Erin
Message 1 of 1
Hi, I'm not a parent. I'm a 21 year old computer programming student. And I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was 8 and ADD when I was 9. It wasn't hard to figure it out, I was completely off the walls. I was smart, very smart. But, I may as well have had an IQ of a parrot, because I couldn't sit still long enough to learn anything. was the only 2nd grader who was spending 6 to 9 hours a night trying to do my homework. I hated it. My parents resisted drug treatment at first. They tried coffee. The thing was it worked. The problem was it only worked for a half hour to an hour at the most, then I was left once more to either struggle or have another cup. My parents finally gave in at the end of my 3rd grade year and started me on ritalin. And my teachers after that could never tell I had a problem at all, unless someone told them. Anyway, I rambling, my point was that many parents today think their children have ADD but arn't sure. And these days psychiatrists are very quick to slap a kid with a diagnose whether they actually have a problem or not. (FYI when joined the NAVY a few years back and when it was discovered that I had taken ritalin for 9 years for my ADD, I was kicked out, so the diagnose is not something you want for your child unless it is absolutely necessary). A good way to test a child for ADD is to give your child something with caffein in it. Soda or Coffee, will do. If your child does in fact have ADD, he/she will become less edgy and more calm, and will become more focused as a response from the stimulant. If your child does not have ADD the stimulant will have an opposite effect. Your child will become less focused and more jumpy as a result. The reason for this is because the part of the brain causes a person to focus needs to have a certain level of activity. In an ADD person, this part of the brain has less activity making it hard to pay attention. Those with a high level of energy will have a hard time focusing that energy making them act in a hyperactive manner, this is called ADHD. When a stimulant is introduced into the system it raises the level of activity in this part of the brain. In an ADD or ADHD person it brings it to normal level causing the person to focus. In someone who does not have ADD, it causes overstimulation and raises activity in that part of the brain to too high a level and makes it harder to focus. Hope this helps some of you mothers out there.