My son may have ADHD

[eots]

Why "Sensory Integration Disorder" Is a Dubious Diagnosis

Peter L. Heilbroner, MD, PhD

Anecdotal evidence from parents is often used to support the existence of SID and the effectiveness of treatment. A review of the literature on sensory integration disorder reveals mostly poorly designed studies and flawed methodology. Studies with tiny sample sizes (as small as one patient!) are common [3-7]. Other studies investigate sensory symptoms in children with a serious underlying disorder such as autism [8-12], or mental retardation [13-16], and are therefore unlikely to be especially relevant to more normal children. Still other research assesses sensory therapies in the treatment of tangentially related conditions, like learning disability [17-23] or neuromotor delays [24-27]. In some cases where treatment appears to benefit, the therapies may simply be a calming influence on a nervous child. However, there are no adequate controlled studies either supporting the existence of SID as a distinct and definable entity, or clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of the therapies used for SID compared to no treatment at all [28-30]. In my experience, children diagnosed with "SID" are simply very anxious and come from a family that includes others who suffer from an anxiety disorder.

It should be remembered that most children develop and improve their behavior spontaneously. Given the fact that few (if any) adult patients have sensory integration disorder, it is reasonable to question whether costly interventions are really necessary for what is a most likely a self-limiting problem of neurodevelopmental immaturity and anxiety. I also believe that children or families whose behavioral or anxiety disorders could benefit treatment would be better off seeking standard treatment than wasting time and money on unproven or irrational approaches.

Well-designed scientific studies are needed to determine whether or not SID is indeed a disorder, and even if so, whether the treatments currently prescribed are effective or necessary. Until studies along these lines are conducted, the diagnosis of SID should prompt a healthy degree of skepticism.

Why "Sensory Integration Disorder" Is a Dubious Diagnosis

 

[Mr. H.]

I've got a friend who is very dubious of the medical field. In his late 50's never had health insurance on himself, wife, or two kids. Cheap to the point of denying his wife needed treatment and medicines. What an idiot.

 

[koshergrl]

Lol...that is foolish but I think *diagnosing* little kids with behavior disorders before they've even gotten out of gradeschool is a risky venture.

I just don't buy the whole widespread adhd thing. Kids are too diverse in their impulse control/nervous system development/behavior to be able to say "this kid needs to be medicated because he won't sit still and be quiet". There's plenty of time to dope them later, after their brains and nerves have finished developing.

Take juvenile seizure disorder...some kids, for no known reason, will start having seizures as they enter adolescence; around 8-10 years of age. That's what happened to my kid...he probably had them before that, but they weren't obvious..though he had a preschool teacher who noticed he had trouble tracking letters on a chart...anyway, he outgrew the seizures. Their nervous systems develop out of whack with their ability to control the impulses...(that's a really non-scientific explanation, but it gives a picture) so they have these *break through* seizures...and then eventually, they *catch up* and the seizures stop breaking through. It's like there's a brake on brain activity that some kids outdistance, and it takes some time for the brakes to catch up/get enough muscles to control the impulses.....

It just takes some kids longer to *catch up* and be able to control their impulses, brain activity and process input, I think. So people find them annoying, so they're a little disruptive. Too flipping bad. If they can't deal, then just find a different environment. It takes work, and modifications, and then more work on the part of the parent and the teachers; but I think it's all about buying time, to allow the kid to develop, unhindered by chemicals. Until you, as a mother, become convinced there's something wrong, and it's wrong ENOUGH that you're willing to risk the side effects of meds to adjust it. Because nothing is a given...meds can make things worse, or cause different issues. In fact, they almost always do. For me to put that poison in my kid, I would have to see evidence that his well being and safety were in danger. I wouldn't dose my kid with ritalin just because he's a little difficult and doesn't want to mind. I'd try everything else in the world first. I'd buy time to allow him to develop past it...or for it to get so bad there is just no denying there is a big, fat problem.

 

[Liability]

Lol...that is foolish but I think *diagnosing* little kids with behavior disorders before they've even gotten out of gradeschool is a risky venture.

I just don't buy the whole widespread adhd thing. * * * *

and you are entitled to that opinion.

But having it doesn't make you right.

I know a nice woman who lost her mom and became very bitter in denouncing any belief in God.

A pal of ours calmly told her, "That's ok ______, God believes in you."

Same principle involved. If ADHD is indeed a malady that actually exists, then your belief or disbelief in it doesn't change the fact that it exists.

On the other hand, I happen to agree with part of your thought process. It is problematical that it can be "diagnosed" or mis-diagnosed too readily and too easily. And this is compounded to the extent that such a diagnosis can lead to prescriptions for strong drugs used as chemical babysitters. That part of the problem is all too real.

 

[eots]

Lol...that is foolish but I think *diagnosing* little kids with behavior disorders before they've even gotten out of gradeschool is a risky venture.

I just don't buy the whole widespread adhd thing. * * * *

and you are entitled to that opinion.

But having it doesn't make you right.

I know a nice woman who lost her mom and became very bitter in denouncing any belief in God.

A pal of ours calmly told her, "That's ok ______, God believes in you."

Same principle involved. If ADHD is indeed a malady that actually exists, then your belief or disbelief in it doesn't change the fact that it exists.

On the other hand, I happen to agree with part of your thought process. It is problematical that it can be "diagnosed" or mis-diagnosed too readily and too easily. And this is compounded to the extent that such a diagnosis can lead to prescriptions for strong drugs used as chemical babysitters. That part of the problem is all too real.

So the scientific method you are employing is...I do not believe in god but god believes in me ? or I do not believe in ADHD but ADHD believes I my child ?.

 

[thanatos144]

Lol...that is foolish but I think *diagnosing* little kids with behavior disorders before they've even gotten out of gradeschool is a risky venture.

I just don't buy the whole widespread adhd thing. * * * *

and you are entitled to that opinion.

But having it doesn't make you right.

I know a nice woman who lost her mom and became very bitter in denouncing any belief in God.

A pal of ours calmly told her, "That's ok ______, God believes in you."

Same principle involved. If ADHD is indeed a malady that actually exists, then your belief or disbelief in it doesn't change the fact that it exists.

On the other hand, I happen to agree with part of your thought process. It is problematical that it can be "diagnosed" or mis-diagnosed too readily and too easily. And this is compounded to the extent that such a diagnosis can lead to prescriptions for strong drugs used as chemical babysitters. That part of the problem is all too real.

So joey doesn't behave like susie you answer is we medicate him ?

 

[Samson]

Lol...that is foolish but I think *diagnosing* little kids with behavior disorders before they've even gotten out of gradeschool is a risky venture..

And that's why on our planet you must have a medical license to do it.



What are they doing on eot's planet?

 

[Samson]

Damn, you're slow...and my sarcasm is clearly wasted on you.

facts and empirical evidence are clearly wasted on you

You haven't presented any facts.

Stick to watching YouTube and the Cartoon Channel, eots. Posting on a message board is clearly to difficult a task for your severely limited intellectual skills.

The ADHD Molecular Genetics Network. Report from the third international meeting of the attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder molecular genetics network. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 2002, 114:272-277.

Facts About ADHD

ADHD is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

 

[eots]

damn, you're slow...and my sarcasm is clearly wasted on you.

facts and empirical evidence are clearly wasted on you

you haven't presented any facts.

Stick to watching youtube and the cartoon channel, eots. Posting on a message board is clearly to difficult a task for your severely limited intellectual skills.

The adhd molecular genetics network. Report from the third international meeting of the attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder molecular genetics network. american journal of medical genetics, 2002, 114:272-277.

facts about adhd

adhd is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with adhd may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.

why are posting a copy of your previously debunked post retard ??

 

[eots]

Facts About ADHD
ADHD is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.[1]

Signs and Symptoms
It is normal for children to have trouble focusing and behaving at one time or another. However, children with ADHD do not just grow out of these behaviors. The symptoms continue and can cause difficulty at school, at home, or with friends.
A child with ADHD might:

have a hard time paying attention
daydream a lot
not seem to listen
be easily distracted from schoolwork or play
forget things
be in constant motion or unable to stay seated
squirm or fidget
talk too much
not be able to play quietly
act and speak without thinking
have trouble taking turns
interrupt others

THESE ARE THE SO CALLED FACTS FROM HIS LINK

CDC - ADHD, Facts - NCBDDD

 

[eots]

FACT...There is no valid diagnostic test for ADHD

FACT..ADHD is diagnosed by a subjective observation and judgement of behaviorism which are

have a hard time paying attention
daydream a lot
not seem to listen
be easily distracted from schoolwork or play
forget things
be in constant motion or unable to stay seated
squirm or fidget
talk too much
not be able to play quietly
act and speak without thinking
have trouble taking turns
interrupt others

FACT..Drug companies have a long history of knowingly falsifying studies and withholding studies of drug dangers and ineffectiveness of psych drugs while promoting their use in children and have paid out billions in damages


THIS IS WHAT SAMSON CAN NOT DISPUTE

 

[eots]

And I am still waiting for your link to ...run of the mill ADHD study or atleast youtube video

 

[thanatos144]

Lol...that is foolish but I think *diagnosing* little kids with behavior disorders before they've even gotten out of gradeschool is a risky venture..

And that's why on our planet you must have a medical license to do it.

That doesn't give anyone the right to feel good about doping a kid up cause they are to lazy to parent or teach.

 

[Samson]

I had a meeting with my son's teacher's and school psychologist, and they recommended I take him to a pediatrician that specializes in ADHD etc to be tested for ADHD. Many of you have might already know I have had my son in special programs since before he was two, and that they had diagnosed him with a sensory perception disorder when all this first started.

II have read some on it, but not a lot. The whole thing is scary at this point, for one I have no clue how I feel about medication, how to treat it, and even the diagnoses of ADHD. Feedback, recommendations, stories would be great. Thanks.

There is a huge push to diagnose children with ADHD and many do not have anything more than a very active and lively nature that teachers would prefer to be toned down rather than accepting their job may be a bit more challenging.

They tried to diagnose my own son years ago with ADHD and I refused to allow them to put him on medicine. today? He is fine! How did I know he wasn't ADHD? He was very hyper active but he was also a chess champion. If that isn't attention abundance I don't know what is. So do not worry too much about this but rather google some stories about the overmedicating of our youth today.

Correct: Their is no questioning the link between feminization of society and the explosion of ADHD disorder among boys.

Boys are simply more active than girls.

 

[High_Gravity]

FACT...There is no valid diagnostic test for ADHD

FACT..ADHD is diagnosed by a subjective observation and judgement of behaviorism which are

have a hard time paying attention
daydream a lot
not seem to listen
be easily distracted from schoolwork or play
forget things
be in constant motion or unable to stay seated
squirm or fidget
talk too much
not be able to play quietly
act and speak without thinking
have trouble taking turns
interrupt others
FACT..Drug companies have a long history of knowingly falsifying studies and withholding studies of drug dangers and ineffectiveness of psych drugs while promoting their use in children and have paid out billions in damages


THIS IS WHAT SAMSON CAN NOT DISPUTE

I still have a hard time believing all boys behave that way.

 

[koshergrl]

Not all, but a lot. I had two who were perfectly behaved...and then I have my youngest.

My youngest does much better academically than the two older boys ever did. He cares nothing about what other people think of him...and he's the one that so many advised me to *test*.

 

[Samson]

You said it yourself, it was a problem in school. He's adjusted and he's living with it in the real world, that doesn't make it less of a brain disorder. He's turned it into a gift but few people can get jobs if they can't get an education and they can't get an education if they can't sit still enough to learn.

Guess what? Savant-ism is a neurological disorder too. Do you know what that is? It's what gives certain people talents like photographic memories, etc. The fact that it's a good thing doesn't make it less of a brain disorder.

Interesting that you've gone from arguing that it doesn't exist to claiming it's not a disorder.....

it does not exists as a medical condition..it is a non-existent brain disorder
and i have not said otherwise..there a personality we describe with words like hyper..of course all kinds of complex personalities exists..but they are not medical conditions

For something that does not exists as a medical condition it certainly has the attention of the CDC.

As you have no credentials to know anymore about the subject than the ballon of hot air that is your credablity, whether or not You believe it is a medical condition is irrelevant.

 

[Mr. H.]

The difference is that with the drug, it only works if the child IS ADHD. That's why the blind study. So the teachers nor the parents or even the doctor know if they are getting the drug that week or the placebo. After the test, they determine which week they did best, if it matches up with the drug then they are ADHD. Some people try the test again to be sure, I have no problems with that. My son couldn't sit still for 5 minutes without the drug when he was in 1st grade. I took him off it in 3rd grade due to side effects. There are other things to do to help, like behavioral modification and making sure they get plenty of exercise during recess, etc. My son's school didn't know and didn't suspect anything when I took him off the drug but boy were they made when a year and a 1/2 later they found out he was no longer on the drug. I was a pariah as far as they were concerned. And suddenly my son started having behavior problems again, problems he didn't have when they thought he was on the drug. I ended up removing him from that school and homeschooling him for a few years.

BTW, when my son was in 7th grade, I took him to a private psychiatrist and he was diagnosed with asperger's syndrome. Something I suspected back when he was in 2nd grade but of course, because I suggested it, he couldn't possibly have it. Oh, and hyperactivity, he still had that. So did my other Autistic son. For him, we paid a lot of money for a drug patch to keep him from being so hyper because it wasn't designed for that reason and the insurance company refused to pay for it even with a letter from his pediatric neurologist.

So we know Hyperactivity exists. Is it just the ADD part of it you believe is made up?

the part that is made up is that it is a brain disorder..my sons so called hyperactivity..that was a problem in school is a gift in the real world..he often works 6 days a week..he comes home after a full days work at 3 has the house clean dinner ready for his girlfriend getting home ..then he ready to go out or work on a project..he will talk to anyone anywhere and always has something to say.. employers love him..all the qualities he is praised for his outgoing ways his out the box thinking, his humor.his high energy and talkativeness..his mufti-tasking..are all the traits they called his symptoms
in a school setting

You said it yourself, it was a problem in school. He's adjusted and he's living with it in the real world, that doesn't make it less of a brain disorder. He's turned it into a gift but few people can get jobs if they can't get an education and they can't get an education if they can't sit still enough to learn.

Guess what? Savant-ism is a neurological disorder too. Do you know what that is? It's what gives certain people talents like photographic memories, etc. The fact that it's a good thing doesn't make it less of a brain disorder.

Interesting that you've gone from arguing that it doesn't exist to claiming it's not a disorder.....

Both of my sister's sons have been through multiple diagnoses over the years. They went from ADHD ( their school insisted on drugs) to Tourettes ( their school insisted on drugs) to Autism ( their school insisted on drugs) to Savant ( their school insisted on drugs) to Asperger ( their school insisted on drugs).

Every step of the way she has insisted on a no-drug approach. And to this day she has prevailed. But not without a ferocious battle. My nephews have both tested at genius level intelligence. The younger is being courted by MENSA. The elder has his sights set on M.I.T. and will settle for nothing less.

Stick to your dogs, Ms. A. It is not you or your child who must bend.

YOU must fight to bend authority.

 

[eots]

FACT...There is no valid diagnostic test for ADHD

FACT..ADHD is diagnosed by a subjective observation and judgement of behaviorism which are

have a hard time paying attention
daydream a lot
not seem to listen
be easily distracted from schoolwork or play
forget things
be in constant motion or unable to stay seated
squirm or fidget
talk too much
not be able to play quietly
act and speak without thinking
have trouble taking turns
interrupt others
FACT..Drug companies have a long history of knowingly falsifying studies and withholding studies of drug dangers and ineffectiveness of psych drugs while promoting their use in children and have paid out billions in damages


THIS IS WHAT SAMSON CAN NOT DISPUTE

I still have a hard time believing all boys behave that way.

not all do ..some even get awards for their unusually "good behavior"

 

[Samson]

the part that is made up is that it is a brain disorder..my sons so called hyperactivity..that was a problem in school is a gift in the real world..he often works 6 days a week..he comes home after a full days work at 3 has the house clean dinner ready for his girlfriend getting home ..then he ready to go out or work on a project..he will talk to anyone anywhere and always has something to say.. employers love him..all the qualities he is praised for his outgoing ways his out the box thinking, his humor.his high energy and talkativeness..his mufti-tasking..are all the traits they called his symptoms in a school setting

Normalcy is a mental disorder. Especially in boys. Boys are not independent. They are actually dysfunctional girls and must be medicated to act more like girls.

Your experience is quite common. The ones who need to be drugged are often the most imaginative and creative. They are the hardest workers. But then being a "workaholic" is also a mental disorder that must be drugged out. Children that like to run or climb are hyperactive. Those that use creative ways of problem solving have ADD.

If you are a workaholic who likes to work. Never fear. There are drugs that can make you as lazy as the next guy.

The TRUTH About Workaholics | CareerCast.com

This is certainly true in MANY diagnosis of ADHD, but it does not mean ADHD does not exist.