Day 105 -- Is a Diagnosis Harmful?
Added 2018-05-10 22:57:51 +0000 UTCFood for thought. (btw, this focuses on ADHD in children).
While I have concerns with the author's conclusions, it's good to be aware of the research on this. And I think everyone agrees more recess and more ADHD-friendly classroom environments in general is a good idea :D
https://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17482631.2017.1298267
I found this interesting as well:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4659921/
Comments
As a society, we're always going to be in a whole buncha different places. I think we NEED to move towards breaking the stigma, as you say, but since ADHD can come paired with anxiety and specifically social anxiety and other conditions which make your perceptions of how people regard you amplified or even differ from reality. So I think in most cases, working from "most interfering" in with diagnoses can be for the best. I haven't heard nearly the issues with people being diagnosed with anxiety disorders as I have some people who are diagnosed with ADHD, and coming to grips with that FIRST might make the 'oh, you also have ADHD' hurdle easier. For me, ADHD was awesome because it explained so much. But for others who are already primed to be concerned with how the world is regarding them, maybe it can sound more like 'I'm broken' than 'Ohhh, I've been trying to work out of the wrong toolbox my entire life, and all those teachers were full of sh*t!"
LadyGrndr(Lacey S)
2018-05-14 14:09:09 +0000 UTCI'm not sure I know where the behind the brains chat is on Discord. I don't see that option in the left hand column. Maybe I just don't have access to that one. Oh well!
Kayla Groth
2018-05-12 15:37:41 +0000 UTCIt’s not that the medication doesn’t work anymore (although it can lose some of its efficacy), it’s that overall outcomes weren’t necessarily better for those who took medication long term — but Ryan broke the whole thing down beautifully in the behind the brains chat on Discord.
How to ADHD
2018-05-12 09:11:21 +0000 UTCI just finished reading Spark by John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman and I was amazed by the chapter about the school that had a fitness class during zero period. Heart rate monitors seem to be a great tool for improving grades and behavior. I believe that identifying a thing and looking it in the face is a much better option than ignoring a situation for fear of upsetting someone. ADHD is not cancer, a diagnosis is not certain doom—quite the opposite. He or she is the same kid that they were a week ago. Now you just know a little more about how he or she ticks.
Lisa Williams
2018-05-11 03:59:19 +0000 UTCPersonally, I think an early diagnosis is helpful. I think the earlier you can find out child has ADHD, the better the outcome will be. Yes, classrooms need to be better at reaching all brains, not just those that are neurotypical and yes, the classrooms in our country are not very child-friendly or developmentally appropriate, for all kids, and that's coming as a teacher. However, an ADHD brain does not and will never work like a neurotypical brain does. If a child is diagnosed at age 7, they have literally their entire childhood to learn new and different ways to learn. They can take medication or don't take medication, but with the help of their parents, they can learn how to learn, how to socialize, how to get their brain to retain information and learn what works for them. So many of us (myself included) are diagnosed as adults. I was diagnosed at age 25 after struggling for literal decades in proper social skills, study skills, emotional skills. I'm 29 years old now and still have to work really hard to try to act "normal" in social situations and how to keep myself calm when things get stressful. I'm seen as a pretty disorganized and careless adult in most situations. I think if I would have been diagnosed in 1st, 2nd, 3rd (and so on) grade, I would have been able to gain the support I needed to succeed at a much higher level. I know this comment is already long, but I do have a question. What is considered "long-term" when it comes to medication. Like I said, I was diagnosed at age 25, but have just recently started taking medication (less than a year) and my life has changed immensely! Medication doesn't work after what? A year? Several years?
Kayla Groth
2018-05-11 00:16:04 +0000 UTC
