ADHD Is Real (James W. Forgan, Ph.D., and Mary Anne Richey)

At times you still may wonder, or have to convince a skeptical family member, whether or not ADHD is a fad or made-up disorder. Rest assured, ADHD is not a diagnosis contrived by parents or professionals looking for an excuse for a child’s behavior.

As a parent, the key to explaining ADHD to others is to first thoroughly understand it yourself. Professionals and laypeople use different words to explain ADHD. In his book, Dr. Larry Silver’s Advice to Parents on ADHD, Dr. Larry Silver (1999) described ADHD as a “neurologically based disorder” (p. 3). The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (2010) noted that “ADHD is a condition that can make it hard for a person to sit still, control behavior, and pay attention” (para. 4). The core symptoms of ADHD are developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. In line with this, the National Resource Center on ADHD (2008) defined ADHD as “a condition affecting children and adults that is characterized by problems with attention, impulsivity, and over activity” (para. 1). Russell Barkley, an eminent researcher in the field of ADHD, added that

Most recent theories of ADHD have viewed behavioral inhibition as central to the disorder, while also suggesting that deficits in executive function and self- regulation are likely to account for part or all of the inattentive symptoms associated with the disorder. (p. 39)

These definitions have the following in common: ADHD is highly disruptive, involves too much energy or being too distracted, and is neurologically based. The behaviors must occur to a degree that is highly atypical of children the same age and must interfere with academic or social progress. Finally, the behaviors must occur across multiple settings.

Nor is ADHD unique to the postmodern era. As early as 1845, a German physician wrote a poem about “Fidgety Philip,” a boy who can’t sit still at dinner and accidentally knocks all of the food onto the floor, to his parents’ great displeasure. This is one of the earliest records of symptoms consistent with what we now call ADHD.

A great deal of research in the 1940s and 1950s focused on disorders of the brain. Scientists described ADHD-like behavior with terms such as “minimal brain dysfunction” or “hyperkinetic impulse disorder.” In 1987, the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders recognized the disorder as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Thus, the notion that ADHD is a disorder made up in the 1990s is a myth because behaviors related to ADHD have been recorded for more than 100 years.

Many other myths about ADHD still exist (see Table 1). Are there any you still believe?

Table 1

Myths and Facts About ADHD

Myth	Fact
Poor  parenting causes ADHD.	ADHD is  neurological and often genetic.
If you have one child with ADHD, all of your children will have it.	Not all children in the  same family have  ADHD.
ADHD is  not a  disability.	ADHD is a recognized disability in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities  Education Act  (IDEA).
Medication is the only treatment for ADHD.	Medication is  only one  treatment option.
Schoolteachers want active boys  on medication.	Schoolteachers want their students to give  their best   effort.
If a boy is hyper, then he has ADHD.	Boys who are hyper do not always have ADHD. Other things, such as anxiety, can cause hyperactive  types  of behaviors.
A boy who is quiet and likes to read cannot have  ADHD.	Some  boys who have the  inattentive  type  of ADHD are quiet and like  to read.
Schools do not know how to teach boys  with ADHD.	Schools are becoming more knowledgeable and must provide appropriate accommodations  to boys with ADHD.
Only a psychiatrist can diagnose  ADHD.	Pediatricians, psychologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health and medical personnel can all diagnose  ADHD.
Psychologists prescribe medication.	Only medical doctors such as pediatricians, neurologists, and psychiatrists and nurse practitioners can prescribe  medication.
An equal number of boys and girls are diagnosed with ADHD.	More  boys  than girls  are diagnosed with ADHD.
Boys with ADHD want to behave badly.	Boys  with ADHD are  not  able  to behave  consistently, independently, or predictably.
ADHD is a societal fad and will go away.	ADHD has been recognized since  the  mid-1800s  but has been called by different  names.
ADHD and ADD are  the same thing	ADHD is an umbrella term that is used in the DSM-IV criteria in place of ADD, a term found in previous  DSM editions.  ADD was renamed in 1994 by the  American Psychiatric   Association (APA)

Source : James W. Forgan, Ph.D., and Mary Anne Richey. Raising Boys with ADHD. Prufrock Press Inc. 2012