Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD?

[Bikini Mod]

I have never heard that people with add or adhd are more intelligent.

It is A FACT and that is why they misbehave in school. It is because they are not getting enough mental stimulation and simply GET BORED.

They proper way to parent a child with ADD or ADHD is to make sure that the child is being constantly mentally stimulated so that they will engage in activities that are productive and not those that will lead them to trouble. People with ADD and ADHD have minds that literally race and rarely shut down. That is why it is so important to give their minds productive sources of stimulation.

 

[cindylou]

It is A FACT and that is why they misbehave in school. It is because they are not getting enough mental stimulation and simply GET BORED.

They proper way to parent a child with ADD or ADHD is to make sure that the child is being constantly mentally stimulated so that they will engage in activities that are productive and not those that will lead them to trouble. People with ADD and ADHD have minds that literally race and rarely shut down. That is why it is so important to give their minds productive sources of stimulation.

Huh. I cant find anything that states that is a fact anywhere.

not trying to disagree but

i have a twin. we are identical

she has it and I do not.

I sorta see it as something of a weakness - not in character but the chemicals of the brain

she is not more intelligent than I

She cant even hold a conversation with someone unless she is medicated

which makes me see even more, that it is more than just behavior or stimulation but a misbalance of chemicals

 

[Bikini Mod]

Huh. I cant find anything that states that is a fact anywhere.

not trying to disagree but

i have a twin. we are identical

she has it and I do not.

I sorta see it as something of a weakness - not in character but the chemicals of the brain

she is not more intelligent than I

She cant even hold a conversation with someone unless she is medicated

which makes me see even more, that it is more than just behavior or stimulation but a misbalance of chemicals

My sister and I researched this extensively and according to our research (not to mention that the docs who diagnosed me and my nephew were the ones that informed us about this component about ADHD and ADD) yes they are and that is why they get so bored and have trouble focusing on any topic that they don't find interesting. Their minds are simply not sufficiently stimulated.

Now that doesnt say that most intelligent people have ADD or ADHD.

Perhaps it is even that only most or some ADHD or ADD people are highly intelligent to the point where what would stimulate most (meaning average people) would not be sufficient to them.

I don't need drugs (perscription or otherwise) and neither does my husband, my nephew or my two daughters that I suspect are the same.

We were able to develop skills to cope with the way that our brains process information. In other words, we know how we are and we just do what we need to do in order to *fix it*. Could we benefit from such drugs? I dont know to be honest and none of us has ever really felt the need to take them.

Bottom line is that neither you or I are experts on the situation but we can only offer our own anecdotal accounts. Granted that doesn't mean that we don't know what we are talking about LOL... it only means that we don't have the data to make sweeping generalizations, not to mention that even those who do STILL CANT really say too terribly much as the science of brain function and human behavior is hardly an exact science. <---- one of the reasons why I find it to be so damned interesting!!!

 

[Bikini Mod]

http://addstudent.com/2008/06/10/grades-adhd-intelligence/

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/adhd/26922

http://www.ncpamd.com/Gifted_ADD.htm

It took me a minute and half to find the above links and I had to read through quite a bit of high brow scientific gobbly-gook... now granted I didn't check the source for accuracy. But the fact that I found so much information with SUCH ease illustrates my point.

I didn't know ANYTHING about ADD or ADHD before I was diagnosed and the doc told me that the reason that I had the issues I had was because of my intelligence and my propensity for boredom if I was not sufficiently stimulated, etc. This was true with my family members who are affected as well as my husband (who was never diagnosed but we both know he got it).

Maybe it is just a segment of the population that has this component present. I don't know. But I don't see it as a hindrance AT ALL... I embrace it and see it as a gift especially in today's world where one will crash and burn if they can not multi-task effectively.

To label a child and say that this is a learning disability IMHO is as harmfull as it is untrue. ANY KID can be taught to cope with their weaknesses as well as have their strong points accentuated. A parent need only educate themselves and apply theat knowledge accordingly.

Ultimately though, a kid could have THE BEST parents on the planet but if that child decides that they are just going to continue to make poor choices regardless, there is nothing that can be done and that is where personal responsibility takes over.

 

[calveless wonder]

I agree with bikinimom, but there are many reasons for that.

much of it has to do with the fact that since many kids with ADHD go undiagnosed, they have to adapt and learn coping skills at a young age to compensate. That will definetely lead to a person developing many different skills faster

 

[blueta2]

Most parents fail with kids who have this "ADD" because they are uneducated about proper diet.
If a child suffers from an imbalance, a child should not be given an unfit diet of sugar, processed foods, caffeine and tons of white crappy carbs.

Dr's are VERY unknowledgeable about proper diet and will rx a drug to control the child but have no education on advising a parent that diet is MORE important that any damn drug.

If my child were afflicted with ANY condition, I would educate myself to the full extent and try everything to help my child. Most parents will not do that.
This is why I have MAD respect for Jenny McCarthy to have educated herself about autism and her son and her son is better now because she took the time to educate herself.

yes, I'm placing some of the blame on bad parenting

 

[Smurfy]

blueta while I think you're on to something with regards to improving the diet, ADHD is not caused by bad parenting. Is there more parents could do once their child is diagnose? of course.

 

[blueta2]

blueta while I think you're on to something with regards to improving the diet, ADHD is not caused by bad parenting. Is there more parents could do once their child is diagnose? of course.

I didn't say this condition was caused by bad parenting, I said it's bad parenting to not do everything in their power to improve or correct it.

 

[the_clockwork]

maybe I misstated. I don't think it is BS, it obviously exsists to an extent BUT I'd say over half of people diagnosed with it are just lazy and have little attention spans

 

[Bikini Mod]

maybe I misstated. I don't think it is BS, it obviously exsists to an extent BUT I'd say over half of people diagnosed with it are just lazy and have little attention spans

You have more experience as a professional than those of us who merely have our own personal experiences to draw on, very true.

From what I understand (and I could be waaaaay off base here by virtue of inexperience and only anecdotal informaion and what I read/TV etc) the reason so many children are labeled and drugged is that the kids are merely discipline problems. I believe that you are correct about people being lazy but that is not the kid.... THAT IS THE PARENT.

Proper parenting is damned exhausting. Way more exhausting than the sex act that made those people parents. *sigh*

If one truly has a kid with ADD or ADHD that parent does have to work harder to keep their kid on the right path... true. But who has *the perfect* kid?