive test for ADD?
Debbie M.
Re: How can you tell?
The best way for you to “tell” is to refer the student to your school pscyhologist or counselor. She can iniate the screening process. Tests and checklists must be done for an accurate diagnosis.
Re: How can you tell?
With classic ADHD - attention deficit, it is all neurological (as are other known lifelong neurological challenges such as epilepsy and Tourette’s).
ADHD is a very real neurological challenge although it tends to be stable, that is, it often never gets that much worse or that much better for those with classic ADHD. The right ADHD medicine can temporarily (for a few hours at a time) reduce ADHD symptoms for a small number of people, that is, distractibility is temporarily reduced, and attention span (the ability to pay attention, concentrate, and focus) is temporarily increased.
As children gradually grow older and are faced with more classroom materials which tend to require the use of longer sustained attention and memory, aspects of ADHD are often slowly clarified. ADHD can be mild, moderate, or severe.
In some cases environment can play a role for an ADHD student, that is, if the environment is quiet the ADHD student often can focus a little better vs a noisy environment with distracting sounds in the background. An ADHD student who reads a book with the tv off may often absorb a little more material than an ADHD student who tries to read a book with the tv or radio on or with a study area located near a street where there is lots of automobile traffic/other sounds.
That’s my opinion.
Re: How can you tell?
Please see “Assesment for ADHD” on 10/25/01 by CJ for further information on ADHD. There are many components that should go into making the medical diagnosis of ADHD.
Re: How can you tell?
Debbie,
It wasn’t clear to me whether you’re saying that the parents of the children who haven’t been officially dx’d with ADHD might be making excuses for them or whether you’re asking if the official dx. can be believed since the behavior checklist is what fixes the dx.
In either case, I agree with Sara who says that a seasoned teacher can just tell. I know that’s not particularly helpful to you but it’s true. Once you’ve had enough of these kids come through your doors, you can spot them. Of course there’s often coexisting behavioral issues because, out of desperation, they may have adopted some lousy coping mechanisms (class clown, avoidance techniques, etc.) Or they might be angry because (how can you blame them?) they never measure up and everyone’s always on their case no matter how hard they try.
Truthfully, the ADHD kids are far more interesting than other kids. It fascinates me that we hold up as models the kids who have no problems with sitting still and paying attention. It’s easy for them! Big deal! I admire the antsy kids far more - they daily do battle with their own bodies in a way the other kids can’t imagine.
Re: How can you tell?
Wow Joan, that was really a nice thing to say and very well appreciated. My 9 year old recently got diagnosed and it is not as easy to swallow. I was the person a few years ago to say, that these kids just need good discipline. Then I had my son. He has gotten in trouble all his life. When he started day care I got notes sent home. k-3 it has become a regular thing. My feelings on the original posts is…I believed my son to have lack of discipline for awhile. His father and I divorced at an early age. But this is how I think you can tell. I have always thought my son could not actually control hisself. He would feel bad about getting in trouble and he would always say, ” I dont know why I did it” He is very respectful to teachers but sometimes actually does the opposites. I did not want my son to be diagnosed as ADD. I felt it was a cope out. There is nothing that works consistantly with his behavior “NOTHING” No form of punishment, reward system, nothing I have tried everything. Counciling didnt work. They (all 3 of them) said he is a normal boy dont worry about it. He is a very normal boy when he has an adult sitting there playing games with him. I even actually took all his toys out of his room and boxed them up in the basement for 3 weeks. I think a sure sign is that he just really cant control this. I would like to add to your comment about parents just using an excuse, once I found out that ADHD was considered a disability now and my son could get more help by being diagnosed it made me feel like I wanted him to get the diagnosis. We are using alternative meds and diet plans which insurance doesnt pay for. The only thing I would like from the diagnosis is the fact that they will have to test him at the school now. Which I thinks he needs and deserves. I wouldnt doubt that parents may use the diagnosis as an excuse but in my case it just kills me to know that this isnt over and he will have a very very hard time the rest of his life and there is nothing I can do about it.
While it’s certainly true that modern children seem to have shorter attention spans, ADD is still a very distinct cluster of issues.
I need to say gently and kindly though why would parents leap to embrace a diagnosis of disorder? For many parents, the diagnosis of ADD is very painful and hard to accept.
If your parents are telling you their children have been diagnosed with ADD, they probably have. Check the files of these students and read the testing. There are tests for ADD.
As an educator of some experience, you can also gain of sense of the level of struggle that is for a child to pay attention. You can sense the flighty attentional process that allows the impulsive behavior and the “in another world” way that inattentive ADD has.