I wanted to also throw in some information about food coloring.
It actually has been linked to LD and Hyperactivity in children.
Something as simple as food coloring could be attributing to many of these issues.

See this link that talks more about this on our fb page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/HOW-Nutrition/346690388694004?sk=wall

You might considering reading Dr. Edward Hallowell's books. Certainly every child should not receive medication without a thorough Ed-psych eval, but the cases you've mentioned are not good examples. I'm also curious to know where you received your PsyD degree & what kind of research & supervised clinical work you've done.

Teachers and educational staff, yes you too Administrators, have no business arbitrarily diagnosing and prescribing medication for ADHD/ADD. A phone call to the parents perhaps for a conference regarding behaviors may be in order, but that is about it! The rest is differentiating instruction and 1-800-Pay Attention!

My attention deficit disorder prevents me from reading the whole article, but Mara, teachers and educational staff and administrators cannot and do not diagnose ADHD or prescribe medication. Unfortunately many educators want the diagnosis and medication, but it's the doctors who are more arbitrarily performing this task. Too many are willing to diagnose without a comprehensive evaluation.

My son was 3 when he was diagnosed.....way before any types of "habits" could be learned. Symptoms were notice at 6 months of age. Until you truly live with someone who has ADHD, you cannot go around saying it doesn't exist. Unfortunately, it does exist. While I agree too many teachers are insisting that hyper kids need to be medicated, you cannot go about saying that this does not exist whatsoever.

Interesting article - great points brought up.

Parents, there are many factors underlying most instances of what is being labeled "ADHD". Please do your own thorough investigation and you will usually find what Dr. Singer is talking about - an underlying cause that can be easily and naturally remedied.

The long arm of the pharmaceutical industry has helped "create" this child drug culture. Please don't blindly follow. Take a closer look as Dr Singer suggests.

Hi: I am a mother of an ADHD child that was diagnosed and put on medication when he was 5 years old. He was in Developmental Kindergarten and his Special Ed teacher said, "There's nothing developmentally wrong with your child, it is neurological and it can be fixed." And it was after extensive treatment and diagnosis at NSSET, Lutheran General. He was put into psychotherapy and given medication. Thank Heavens he was or he would have self-medicated, done drugs, and hung with the wrong crowd throughout school. He is now 27 and successful at his career as well as a college graduate. ADHD is a REAL disability and I fume when I hear people like you say it is not. They have MRIs and CAT scans that shows what happens in an ADHD brain. Sure, it is co-morbid, and what comes a long with it are learning disabilities, fine motor and gross motor disabilities, cognitive delays, anxiety and depression.

There are many many conditions that mimic ADHD. http://www.incrediblehorizons.com/mimic-adhd.htm

Any evaluation should be made by psychiatrist familiar with the condition AFTER a complete physical. A responsible work-up would include several specialized medical tests, not only to rule out other conditions, but also to make sure that medication is safe. One office visit to a general pediatrician is not sufficient.

However many people do not "believe" in ADHD which can be maddening for families who are indeed dealing with a properly diagnosed condition. I can't tell you how many educational professionals have told me to my face, that they don't believe in ADHD, that all symptoms are due to poor parenting.

I'm sorry Dr Sherry, but your evidence is circumstantial at best. Your conclusion begs for ancillary evidence but does not exist. Ok, I get. You have a PHD in your title and a gut feeling. I can live with that, but then just say so.

Sully - ???? I'm sorry but I have no experience with parents not wanting their kids held accountable. Wanting reasonable accommodations, yes. I do have experience with small children sitting at a table trying (and I emphasize the word "trying") to do homework for hours on end and still getting threatened with missing field trips or denied free time because they can't possibly catch up. Believe me, they weren't getting away with anything. But some teachers refuse to believe it.

Just a general comment to those people who felt I wrote this article saying that the symptoms don't exist. I believe all the symptoms of ADHD are real. I just question what is causing them and I believe in most cases it requires looking at more than one area.

It would seem to me that most of the confusion and conflict demonstrated in many of the comments stems from the title. I suspect that your title questions whether ADHD exists in the specific child that you have been referred (as opposed to the child having symptoms associated with ADHD which are better explained by another diagnosis or explanation). It seems that some people interpret the title to mean that you question whether that diagnosis exists at all -- you indicate that you know the symptoms are there, but never really take a stand as to whether, in fact, you would sometimes conclude the symptoms do primarily stem from a condition that would best be treated with medication. I have always been puzzled by how parents often keep kids on medication that has been prescribed despite the child showing no real signs of improvement and conversely parents who withdraw medicine when it really helped them and there are no or minor adverse side affects compared to the problems prior to medication.

Diane, I do exercises to improve multi tasking, processing speed, visual & auditory memory, simultaneous & sequential processing. I also do behavior work as I see many behavioral interventions to be without teeth. To be honest, & I know this will really tick some people off and I will get lots of awful comments, but I am thoroughly disillusioned w/how drug dependant our society is. There is always more than one way to deal with these behavioral symptoms. There are those who totally live by the meds & that is their choice. I have worked with those folks in the way they want to work. I am more of a naturalist though & believe in looking at all the areas I mentioned above because I see lots of kids having problems on the meds. I see meds coming out on the market fast, having problems, disappearing & then a new named med coming out. Again, I don't tell people to take them or not because I am not a Medical Doc and I am clear about people making sure to involve the Medical Doc in what they do. I just know what I have seen with the real life kids I work with. Those parents who have had their kids on the multiple meds w/nothing but side effects until they just give up. I don't think it is an all or nothing thing. I think if a parent want to do the meds, they need to also be doing the work to build the skills & correct behavioral habits while on the meds or the meds will be permanent. All one has to do to know where our society is with meds is watch the commercials for a few hours.

Sully, thanks for clarifying the whole degree situation for Ratso. Ratso, you claim that my thoughts require evidence. I'm sorry, but with the level of profit involved in this disorder I doubt you will ever see any evidence of what I speak of. Again, I know my rebellious attitude about this will bring comments, maybe bad ones, but I have to be true to what I have seen. I have met many parents who are not only cycnical about the numbers of this diagnosis but now really becoming angry about it. I have seen too many kids-even my friend's kids drop dead playing sports while they were on a stimulant med for ADHD. This is not opinion. It is a fact that when you take a stimulant, your heart speeds up. End of story. Pardon me if it is important to me to help parents to find more natural ways of dealing with these very real and difficult symptoms. I'm not saying that all kids have these problems on these meds, but since we don't know who does and who doesn't ahead of time, it is important to not have tunnel vision. These are our children. They are precious and deserve to at least have all possibilities looked at. Think back to the old days when they diagnosed retardation for kids who were deaf. We can label things we don't understand completely and science can say what it wants about those things. It doesn't mean that 10 years down the road you aren't going to find out that maybe it wasn't that way. We need to keep an open mind and try to see all possibilities.

I also don't trust science completely either. Quick story about my dissertation. I did it on how heavy metal music lyrics impact kids. Really cool stuff. Wrote my own song, produced it, fiance and friends actually played it in a studio. After all was said and done, I got this great offer from a company in California that wanted me to present my findings. They wanted to put me up in a 5 start hotel, pay for my whole trip, publish me etc. I was thrilled! There was one catch though: I had to find that heavy metal music caused drug and alcohol abuse. That wasn't what my findings were. I could have gone along with it and maybe been famous today. I didn't. It wasn't accurate. Tough lesson that day. One of my dissertation board members told me that this is the nature of research and science. So I learned that day that the results go to the highest bidder. To say the least I learned to never take any results too seriously ever again. Maybe a stupid thing to do to turn this down as I might have been talking about this in a more famous venue right now, but again, had to be true to what I felt was right as I am doing now.

Diane, it does not say any such thing. "Do they all really have this disorder though? After 25 years of seeing alternative explanations of the symptoms, I firmly believe the answer is no." This is an exact quote from the article. I do not believe that all kids who are having symptoms are having a neurological disease. I don't think that is such a stretch. I would also say the converse, although every pharmaceutical company on the planet would love to believe that every person has a diagnosable condition that requires reds, it just isn't true. You know, I had a lady come in to see me because she was sure she had adhd too. She drank 14 cups of coffee a day. Do ya think this might have had something to do with her symptoms. Maybe she should just take the meds and keep going with the coffee too. Maybe 16 cups a day would be better. Sorry to be so sarcastic here, but it is not logical to think that every child has ADHD-but every child will have some level of not wanting to do homework, of misbehavior, of crabiness, of oppositional behavior. It doesn't all require a diagnosis or medication.

However Dr. Singer, there are certainly a percentage of children (and adults) who respond very well to medications and their level of functioning becomes much better when faced with everyday demands. In my opinion, the problems have come from drug company marketing and from doctors who actually profit from prescribing these drugs. There ARE too many doctors who will get very little information regarding the child, but will make the diagnosis anyway and prescribe away. This does such a disservice to true ADHD individuals who would benefit from proper medical treatment. Nevertheless, even those who are successfully medicated should also be in some kind of therapy in order to learn ways to compensate for the disorder. Medication alone is never the answer.

Thanks Diane. As I think you said before, this is a very emotional issue, which is why the more accurate information out there, the better. There will always be disagreement, but one hopes with intellectual discourse, a compromise is possible. To reiterate though, there are parents who try to use ADHD as an excuse for their children. These parents do not realize that in the long run, they are not helping their children at all.

Dorinda, i wasn't even referring to the impact of side effects from medications. I was referring to parents who knowingly or not, prevent their children from learning responsibility and good work ethics. These children are given the message that because of their ADHD, they can't be expected to do the same things as their non-disabled peers. Rather than learning compensation strategies, they believe they should just do less or be given special accommodations in order to succeed. What a terrible message for a young person to receive. I'm in no way saying these kids shouldn't be given accommodations. I'm saying that when their parents are continuing to make excuses for them year after year after year as to why they can't do something or why they shouldn't be held responsible, they do not learn what it takes to be successful.

Yes, ADHD does exist. It does not have to be considered a disability to a kid. My best friends son was diagnosed in 3rd grade. During the testing, the drs said, we think your husband has it too. Both take ADHD medications. The son is now a sophomore at Univ of IA. He was accepted into the Nuclear Physics program as a freshman. This program only accepts 13 kids in the country per year. He went to hs in the am, and college in the afternoon during his high school years. He also has dyslexia. The father is an engineer. I don't they consider themselves "disabled".
Another friends kid, has Asbergers which is a form of Autism. The parents worked with him, to help him adapt to social cues, which Asbergers people miss. He is graduating from Purdue University and wants to be a scientist. He also has a job lined up, when he graduates next spring.
As parents, from the time kids are born til about 13, we are with them constantly. After that, they become independent, and start making their own choices, good and bad. At age 18, they are considered "adults" on some things but not all things. At that point,
they have to learn themselves, the parents are doing them a favor, by letting them stumble and fall, and pick themselves up. It has nothing to do with ADHD, etc.

Sherri, I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are saying. You say "being grouped incorrectly". What does that mean? Also you say, "have a challenge they might not have and who knows what they will miss because of that!" To what are you referring? I'm not necessarily disagreeing; I just need some clarification.

Hi Sully,

I am just talking about those kids I have seen in my practice who might have been diagnosed with ADHD but actually had an auditory processing problem or some other issue that is now getting overlooked or not addressed because someone has said ADHD and now think the meds should do it. That child like all the others I have seen over 25 years who are in the same situation, continue to suffer and struggle even on the meds. These kids keep going downhill until the real issue that is effecting them gets looked at so other things can get done. That is why I am so intense about this issue. Have seen it happen too many times. It always concerns me, even with the kids who are diagnosed with ADHD and meds get prescribed, when adults stop at meds. Meds are meant as a symptom reducer, not a way to train better behavior, skills etc. Too many end up just minimally better without actually working on the core cause of what might be happening to them.

Okay. I for one, am not too wild about the words "auditory processing disorder" and have never found much validity to it's diagnosis. "Auditory processing" is too broad and too vague. If one does not understand the all encompassing characteristics of ADHD, auditory processing is surely not going to be a piece of cake. So we'll have to disagree on that one.

I didn't say auditory processing difficulties don't exist. Central Auditory Processing Disorder was a huge fad in Special Education some years ago, but the diagnosis is far less prevalent today (I've been around for a while too!). I don't believe that this disorder is really the cause behind so many other diagnoses. I've found that advocates use this term far too often when pushing for certain Special Education IEP goals and/or accommodations.

I think parents need to be diligent in trying to get the right diagnosis/medication for their kids. If one thing doesn't work, you try another way. I remember a teacher telling me when my son was in 1st grade, that he doesn't follow directions. "When I tell him
to open the door in the classroom, it takes him too long to get to the door". She said she would count to 20 before he would get up and most kids would be at the door by the count of 10. Well, he is in college, has an apt, has a job, has a 4.0. He figured it out and must be doing something right! Parents are their kids best advocate. You
know your child better than anyone. So, trust your gut, and keep going with it.

I agree about medication commercials. They should not be allowed. I also have never stated drugs are not over-prescribed. I know they are. But I still do not believe auditory processing is as overlooked as you believe, and I could say there are just as many professionals who do not believe in the validity of CAP. I believe it exists, but I do not believe it is a high percentage.

William- it's spelled PSYCHOLOGIST, with an "H".

I thought there was a movement afoot whereby all medication commercials would be
discontinued. I don't believe in the CAP diagnosis. I like to be more holistic in looking at all the senses rather than just AP. Certainly auditory can be the primary problem, however, in my experience other challenges exist as secondary and tertiary sensory processing challenges.

The auditory nerve is sensory and works with the vestibular never to modulate
motion. The neuroscience of it is complex. The sensory system is one big transducer to the central nervous system which integrates all the information in order to make an appropriate motor response. When one part of the system is dysfunctional for any reason, the entire sensorimotor system is affected.

Dr. Sherri, if I may ask, from where did you get your Psy.D? What are your credentials? Looking at the information you provided for Patch, and then viewing your website, you strike me as nothing more than a salesman. I could be mistaken, but I really have to question your "expertise" and your qualifications as to what you advertise. I'm sorry if this offends you, but i find it extremely irresponsible to mislead parents the way you seem to be doing.

Sully - from her website:

Got my expertise in many places along the way.....
BA: University of Illinois, Champaign
Doctorate/Psy.D.: Forest Institute of Professional Psychology
Therapist at Bresler and Dugo, Ltd.
Therapist at Child and Adolescent Service Center
Therapist at Shipley Behavior Disorder Center
Therapist at Institute for Behavioral Services
Therapist at Hillside Academy Behavior Disorder Program
Owner of Dr. Singer’s Happy Family Center

Oh an btw @deadcatbounce, I've seen some of your responses to his posts and more power to you! :)

Hi Dr. Sherri, I had an interesting thing happen with my son, who was diagnosed ADHD in 3rd grade along with a processing disorder and learning disabilities in language arts. He was on various medications for his ADHD, which really didn't seem to make a difference as far as I could see. We moved to CT the summer between 6th and 7th grade. Due to upheaval that came with moving, I got behind on filling my sons prescription so he was off his meds when school began. At his first IEP at his new school his teachers said they saw no reason for him to be on meds and we decided to keep him off unless his teachers recommended it. The teachers continued to believe he did not need meds. Now he is in 10th grade, has not been on meds, and is
a solid B student. His high school has been very supportive in helping him become a successful student.

However, I do believe ADHD exists and medication is necessary at times. I work with ADHD students teaching them executive functioning skills to help them compensate for the skills they lack and utilize behavior modification plans to help my students reach their goals. I also think it is diagnosed, and medication given, too quickly in many cases when there are other underlying reasons for various behaviors.

Reading all these comments it seems that all this has done is become a "pissing" contest instead of discussing what the real issue is. Yes, ADHD exists and yes, it is misdiagnosed. My son went through a battery of tests and was monitored constantly. Yes, he was medicated, but that was AFTER exhausting everything else first. I was lucky that I had a wonderful pediatrician and provided me with tons of material to read and research myself. I also have family who is in the medical field who could explain what something meant when I didn't understand the term. When he was old enough to understand the process he was given the choice of whether to stay on the medication or not. He did not do as well in school after ending the medication and chose not to attend college. He is a hard worker and knows the chances of him ever holding a desk job are next to nil....he needs to keep his hands busy or he cannot stay focused. These discussions, when handled properly, are good for parents so they know that they are other options, they can get 2nd even 3rd opinions to find out what is the proper way to treat their child. ADHD, whether with or without hyperactivity, is a very hard condition to diagnose and what works for one does not always work for another.