ADD / ADHA

Attention Deficit Disorders With/Without Hyperactivity

ADD/ADHD is not new. The name has just been changed. There is a high co-morbidity with dyslexia, with 60-70% of individuals with ADD having dyslexia as well. Unfortunately, currently ADD/ADHD is predominantly being identified and addressed through a single symptom, attention concentration or the behavioral aspect, as opposed to the more pervasive language, perceptual, and processing deficits which also exist.
General Characteristics Of Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorders:

 

bullet point Spotty performance on IQ tests: high in some areas, low in others; IQ scores   decline by age 12
bullet point Poor visual motor perception resulting in handwriting and copying problems
bullet point Poor reading skills or poor comprehension skills
bullet point Poor phonological awareness
bullet point Poor ability to deal with time, which makes them have problems in organizing,   settingand maintaining goals, realizing what their behaviors or choices will    “cost” in the future
bullet point Poor spatial orientation resulting in poor handwriting and problems with     “reading” body language
bullet point Impaired auditory processing problems, so that sometimes they cannot      remember instructions or they “mis-hear” what they have been told
bullet point Speech irregularities
bullet point Variability in performance — able to do something one time and not another    time
bullet point Literal interpretation of language with difficulty with nuances, transferring or    generalization of information, and more difficulty developing morals and ethics
bullet point Attention and concentration deficits
bullet point High incidence of allergies, alcoholism, diabetes, learning problems, and     thyroid disorders in their families or themselves

Addressing the single characteristic of attention/concentration through drug therapy is counterproductive and has long-term negative effects. Diagnosing a child or adult as ADD/ADHD based on this single characteristic is also erroneous. Other medical and behavioral problems also have attention/concentration or hyperactivity as a symptom, such as brain damage, nutritional and vitamin deficiencies, behavioral and emotional disorders, thyroid deficiency, environmental toxin exposure, etc. It is critical that a thorough differential diagnostic battery be administered to properly diagnose ADD/ADHD. There is no check sheet or inventory sufficient to diagnose ADD/ADHD properly.

 

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