Facts About the ADHD Diagnosis
In the United States alone, there are at least 4.
5 million children aged 3-17 years old diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Most of these kids are given harmful stimulant drugs to treat ADHD, and only some of them turn to natural treatments and alternative medicine for help.
While ADHD is a very real condition that needs immediate treatment, it's also easy to misdiagnose ADHD.
And for that reason, medication is an inadequate treatment option for this harmful condition.
Here are some of the facts about the ADHD diagnosis.
Fact 1: ADHD shares symptoms with many disorders.
Hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention are not symptoms unique to ADHD.
There are at least ten other conditions that share these symptoms.
Children with a learning disability, for instance, may seem inattentive because they have difficulties understanding the lesson.
Inner ear infections affect balance and concentration, which could look like impulsive behaviour and inattentive behavior to an untrained observer.
Hypoglycaemia and diabetes can also make a child seem spacey and inattentive.
Deficiencies in key minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, and magnesium also manifest themselves in attention and behavior problems.
In other words, a hyperactive, inattentive, or impulsive child may not necessarily have ADHD.
If the diagnosis was made after simply checking the symptoms off a list, it's likely that your doctor may have gotten it wrong.
Fact 2: The ADHD diagnosis is just a label There's more to ADHD than just the three core symptoms, and for that reason the ADHD diagnosis is not very helpful.
It's simply a label that says, "This child is hyperactive, impulsive, and/or inattentive.
" It only describes the symptoms of ADHD.
The ADHD diagnosis doesn't tell you what treatments are best for your child.
Sure, a doctor will say that medication is the best treatment, but as mentioned earlier, the symptoms can be caused by a number of other disorders.
For your child to recover from ADHD, you need a committed specialist who will investigate the root causes of the symptom and treat them appropriately, instead of merely writing a prescription for a harmful drug.
Fact 3: Depending on their age, it's normal for some children to be active, impulsive, and inattentive Is your 3-year-old son always fidgeting at the dinner table? Of course he is - he's three years old.
At this age, you can't expect a kid to sit still for very long.
Does your teenager tend to make impulsive decisions? It's normal for teenagers to make some choices without thinking of the consequences.
Kids and teens go through stages when their actions might seem too hyperactive, too impulsive, and too inattentive.
They don't need medication for this; they need your guidance and advice.
When they are young, it's important for you to be firm about what behaviors you expect from your children, especially in social situations.
When they are much older, teach them the importance of thinking carefully before acting, as well as behaving responsibly.
With a little parenting, you can tone down some perfectly normal childish behaviors that seem like ADHD.
5 million children aged 3-17 years old diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Most of these kids are given harmful stimulant drugs to treat ADHD, and only some of them turn to natural treatments and alternative medicine for help.
While ADHD is a very real condition that needs immediate treatment, it's also easy to misdiagnose ADHD.
And for that reason, medication is an inadequate treatment option for this harmful condition.
Here are some of the facts about the ADHD diagnosis.
Fact 1: ADHD shares symptoms with many disorders.
Hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention are not symptoms unique to ADHD.
There are at least ten other conditions that share these symptoms.
Children with a learning disability, for instance, may seem inattentive because they have difficulties understanding the lesson.
Inner ear infections affect balance and concentration, which could look like impulsive behaviour and inattentive behavior to an untrained observer.
Hypoglycaemia and diabetes can also make a child seem spacey and inattentive.
Deficiencies in key minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, and magnesium also manifest themselves in attention and behavior problems.
In other words, a hyperactive, inattentive, or impulsive child may not necessarily have ADHD.
If the diagnosis was made after simply checking the symptoms off a list, it's likely that your doctor may have gotten it wrong.
Fact 2: The ADHD diagnosis is just a label There's more to ADHD than just the three core symptoms, and for that reason the ADHD diagnosis is not very helpful.
It's simply a label that says, "This child is hyperactive, impulsive, and/or inattentive.
" It only describes the symptoms of ADHD.
The ADHD diagnosis doesn't tell you what treatments are best for your child.
Sure, a doctor will say that medication is the best treatment, but as mentioned earlier, the symptoms can be caused by a number of other disorders.
For your child to recover from ADHD, you need a committed specialist who will investigate the root causes of the symptom and treat them appropriately, instead of merely writing a prescription for a harmful drug.
Fact 3: Depending on their age, it's normal for some children to be active, impulsive, and inattentive Is your 3-year-old son always fidgeting at the dinner table? Of course he is - he's three years old.
At this age, you can't expect a kid to sit still for very long.
Does your teenager tend to make impulsive decisions? It's normal for teenagers to make some choices without thinking of the consequences.
Kids and teens go through stages when their actions might seem too hyperactive, too impulsive, and too inattentive.
They don't need medication for this; they need your guidance and advice.
When they are young, it's important for you to be firm about what behaviors you expect from your children, especially in social situations.
When they are much older, teach them the importance of thinking carefully before acting, as well as behaving responsibly.
With a little parenting, you can tone down some perfectly normal childish behaviors that seem like ADHD.