Cultural variations and symptoms of ADD/ADHD

Hi Debi.

Welcome to the group.

I know that this minority culture issue is very important to my school district. Almost every paper that discusses LD assessment starts by stating that minority culturual norms must be considered in the assessment….however, being of the cultural majority I have never given it much thought. I would also think that the parents, also most likely of the subculture, would be in a less favorable position to question the assessment?

Now my interest is peaked. Do you know of some studies that shows it this is indeed the case, that more minority children are catergorized as LD then majority ones, percentage wise?

Interesting topic!

Barb

Cultural minorities are not always or necessarily defined by skin pigment, either.

In my particular subculture, the “now where do you think we should put these scissors?” approach is considered manipulative and insulting. Teachers who approach a tradionally-raised child with this had better expect a few snappy answers like “How should I know? You’re the teacher” or at best a disgusted look and a shrug of the shoulders.

Another thought: Be careful not to lean over too far backwards and end up applying low expectations to minorities in the name of cultural differences. I have seen this happen with Indian kids who were standardly repeated in K and 2, and who then 99% dropped out in junior high; in the name of cultural sensitivity the official department of education guidelines said Indian kids should not be pushed into academics too fast, so instead they were expected to do little or nothing.

[quote:b642e1575c=”Anonymous”]I read the following statement within the document on this site called, “myths and facts”:

Before children are considered to have ADD, they must show symptoms that demonstrate behavior greatly different from what is expected for children of their age and background. They start to show the behaviors characteristic of ADD between ages three and seven, including fidgeting; restlessness; difficulty remaining seated; being easily distracted; difficulty waiting their turn; blurting out answers; difficulty obeying instructions; difficulty paying attention; shifting from one uncompleted activity to another; difficulty playing quietly; talking excessively; interrupting; not listening; often losing things; and not considering the consequences of their actions.

Although, the above facts are used to determine if a child exhibits signs of having ADD with hyperactivity I did want to share one concern that stood out for me when reading this. There was no reference to the impact of an adult misunderstanding cultural variations, or looking at the child’s behavior without the lens of a what the bicognitive or cultural rules are of the child exhibiting the behavior. For example, in the European American culture which is the dominant culture of the Continental U.S turn taking looks similar to one person having the floor at one time. However, in the African American culture it could look like “the most assertive person has the floor”. A child who may be considered to be blurting out the answer could be exhibiting a form of assertiveness in hopes of obtaining the opportunity to be the one to share. Children who learn best by interpersonal connections will find it more difficult to work alone because their best thinking is done when others share theirs. Difficulty obeying instructions would depend on what those instructions are. In the field of education the use of guidance strategies that align with National Organizational standards could insist that questions be used to make requests of children. For example, “I wonder where these scissors go” in hopes that the child would take the scissors and critically think about where they belong would be one example of a mixed message for children who are used to direct instruction such as, Take these scissors and place them on that shelf (with an aligning use of body language, or gesturing such as point to the shelf). With this in mind, it is a wonder that children of color are diagnosed more frequently with teachers who are of the dominant culture or who aligns with field independent styles of thinking and communication than if the teacher is of their own or other groups of color and/or who understand those cultural codes and who may have a field sensitive cognitive and communication style.

Warmly, Debi Jenkins
Early Childhood Education
Developmental Psychologist
Bicultural Development Specialist[/quote]

While there is certainly cultural bias in in psychometric evaluation I think that the basic DSM criteria is too broad.

I also think that the cultural differences between Euro-centric and Afro-centic cultural groups are narrowing. I also think that African American are quick to adapt to the Euro-American cultural norms in most cases.

I would be interested in your views and observation pertaining to Asian-American and Latino-Americans.

[quote:f3adc790eb=”Anonymous”]I read the following statement within the document on this site called, “myths and facts”:

Before children are considered to have ADD, they must show symptoms that demonstrate behavior greatly different from what is expected for children of their age and background. They start to show the behaviors characteristic of ADD between ages three and seven, including fidgeting; restlessness; difficulty remaining seated; being easily distracted; difficulty waiting their turn; blurting out answers; difficulty obeying instructions; difficulty paying attention; shifting from one uncompleted activity to another; difficulty playing quietly; talking excessively; interrupting; not listening; often losing things; and not considering the consequences of their actions.

Although, the above facts are used to determine if a child exhibits signs of having ADD with hyperactivity I did want to share one concern that stood out for me when reading this. There was no reference to the impact of an adult misunderstanding cultural variations, or looking at the child’s behavior without the lens of a what the bicognitive or cultural rules are of the child exhibiting the behavior. For example, in the European American culture which is the dominant culture of the Continental U.S turn taking looks similar to one person having the floor at one time. However, in the African American culture it could look like “the most assertive person has the floor”. A child who may be considered to be blurting out the answer could be exhibiting a form of assertiveness in hopes of obtaining the opportunity to be the one to share. Children who learn best by interpersonal connections will find it more difficult to work alone because their best thinking is done when others share theirs. Difficulty obeying instructions would depend on what those instructions are. In the field of education the use of guidance strategies that align with National Organizational standards could insist that questions be used to make requests of children. For example, “I wonder where these scissors go” in hopes that the child would take the scissors and critically think about where they belong would be one example of a mixed message for children who are used to direct instruction such as, Take these scissors and place them on that shelf (with an aligning use of body language, or gesturing such as point to the shelf). With this in mind, it is a wonder that children of color are diagnosed more frequently with teachers who are of the dominant culture or who aligns with field independent styles of thinking and communication than if the teacher is of their own or other groups of color and/or who understand those cultural codes and who may have a field sensitive cognitive and communication style.

Warmly, Debi Jenkins
Early Childhood Education
Developmental Psychologist
Bicultural Development Specialist[/quote]

While there is certainly cultural bias in in psychometric evaluation I think that the basic DSM criteria is too broad.

I also think that the cultural differences between Euro-centric and Afro-centic cultural groups are narrowing. I also think that African American are quick to adapt to the Euro-American cultural norms in most cases.

I would be interested in your views and observation pertaining to Asian-American and Latino-Americans.

Fondly,
Ball Ballesteros
Duck Hunter, Social Critic & Debunker