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One on one attention from parents and teachers can help children with symptoms of ADHD. Photo: US Census bureau
Excessive time with television may have a correlation with higher rate of symptoms associated with ADHD. Photo: Aaron Escobar
Jerry was wild in school. He was 12 years old and none of his teachers could control him. He couldn’t sit still, wasn’t able to complete his assignments, did no homework, and talked out loud during class, did everything you are not supposed to do in a classroom. He made his teachers frustrated, sometimes angry, and he had been this way for a number of years.
He had been on medication for the past year for ADHD, but from the looks of it, it didn’t seem to help very much, and his D and F average continued through his middle school years. This true story from a public school in New Jersey highlights the frustration that parents and teachers sometimes experience when trying to treat symptoms that are commonly associated with ADHD. It also raises some questions that are worth considering, that is, is ADHD an inheritable, largely genetic disorder? Are there physical or environmental causes for ADHD? Does excessive TV viewing cause ADHD? Why are more boys than girls diagnosed with ADHD?
Does medication provide a viable "cure" for the disorder or is it largely ineffective?
Research and clinical studies indicate that ADHD is not strictly a genetic disorder. Associate Professor Joel Nigg, Ph.D. of Michigan State University, in his book, What Causes ADHD? concludes that there are likely many “causes” for this disorder, some of which might be traced back to prenatal difficulties or premature birth, drug or alcohol use, smoking by pregnant mothers, or that might have its roots in certain environmental causes such as lead or mercury poisoning.
Additionally, there is some correlational evidence that excessive television for children might result in a greater risk of ADHD symptoms later in life. Nigg suggests that it may be possible, although there is, as of yet, no conclusive proof, that children who play video games excessively, or spend much time with violent video games, might be more prone to ADHD symptoms. In the case of Jerry, this was in fact the case. He spent his afternoons after school, for the most part, playing hours of violent video games. This is something that his child study team hadn’t picked up on, and even after he was classified as a special education student, nothing was said to the parents or to him about his video game habits.
Medication for ADHD is effective for some children, however, its positive effects are not always permanent, but tend to dissipate over time, as the body and mind get used to the drug. What's more, many children and teens have serious side effects, up to 90% of children, according to available research, when first starting to use the amphetamines and amphetamine-like drugs. Additionally, there are many interventions that help children, and placebos have been shown to affect a positive response comparable to medication use in a significant percentage of children.
ADHD - Psychiatric Labeling Controversy
Author Scott Shannon, MD, a pediatric physician feels that the current practice of labeling and medicating inadequately addresses the mental health needs of children, and further, in his own practice states that he finds more success in addressing mental health issues when children are not assigned a label. He states that he can then concentrate on the job of trying to see what can be done in a practical way to help the child. This often involves helping parents to see what they can do at home to keep children occupied in positive activities which are engaging to the mind, but that do not in any way cause the mind to “fragment” or “overload” which can be the case with excessive time spent with the media, or with violence in the media.
What Can Help ADHD
Is there anything that can be done in a positive way to help children who have symptoms of ADHD? There seems to be a number of things that have helped children. Cutting back on both the time spent with the various elements of the media, as well as the intensity has been of help to some. Additionally, art has been found to be a positive creative outlet which helps many children to focus, to develop sustained concentration and self-control, which ADHD expert Russell Barkley, has often referred to in his writings, stating that child with ADHD often lack self-control. Neurofeedback, while expensive, has been found to help some children to gain control and sustain concentration. (Some neurofeeback/biofeedback advocates point out, that in the long-term, neurofeedback for ADHD is no more expensive than medication).
Additionally, many children have benefited from “green therapy,” that is time spent outdoors in natural surroundings, exercising, playing and just enjoying themselves. In some clinical studies, children have demonstrated a lower of symptoms of ADHD after an hour playing in the park or in other natural settings. Author Richard Louv refers to this phenomenon as “Nature Deficit Disorder”.
These are a few ideas among many which can help parents and teachers to get a handle on some of these very difficult children who display symptoms which are commonly associated with ADHD. Educating oneself on self help can be helpful in this field of mental health and steps taken through self help have proven to be effective for many children. Additionally, there are professional resources in the form of tutors, personal reading instructors, coaches, and personal assistants (personal assistants are sometimes available in the schools themselves). These can also help children and teens in overcoming or dealing with symptoms associated with ADHD.
Conclusion on ADHD and Video Game Overload
In conclusion, there is some genetic correlation to ADHD, that is for sure. However, ADHD is definitely not 100% genetic, but rather, most likely predisposes one to these symptoms, which when combined with other factors, can lead to a diagnosis of the disorder. It should be kept in mind, as well, that diagnoses can vary from doctor to doctor, teacher to teacher, one child study team to another. Some parents, not content with an initial evaluation, have found that other professionals might not share the same viewpoint, there is a great deal of subjectivity involved in the diagnosis of ADHD.
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So, while it seems as if the diagnosis of ADHD is increasing, questions arising as to the reasons why this is so, if it is the media that is effecting the mind of children, or if it is a heightened awareness of ADHD that leads to more diagnosis, or it is simply more convenient to label and medicate, as some suggest, than to address the lifestyle issues which often lead to an ADHD, and for that matter, bipolar diagnosis.
Parents, then, need to carefully consider their choices, and work hard for the success of their children.
This article was from the author of the ADHD book Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Parent and Educator's Guidebook. Available in paperback and ebook format on Amazon.com and Kindle ebooks.
