Daily Mail take on ADHD - 'badly behaved boys need discipline not drugs'

[tortoiseshell]

Article here - I'm posting the link a little tentatively, as it is not a good article - typical DM bile I think!

Thanks lucyellensmum. DS is now 19 and has just gone off to uni (after 12 years on medication) so luckily this is all now a distant memory. I meant to add that if ritalin stunts your growth and makes you fat I wonder how tall DS would have been. He is almost 6ft tall (DH is only 5 ft 6 and I'm 5ft 2) and as thin as a rake

lem my ds1 does the hitting- actually everyhing in tallulahs letter felt like deja vue bar the suicide note and he's dyslexic so cannot write much

his dx is asd though; they are very close in some ways

I work with young children in a clinical setting.

You can tell the real ADHD children a mile off. It definitely exists but it's also not that common.

What's very common, however, are those parents who tunr up at clinic saying their child has "ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia".

Most of the ones who brandish those terms about have no real idea what they mean, and yes, they're from the "can't be bothered" school of parenting.

Perhaps but do those kids have a dx?

and there are people on mn with those things as a dx who know exactlty wha they mean

mogwai

given that attention problems can go hand in hand with language problems - wouldn't suspecting ADHD be a reasonable mistake for some parents to make?

ADHD is not just about bad behaviour..I have five children both my daughters are well behaved not perfect children have their moments but fine..My eldest girl doing BTECH fine art and BTECH photography at sch and also taken an english G.C.SE early. I also have three ADHD boys one also has Asd..My eldest son has just taken his eleven plus and is currently working at a year eight level dispite only being ten (taking concerta).. My ADHD/ASD son is statemented ( on respodone for anxiety and aggression, which has helped him tredimously)..My other ADHD son is in beteen and not on any meds and is doing just fine.
ADHD is not just about bad behaviour in fact all my boys are reasonably behaved.. It is about lack of memory, lack of concentration and focus, sleep issues and hyperactivity..ie always on the go never switching off.. My husband of fifty has it and so do a few of his friends so not a new concept..I belive it become more common due to the generation not being recongisned having sn are now having children..I do also belive some children dont have it and it is down to bad parenting..I also belive some need medication whilst others can cope without depending on the individual..I do also wish people have more understanding and if they dont have first hand experiance of the conition then educate themselves or get to know parents that do..Most of us want what is best for our children and people that sre ignorant of the conditions make it harder for those with the conditions and for parents it just adds more stress.. Most of all i wish teachers have experiance and the right qualifications to teach these children as it benefit everyone..Im lucky my childrens sch are great in this field but i also know of schs that are not..