I Chose to read two books that are focused on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD).I decided to read these two books because I find ADHD quite interesting, and I also was diagnosed with ADHD when I was about 7 years old.At that time I really had no clue as to what exactly ADHD was; I was just put on medication and told that everything was going to be better. This gave me a chance not only to better my knowledge about ADHD, but to better understand myself as well as the various medications that I had taken.The first book that I chose to read was Teaching Superman How to Fly; Making ADHD a Gift.I chose this book because I believe for those of us who have ADHD, ………the second book I had read was Talking Back to Ritalin.
The first book, “Teaching Superman How to Fly; Making ADHD a Gift”, was quite simple to read. It provides a fair overview of AHDH. It discusses the different types of ADHD (inattention, Hyperactivity, Combined, not otherwise specified), and gives the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) definitions and criteria for ADHD. It also goes over each one of the different types of ADHD, and how each one can cause severe problems if not treated properly. It touches on the different types of medication that can be used to treat this disorder, but mainly focuses on other methods of handling the disorder. There are ten chapters in the book. There is a case study that is presented at the beginning of every chapter. After the case study, it gives you numerous questions to ask yourself, for example: “Do you think this child has an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?”, “Other than ADHD, what could be causing the disorder?”, “How can you modify the environment to help her cope with the disorder?”, The book also goes over certain types of teaching strategies that one might use to try to help a child who has been diagnosed with ADHD scholastically improve. It goes over how the environment can affect inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and social skills. This book also helps understand what ADHD might be like for a child, an adolescent, and an adult. It contains many strategies that might be helpful for those who have ADHD. Some strategies may include: informing parents and family about the disease and how they can handle it, increasing ones self-esteem, helping students gain independence and control, and how you can prepare children for the adulthood (college, marriage, employment).
The second book that I decided to read was “Talking Back to Ritalin”. This book was a little more informative about the medications that are given to children who are diagnosed with ADHD. The book is broken up into four parts: Ritalin, Amphetamine and Other Stimulants, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), The politics of the ADHD/Ritalin Lobby, and How we can help our children.
In the first part of this book, it describes Ritalin, and amphetamines in detail. It discusses the concern that over the past decade prescriptions for Ritalin have nearly doubled. The book touches on the side effects that Ritalin and other stimulants may cause; rebound, withdrawal, effects on growth hormone and growth, brain damage, tolerance. The writer of this book believes that Ritalin is highly addictive. He provides some cases where some children have reported addictive behavior once put on Ritalin, some even resulting in death. Along with addiction, he provides cases of children who have been put on Ritalin, only to be taken off by their parents shortly after due to the drastic changes in their child’s behavior. Many children in fact dislike being put on medication.
The second part of the book goes over ADHD. There are a few ADHD scales that are given to parents and teachers to rate their children and pupils. Some terms on these scales would be “daydream, sassy, shy, pouting…etc. As you can see, it is very easy for children in any family to have similar feelings. The writer of this book believes that the symptoms associated with this disorder are some that every child will have at some point in their lives. The book also goes into some scientific evidence for causes of ADHD through PET scans, and SPECT. Some even say that it may be genetic.
The third part of the book is about the politics of ADHD. There is much belief that the Pharmaceutical company and its allies are behind the major boom in Ritalin prescriptions. The writer believes that politics and economics are the main drives in the ADHD/Ritalin movement.
The last part of the book is directed towards what parents, teachers, and family members can so to help children with ADHD. It touches on what we can do as parents, how to understand if something is upsetting our children, and what to do when their teacher brings up ADHD and your child. It tells us what we need to do as adults to help our children succeed in life.
Like I stated at the beginning of this paper, I was told that I had ADHD at a young age. I believe I was about six or seven years old. No one really told me what ADHD was. I do not remember much of my child hood, but I do remember taking Ritalin three times a day when I was in third grade. I hated taking Ritalin and remember one time in third grade when I got caught taking the pills and throwing them away. This behavior continued for about three years, until my parents had stopped the Ritalin for about 6 months when my family was re-located to Bentonville, Arkansas. By this time I was about eleven or twelve, and there were numerous times where my parents were called into school to have meetings with my teachers. It was always the same thing, your daughter is one of the brightest in the class but she can not seem to pay attention, she is very disruptive, and starts fights with other children in the classroom. The teachers and the principal all suggested that I seek help for me “problem”. We had moved to a place I hated and of course I was defiant. Apparently my defiant behavior caused me to go to a psychologist once again. This time I was put on Adderall. I had no clue as to what Adderall was, I was just told that it was nothing like Ritalin and that it would help my behavior and I would be a good girl. I just remember that when I took it I stopped eating and became felt like a different person, one that I did not like. In fact, the doctors told me that my grades would improve and that I would be a lot happier. It was the opposite. My grades did not improve, and I became depressed and anxious. When I told my doctor this I was put on another medication along with Adderall to help with the anxiety. Basically I was on drugs until I was about fifteen. At this point, I soon realized that I was not the only one being put on Adderall. Many of the peers have taken Adderall, but it was not prescribed to them. Many often asked me if they could buy some pills off of me so they can snort them. When I asked why they told me that it helped them study. I found this quite odd. At about sixteen I sought help from my older sister, I had asked her to tell my parents to put me off of medication, and since then I have not touched Ritalin nor Adderall. I am not saying that it was easy, it was a fight to get me off medication. especially when the doctors keep upping the dosage and telling my parents that I severely needed it to control my outrageous behavior. Yes, it has been difficult, but from my experience, I am happier and I have found numerous ways to cope with ADHD aside from medication. I am not saying that Ritalin should never be considered, but I do believe that when children are diagnosed at a young age, they should be fully aware of what is going on as well as the parents. In my case I was medicated and that was it. It was only when I was older that I was fully aware of ADHD, and that my parents were not. Family plays an important role in lives of children with ADHD. It is very important that the families of children who have ADHD are informed of the disease, and ways to deal with it.
Children all over the United States are being recommended to be put on Ritalin or some other form of amphetamine to try to control their behavior, from small outburst to inattentiveness. I believe that teachers throughout the United States may be using Ritalin as an easy way to try to help “the out of control” child. I believe that there is a lot of pressure on the parents to medicate their children, but is this the right way? In many cases it is, but for some the children just need some a little guidance.