<p>^another mom with son with ADD issues (we all find each other, don’t we?) said she found meditation to be helpful (she was not crazy about Adderall et al as a solution). She said her son found ways to focus his thoughts through meditation. Worth also looking into.</p>
<p>Just did catch an error in that psychologists article. The notion that adhd meds stunt growth was rebuked years and years ago. They found, IIRC, that if taken in the evening/ at night it could affect the release of growth hormones in kids. Those meds are not typically taken at night anyway. Take it at the right time- no effect on growth.</p>
<p>Research also showed that the different subtypes of ADHD are best treated diffferently. ADHD inattentive or overactive can be treated successfuly with behavior management and meds, or behavior management alone. Some also use approaches like biofeedback. But ADHD impulsive type doesnt respond as well to just behavior management. The meds are beneficial for the management of the disnhibition (impulsivity) that allows the kid to stop and think about their actions and behaviors. So a combination of meds and behavior management work in those cases.</p>
<p>He also doesnt say if his longitudinal study controlled for poor prenatal care or maternal drug/alcohol use in the mothers of the kids in the study. There is a higher incidence of this in poorer communities and this can affect the brain maturation and development.</p>
<p>The behaviors seen in ADHD can be seen in other disorders, but the are not called (or should not be called) ADHD. Head injury causes many of the same symptoms. Very low birthweight babies often ghave a constellation of problems including inattention, impulsivity or executive function problems. Kids ont he spectrum can also have these symptoms, but they are associated with the primary diagnosis and are not referred to (per the DSM) as ADHD independently. They may be treated the same, but their etiology may differ.</p>
<p>My gifted son was tested first for early entry into kindergarten, then again by one of the public school psychologists (PhDs) when his 1-2-3 (mixed class) grade teacher thought he had ADD (not hyperactive!). He was barely 6 and reading at 5th or greater level (knew that from K). We could have paid for private testing but let the school district do it and I got info from his pediatrician-a fellow physician. I did a lot of reading and was later involved in the parent GT committee for the district. My brother was on Ritalin in the 1960’s long before it was a popular drug so it was not inconceivable for me to consider ADD. The psychologist did the testing in several sessions- let son go at his pace (able to do a lot in each session). Confirmed son is gifted, no ADD. He is also introverted and was bored. District came up with lists for teachers to differentiate giftedness from ADD/ADHD since they share some behaviors in the young so they wouldn’t jump on it.</p>
<p>Glad to see I wasn’t the only one criticizing the article author.</p>
<p>Good luck with the testing.</p>