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- SOWING SEEDS: Youngest In Class Diagnosed With ADHD
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According to researchers at Michigan State, children are being misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, because they are the youngest in their class. Kids with late birthdays are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than their older classmates. It is estimated that as many as 1 million children may be misdiagnosed with ADHD. About 4.5 million children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the disorder. These new studies, though, are not conclusive. It may be that older children are “underdiagnosed” because they act more mature in class, says assistant professor of economics Todd Elder, who authored the study.
MOMism: ”Late bloomer.” We cannot jump to conclusions, just because our KID-Os can't sit still. There isn't going to be a pill to "fix" the fidgets. Kids will be kids after all. They are supposed to have boundless energy and require constant parental guidance. So, let them run around outside a lot...get dirty and get tired.
Because when it comes to labels and medical diagnosis, we must be prudent and unafraid to question every thing…even when experts give their opinions. Remember, doctors "practice medicine"...they aren't perfect and they don't know your child as well as you do. Your doctor gives professional advice, but trust your gut and do your research, get second opinions from doctors, family and teachers to make sure conditions are right for your child. We are the ones who nurture them and watch them grow...and some flowers just require a little more attention and take a little longer to bloom.
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lharrison
There's quite a bit of research showing that the kids struggling in elementary school tend to be young for their grade. I'm a fan of developmental testing and waiting before putting a kiddo in Kinder, even if they seem older than the other kids. In Orange County, Ca there is a great group called Chancy & Bruce that will do developmental testing privately or they will come to a preschool. We were going to put our fall-birthday daughter in Kinder years ago but the testing showed she needed another year. We are so glad we gave her the "gift of a year" to play more and grow in preschool as a 5 year old. She turned 6 entering kinder and in 7th now is thriving. Imagine second language kiddos who are young in their grade -- our success in education could be improved dramatically if we just moved the start date in CA from Dec. 1 cut off to Sept or even Aug 1 like the trend around the country (based on similar studies)! Thanks for the vent...Lisa in Tustin.on 08/20/10Reply -
rochesternative
Depending on the age of the child it may be true that the child has ADHD. I teach 4 year olds and last year when they packed my class full of 3 year olds IN JANUARY I was about to lose my mind. There was one child in particular who had just turned 3 that her activity level concerned me. The thing is, when teachers express a concern about a child's activity level it is normally because the child seems active COMPARED to their peers. The "H" in ADHD is what drives most teachers to distraction. Many parents don't have the chance to compare a "snapshot" of their child against many peers. Additionally, many parents will deny that something may be "wrong". (Although in the situation of my own children ADHD is a gift that I treasure when they aren't driving ME crazy) All three of my children are ADHD, my youngest being the most active of all. I was concerned about his activity level as young as 18 months, but did not discuss the issue with the Dr. until mid-way thorugh kindergarten when issues arose in school. (although there had been PLENTY of issues beforehand including getting kicked out of daycare at age 2) So all three of my boys take meds and it is by far not a "magic" solution, but it helps to keep the chaos down to a dull roar on most days.on 08/18/10Reply
