to think that ADHD/ADD is a load of nonsense?

[Breton1900]

Are we really producing ever more kids with these conditions or do parents simply need to take back control and realise that, at times, all kids can be obnoxious, loud, defiant, restless and fidgety and that strictly enforced rules for behaviour, lots of TLC, and the occasional smack on the bum may be the way forward?

I think the OP is showing themselves to be very ignorant of the diagnostic criteria for certain disorders. Look at any one or two of the symptoms of ADD/ADHD in isolation and they may look like the behaviour of a "normal" child but they would not have the number of symptoms or the severity of someone with the disorder. There has to be a cut off as to what behaviour is considered deviant enough to be pathological and necessitating medical intervention.
I wonder how they feel about other conditions where the cause cannot be seen or pinpointed? I suppose people suffering from depression need to pull themselves together, people with dyslexia are just stupid and people suffering from anorexia nervosa starve themselves to death, in some cases, despite having nothing wrong with them.
I don't get the argument that because more cases are diagnosed they mustn't be real cases. Pretty much every condition is better diagnosed these days - it is called the advance of medical science and is no bad thing.
Finally if ADHD etc is a result of bad parenting surely all siblings of ADHD sufferers would also have the condition and this is not always the case.
Basically OP you are talking utter bollocks.

My posts are multiplying themselves! Not sure what I am doing wrong but think this discussion is actually a load of crap and that it is probably only interesting if you don't actually have to face the problem of where can I take my child tomorrow where he won't be stressed out, anxious and screeching.

OP speaking as a CAMHS senior practitioner of 8 years here

YABVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVU

And re meds etc. you are talking out of your a**e

Katiestar In 2009 228,900 children had Statements of SEN (2.7% of children across all schools)

Of those, only 8,900 were aged under 5.
Only 900 were getting provision in Registered early years provision.

37.5% of those children (83,126, or 1.0125% of all children in education) go to special schools.

The proportion of children of primary age with a Statement of SEN is 1.4%

Only 680 4 year old girls in the entire COUNTRY had a Statement of Special Educational Needs in 2009, which means that she falls into the 0.6% of girls her age with such severe SN that they need a special school placement. www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000852/index.shtml

I doubt her presentation is the same as the majority of 4 year olds, don't you? Just how many 4 year olds do you know who could only remain in preschool because they had 1:1 support?

Breton, just fuck off will you?

PS Science articles for more than five years ago do not an academic argument make...

Borderslass. "most health authorities wont diagnose before 6 anyway, we knew as did our GP when ds was 4 but he was 6.7 before a firm diagnosis"

Same with DS1. When he got his autism diagnosis at 3.6, we were told that he appeared to have ADHD. but we couldn't know for certain until he was about 6. Sure enough, he got his diagnosis at 6.6 and 2 months into taking Strattera is actually able to sit down and do things normal for his age and high intelligence. Now, he can spend 3 hours building a lego helicopter. 3 months ago, he couldn't even sit for 3 minutes unless something was really motivating to him. He still can't sit still for 3 seconds, mind!

Rather takes the shine off the whole thread when pesky things like facts and statistics get in the way of good old judginess, doesn't it?

OP - spot on, I think that most of these diagnoses are for the benefit of the parents, in as much as it gives them an excuse for allowing their kids to behave badly. Normal parents of normal children are familiar with all the behavioural patterns shown by so called ADHD sufferers, they just recognise it as being part of raising kids.

oh dear god.

(I don't have a child with ADHD so no axe to grind).

Oh do piss off NorwegianBlue and shut the door on the way out before it smacks you in your boring sanctimonious twuntish face!

wasuup3000 well said I couldn't think of the words to say to her.

Turns OP over, cos she must be toasted on the one side already by now>

What a gratuitously horrid thread.

Norwegianblue, I am a normal parent, tyvm. And would rather my son didn't behave badly, but we have to work extra hard at keeping it that way.

Now sod off.

I am going to store this thread.

It is like a Twat-o-meter

Anyway not all sufferers of ADHD are badly behaved.

Oh, that'll do it.... Norwegian.... utter trollery on your part.