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Back to Subjects - Education

ADD

ADD The current and proper role the school system plays and should play, in dealing with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) will be discussed. My Brother’s Experiences with ADD and my Critiques of the following articles, are used in the discussion. The very one sided, sarcastic article “Immunize Your Child Against Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)” by Fred A.Baughman Jr., M.D. found at http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/8568/Baughman_MD_Immunize_against_ADD.htm, denies the existence of ADD, attempts to terrify parents, and gives advice on how to prevent one’s child from being diagnosed with ADD. An opposing view found at the home page for Children and Adults With Attention Deficit Disorders (http://www.Chadd.org/act1-a.htm), asserts the existence of ADD and focuses on how this disability can be managed. Tomek Radzijewski, my eight-year-old brother, has been diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). A doctor eventually made the diagnosis; however, his teachers already seemed to have decided before this diagnosis was actually made. Based on the teachers’ ‘diagnosis’ Tomek was labeled as ADD to both my mother and his classmates. Due to this label, the curriculum that Tomek is taught was altered to a lower level then his classmates. This change in curriculum occurred without my mother’s knowledge. Since the doctor’s diagnosis mom has put Tomek in extra help classes that help him greatly. Although he is not at the level that the norm of his class is, he is fast approaching. In fact he just received an E (excellent) for spelling on his report card and was very pleased with himself. However, this E is not a true reflection of his abilities compared to his classmates. The teacher has had him on the altered curriculum that was “sub-par” to the other students spelling and reading list. We learned this when both lists were sent home by mistake. Mom was extremely discouraged, feeling that the teachers were undermining all the extra help Tomek has been getting. This, and other incidents that have happened, makes me sympathize with the attitude of the paper “Immunize Your Child Against Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)” by Fred A.Baughman Jr., M.D. A critique of this article follows: “Immunize Your Child Against Attention Deficit Disorder" The denial of the existence of ADD runs throughout the entire article “Immunize Your Child Against Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)”. This denial starts very strongly from the first paragraph, calling the condition a “contrived illusion of a disease”. This opening paragraph sets the stage for the sarcastic dismissal of ADD that follows. For example when the author asks “What kind of disease is this ADD – invented in 1980 in-committee, at the American Psychiatric Association?” he is portraying that the disorder was generated based on little scientific fact. Continuing the denial, he cites many government and private organizations that will not respond to his questions about the existence of ADD. However, the FDA and DEA both state that currently ADD is not known to be a syndrome or a disease. The author uses these statements from the FDA and DEA to give his argument more credit. Baughman argues that ADD and all learning disabilities are not proven diseases, but generated excuses to be used by teachers when some kids do not do well. The following quote shows this: “Are they bored, distracted and fidgety because they are passed from year to year without literacy, much less an education? Are ADD and all of the LD's (learning disabilities) - not one a proven disease -- sought-after excuses for the massive educational malfeasance we have in the US today?” This very extreme and sarcastic view is used to scare parents away from seeking out drug therapies for children with learning problems. Besides quoting legal arguments to generate fear in parents, the author uses language such as: “document everything”, “paid spokesmen and deceived believers”, collaborate, coerce, deception, and “marketplace tool” to instill a sense of conspiracy aimed at “drugging millions of normal children”. The author claims that a child free of disease is normal, and therefore giving Ritalin to this child is immoral and illegal. Without actually being stated the author depicts a conspiracy orchestrated by the drug company Ciba-Geigy (makers of Ritalin) and the education system. The teachers (The education system) are swamped with large classes making it very hard to teach. By drugging problem children with Ritalin, a teachers’ job is made easier. In addition, the drug company benefits from the drugging of children by making huge amounts of money. After instilling fear into parents, the author gives advice to avoid their child from being labeled ADD. The basic advice given in the article is to deny the existence of ADD, and document everything. If continued attempts of labeling their child as ADD are made, the article suggests writing to elected representatives and make it known that you are seeking legal counsel. The article cites: "Analysis of the Legal Issues Surrounding the Forced Use of Ritalin" (1993), states, "Such a decision [to drug a normal child] affects the child's present educational opportunity and, more importantly, his health. It may also affect the child's ability to come to grips with his own personal developmental challenges. Any state attempt to regulate a child's behavior through chemical means, absent exigent circumstances, is a violation of the United States Constitution and should not be allowed." This quote helps to show parents they are within their legal right to ask for documentation of diagnosis of their child’s illness before considering the use of Ritalin. Having the FDA and DEA quotes denying any proof of a condition ADD goes far in convincing me that ADD may not be a disease. But this does not necessarily mean we should scare parents from giving Ritalin (or other drugs) to help their children with learning problems. If Ritalin helps children concentrate, why not use it? However, I feel much more research is needed into these learning disabilities because our society is too quick to drug problems away (“a pill for every ill”). Treatments other than drugs may be available and should be pursued. For example, my eight-year-old brother Tomek has been diagnosed with ADD, for which he was taking an essential fatty acid supplement, called Effalex. This supplement and his extra reading helped much more than when he took Ritalin for a six-month trial. Baughman believes that all learning disabilities are an invention by the education system to explain why some kids do not do well in school and there is never a need for drug therapy in children. This is obviously false, and I do not believe his arguments, but I do think we should be watchful for the possibility that some teachers may push for the over use of drugs, as a means to gain control in the classroom. In conclusion, the article is too one sided and does not use valid arguments. However I have found another article that opposes this one, and use it to gain a more balanced view on the current role the school system plays, in dealing with ADD children. Views opposing the views of the previous article have been found at the home page for Children and Adults With Attention Deficit Disorders (http://www.Chadd.org/fact1-a.htm). These article(s) assert the existence of ADD and focuses on how the disability can be managed. A critique of this article follows: By Children and Adults With Attention Deficit Disorders organization. This article opposes all that is said in the previous article. It asserts the existence of ADD and gives the definition of ADD as stated in the “Diagnostic and Statistical manual of the American Psychiatric Association”. The article also gives statistical information on the disability, infers its causes, and describes how it is diagnosed, as well as how it can be treated. The definition given in this article is: ADHD is a disorder that can include a list of nine specific symptoms of inattention and nine symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity. Individuals with ADHD may know what to do but do not consistently do what they know because of their inability to efficiently stop and think prior to responding, regardless of the setting or task. Characteristics of ADHD have been demonstrated to arise in early childhood for most individuals. This disorder is marked by chronic behaviors lasting at least six months with an onset often before seven years of age. At this time, four subtypes of ADHD have been defined. These include the following: 1. ADHD – Inattentive type is defined by an individual experiencing at least six of the following characteristics: a.Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes b.Difficulty sustaining attention c.Does not appear to listen d.Struggles to follow through on instructions e.Difficulty with organization f.Avoids or dislikes requiring sustained mental effort g.Often loses things necessary for tasks i.Forgetful in daily activities 2. ADHD – hyperactive/impulsive type is defined by an individual experiencing six of the following characteristics: a.Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat b.Difficulty remaining seated c.Runs about or climbs excessively (in adults may be limited to subjective feelings of restlessness) d.Difficulty engaging in activities quietly e.Acts as if driven by a motor g.Blurts out answers before questions have been completed h.Difficulty waiting in turn taking situations i.Interrupts or intrudes upon others 3. ADHD – combined type is defined by an individual meeting both sets of attention and hyperactive/impulsive criteria. 4. ADHD – not otherwise specified is defined by an individual who demonstrates some characteristics but an insufficient number of symptoms to reach a full diagnosis. These symptoms, however, disrupt everyday life. This definition seemed to be unclear, in that the symptoms are very common childhood characteristics, and that many students could satisfy these criteria. The lack of a precise, concrete set of symptoms make me weary and want to believe the arguments of the previous article. That is, ADD could possibly be an invention of the school system in order to use it as an excuse for poor scholastic results. However, the lack of exact symptoms is not enough to make me believe this. It is possible that the cause of ADD is variable, making it difficult for exact symptoms to be stated. Although the cause of ADD is unknown, some proposed causes are discussed in the article. Some of the proposed causes include genetic, environmental, inherited biochemical conditions, and abnormal fetal development. In an effort to determine the cause of ADD, scientists have found evidence that shows that the brains of ADD kids are different than the brains of ‘normal’ kids. The frontal lobes and basal ganglia are reduced by about 10 percent in size, and activity, in ADD children. This difference may be due to a genetic variance involved with the neurotransmitter dopamine. This neurotransmitter seems to play a large role in kids with ADD. Although the cause of ADD is unknown, the treatment of it is discussed in great length. The article portrays the most effective treatment administered to a child with ADD as multi-modal. A multi-modal treatment consists of a behavior modification mode that does not involve medication, and a mode that does include medication. The most effective treatments are those that involve parents, doctors, psychiatrists, and teachers. The mode that includes medication should be used only when necessary. The medications used are called psychostimulants, and have been used and tested in many scientific studies. Through these studies, it has been found that seventy to eighty percent of ADD patients respond positively to psychostimulant medications. In general, the article states that with the aid of psychostimulants, most children that suffer from ADD can be treated effectively and attend school in a regular classroom. The severe cases, however, may have to be placed in a separate classroom for special attention. (US data) I found that when I read the second article it made my fears and cynicism, gained from the first article, dissipate. However, the definition of ADD seemed to be somewhat ‘fuzzy’, causing a small part of me to remain fearful of the school system’s approach to dealing with ADD. That is, unmonitored, I am afraid that the school system may turn to solutions portrayed in the first article. This would lead to quick fixes such as drugging mischievous children into obedience, or possible situations where teachers could merely infer that a child has ADD in order to have them removed from the teacher’s classroom. With such a ‘fuzzy’ definition of ADD and a society ready to drug all of its problems away and the many ‘road blocks’ my brother has faced, I remain weary of the school system’s current role in dealing with ADD. I agree with the second article and believe that ADD does exist. However, I am nervous that the extremes depicted in the first article may sometimes occur. In order to prevent these extremes from happening the role that the school plays in dealing with ADD (and falsely labeled ADD) children should be very clear. Strict protocol and monitoring of this protocol should be enforced. Such protocols should be set up to protect the Children’s best interests. This as the goal, the proper role school plays in dealing with ADD should be (in my opinion): · Monitor particular teachers to see if they ‘produce’ a larger amount of ADD children than the norm. This would prevent a ‘lazy’ teacher from drugging or removing problem children by labeling them with ADD. · Any student-specific change in curriculum should be discussed with parents. · To review the effectiveness of various teachers with ADD kids. (what works and what doesn’t’) · To involve the parents of ADD kids as much as possible. If these protocols are added to the current role that schools play in dealing with ADD, I feel the possibility for abuse of the ADD label would be minimal. In conclusion, I feel that the current role of the school system in dealing with ADD is not bad, and could easily be made great. For my brother’s sake, I hope I’m right. Bibliography: http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/8568/Baughman_MD_Immunize_against_ADD.htm (http://www.Chadd.org/act1-a.htm)

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