Public school didn't test for ADHD

[Free_Advice]

I'm not convinced that the condition actually exists ~ I think it was made up by the drug companies.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

I'm not convinced that the condition actually exists ~ I think it was made up by the drug companies.

Effectively that is a valid position, from my understanding. You cannot get the meds unless they feel you have had symptoms being treated for a long period of time. If the meds work, the diagnosis is confirmed.

 

[I'mTheFather]

Actually, a PET scan can show abnormal brain activity that has been associated with ADHD. Those with ADHD have been shown to have very different scans than those without.

Also, Kodak began work on a screening test about 10 years ago when it was noticed that those with ADHD had very strong reactions to some flash testing that Kodak was conducting. Don't know what happened with that.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

The flash test is linked more to epileptic seizures. It is one phase tested when giving an EEG.

 

[justalayman]

Also, Kodak began work on a screening test about 10 years ago when it was noticed that those with ADHD had very strong reactions to some flash testing that Kodak was conducting. Don't know what happened with that.

they made a cartoon using the flashing and caused all the kids in Japan to have seizures.

Actually flashing can cause an epiliptic to go into seizures sometimes. Never heard of an effect on people with ADHD though.

 

[I'mTheFather]

This is what I was referring to:

Business Metamorphosis LLC - Richard Blazey In the News - ADHD
McLean Hospital | News &amp Information : Press Releases

I don't know if anything more recent is available. I was wrong that Kodak was doing anything with flash when they noticed the ADHD link.

 

[Banned_Princess]

my daughter was diagnosed and put on meds in a month. on her first visit. I brought comments from her teacher, he then got additional info with a questionnaire the teachers filled out.

But I went in there knowing what I was looking at, and how to highlight it for the MD. I seem to be good at that.


she sees the MD once a year now, and her scripts come in the mail each month so I don't have to go there to pick it up.


she doesn't like being on the meds, because she gets a serious lack of appetite, and cant eat lunch. and it doesn't seem to make a difference as far as her grades go, so... nothing is guaranteed.

 

[Humusluvr]

Notice, we keep talking about a diagnosis. The child's pediatrician should have made the diagnosis, not the teacher. The school wouldn't be liable here.

The parents should have taken the kiddo to the doctor, and the doctor would have prescribed meds if they were appropriate.

I think it's a little convoluted to think you could sue your teachers and the school for a missed medical diagnosis. You had no guarantee in life of being successful. If your past had been altered with medications, you don't know if it would have been better, worse, or the same.

I'm diabetic. I hear people say all the time, "Man, that must have been so hard." Not really. I don't know life any other way, and I think I turned out pretty great. My diabetes offered me the opportunity to meet lots of people, think a lot about my body, and learn new things. I feel like I may not have had a fulfilling life without my "disease."

 

[ecmst12]

FA, you are an idiot. I can personally assure you that ADHD exists, and it's an insult to say otherwise.

 

[csi7]

As a child who tested gifted before ADHD was considered an official medical condition, I can relate to the difficult journey some people have with the length of time it can take to reach this point.

Part of the reason is because your parent(s) have to be willing to take you through doctor's visits, referral visits to psychological evaluations, and to eliminate other possible medical conditions.

A teacher is NOT a medical professional with a medical license. A teacher has a teaching certificate. A teacher is able to answer questions with parent(s) approval within the specific guidelines available.

When doing a medical history for an ADHD diagnosis, questions are asked about the child from birth to the child's present age.

I have gone through this experience, both as a child, as an adult, as a parent, as a classroom observer, and as a child advocate.

 

[commentator]

And from the point of view of an educator, the schools are chock full of kids who would very likely benefit from ADD medications and other special services. But who have parents who REFUSE to admit there is such a condition, refuse to admit there is a place for medication, refuse to acknowledge there is anything in the world wrong with their precious child that better teaching wouldn't cure, and can they sue us because Johnny isn't making perfect grades?

Seriously, how many supposed experts are out there saying that ADD and ADHD are not real, they are just the lazy teachers wanting not to do their jobs, just wanting to give the kids a pill to solve their problems. And parents who do not want to medicate their children (even though it is strongly indicated and suggested) are receiving a tremendous amount of support in some circles.

If you read the literature from these people, you'd get the impression the children were being chemically restrained, not medicated with a drug that if the child does not have the condition would not calm them or make them more teachable at all, would rather rev them up.

I have fought the battle with people who did not believe in the condition, did not want their child medicated, did not want to even try the meds. There is no guarantee that if this child had been diagnosed and the medications had been tried, there would have been follow up, or significant improvement, or that he would have been a success. He cannot prove that the school, by failing to force his mother to seek treatment for him, has blighted his life.

 

[ecmst12]

Just for the record, I've repeatedly asked our Pediatrician and my kids' teachers to evaluate/test them for ADD and they all tell me "there are no tests for ADD".

Obviously you are asking the wrong people. If your insurance doesn't cover psychological testing (which is possible but not SUPER likely), then you pay out of pocket. Call around to family psychological practices, you are bound to find one that will do the type of testing you need.

Of course, they are adults now so it is up to them to seek out the testing and treatment that they need.

Isis, my dad wasn't concerned about his status, he was concerned about the long term effects of the medicine which I will grant you, were not well studied 25 years ago. But he's paranoid about meds in general, to this day he hates that I take it and I can't even discuss it with him anymore.

 

[ecmst12]

she doesn't like being on the meds, because she gets a serious lack of appetite, and cant eat lunch. and it doesn't seem to make a difference as far as her grades go, so... nothing is guaranteed.

And here's another good point - medication is not magic. It will allow the child to have more control over his/her symptoms and ability to sit still and focus, but it won't do their homework for them and it won't magically make sure the material gets into their brains for the tests. It will still take EFFORT and work from the child to get good grades - the same effort required of a child WITHOUT ADHD. Once the medication is provided, the child will probably still need some work with a therapist to help with organizational skills and will still need an IEP at school to get help with study skills and homework techniques. The medication will allow them to sit still and concentrate on homework if they CHOOSE to, but if they don't, it will just allow them to sit still and concentrate while slacking off.

 

[Humusluvr]

FA, you are an idiot. I can personally assure you that ADHD exists, and it's an insult to say otherwise.

FA is not likely a doctor, or has read the scholarly articles about ADD and ADHD. I prefer to leave the medical diagnoses to doctors.

I might also note, a lot of parents who have done a craptastic job of parenting, and have unruly kids, go to their pediatrician and demand medicines. My mom is a pediatric nurse who often sees parents demand the meds, thinking it will be easier to deal with a medicated child.

The diagnosis, medication, and therapy involved with ADHD is a difficult one. Teachers think they can do it, parents think they can do it, and pediatricians are often asked to do it for ill reasons. Slippery slope.

 

[tranquility]

I would certainly be diagnosed ADHD in school today. As I write, I'm bouncing on my exercise ball and surfing other websites, oh!butterfly!, now, where was I?

Yes the "real" thing of ADHD. We must recognize that there is a lot of MONEY involved with making sure it is a thing. It's a business and business is good. To say there is a study saying a thing is real by a person who makes their living studying the thing, is a bit problematical. Now, as to ascribing liability.

I know a person who just recently left a specialized doctor's office. While the main specialty is Autism, with all the pediatric neurosurgeons and neurologists there along with two researchers, ADHD spectrum is also a part of the practice.

While a large part of the practice comes from referrals from pediatricians, parents who has suspicions can find the office through community resources too. Part of the specialty service comes from regional, state and federal grants which allow doctors to spend two hours with a patient on intake to the practice. The interview is in a room and is taped and, sometimes, view by other professionals behind a one-way mirror.

The point is, even a pediatrician would have a problem really diagnosing ADHD. While a person who is profoundly disabled, (pardon me, almost was politically incorrect) profoundly differently abled, can be recognized by most anyone at a glance at 20 yards, to diagnose can take much more.

That is why some have problems with how ADHD seems a catch all for what used to be called being a boy. A pediatrician who sees a person once every couple of months, even if he suspects the child is ADHD, cannot truly diagnose the child in the span of a 15 minute contact. Yet, they do. Go figure. (In other words, I don't even think a pediatrician who did not diagnose the thing could be sued for malpractice absent a lot more facts.)