Kids with ADHD: No More Shame

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been controversial for years. Some consider it a rare condition renamed to help drug companies increase their profits — or a convenient label that allows teachers and parents to shift blame for classroom disruptions.

At one point, 20 percent of all male students were given the ADHD label and the average psychological evaluation for the disorder was a 20-minute consultation — something now considered woefully lacking in scope and depth.

“Preschool age children should not be given [stimulant] medication at all,” said one neuropsychologist.

In recent years, one thing has become increasingly clear: It’s a threat to a child’s future, depending on how it is treated.

The mere suggestion of ADHD once meant almost certain drug intervention. The most common drugs used for the brain disorder are stimulants (methylphenidates and amphetamines), which help some kids focus. The side effects included troubled sleep, increased anxiety, decreased appetite, facial tics, withdrawal, and depression.

Delayed interpersonal skills and learning difficulty are additional common results — though it is hard to tell if these develop as a result of medication or because students are often isolated from peers, labeled, and placed in special education classes.

“Ten years ago, we were mainly treating ADHD with stimulant medication,” Dr. Marie Cheour, a licensed neuropsychologist at ZenithPsych.com in Boca Raton, Florida, told LifeZette. “Now, we know that preschool age children should not be given such medication at all. Even for older children and adults, medication is often optional and should be combined with other methods.”

Related: Better Nutrition, Watch the Prescriptions

A study led by Dr. William Pelham of Florida International University found modification behavioral therapy can have considerable impact on kids, both with and without drug therapy. The study, published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology in 2014, showed the most negative behaviors among the drug-only study participants. Even children given placebos and behavioral therapy fared better on the behavior scale.

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New access to brain scan technology has increased awareness about the structural and functional differences in the brains of a person with ADHD.

Cheour uses quantitative EEG (QEEG) to record the kind of electric waves present in the brain of a patient and compares them to waves of typical developing children of the same age. This guided diagnostic test helps her train children to regulate brain function. Children are typically trained for 10 to 20 sessions, then take their learning to school and home.

Despite her very different perspective as a person with ADHD — she is also an ADHD family coach — Margit Crane Luria, of Seattle, Washington, said changing attitudes about ADHD is slow going.

“Many people see bad behavior and assume ADHD. I believe we are late bloomers and creative geniuses,” said one ADHD family coach.

“I think ADHD is still classified as a ‘bad behavior’ disorder,” she told LifeZette. “Many people see bad behavior and assume ADHD. I believe we are late bloomers and creative geniuses, so we don’t fit in. Given time and good support and skills, we can shine as we’re supposed to.”

A 30-year veteran teacher and school counselor, Luria advocates for students. She believes teachers and parents can shift their perspective to include the differences in children’s learning styles.

Teachers once segregated boys with ADHD, making them sit closer to the teacher or sending them to detention. Emphasis has moved to kinesthetic learning, which includes movement, a variety of teaching tools, and input from many sources.

Mary Johnson (not her real name) of Madison, Wisconsin, said her son earned straight As when he, by chance, was assigned an experienced male teacher in fifth grade. Her son’s previous teachers had pushed for the boy to be evaluated for ADHD, but her pediatrician disagreed.

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His grades were mediocre, and his teachers had complained about his inability to sit still. Suddenly, his new teacher encouraged movement, changed the children’s assigned seats every week, and had multiple learning “experiments” going on in the classroom every day.

“I couldn’t believe the difference,” Johnson said. “And it all happened by accident. Parents need to get more involved in their school districts.They need to encourage the hiring of teachers who help students learn — no matter what style works.”

Dr. Stacy Haynes, a counseling psychologist at Little Hands Family Services in Turnersville, New Jersey, agrees that recent ADHD history might be written very differently if learning styles for boys, specifically, were employed 20 years ago.

Related: Mistakes We Made After Our Son’s ADHD Diagnosis

“Schools still tend to be one-sided in their learning approach,” she said. “Boys benefit from competitive learning programs, engaging teachers, and curriculum that is challenging and three-dimensional. Boys need hands-on experience to take in information from all five senses.”

She trains her clients to develop self-regulation through yoga, blowing bubbles, breathing exercises, mindfulness, and meditation. She wrote the book, “Anthony Meets Dr. Stacy: A Book about ADHD,” to acquaint parents and kids with a positive approach to learning with ADHD.

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As research has developed and teachers use new tools and approaches, ADHD is becoming less of a stigma and more about recognizing a difference in children’s needs.

“I think ADHD is awesome,” Luria told LifeZette. “I think we’re put in a box labeled ‘deficit,’ not just because of the name, but because most people do not have ADHD and so they can’t adjust their teaching or parenting to fit the situation. Because a minority have ADHD, we must be the ones who have the problem. I believe we don’t have a problem at all. There’s nothing wrong with us.”

Pat Barone, MCC, is a professional credentialed coach and author of the Own Every Bite! bodycentric re-education program for mindful and intuitive eating, who helps clients heal food addictions.