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ADHD on Trial
Even when presented with scientific support for the existence of ADHD, evidence doesn't win over all the skeptics.
Some will change.
- People who really want to support you, but who have some doubts or questions, may change. A good answer is all they need
Some will not change.
- Some of those who are still skeptical want more evidence. That's wonderful. You can look at many scientific studies together
- Other skeptics have made a battle of it. You need answers to stand by your own decisions and remain firm and calm. They may never budge
- What is important is that you need to remain confident in yourself about the decision you and the doctor have made
Now imagine a courtroom trial. ADHD is “the accused.” You are the defense lawyer. What can you say back to each of the following attacks? Suggestions are under each accusation.
Bad teachers cause ADHD. Their lessons are boring and rote. Healthy, intelligent children should rebel!
- If a child is inattentive, impulsive and/or hyperactive only at school, the child's behavior would not match the criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD. A diagnosis of ADHD is based partially on symptoms appearing in more than one place. Look again at the list of criteria
Bad parents cause ADHD. They let their children get away with too much!
- No one, not even the most brilliant scientist in the world, knows for certain what causes ADHD. For anyone to claim that they know “bad parents cause ADHD” is simply unscientific. They have no proof. Underneath, what skeptics are really saying is the same old accusation that ADHD isn't a real disorder
The name for this disorder has changed so many times it can't possibly be a real disease.
- In fact, the name hasn't changed all that much. It began as Attention Deficit Disorder. It has become Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, officially written AD/HD. The disorder has been characterized by “attention deficits” all along. Scientists have identified 3 subtypes of the disorder: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined
ADHD can't be a real disorder. Hyperactivity and inattention are not the same thing.
- Real disorders can have different forms. Two different types of symptoms coming from the same source is sometimes the way the body works: For example, fever and chills are different, but they both can come from having the flu. Hyperactivity and inattention are different, but they reflect the same underlying disorder
Anything having to do with psychology is not real science.
- What is real science? It's a process: performing careful, controlled studies and collecting evidence that confirms or disproves theories. The scientific process is the same whether the field is physics, chemistry, or psychology
Being impulsive, daydreaming, and starting things you don't finish are normal kid behaviors.
- It's a matter of knowing “how much” is too much
- Being active might be popping out of your seat
- Hyperactive might be unable to stay in your seat long enough even to finish an assignment
- Ordinary distraction might be hardly working at all on a weekend chore in order to splash in a puddle
- Too much distraction might be hardly working at all on a classroom assignment in order to stare out the window
- Ordinary impulsive behavior might be interrupting occasionally
- Too impulsive might be interrupting constantly
- It's not easy to know where the line is when some becomes too much. That's one reason a professional, who studies what “normal kid behavior” is, has to make the diagnosis
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