Having been a teacher for more than twenty years, I have to say that I have always been sceptical about the wild and exaggerated claims that have been made about ADD and ADHD. Therefore I was particularly interested to read a number of articles that are freely available on the Internet, all of which say the same thing. Many eminent doctors now believe that behaviour that is usually seen as a sign of ADD or ADHD may really not be due to some neurological inbalance. It is much more likely to have another cause.
Yes, there are children who do not always concentrate in class. This may be due to a wide range of causes, such as not getting enough sleep, an inadequate or unbalanced diet, not enough exercise, constipation and maybe other causes as well. Of course, let's not forget that some children find it difficult to stay focused in class because of problems at home, such as a divorce. For some children, moving to a new country (espcially one where many people do not speak you language) can be a disturbing and even a traumatic event. It also goes without saying that teachers are not entirely innocent in this area. If you give children some work to do that is just too hard or too easy or else they have done it before, it will be no surprise when they strart showing "symptoms of ADD and ADHD".
The standard treatment for ADD and ADHD has been Ritalin. However, Ritalin is a Class 2 drug. It is in the same group as morphine and heroin. There is growing evidence that taking Ritalin over a long period can actually lead to brain shrinkage. This is not at all surprising, given that Ritalin is such a powerful narcotic.
For girls, an excellent cure for so-called "ADD" or ADHD" might be the promise of a pony for her next birthday. For boys, a game of rugby or joining a judo club might be a much better "treatment" than Ritalin.
Having been a teacher for more than twenty years, I have to say that I have always been sceptical about the wild and exaggerated claims that have been made about ADD and ADHD. Therefore I was particularly interested to read a number of articles that are freely available on the Internet, all of which say the same thing. Many eminent doctors now believe that behaviour that is usually seen as a sign of ADD or ADHD may really not be due to some neurological inbalance. It is much more likely to have another cause.
Yes, there are children who do not always concentrate in class. This may be due to a wide range of causes, such as not getting enough sleep, an inadequate or unbalanced diet, not enough exercise, constipation and maybe other causes as well. Of course, let's not forget that some children find it difficult to stay focused in class because of problems at home, such as a divorce. For some children, moving to a new country (espcially one where many people do not speak you language) can be a disturbing and even a traumatic event. It also goes without saying that teachers are not entirely innocent in this area. If you give children some work to do that is just too hard or too easy or else they have done it before, it will be no surprise when they strart showing "symptoms of ADD and ADHD".
The standard treatment for ADD and ADHD has been Ritalin. However, Ritalin is a Class 2 drug. It is in the same group as morphine and heroin. There is growing evidence that taking Ritalin over a long period can actually lead to brain shrinkage. This is not at all surprising, given that Ritalin is such a powerful narcotic.
For girls, an excellent cure for so-called "ADD" or ADHD" might be the promise of a pony for her next birthday. For boys, a game of rugby or joining a judo club might be a much better "treatment" than Ritalin.