Contrary to popular belief, AD/HD is actually underdiagnosed in people today. It is a very real disorder, causing real problems in the learning abilities of students today. Actually diagnosing AD/HD can be very difficult because the diagnosing process only consists of a checklist of symptoms that are commonly shown in those who are diagnosed with AD/HD. Therefore, it is hard to determine whether or not a child has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Symptoms for the disorder can range from mild to severe, and have other co-existing conditions such as depression or anxiety. Symptoms are less obvious for girls than boys, and there is a lack of research on girls. Minorities like African-Americans and Hispanic children may not be diagnosed because their parents may be less informed about AD/HD, and they are more likely to believe that the symptoms their child shows of AD/HD are because of sugar intake or something that was induced by something that they do. Some parents do not believe that AD/HD is a real disorder, or are in denial that their child actually has it. Due to these things, children go undiagnosed, and struggle with AD/HD their entire lives, unbeknownst to them. Not getting help if the case is bad enough can be very frustrating for the child and the parent, because school and other daily activities are more difficult for them than for normal children. Emily, age 16, says, “It was a nightmare getting diagnosed. The school just thought I wasn’t trying hard enough. Finally I was diagnosed with ADD in the middle of my freshman year. It took forever (my sophomore year) before the school finally accepted my diagnosis and did something to help me. Although I already knew I had it, I was relieved that I was finally going to get the help and hopefully the understanding I needed”(Dendy 35). The process to diagnose can be very long and drawn out and be very stressful to those involved, especially the parents and the children. Teachers are often trained in spotting a child who displays the symptoms and can recommend whether or not to get tested. Parents need to be cautioned on the process that goes along with getting diagnosed, and really consider whether or not thei child really needs it.
I agree with your under diagnosis theory for several reasons.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I dispute the argument that it is over diagnosed because of the larger numbers of students and adults diagnosed compared to several years ago. Can anyone tell me how many cases of AIDS were diagnosed in 1900? Medically speaking, there were none. So is AIDS now over diagnosed? No! Medical research has enabled discovery of new conditions along with psychological research providing more accurate methods of determining ADHD.
You fail to mention that ADHD has a strong family connection. This is not an answer to the nature versus nurture argument. ADHD is a biological condition. If a student is diagnosed with ADHD, there is a strong possibility the mom or dad has it also. This demonstrates the nature connection. It has also been demonstrated that AHDH has a strong connection with the beginning environment of the child. Thus, some environments tend to lend itself to students having ADHD. This does not mean that watching too much TV causes ADHD.
Getting to my final point, if parents are never diagnosed; their kids will often go undiagnosed.
With the discovery of advanced testing techniques and the advancement of accurate knowledge to educators and medical professionals; the number o cases will continue to rise.