Recent studies have shown that symptoms associated with fetal overexposure to alcohol are often mistaken for ADD/ADHD.  Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a serious condition (or perhaps, more correctly, range of conditions) that afflict many children whose mothers used too much alcohol while they were still in utero. The impact that FASD can have on a child’s health and wellbeing can be nothing short of devastating and it is one of the reasons why alcohol is best avoided during pregnancy. Some of the most common effects of FASD include the following:

Stunted growth: Children with FASD tend to show up on the lower percentiles in terms of height and weight.

Skull and facial abnormalities: Some studies suggest a strong link between facial and cranial defects and alcohol overexposure.

Damage to the central nervous system: Perhaps the most serious impact of FASD is the havoc that it wreaks on the central nervous system. This can range from stunted brain growth to the development of serious neurological conditions (e.g. epilepsy and seizure disorders). This damage can also manifest itself in the  form of functional disabilities or development disorders. The most common among these are:
•    Problems with social/adaptive skills
•    Reduced memory capabilities
•    Lack of impulse control, attention, social perception and judgment
•    Sensory problems
•    Difficulty in mastering motor skills

It is obvious that this last list can very easily be mistaken for a description of what medical professionals are looking for when attempting to diagnose ADD/ADHD! This fact has serious consequences for those suffering from FASD. The abovementioned study, conducted by the University of Toronto in conjunction with the Hospital for Sick Children at Surrey Place Center, found that it is likely that many FASD children are not receiving appropriate help and care because of ADD/ADHD misdiagnoses.

The main area of concern that the study (which compared 33 children with FASD, 30 ADHD children and 34 children with no disorders) flagged up was the issue of social interaction. It is suggested that FASD children who are not correctly diagnosed early on are in grave danger of developing serious behavioral problems if the condition is not responded to correctly. One of the authors of the research report, Joanne Rovet, had the following to say about this: “In terms of social cognition and emotional processing, the core deficit in FASD appears to be in understanding and interpreting another’s mental states and emotions. These problems with social cognition and emotion processing may underlie the severe conduct problems seen in children with FASD.  It is imperative that these children receive assistance in social and emotional processing domains, specifically targeting interventions to deal with their unique deficits.”

This study shows, once again, how dangerous the current ‘trigger happy’ attitude to ADD/ADHD diagnosis can be. It also underlines that the problem of misdiagnosis can cut both ways. On the one hand it leads essentially healthy children into a system where they have to have to unnecessarily take dangerous drugs on a daily basis. It also keeps, on the other hand, children who need highly specialized care and treatment (as is the case with FASD) from receiving it because many physicians are almost conditioned not to look beyond the ADD/ADHD label.

If you suspect that FASD could be a factor in your child’s problems you should take heart. Many excellent interventions and treatment methods for the condition exist. It should therefore never be seen as a ‘life sentence’ to a low functioning and problem filled life. The most important thing is to simply get together the courage to take the first step. Many parents of FASD children hesitate to seek help, or to flag up maternal alcohol use during pregnancy as a possible factor, because of the social stigma that is sometimes attached to the condition. I want to urge you however to refuse to allow possible past mistakes to overshadow your child’s future. If you have the courage to seek it you will find that help is available and the condition can be successfully managed in most cases.

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More information about the University of Toronto study can be found here.

More information about FASD, and about managing the condition, can be found here.
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Significant new research (published in the Journal of Development & Behavioral Pediatrics) points to the widespread occurrence of the placebo effect when it comes to ADD/ADHD medication. This should perhaps be expected as the effect has been shown to occur with just about any kind of medication imaginable. What makes the findings surprising however is that the placebo effect did not occur in the ADD/ADHD patients themselves but in their caregivers! In other words, the belief that a child is being medicated was sometimes enough for parents or teachers to significantly modify their attitudes to, and expectations of, that child.

The study was conducted by pediatric psychologists from the University of Buffalo and found that, when caregivers believed that children were receiving ADD/ADHD medication (e.g. Ritalin and Adderall) they would view them more favorably and treat them more positively – whether medication was actually involved or not!

The lead author of the review Dr. Daniel A Waschbusch summarized their rather alarming findings as follows: “”The act of administering medication, or thinking a child has received medication, may induce positive expectancies in parents and teachers about the effects of that medication, which may, in turn, influence how parents and teachers evaluate and behave toward children with ADHD. We speculate that the perception that a child is receiving ADHD medication may bring about a shift in attitude in a teacher or caregiver. They may have a more positive view of the child, which could create a better relationship. They may praise the child more, which may induce better behavior.“

The findings of this research project is a damning indictment of the well documented ‘rush to medicate’ whenever there is the slightest suspicion that ADD/ADHD might be involved. The pressure to do so often comes from teachers who explicitly and implicitly signal that little Johnny will have a much tougher time in class if Ritalin is not added to the mix as soon as possible. Parents are often so intimidated by this stance that they meekly accept the ‘recommendation’ to go and see a medical professional that can be relied on to supply the ‘correct’ diagnosis and treatment. This is the exact path that thousands of young people take every year: A path that leads to unnecessary exposure to very dangerous chemicals and an accompanying label classifying the child as ‘difficult’.

The suggestion, implicit in the research quoted above, that positive outcomes can be achieved by some focused attention and high expectations is a rare and welcome nod in the direction of plain old fashioned common sense. As a society we need to be reminded that it is a fallacy to believe that every problem can be solved by medicating it away.

It is my belief that parents should educate and equip themselves to deal with the pressure to ‘diagnose and medicate’ that they will perhaps have to deal with. This preparation should focus at being ready with answers and arguments on both the side effects and the effectiveness of ADD/ADHD medication.

Side Effects: The evidence that ADD/ADHD medication can have some pretty nasty unintended consequences is mounting by the day. Medicines like Ritalin, Strattera and Adderall have been implicated in everything from suicidal thoughts to increased susceptibility to addiction. The fact is that you are dealing with powerful mind-altering chemicals: A fact that should not be obscured by comforting advertising copy and the glib reassurances of those who benefit financially (or otherwise) from their distribution.

Effectiveness: The research quoted above is another nail in the coffin of the ‘defense’ that the perceived dangers of the products are obscured by the fact that they are so effective in improving attention. This is a very difficult assertion to prove when it comes to long term use of products like Ritalin. Could it, further, be the case that all that is really needed are some lifestyle modifications (as suggested in the ‘3 Steps ADD’ Program) and a more positive engagement with the child? If the answer to this question is ‘yes’ (as I believe it is) it would perhaps leave pharmaceutical companies with radically reduced profit margins. This is, however, a negligible price to pay for giving our kids back the privilege of living their lives without unnecessary ‘chemical crutches’!

* The full article, entitled, Are There Placebo Effects in the Medication Treatment of Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? Can be found on the website of the Journal of Development & Behavioral Pediatrics

* A shorter discussion of be accessed on Science Daily.

Gifted or ADHD (ADHD Misdiagnosis 2).mp3

Take a look at the following, real life, scenario for example: A young boy’s behavior changes so radically that his parents are almost stunned by what they are seeing. He turns from being a laid back, easy to get along with, boy to being almost uncontrollable in a matter of weeks. The parents struggle to understand why their normally compliant and obedient son now responds to them with fits of rage and erratic and impulsive behavior. They do what any concerned parent would do by seeking professional help. The diagnosis of the medical professionals is depressingly predictable and familiar: ADD/ADHD. The parents make the decision to medicate their son and for a time things seem to go a bit better. They continue to struggle with some nagging doubts however. Why was the onset of the ‘symptoms’ so sudden? Why did they have to keep ‘upping’ the medication to the stage where their son got dizzy from it? Why did they not see some of the classic predictors of ADD/ADHD during earlier developmental stages? These questions keep them on a quest to find out if something else could perhaps be going on.

The answer that they come up with astounds them and shows that all the ‘experts’ who so confidently diagnosed ADD/ADHD were in fact dead wrong. The story above describes the experience of Jenny Miner and her son Kenny and it has implications for just about anyone struggling with the ‘symptoms’ of ADD/ADHD. It turns out that Kenny’s problem was not neurological or behavioral but bacterial!

There are two very specific types of bacteria bartonella and babesia that congregate around blood cells and cause exactly the symptoms traditionally associated with ADD/ADHD. Both babesia and bartonella are transmitted by tick bites and are carried by ticks all over North America. This means that they could be the ‘hidden driver’ behind many erroneous ADD/ADHD diagnoses.

One of the most interesting pieces of research on the effects of a lack of proper sleep is particularly relevant for our discussion of ADD/ADHD misdiagnosis. The research was conducted by the University of Helsinki (Finland) and the Finnish National Institute of Health and Welfare. Under the microscope were the sleeping patterns and the behavior of 280 healthy seven and eight year olds. The simple question was the following: Are healthy children who get too little sleep more likely to display the symptoms generally associated with ADD/ADHD? The simple answer: Absolutely!

Researchers measured the sleeping patterns of the children who participated in the study in two ways, one subjective and the other objective. For the ‘subjective’ test they asked parents to fill in a questionnaire about their kid’s normal sleeping habits, they then also did their best to measure the accuracy of these estimates by actually noting down how much the children slept each evening for a week. This was done by asking them to wear actigraphs (movement measurers) to determine how long they actually rested for.

In addition to the tracking of sleeping patterns the parents were also asked to rate aspects of their children’s behavior using a measure that is commonly used in the diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. The results of this research strike a powerful blow for common sense. It can be summarized as follows:
• Most parents seriously overestimate the time that their children actually rest. This is because they do not ‘factor in’ the time that they spend falling asleep or when they lie awake for prolonged periods.
• Children with average sleep durations of less than 7.7 hours (as measured by the actigraphs) scored significantly higher in tests measuring hyperactivity and impulsivity. This means that they would be much more likely to be diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.

This study is one of the first that actually confirms something all parents know almost instinctively: Lack of sleep leads to little Johnny ‘acting out’ the next morning! If this continues over a few weeks a trend gets established and Johnny is at serious risk of being labeled as ADD/ADHD!

Dr. Juulia Paavonen who was in charge of the study lays her finger securely on both this problem and its solution: “We were able to show that short sleep duration and sleeping difficulties are related to behavioral symptoms of ADHD. The findings suggest that maintaining adequate sleep schedules among children is likely to be important in preventing behavioral symptoms. Even [an extra] 30 minutes per night has been shown to give a major improvement in objective cognitive tests, improving reaction times, impulsivity and attention spans.“

Failure to investigate alternative explanations – An ADD/ADHD diagnosis has become almost ‘fashionable’ in some circles and is therefore the first thing some medical professionals reach for when confronted with behavioural problems.
Outside pressure – Some teachers and caregivers see an ADD/ADHD diagnosis, and the resultant prescription of mind altering chemicals, as the quickest way out of their difficulties in dealing with a particular student. This results in pressure on parents to have a child tested (usually by a professional who can be relied upon to make the ‘desired’ diagnosis).
Money – The manufacturers of ADD/ADHD medication have access to multi-million dollar marketing budgets that serve to keep the possibility of an ADD/ADHD diagnosis ‘warm’ in the mind of medical professionals, teachers and parents.

This week’s article will focus on a cause of misdiagnosis that could very easily be filed under the first alternative: Failure to investigate alternative explanations. It is a well established fact that many children who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD were actually gifted students who ‘acted out’ in response to being bored with the educational environments in which they have been placed.

The fact that ADD/ADHD misdiagnoses do occur should, at the very least, convince all of us to make sure that any diagnosis that is handed down is accurate and based on the best possible information. Failing to do so could set you down a path characterised by huge financial costs and near incessant demands to medicate.

There are many possible reasons for the misdiagnosis of ADD/ADHD, and we will look at some of them in more detail over the next few weeks. It is often possible to spot some common factors behind the diverse forms of ADD/ADHD misdiagnosis. They are:

• Failure to investigate alternative explanations: There is an old saying that goes: “If you only have a hammer everything looks like a nail!” Unfortunately many professionals have come to regard an ADD/ADHD diagnosis as just about the only tool at their disposal when it comes to managing challenging behaviour or thought patterns. This leads to a lack of consideration of other probable causes. This problem is compounded by the fact that many professionals see the solution to the perceived problem as simple and straightforward: Just prescribe a dose of widely available medication. The pattern of ‘rapid diagnosis – rapid medication’ is very hard to break once it is established.
• Outside pressure: Many ADD/ADHD diagnoses happen after teachers (or other professionals who have to deal with the effects of behavioural problems) make a referral. Some teachers are, sadly, merely interested in having the problem ‘go away’ over the short term, without necessarily considering the long term effects of radical ‘treatments’. They also know that the quickest way for this to happen is through sedation! This situation is at its most dangerous when you have a kind of  ‘closed circle’ with teachers being very quick to refer students for suspected ADD/ADHD and the reference then being made to specific medical professionals who are usually very quick to supply exactly that diagnosis.
• Money: The big drug companies pump millions of dollars into the marketing and distribution of their flagship products. Some of this money is spent on incentive schemes to encourage professionals to prescribe certain products, instead of rival brands or alternative methods of treatment. It would, sadly, be naïve in the extreme to deny that this cold fact is not behind at least some erroneous ADD/ADHD diagnoses every year.

All of the above paints a disturbing picture but it should also leave us with hope. This is because it just reemphasises the fact that one doctor’s diagnosis of ADD/ADHD is not the final word on the subject and that, even where there are good reasons for this diagnosis, medication is not the only course of action open to you. Not even close in fact!

Over the next few weeks we will look at some specific reasons for misdiagnosis, some of which you might find strange and surprising. It would be good to, for the moment, concentrate on an immediate course of action once you do receive a diagnosis:

• Determine your professional’s diagnosis rates: It might be difficult to get this information but it is vital that you do! ‘Word of mouth’ could be very helpful in this regard. If you find out the professional to whom you have been referred does indeed have a very high ‘strike rate’ you should seriously consider your alternatives.
• Determine the ‘referral rates’ of whoever made the original referral: The same principle mentioned above should be followed when it comes to the referral behaviour of teachers and other professionals. Some are indeed ready to make an ADD/ADHD referral at the drop of a hat!
• Get a second opinion: It is vitally important that you do not make any final decisions on an ADD/ADHD diagnosis without at least taking steps to have the diagnosis confirmed or challenged.  It is obvious that you should seek such a second opinion from someone whose diagnosis rates are not ‘off the charts’.
• Investigate possible alternative causes: The symptoms associated with ADD/ADHD are certainly not unique to the condition. You should therefore continually ask yourself: Is there something else that could be causing this? Over the next few weeks I will do my best to help you to accurately answer this question.

The bottom line: An ADD/ADHD misdiagnosis could have a profound impact on your life and you should therefore protect yourself from it by getting as much information as possible and by exploring all the alternatives. You can begin by checking back next week as we continue to explore this issue.

Just when you were getting comfortable with the thought that you or a loved one might have ADD, here’s something that’s likely to catch you off guard: there is such a thing known as pseudo-ADD, or an Add type illness born out of the society in which we live!

Think about symptoms of ADD and then think about what characteristics seem to be prevalent in our culture?

§ Moving fast as a definition of a “go getter” – a.k.a., the “fast track”

§ The need for high stimulation

§ Speed and creativity

§ Taking chances

§ Ignoring the status quo

§ Bucking authority

§ Doing it your way

If you look at it this way, you could say almost everyone you know has ADD to some extent. Don’t you often juggle several things at once? Do you get overwhelmed at times by all of the stimulation around you? Do you often have trouble paying attention? Can you become “addicted” to a computer game so much so that you can’t tear yourself away? Do you have real ADD or a pseudo-ADD?

Did you know that ADD more frequently occurs in the American population than it is in other countries? Some say we over-diagnose ADD. Other experts seem to think we may lump similar looking syndromes into this one category of ADD. Yet, no matter how you look at it, ADD is more prevalent here.

One hypothesis for the number of diagnoses made in the USA is born out of our genes as well as societal factors. Our founding fathers had to somewhat adventurous and dismissive of authority. Who else would want to strike out and see if they could discover another land? It was a risky venture wasn’t it? Hmmm – did they have ADD?

Think about those who created all of those inventions that we rely upon so heavily today? Think about Albert Einstein or Benjamin Franklin. Both were highly intelligent, curious, and creative. They both craved stimulation and they were willing to take risks. In addition, neither wanted to do things like everyone else. We’ll never know if they had ADD, but it makes you wonder.

So does America have ADD more often than other countries? Or are we over-using the label? It is fair to say that it is easy to use the ADD label when one is trying to describe and categorize another’s behavior.

Before you go and diagnose yourself, or you determine that you’re just another American who is too busy, look at the differences between true ADD and pseudo-ADD.

Pseudo-ADD

1. Everyone gets overwhelmed, impatient, and anxious sometimes.
2. It is normal to become focused on an activity that causes you to ignore what you should be doing sometimes.
3. Likewise, it is normal to experience moodiness from time to time sometimes.
4. After being busy for a long period, it is difficult to relax sometimes.
5. You will fail to finish obligations/projects when you have too many in front of you sometimes.

You are probably getting what I’m trying to say here. The difference between someone with pseudo-ADD and real ADD has to do with the duration, intensity, and interference capability of the symptoms.

Real ADD

1. Real ADDers have a long history of symptoms and complaints.
2. Real ADDers experience symptoms more often than not – in other words, they are rarely symptom free.
3. Real ADDers experience the symptoms at a much higher intensity than those with pseudo-ADD.
4. Real ADDers find that their untreated symptoms interfere significantly with their day-to-day lives.

It’s important to refrain from looking at everyone and saying, “You are so _____ – you must have ADD.” While all of us will probably “look” ADD from time to time, it’s not possible that all of us actually have it! When you attempt to diagnose yourself, you are your own worst critic. It’s easy to become overly critical and believe that you must have a problem. This is why a professional opinion is so critical.

If you truly believe that you or your loved one may have ADD, seek help immediately. Be honest and forthcoming about your concerns. If you have ADD, then you can start treating it the minute you get home. And if you are merely a pseudo-ADD, then you can earn how to make the most out of your symptoms so that they help rather than cause you trouble!

Chances are…   if you have been “diagnosed” with ADD-ADHD
you are doomed to failure.

That’s right, you have a serious handicap that is very difficult
or impossible to overcome.

Have fallen for this Lie?

I know that most people who have struggled with ADD-ADHD
fall for this lie…. at least for a little while until they cast off
the “stigma” of ADD-ADHD in their own minds.

Let me explain.

Self image is the single most important factor in determining
your success in life.

Poor  self image = failure in life

Positive self image = success in life

Don’t allow Doctors or teachers to form a negative self-image!

Fact: ADD-ADHD people are often the MOST gifted people on
the planet.

We often have “superman-like” abilities that the average person
will never understand.

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Michael Phelps
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Michael Phelps did not allow his ADD-ADHD to bring him down.

He did not wallow in his own self pitty.

He did not believe the lie…. that he is somehow handicapped by
this so-called “disorder”

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Guard Your Self-Image!
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Parents!  Please hear me on this!

Do not let your child think that they have a disorder!

The act of going to the Doctor and getting a diagnosis
can set your child’s self image into the gutter.

1st of all.  Your Doctor only have one option for your
ADD…

you guessed it.

Drugs.

Taking drugs on a daily basis for ADD….

Is that good or bad for the self-image (or your health)???

Think about it.

When you get a declaration from someone in a position
of authority saying…

“Yep-  you got it!  You got it bad!”  (normally after a 5 minute
conversation)

That will stick with you or your child for a very long time
unless you are very careful to guard the self-image like
it is a fragile egg.

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What can You do?
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1.  Don’t go to the Doctor for this until you have exhausted all the
“natural” remedies out there.

2.  Make a conscious effort to not refer to your so-called ADD as
a handicap

3.  Recognize that you have tendencies to not-be-able to focus in
certain situations (usually boring people talking about boring stuff)

4.  Implement proven techniques and tactics that can turn your
“ADD” into your very own special superpowers.

5.  Read my favorite book on this subject it Psycho Cybernetics by
Maxwell Maltz

I highly recommend that you pick up a copy TODAY!

Jon Bennett

I found this video on the web that I thought you might find it interesting.

Please leave your comments below!

Transcript:
Dr. Lyon: I believe that attention deficit disorder should be treated like a lot of other conditions that the doctors treat. For instance if you have high cholesterol, what are doctors supposed to do. We are admonished in every textbook, every authority, we are told that if you diagnosed high cholesterol for a patient, you should work with that patient through nutritional counseling and dietary advice and lifestyle counseling for several months or say six months before you even consider medication.

Karen Friedman: I didn’t have Brian diagnosed with ADHD until he was in the fifth grade and that led of course to prescriptions. And when those prescriptions didn’t work, that led to more prescriptions and the more prescriptions he got, the more frustrated that we all got. He couldn’t get better, he couldn’t help himself, he got angry and the angrier he got, the more violent he got.

Dr. Gary Null: Each morning in the United States between six and seven million children are given a prescription medication before they can go to school. Many of them are taking Ritalin or other amphetamines.

Doctor: More and more aspects of human behavior, human distress, just general unhappiness is becoming medicalized, is being made into diseases. This culture has grown in parallel with the growth of the pharmaceuticals industry and its investment in psychotropic drugs; that is drugs that affect the psyche, the mind, the brain.

Dr. Gary Null: By far, the majority of psychiatry prescriptions for children are given for attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Dr. Robert Erickson: One of the alarming concerns I have both as a parent and as a physician is that there is much misdiagnosis and over prescription of medication and inappropriate prescription of medication changing these children’s lives forever for the worse.

Doctor: Every drug is a foreign chemical, every drug is a potential poison. I have been consulted in no less than 10 cases of cardiac deaths due to psychotropic medications. The psychostimulants, methylphenidate and the amphetamines are known to cause high blood pressure, known to cause cardiac arrhythmias including cardiac arrest and cardiac death. Matthew Smith from just outside of Detroit had been on Ritalin for approximately five years. His parents had wanted to take him off of medication because of recurrent chest pain and shortness of breath, but they were coerced to keep him on the medication.

Lawrence Smith: We were told that if we did not follow up with their evaluation of ADHD and take him to the pediatrician and get him on Ritalin, that Child Protective Services could charge us for educational and emotional neglect.

Doctor: At age 13, while riding his skateboard, he suddenly keeled over and was dead. The county medical examiner said there was no doubt in that case that the chronic administration of Ritalin was the cause of death.

Lawrence Smith: On the death certificate, it says that he died from the use of methylphenidate, Ritalin.

Doctor: Ritalin, for the purposes of classification by the Drug Enforcement Administration, is a Schedule II drug, on the same list as cocaine.

Dr. Peter Breggin: The Drug Enforcement Administration puts special regulations over how many prescriptions a doctor can write and how a doctor is to write the prescriptions and keep track of the drug. It even means the DEA can come raid your office if they get the impression that you are giving out too much of this drug. This is not an ordinary drug.

Dr. Lyon: It is really not that revolutionary an idea. If you look at the scientific [inaudible 03:47] considered normal. But, with attention deficit disorder, the focus is make the diagnosis carefully and then prescribe the treatment. And most of the time, the treatment needs just a prescription. It isn’t any combination of treatments. It is a medication. And that’s really what I am trying to change and try to raise awareness about is that in fact there are other things that we can find, underlying this that are causes of this. We could deal with this from more of a cause-oriented approach without having to jump quickly into using medication.