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 Attention
Deficit Disorder / Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
[ADD /
ADHD]
Living with the Problem
For many children, parents, caregivers, and teachers the problems
associated with those children diagnosed with either Attention Deficit
Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are very real.
For some children it may simply be mean an inability to concentrate
in a traditional classroom. For others, it involves a constellation
of behaviors creatinge a full range of problems.
Teachers
Most often teachers experience male students as exhibiting the symptoms
of ADD/ADHD. These boys are loud, aggressive and impulsive. Behavior
management with explosive and erratic students is a full-time job;
they need more attention than one can possibly give. As class sizes
and work loads have grown, teachers have less support in the classroom
than they once did. The use of medication, such as Ritalin or anti-depressants,
becomes an inviting solution.
Parents or caregivers
The experience of parents and caregivers who have a child dealing
with these kinds of problems can range from a “challenge”
to extreme distress. Some parents and caregivers have good resources
and support from family, friends, and professionals. Others may
experience disadvantages related to social class, race, or education.
For children in this situation, whose families do not have access
to resources, an ADD/ADHD diagnosis not only fails to solve the
problem, but it makes it more difficult for families and professionals
to see or attend to the societal and emotional issues.
Children
The diagnosis of ADD/ADHD has a profound effect on children as it
impacts their sense of identity, self-confidence, and self-esteem.
For some, particularly those who already have a strong sense of
themselves or are confident that they are worthy, loved, competent,
and good, a diagnosis may be simply a name for the cognitive difficulties
they experience. Unfortunately, many others might see themselves
as a “problem,” not likable, untrustworthy, too rough,
lazy, stupid or “mental.”
Diagnosis for these children can seem like a confirmation that
they are bad or damaged.
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