I’ve been spending a lot of time lately researching what is adhd for a friend of mine. Her daughter was diagnosed as adhd because she acted up at school. Mind you, that was the only place she acted up, and the school sent my friend a letter stating that the school psychologist had suggested her daughter be seen by the doctor. Of course, my friend complied and the doctor’s automatic response was that she was adhd.

Let me think here – she’s adhd but she can spend HOURS reading a book or doing something that keeps her engaged. She finishes her schoolwork and THEN gets into trouble. Sounds a lot like me when I was a kid. I got in trouble because I was bored. I had finished my work and I was bored waiting for the next subject to start. What a concept – a SMART CHILD who needs to be kept stimulated in order to keep them out of trouble. Not adhd.

What is it with doctors who are so quick to diagnose kids as adhd, add, etc when they really aren’t? I’ve even seen some mis-diagnosed autism – a coworker’s son was diagnosed as autistic because he “fit” several of the criteria. It wasn’t noticed until he went to preschool, and then because he didn’t interact with the other kids and didn’t talk. Wow, I did the same thing because I had no other kids at home. I was used to adults, not kids. I also rocked – still do actually, and I did and still do spend a LOT of time in my own little world (it’s ok, they know me here). How did they discover that he wasn’t autistic? He finally started talking – because he finally made some friends and had something to say! Oh yeah – and he reached 2nd grade and got a “story writing” assignment from the teacher and wrote the most amazing story. The boy is an artist with words – not autistic – just…. a dreamer.

I realize there ARE legitimate diagnosed cases of autism, add, adhd, etc. I’m not saying that all of them are crap. What I AM saying is that a lot of doctors are diagnosing kids with these things because it is what teachers/parents/whoever is wanting to hear. These are becoming things that are being diagnosed in bunches and bunches of kids because it’s easier than getting to the real root of whatever is causing a perceived problem. Kids won’t be good in school even though they’re good everywhere else? They’re adhd or add. Kids won’t talk, spend a lot of time daydreaming? They’re autistic. It drives me bonkers.

Legit diagnosis – great. Diagnosed with little or no testing because the description of what the kid is like or what the kid is doing is deemed sufficient to make a diagnosis – horrible. Laziness on the part of the doctor does not constitute a real condition on the part of a child.

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