It's been almost a year. Life happens, oh boy does it happen. I wanted to discuss ADD 11 months ago, so lets get to it. First, for boys especially, it is over diagnosed (see stats here). The reasons are complicated, so I'll do my best to simplify it, remember I am a mother, a Teacher, a Special Education Consultant, but NOT a Psychologist.

First ADD shares many of the same symptoms as Bi-Polar. Dyslexia (which occurs in 20-30% of the general population and accounts for 70% of ALL reading lags, differences, and deficits go here for more in formation) which can either coincide with ADD, or cause a child to manifest symptoms that LOOK like ADD. Vision problems (not spoken of often, go here for more information) can also cause a child to manifest ADD symptoms. Life circumstances, inappropriate or inadequate teaching methods, and/or weak classroom management can also cause children (especially boys) to manifest symptoms of ADD.

Basically, it's a jungle out there, so get a machete. I cannot urge you enough to take the idea of the disease seriously, it is a serious learning "difference" and requires alternate instruction methods for your son (NOT an alternate classroom). However, DO NOT allow anyone other than a trained Neuro-Psychologist diagnose your son with any type of Learning Difference (literally means they learn differently. I like this better than disability and feel it to be a more appropriate umbrella for this issues).

Boys by NATURE have high levels of testosterone, they are highest between the ages of 3-5 then dip slightly, before leveling off, and pick up again during puberty. You can imagine that sitting in a seat for very long, sharing toys, handling hurt feelings, and listening to instructions when your Id is raging inside of you, can be INCREDIBLY difficult. Think high school boys locker room x5. This is occurring during Kindergarten and 1st grade. Over 60% of all ADD diagnosis are on 1st grade boys (must read this book). No kidding. The problem for girls here, is that they are UNDER-DIAGNOSED and not receiving the help they need. The girls side is a whole different (and very serious) issue.

RED FLAGS that your son might actually have ADD, the symptoms are here. The classic symptom is "acts as if driven by a motor". While that seems vague, when you see it in real life you know what it means. Basically, a normal kid plays with some awareness of his surroundings, and noise level. An ADD child, when he plays, it is as if he is possessed with an intensity that is super-human. He has no awareness of his surroundings, of the consequences of his actions (impulsivity), or his noise level, and he'll keep going and going and going even after he'd like to stop. Testosterone "over-load" as we call it at our house, manifests less intensely, and has a "stop" button when they get tired. Generally, (I mean that liberally) a normal child will listen, where as an ADD child can't. Frequently forgetting things that are important to him is also a symptom (after the age of 8).

The thing to note here is that he MUST display these symptoms in more than one environment! Just at home, or just at school and it is the environment, not the boy. This is what sent red flags up for me when my oldest son's first grade teacher "diagnosed" him. Teachers should never diagnose students. They should indentify and refer after a parent consultation, but "diagnose" and instruct accordingly ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! (my mommy blog entry caution strong language). Remember if you also have a daughter, the symptoms manifest differently. In girls ADD usually manifests like excessive daydreaming.

Basically, your son's biological drives will conflict with the requirements of early education. Arm yourself with some knowledge so YOU can be his advocate. So you can identify whether he is being "boyish" or if there is a more serious problem that needs addressed. If it is ADD self-esteem becomes quite a concern. When you meant to listen, you meant to think before you acted, you meant to remember your homework but just couldn't, and as a result got reamed out by 3 different people, you tend to begin to hate yourself a little bit. It is very important to identify ADD so that proper interventions can be put into place to prevent academic and self-image issues.

Soon to come, an entry on reading differences.