"TikTok trends or the pandemic? What’s behind the rise in ADHD diagnoses"

[flashbac]

"The striking overlap between ADHD symptoms and garden variety “pandemic brain” only compounds common misunderstandings of the former. Simply, ADHD symptoms can look and sound a whole lot like the struggles that define many people’s everyday workflows, which are so often fragmented by push notifications and digital dopamine hits. Who doesn’t have trouble multitasking or following through with tasks? And who isn’t fighting the urge to impulse-scroll social media during the particularly dull moments of any given afternoon? In the past two years, these difficulties have only become more pronounced."

www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/02/tiktok-trends-or-the-pandemic-whats-behind-the-rise-in-adhd-diagnoses

What do you think?

I used to get bollocked for doodling in class. Doodling actually helps me concentrate as I physically can’t sit still, but I guess that’s “poor behaviour”

Me too! What on earth is wrong with these people? My eyes and hands are occupied, meaning my ears and brain are freed up to listen to you. I can repeat back to you the last five sentences you said verbatim. I come top in any test you care to set. But the doodling that helps me do that, that doesn't distract anyone else, doesn't affect your teaching, is a problem for you?

As an aside , not all children with SEND display poor behaviours. They might not always seem appropriate by "normal" standards but that doesn't make them necessarily poor. I work with kids and I've had plenty that were polite,respectful, and behaved well overall(as all kids can display poor behaviours at times) , especially if they had most of their needs met. Sometimes that can be extremely difficult ,if not impossible but there's no harm in giving it a go. Not to mention, that some general adjustments benefit all the children in the classroom , not just those with SEND.

Sometimes a child's needs can be so high (especially when there are several issues at play) that we can't manage them no matter what , but that's not a failing on the part of the child.

Because a lot of teachers have issues with control and want to make a point of exerting their authority for the sake of it. That won’t be a popular view on here but it’s true

I used to get bollocked for doodling in class. Doodling actually helps me concentrate as I physically can’t sit still, but I guess that’s “poor behaviour”

Not in my eyes. Sometimes I let them doodle, sometimes I doodle with them , sometimes I quietly ask questions just to check they're still listening and understand, sometimes I use something from my pencil case to give them to fiddle with "busy hands, eyes and ears on the teacher" . It all depends on the child and what they need/what works best for them.

Same with being under a table, are they safe, is everyone else safe, are they listening and even engaging in the lesson ? That's more than good enough for me. It would cause a lot more disruption having a massive battle of wills over it, when all the kid needs is a safe ,"cozy" space.

Thank you for considering different kids needs. Not many do, so it’s something I really appreciate when I come across it

Seems so. School was difficult.

Later in life, I went to a tech college for an adult education course (having been diagnosed with ASD shortly prior — the ADHD diagnosis came later), and for the first few months spent quite a lot of the classroom time preferring to sit under the desk. Most hassle it ever caused was a one-off "You alright there Clumping?" "Yep just easier for me if I sit here, if that's okay" and everybody went on knowing it was fine and making no particular reference to it. So much better. And no angst over doodling.

That was my child's problem in the first year of school. The teacher was very inflexible with him and any other 'non standard' children. :( The support teacher would make suggestions (none which were affecting the rest of the class) and he found it very difficult to agree to them, because it wasn't how he did things.

I had no idea what ADHD was until my child was almost finished primary school. He was referred for help in pre school, but because he had a big vocabulary and could read well plus explain and build complicated things etc, he was missed for further referral for another 6 years, when a teacher spotted specific skills he was lagging behind in.

Not sure where I'm going with this 😅

One of the things he was allowed was a doodle book - funnily enough the next year when he had better teachers they noticed that he could answer questions no problem, because he was listening all the time while he doodled.

I also had a much better college experience than school. College noticed I was dyslexic so I got a laptop for my work and extra time which helped immensely..
no one noticed I had adhd nd dyspraxia until I was 23 🤦🏻‍♀️

Considering I haven’t even told anyone other than my husband about my ADHD and I’m sure others are the same we are hardly trying to be trendy!

Same with my DS…”we can’t do that because it’s not fair to the other kids” was what I’d get when I asked for relatively simple adjustments. I pulled him out in the end.

@Galvantula

The child with SEND I had in mind was physically violent so there needed to be a response from a teacher.

I think resources are a major issue obviously when a teacher needs to accommodate the diverse educational needs of a 30 pupil class.

The problem is that the snowflakes' parents you mentioned will want their child's poor behaviour to be excused and if the poor behaviour is acted on then the school will be accused of not accomodating SEND well.

I agree it's about a judgment about the degree of disruption but children or parents creating their own diagnoses doesn't help IMHO.

I watched a TV programme the other day, called something like "Britain's Strictest Headmistress", about a school in London that insists on the kids sitting up straight and staring at their teachers' eyeballs with their arms folded. I promise I wouldn't have been able to learn a thing, doing that 🤣 Do they think teachers have the learning material printed on their faces or something?

Katharine Birbalsingh. I can’t stand her.

The school seems to get very good results, presumably partly due to the self-selection i.e. parents in that area who care about their kids doing well in school sending them to that one, partly due to enforcement of some of the less arbitrary of the rules, partly due to kids who can't comply leaving the school.

I'd be spending all my time thinking about not moving. 😳😳

I couldn't do that and I'm an adult and as I said not diagnosed with anything. In fact I struggle myself to listen to a whole input, sitting still,assemblies or worse,forced mindfulness . I'm probably worse than some of the kids tbh.

@flashbac To be fair though OP, the examples you've given are centred mainly around forgetfulness

To be fair how? [Hmm]

I was another one who was never poorly behaved or considered naughty. I was quiet, kind, kept myself to myself, blended into the background. I scraped by and wasn't on anyones radar. What is probably known now as 'typical' for a female with adhd. Typical but not all of course.

In what way are you in a position to undiagnose random strangers you've met and know nothing about? Seriously...?

@ForestFae why are you banging on about ADHD and poor behaviour? As many people will be crippled by social anxiety and thus incredibly shy and awkward.

I was responding to someone saying people use being ND as an excuse, and I was explaining why it’s not an excuse and why behaviourism isn’t rubbish and behaviour is communication?

DD’s friend told her she had been diagnosed with Tourette’s and borderline personality disorder. She was displaying signs and actively telling her peers group. In the end I rang her mum to check in because some of the kids were taking the absolute mick and accused her of lying. As it turns out she was, she was mimicking what she had seen online and had saved people with a variety of diagnoses. This is one reason I limit what my DD watches.

My ADHD manifested as pretty much the opposite of bad behaviour. My impulsivity mostly takes the form of finding it excruciatingly difficult not to step up when someone asks for a volunteer or to answer a question. So I was the child who would take part in the class discussion, give the speech, clean up after the event, fill in for the missing person on the team, join the choir, mentor the new kid, help out at the stall, paint the scenery etc.

That's just common-or-garden lying, though. People do that sometimes.

Personally I'm more concerned with posts on this thread implying that people are increasingly receiving professional diagnoses and medication for a recognised neurodevelopmental condition, when what they actually have amounts to wanting an excuse for normal personality traits.

Do I think there's an increase in potentially unwarranted self-diagnosis, including among teens who want to be different? Yes. I also think there's an increase in previously-undiagnosed people finding information online that resonates with them, and seeking assessment. I don't think that in this country, there's a huge problem with people who don't "truly" have ADHD (whatever that means) receiving a diagnosis and medications for it.