ADHD a gift?

Posted on Tue, May. 24, 2005

My daughter has ADD and I see her as creative, fun loving and wonderful. She is so innocent and beautiful. She has trouble concentrating, but don't we all sometimes. I feel that what they label ADD is just kids being kids, how many children do you know that have the attention span of an adult, nor should they. So I felt this article really shows that we should celebrate our children, regardless of what society labels them.


Posted on Tue, May. 24, 2005





Is ADHD really a gift?

By Peggy Spear

CONTRA COSTA TIMES


IAN JOHNSTONE loves to play with Lego blocks. He can fiddle with the plastic toys for hours, building elaborate cities without even looking at the directions. It's a creative intensity not seen in many other 6-year-old boys, but one his mother Jeni has come to expect from him. She sees it as one of his gifts.

Ian has also been known to interrupt frequently, act impulsively and melt down into tantrums over things such as bedtime -- all actions that reflect his attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Johnstone says that her son is very sensitive and intuitive, but when she tells people he has ADHD, they "think of a kid running amok."

She's right. The term "ADHD" conjures up the image of a rambunctious troublemaker unable to follow through on tasks, keep still in a classroom and keep up with the ever increasing competitive nature of childhood. Any "gifts" he has are overshadowed by frustration, anger and a fear of failure.

But Lara Honos-Webb, 35, a Walnut Creek therapist and Santa Clara University psychology professor, is trying to change all that with a controversial new book, "The Gift of ADHD." The book challenges parents and the public to change the way we look at the condition. She urges parents to "go from seeing your child as having a deficit disorder to having a unique gift."

Through a series of activities and what Honos-Webb calls engaged parenting, children's ADHD can be managed and some of the behaviors that are disruptive can be turned into strengths, she says. For instance, that tendency to daydream is actually a sign of intense creativity, and parents should help foster that.

She also says that parents can help kids understand their feelings better if they "externalize" their emotions. It's a trick Johnstone uses with her son. "When Ian gets going too fast, I just tell him to turn down his motor. Sometimes he can't, but it gets him to start being aware of his actions."

Gifts, not detriments

The fact that ADHD is labeled a "deficit" and "disorder" tells kids that something is wrong with them, Honos-Webb says. "It's heartbreaking to send that message to kids when actually, they have tremendous gifts."

While most experts agree that many children diagnosed with having ADHD are extremely bright, Honos-Webb's philosophy goes a bit further: She frowns on the use of medication to treat ADHD, claiming that it often interferes with a child's ability to tap into his strengths.

It's a new twist on the old to-medicate-or-not-to-medicate debate, and some experts see Honos-Webb's book as well-intentioned, but slightly naive -- especially in the ultracompetitive East Bay suburbs. Any "gifts" associated with ADHD are often buried under pressures to succeed in the classroom, on the ball field and in social circles -- places not routinely nurturing for kids who suffer from the disorder.

"Many of the symptoms of ADHD are disruptive, but I see many of these disruptive traits as expressions of underlying talents," Honos-Webb says, including creativity, intuitiveness, emotional awareness and exuberance. She says that many kids with ADHD are wired to fail in a traditional school environment, and many parents and doctors resort to medication -- Ritalin and similar drugs -- to help alleviate the symptoms.

This "rush to medicate" doesn't allow children to explore their gifts and, by association, ultimately hurts their self-esteem, she says.

The subject is personal for Honos-Webb, who on this particular day looks more like the mother of young kids that she is rather than a nationally renowned researcher. In fact, her daughter Audrey, 3 months old, was born the same week Honos-Webb's book was released, so she has been juggling diaper changes and midnight feedings with press interviews and radio talk-show appearances. But when she talks shop, her eyes light up and any weariness seems to fade. It's clear that this subject has deep roots for her.

Honos-Webb's first experience with ADHD came at a young age, when her brother John was diagnosed with the condition. She says their mother "reluctantly" medicated him to appease teachers, and the years he was in a more tolerant classroom, the medication wasn't necessary.

While his exuberance was unsettling to some family members, Honos-Webb says that her parents embraced her brother's positive traits, including his intelligence, perception and intuitive nature.

"He was, and still is, gifted," Honos-Webb says.

Medicate to succeed

On the other hand, the problems that kids encounter because of their ADHD may have even more negative effects. Pleasanton's JoAnn Matone is raising two sons, now teens, who are diagnosed with ADHD, and she says she is a bit skeptical about Honos-Webb's assertion that therapy, behavior modification and engaged parenting can alleviate some of the negative consequences of the condition.

"How can I find my son's gifts when we have to be focused on SAT tests?" she asks. "How can I work with his teacher on helping him be more successful when we still worry about getting the homework turned in on time?"

That's the reality parents, teachers and doctors face. Dr. Larry Diller, a Walnut Creek therapist and author of "Should I Medicate My Child" and "Running on Ritalin," says jokingly that he is known in ADHD circles as "the doctor who rushes to medicate kids," a label he shrugs off. "I'm a pragmatist," he says. "I don't think all kids need to be medicated, but many times, if it helps a child feel more successful in their academic or social environment, it makes sense."

One thing that he and Honos-Webb do agree with is that in the competitive East Bay, where success in the classroom and on the sports fields is paramount, parents may encourage medicating their children if their ADHD impedes their performance too much.

"Many parents fear their own self-image will suffer if their child isn't treated ... there's a fear of their kid's failure," Diller says.

Others who are living and working with children with ADHD are torn about just how much it should be construed as a gift.

"Most medical and health care providers agree that by definition ADHD or other learning disabilities are defined by skill weaknesses and therefore not positive," says Glenn Gelfenbein, a licensed marriage and family therapist and director of the Berkeley-based Ability Resource Center. While he says that there are different levels of severity of ADHD, and that many children can function without medication, most medical research indicates that Ritalin and other such drugs do alleviate the ADHD symptoms.

Those are the stark realities of life for many parents and their children with ADHD, and Honos-Webb is the first to acknowledge that medication may be necessary in some cases -- but not all.

"Medication may seem like the perfect solution, but think about it," she says. "Sherlock Holmes thought cocaine was a miracle drug 100 years ago, and look where it is now."

Peggy Spear is a Times features writer. Reach her at 925-943-8241 or pspear@cctimes.com.

Diagnosing and treating ADHD

ADHD is a diagnosis of people who suffer from inattention, hyperactivity and impulse-control issues.

It is estimated that 3 percent to 5 percent of children have ADHD, or approximately 2 million children in the United States. This means that in a classroom of 25 to 30 children, it is likely that at least one will have ADHD.

Not everyone who is overly hyperactive, inattentive or impulsive has ADHD. Since most people sometimes blurt out things they didn't mean to say, or jump from one task to another, or become disorganized and forgetful, it is hard to diagnose.

ADHD diagnosis requires specific requirements for determining when the symptoms indicate ADHD. The behaviors must appear early in life, before age 7, and continue for at least six months. Above all, the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least two areas of a person's life, such as in the schoolroom, on the playground, at home, in the community or in social settings.

Medications for ADHD help many children focus and be more successful at school, home and play. Avoiding negative experiences early may actually help prevent addictions and other emotional problems later. About 80 percent of children who need medication for ADHD still need it as teenagers. More than 50 percent need medication as adults.

Recent studies have suggested that long-term use of methylphenidate, the generic name for Ritalin, may permanently alter the brain and lead to depression in adults.

For more information on ADHD contact Child and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) at 888-759-9758 or www.chaddnorcal.org.

-- Sources: National Institute of Mental Health; Wall Street Journal

In my news letters I came across this article. I wanted to introduce this new way of looking at ADHD. For all those feeling overwhelmed by what most perceive as an affliction

God Bless
Tammy