How Has ADHD Diagnosis Changed In The Last Decade?
ADHD diagnosis has changed rapidly over the last ten years with changes in symptoms, treatment, and who is diagnosed as well. ADHD was common more in boys than girls , and now girls are being diagnosed more than ever. Look here to see why there's a rise in ADHD diagnosing. It is important for students everywhere to know and understand more about learning disabilities in and out of the classroom whether they have one or not.
Changes and difference in last decade
It's common for one to think ADHD is only common in boys but this disorder is common in both genders and is often just expressed with different symptoms. Over time, psychologist have realized how differently ADHD has affected children and how differently their treatment is by doing research. Research is considered one of the main causes of the rise in this diagnosis, and psychologist know more about what they are diagnosing and what they should treat it with.
Who benefits from these changes and why ?
Not only are parents benefiting from these changes but psychologist are able to understand the disorder more and compare it to other disorders such as ODD and OCD, which are often confused with ADHD. These three disorders should be treated differently because it is entirely different behavior and could be treated with stimulants or psychiatric treatment. There were many mistakes made by doctors in the past by treating children with stimulants for ADHD, but they had a different disorder, so the medicine affected them in the wrong way, opposite of treating them. The main errors doctors and parents made was mainly looking for this disorder in young boys, and not only have we learned that it will occur in girls, but it can still occur throughout adulthood. As we know, this disorder is diagnosed differently and effects people differently. The big idea that should change for this diagnosis is that doctors should not overlook behavior symptoms and should not under look them as well.
To carver students
At carver we should understand disabilities and learning disabilities in and out of the classroom. It helps students that have it and students that don’t as well, because we are learning about a common disorder that is often overlooked. Learning disorders and behavior disorders are not talked about enough in schools. They should be, since these are everyday obstacles for teachers and students in a classrooms.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS - For this article I interviewed Carver’s psychologist Mark Molyneux. Molyneux has practiced psychology for 35 years and has experience with ADHD. It was interesting seeing his opinion on the disorder as a school official and as a psychologist.
“How do you feel about the rise in ADHD diagnosis“?
“It seems that we are far more likely to diagnose ADD or ADHD in the United States. Prevalence rates are two to three times higher here than in most other countries. That may well have something to do with "big-pharma", i.e. "Now that we have a drug to sell, let's see what conditions it might address." Doctors seem more inclined to medicate than psychologists”
“ What’s the most significant thing you’ve learned about ADHD in schools “ ?
“The fact of the matter is that some schools and some school districts operate with anywhere from 1/5 to 1/3 of their entire student body carrying some sort of disability label. In my mind, that is far too many students with labels. My experience is consistent with the research, i.e. the numbers and percentages of all handicapping conditions seem to be increasing, and that creates problems for students, their teachers, and their parents. "