Coping with ADD part 2: Does ADD/ADHD exist?

Let's get one question out of the way first. Is ADD/ADHD even real?

This question can lead to bitter arguments. Parents with a difficult child often have to put up with advice from people in both camps.

The discussion goes more or less like this.
People who believe that ADD/ADHD is a disease will say:

"ADD is like Diabetes or needing glasses. The treatment for ADD is Ritalin or other medication, just like the treatment for Diabetes is Insulin. What are you waiting for? Get the kid on drugs already!"

This attitude is often taken by schools. That is scary.
ADD/ADHD can be 'diagnosed' on very flimsy grounds. Cash-strapped schools get extra money for diagnosed pupils. Parents may be under pressure to drug the child before other options have been tried.

Stimulant drugs like Ritalin and Adderall may be helpful, especially for a short period. Think of them as training wheels for the brain. Sherlock Holmes used cocaine to help him solve crimes. Ritalin is a close relative. But drugs have side effects and they may mask other problems. Your child may need a different teaching method or treatment for his allergies.

Then there are the people who do not believe that ADD/ADHD exists at all.
The sentence 'ADHD is nothing but' has many possible endings.
Think of 'boys being boys' , untreated allergies, learning disabilities, sugar sensitivity, nutritional deficiencies, and the all-time favorite: 'poor parenting'.

People who don't believe ADD/ADHD exists can really lay a guilt trip on parents who resort to medication. Such folks should be strongly encouraged to show how right they are by taking care of the unmedicated child for a week.

I don't know if ADD/ADHD exists, or if it is just a way of being human. It had not been invented yet when I was a child. Yes, psychiatric conditions are literally voted into existence. When our son was growing up no one in our small town had heard of ADD without the H.

We will use the term ADD because it is quicker to type then:
"people-who-have-trouble-focusing-and are hypersensitive and-may also have-allergies-and learning disabilities-and sensory-issues-and-tend-to-have-temper-tantrums-and-poor-social-skills- but-on-the-plus-side-are-very-creative-and-original etc. etc."
The term ADD will be used for the condition with or without the obvious hyper behaviour.

The working hypothesis is this:
ADD is a real condition but it is totally overdiagnosed. Other conditions like the ones mentioned above can cause ADD-like behavior. However, people with real ADD are also prone to allergies, hypoglycemia, poor sleep patterns, learning disabilities and other ADD mimicking conditions.

So how does one tell if a child has "real ADD" or merely for instance allergies causing ADD symptoms? Guess what: It doesn't matter!

We are looking for non-drug ways to help our children. We are not taking part in an ideological war or looking for scientific proof. If something works for your child you have a 100% success rate in the only way that matters.

Let's take allergy treatment as an example.
Susie had been unable to focus in class because of her allergies. Once her allergies were treated she needed no further help. Susie had allergies causing ADD symptoms.

Johnny on the other hand has "real ADD", along with allergies. Once Johnny's allergies are under control he is a healthier and happier child but he still needs other help.

I'd like to hear from people. What's working for you?
If you use medication, what have you tried before?

email me mailto:ienvan@gmail.com?subject=ADD

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