by Mark Mylod

Created on: August 14, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2010

Wired with ADHD
There are many difficult and complex issues concerning Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) in respect to diagnosis and treatment of children. Today, the Council for Exceptional Children estimates that between 3% and 5% of school age children have ADD/ADHD. It is a daily struggle in the life of a child having a profound impact on home life, school and social encounters. Although ADD/ADHD has existed since time immemorial, just as recently as 1998 did the National Institute of Mental Heath recognize it as a legitimate condition. How do you treat ADD/ADHD individuals with so little understanding of its cause? There is a multitude of various behavioral and leaning disorders and ADD/ADHD needs a more comprehensive understanding and approach.

   Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) affects both children and adults and is characterized by difficulties in concentration skills, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity. Some of us are wired a little bit differently from others and ADD individuals may not be able to concentrate on one thing at a time because they are paying attention to everything that goes on around them. Their brains are experiencing massive electrical discharges where everything becomes stimulating. Genetic and environmental influences are the factors responsible for ADD, but its exact cause remains elusive.
             It is important for qualified professionals to adhere to the criteria set forth by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, Forth Edition commonly referred to as the DSM-IV. Some professionals have their criticisms of the DSM-IV, ADHD criteria stating that there is no age adjustment and diagnosis is difficult for adults, but there has to be a starting point from which professionals can work and agree. Many professionals believe that there is widespread misdiagnosis, over diagnosis and over prescription of stimulants for ADHD. Dr. Larry S. Goldman and his research team from the Council on Scientific Affairs of the American Medical Association disputed some of these claims. After reviewing studies from 1975 to 1997 of school-age children with ADHD, they concluded that the prevalence range was at the lower end of the 3% to 6%. They admit that a child's behavior in a physician's office may lead to a missed diagnosis or too much emphasis on parental observations can lead to an

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