ADHD no laughing matter for parents
You don't hear a word your mother is saying -
you just see her lips moving.
Even if you do manage to take notes in class, you can't read them.
"Earth to Jeffrey" has been your nickname since
preschool. Those are just a few of the indicators that a person is
suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit
Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD), according to author and former teacher
Chris Zeigler Dendy. The often humorous descriptions included in one of
Zeigler's books are no laughing matter for the teens for whom the
"how-to" manual is written, who struggle each day with tasks that come
easy to their peers. ADD/ADHD can set students up for failure, or "12
years of academic agony," as Dendy describes it. But Dendy, a respected
lecturer and mother of two children with the disorder, claims that with
early diagnosis and treatment - and with the right educational approach
- these often intelligent and creative individuals can go far in the
world. "These kids have these challenges and you don't just throw up
your hands and say, 'Too bad,'" Dendy noted. "You need to help them cope
without (them) feeling stupid or lazy. It's about helping parents look
for the positives and build on their child's strengths." Dendy will
offer ways for parents and teachers to deal more effectively with
children and teens with this neurobiological disorder. "Improving School
Success: How Executive Function Affects Students with ADHD and Learning
Disabilities" is the topic of a seminar to be held Tuesday, Oct. 18,
from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency,
729 21st St., Bettendorf. The morning session will focus on less
well-known characteristics of the condition, while the afternoon session
touches on reasons for school failure and effective intervention
strategies. The $10 fee includes breakfast, lunch and refreshments.
There is no charge to attend the sessions themselves (no food included).
A second workshop will be held that evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., also
at the AEA. "Reframing ADHD: Parenting Children and Teens with ADHD"
will focus on the day-to-day joys and challenges of raising kids with
ADD or ADHD, and how to establish realistic expectations. The event is
free. Deadline for registering for the workshops is Oct. 13. You may
register online at www.aea9.k12.ia.us or call Carol Aden at (563)
344-6287. The workshops are being offered by CHADD (Children and Adults
with Attention Deficit Disorder) of Iowa, in conjunction with the AEA,
Riverbend Psychological Association, North Scott Schools and North Scott
ADHD Support Group. Organizers of the event hope to increase awareness
of the disorder, while educating the public about its effects on
behavior and learning abilities. noted Dendy.
Bad parenting? Too often, the public attributes the
sometimes disruptive behavior of ADHD-affected children to bad
parenting, said Chris' husband, Tommy Dendy, who will also be
participating in the workshops. "They assume we don't know what we're
doing, that we won't discipline our kids. It's kind of hard to get past
that," said Tommy, whose own son by a previous marriage was not
diagnosed with the disorder until he had already experienced plenty of
failure in school. Discipline was never lacking in the Dendy home. Tommy
always assumed that a firmer hand was what his son, Steven, needed. Like
many parents, Tommy never considered that Steven's lackadaisical
performance in school could be due to a neurological problem. "I thought
he was just lazy and I thought I could fix the problem with discipline.
I was tough," Tommy admitted. "In the long run, his self-esteem really
got damaged." So much so, that the youth became suicidal, he said. After
Tommy and Chris were married, Chris observed that Steven showed many of
the signs of ADD/ADHD that her son, Alex Zeigler, exhibited. With her
prompting, Steven sought a medical opinion and was diagnosed with the
disorder at age 20. He has taken medication to help with his
concentration. "The beauty of it is, once we diagnosed the ADHD and
helped him understand what was going on with him, he was really able to
shine," Chris stated. "Now he's in a highly responsible, high-energy
job." Steven is only one of many coping with ADD/ADHD, which affects
some 5-12 percent of children worldwide, according to Chris. It is an
inherited disorder that runs in families, and while some symptoms appear
to diminish with age, those with the disorder do not "grow out of it,"
research shows. Boys with ADHD outnumber girls approximately 3-to-1.
However, girls are one segment of the population that is often
under-diagnosed, since they tend to be quieter and less disruptive than
their male counterparts (Chris' daughter, Audrey, effectively
compensated for her ADHD and was not diagnosed until her son, Nathan,
was). Also under-diagnosed are African-Americans, Hispanics and the
intellectually gifted. So what exactly is ADD/ADHD? It's a
neurobiological disorder that is believed to affect the
neurotransmitters of the brain. In people with ADD/ADHD, the brain's
chemical messengers do not work properly, leading to inattention and
impulsiveness, among other problems. The disorder, first identified a
century ago but more accurately defined as ADD in the 1980s, is divided
into two distinct types: ADHD with predominantly hyperactive and
impulsive behavior; and ADHD predominantly inattentive, without
hyperactivity (teachers call this ADD). Those with the former seem to be
heading in all directions at once; the latter are the daydreamers. ADHD
often affects what researchers have labeled the executive function of
the brain, that is, our gray matter's CEO that serves as the organizer
and planner of our thought processes. The vast majority (90 percent) of
children with ADD/ADHD will experience difficulty in school, said Chris.
Those with the disorder lag behind their peers developmentally by about
30 percent, which can translate into a delay of 4-6 years for teenagers
dealing with the disorder. "As a result they may seem immature or
irresponsible," Chris noted.
Tip of the iceberg Complicating matters is the fact
that in two-thirds of cases, ADD/ADHD is accompanied by other conditions
such as depression or anxiety. "I compare (the disorder) to an iceberg.
A lot of the problems are hidden beneath the surface. You don't see
them, but he's got all these other issues he's dealing with," she said.
There is no test for ADHD, but school failure should be considered a
"red flag." Severe cases may be diagnosed before children enter school,
but more milder forms may go unnoticed until junior high school, when
expectations of student responsibility greatly increase. Luckily,
attention deficit can be overcome with the right medication and
teaching/parenting strategies in place. Chris cites the success of her
own family members with ADHD - including her then-undiagnosed father, a
"school failure" who became a judge and respected leader of the
community. "These people can be very successful. It doesn't have to be a
terrible thing if we provide people (with) positive experiences," she
said. "Sometimes we forget that characteristics of ADHD that are
challenging during the school years are often valued in adulthood!" So
how do you know if you or your child has the disorder? In her book, "A
Bird's-Eye View of Life with ADD and ADHD: Advice From Young Survivors,"
written in collaboration with her son, Alex, Chris lists characteristics
common among those with the condition. Individuals vary, and not all
experience the same symptoms. But here are some indicators: Forgetful
and disorganized - Often forget that an assignment or project is due.
Can't remember where they put things. Live in the here and now.
Inattentive - Have difficulty focusing on what others are saying; often
daydream. Impulsive - Are often risk-takers; blurt things out without
thinking; may spend money impulsively. Late - Have a poor sense of time;
can't estimate how long it will take to do things. Problems falling
asleep and waking up - May toss and turn for hours, or sleep so soundly
"an earthquake won't wake you," the author says. Messy handwriting -
While taking notes in class can be a challenge, reading them can be even
more difficult. Slow at reading and writing, or rushing through
schoolwork - This is attributed to poor fine motor coordination, limited
working memory capacity, and a slow processing speed. By the time they
get to the bottom of the page, they've forgotten what they read. Most
prefer printing to writing cursive. Problems writing essays and reports
- Often have creative ideas, but can't get them down on paper in an
organized fashion. Difficulty memorizing math facts and formulas -
Retrieving formulas stored in the brain can be difficult. Math builds on
previous skills that may not have been mastered. Procrastination - Have
a hard time getting started on homework; often have to cram to finish by
a deadline. They simply don't know where to start, so they don't start
at all. Difficulty controlling emotions - May have outbursts; get
frustrated easily. Restless/hyperactive - Have trouble sitting still;
easily bored; can't stand staying home.
Prescription for success? Those who exhibit six of the
indicators are considered to be suffering from the disorder.
Fortunately, many people with ADD/ADHD respond well to medication
designed to improve the thought pathways, known as synapses, in the
brain. But many parents are reluctant to put their children on
medication, a fear fueled by what the Dendys view as irresponsible media
reports decrying the "over-drugging of our youth." The couple admits
they weren't immune. "No parent wants to put their child on medication.
We struggled with that and avoided it forever," Tommy admitted. "When
our youngest son was first diagnosed, we used to send him to school (on)
medication and try to do homework without (him taking his medication).
What a fight that was. If I had to do it all over again ...," he stated.
"We meet with a lot of parents whose kids are struggling with the
disorder and they're determined that they're not going to give their
kids medication. Meanwhile, the kid is going down the tubes," Tommy
observed, adding that research has shown the effectiveness of such
treatment. He wishes his own son had been diagnosed early, as two of the
couple's grandchildren were. "They'll never know the school failure,"
Chris said of the next generation. In addition to performing better on
tasks, students who take medication for the disorder also are more apt
to steer clear of illegal drug use. Studies show that kids who have ADHD
and take medication are less likely to use illicit drugs than ADHD
sufferers who do not. The latter, Chris said, "tend to self-medicate
with drugs like alcohol and marijuana." Medication can improve school
performance and help keep a student from dropping out, another risk
factor for drug abuse. In addition to the medication, there are methods
that parents and teachers can use to help those with ADD/ADHD cope with
the disorder. "You have to give them more prompts, more reminders - help
them with strategies and things like Palm Pilots and alarms to make sure
they get places on time," Chris related. "Sometimes you have to do
things to help them plan ahead and structure." Punishment isn't the
answer, as many with ADHD fail to learn from past mistakes. "They repeat
the same (bad) behavior. ...They don't learn as easily from punishment
and reward," Chris said. Parents and teachers need to turn what are
perceived as negative characteristics into positive ones, a process
known as reframing. For instance, hyperactivity = high-energy;
strong-willed = tenacious. But first parents and teachers have to
recognize what they're dealing with. And that's why education is so
important, the Dendys stress. "We want to help others avoid the mistakes
we made," Chris said. "School is probably the toughest environment that
any of us can face. If we can help them make it through school and build
on their strengths, they can be very successful later in life."
Barb Geerts
12 October 2005
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15368132&BRD=1839&PAG=461&dept_id=110408&rfi=6
