Your Underachieving Student: Attention Deficit Disorder or Bored?

February 18th, 2007

Neither of my two children in public schools in the 1970s gave stellar performances. I knew that both were bright. Yet, their elementary school report cards failed to reflect their intelligence. My husband and I helped them with homework, gave them outside tutoring, and even moved them to a different elementary school where test scores were better. In the summers I gave my daughter and son “homework” of my own, with math and language drills and assigned book reports. My eight years as a public school teacher before my younger child was born motivated me to supplement their studies.

My son at age 8 could easily have been labeled a child with attention deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD) — a term not widely used in the late 1970s. His third grade teacher often sent me notes about his daydreaming or doodling in class. He was never placed on medication such as stimulants or antidepressants to influence his behavior. Away from school, absorbed in his own interests, he was clearly able to focus on what he liked to do. It took several years of mediocre grades before he was able to see the value of academic achievement.

My daughter came into her own in high school, when we enrolled her in a parochial school. The smaller school with a female-only student body and many extracurricular activities helped her learn to excel and to develop leadership skills.

After high school graduation, both youngsters were accepted at top colleges in California and have excelled in their post-graduate careers. My daughter is now in a doctoral program while working full-time as a high school vice principal. My son is a successful entrepreneur and computer programmer. Our family was fortunate. In some cases, a child’s early problems can extend into adulthood and without proper treatment, adversely affect the individual’s work and personal life.

 My point is to not be too hasty in putting your child on drugs, unless there is truly a problem that cannot be dealt with through other resources. If your child is quite inattentive, hyperactive and/or disruptive, some behavior modification classes or techniques might be helpful initially. A good child/adolescent psychiatrist can help you discover the root of the problem, and medications can be prescribed when needed. Work closely with teachers, school counselors or administrators and your child’s physician to ensure that appropriate medication or other treatment is used.

My account is based on my perspective as a parent, teacher, and health care professional. Here are some wonderful resources from an authority in the field to help guide you: 

I heard recently from Mohab Hanna, M.D., who visited my blog. Dr. Hanna is Board-certified in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. His medical training was completed at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. You can go to his blog (impressive!) at http://www.add-adhdtreatment.blogspot.com/. I found his initial entry to be especially helpful. Here are some highlights from Dr. Hanna’s entry of February 2, 2007:

AD/HD Medications:  What is a Parent to Do?”

 “A thorough evaluation is the first and most essential step in the process. It is impossible to treat any condition without knowing what you are treating. It is not prudent to ‘try a medicine to see if it works.’ That is an inappropriate way to proceed and can actually be harmful. Many children who appear to have some ADHD symptoms actually have a different condition, such as anxiety or depression. Furthermore there are some kids who have anxiety in addition to the ADHD. In either scenario, it is essential to determine the diagnosis prior to initiating any kind of medication trial…

“…Every medication has potential side effects. It is important to understand the different potential negative effects. In order to proceed with a medication trial, the potential benefit should outweigh the potential negative effects. Once the diagnosis of ADHD has been established and it has been determined that the potential benefit outweighs the potential negatives, the parents need to understand the risks of not treating the ADHD. Many studies have been conducted to examine the consequences of untreated ADHD. It is clear that there are numerous potential consequences such as academic failure, peer rejection, depression, accidents, substance abuse, etc…These consequences are significant and are typically not transient; they tend to continue to manifest into adolescence and adulthood.”

Dr. Hanna has also written a book titled Making the Connection: A Parent’s Guide to Medication in AD/HD.

“My goal with the book and the blog is to empower patients to be proactive in the decisions that are made,” says Dr. Hanna. “I also hope to provide them with balanced (non-marketed), unbiased information.” Dr. Hanna lives in Maryland and may be reached by telephone at 410-583-2623, ext. 3, or fax at 410-583-2949.

Source:  Dr. Mohab Hanna;

Entry Filed under: ADHD,ADHD,CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE,PERSONAL STORIES