A Natural Fix for ADHD (NY Times article)

[NJCher]

As a college instructor, I found the content of this article very interesting and helpful. There is a paragraph toward the end of the article that tells what kind of environment students with ADHD might thrive in. I'm going to give it a try:

In school, these curious, experience-seeking kids would most likely do better in small classes that emphasize hands-on-learning, self-paced computer assignments and tasks that build specific skills.


Article, from 10/31 Sunday Times


ATTENTION deficit hyperactivity disorder is now the most prevalent psychiatric illness of young people in America, affecting 11 percent of them at some point between the ages of 4 and 17. The rates of both diagnosis and treatment have increased so much in the past decade that you may wonder whether something that affects so many people can really be a disease.

And for a good reason. Recent neuroscience research shows that people with A.D.H.D. are actually hard-wired for novelty-seeking — a trait that had, until relatively recently, a distinct evolutionary advantage. Compared with the rest of us, they have sluggish and underfed brain reward circuits, so much of everyday life feels routine and understimulating.

To compensate, they are drawn to new and exciting experiences and get famously impatient and restless with the regimented structure that characterizes our modern world. In short, people with A.D.H.D. may not have a disease, so much as a set of behavioral traits that don’t match the expectations of our contemporary culture.

From the standpoint of teachers, parents and the world at large, the problem with people with A.D.H.D. looks like a lack of focus and attention and impulsive behavior. But if you have the “illness,” the real problem is that, to your brain, the world that you live in essentially feels not very interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/opinion/sunday/a-natural-fix-for-adhd.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage®ion=CColumn&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&src=me&WT.nav=MostEmailed&_r=0



Cher

[LWolf]

1. ALL people

would benefit from learning environments that include small classes and a variety of activities that include more interaction with others and hands-on learning.

Regardless of the rest, though, the biggest help for ADHD/ADD students, and everyone else, would be the smaller class sizes in the same-size physical classroom. More room. More space for doing things. Less external stimulation. It's a win-win for us all.

[TexasBushwhacker]

8. I was a middle and high school science teacher for 9 years

One year, quite by accident, I ended up with one class with just 16 students instead of the normal 25 to 30. IT WAS HEAVEN. We could have class discussions without devolving into chaos. The kids didn't even have to raise their hands, just pay attention to each other and exercise common courtesy. Shy kids were more likely to participate. But even I can acknowlege that having small classes across the board would be unaffordable and we don't have enough qualified teachers as it is.

I wonder if any schools are experimenting with a different model. When I was in college I had an American History class that was in a big lecture hall with 150 to 200 students. We had that class twice a week and then a smaller discussion group, with 15 to 20 students, lead by a grad student once a week. It worked pretty well. I don't think every kid needs a small class environment for every class, 5 days a week, but there must be a way to offer it more often.

[LWolf]

9. This is worth thinking about.

First of all, if we leave numbers aside, its physical space. Are we cramming as many desks and people as possible into small rooms, or can we open things up, use some flexible seating plans and furniture, and allow all of us some personal space?

Then there's the numbers; whether it's full time or part time, smaller numbers need more staff. There may be a range of possibilities here, but the bottom line? There's $$$ involved even if it doesn't mean all classes for all students are small.

One of the things I struggle with is giving my adhd kids more space, which means sitting them at the ends of tables or rows, etc.; sometimes there simply are not enough "ends" to go around.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. thanks. This was actually true for me. In banking and started

as a loan officer and was bored to tears. Switched to analysis work for management - whatever concerned them each day and love it because it's always new and always changing.

[son_b]

4. THanks for paying attention to the problem

As a volunteer in a hospital, I know many people having this terrible diagnosis, and it's a pity that every year more and more children suffer. I collected much info about the ADHD, and would like to share one of the useful resources: https://www.smartpillwiki.com/adhd-disorder-and-home-natural-homeopatic-herbal-remedies/. I think only the lifestyle changes that have caused the development of this problem can help fighting with it. You can avoid any problems when it comes to this disorder as trying to minimize interaction with dangerous chemicals as well as processed products are not fully in line with health requirements.

[gopiscrap]

5. welcome to DU

[Merlot]

6. ADD is hereditary, it's not caused by "lifestyle changes"

It's not caused by "interaction with dangerous chemicals" and processed products.

[Phentex]

7. The article appears to be

a sort of blog post or one of those wiki entries that can be written by anyone.

[TexasBushwhacker]

10. I agree

Not unlike Autism Spectrum Disorders, I think ADD/ADHD has always been around, it just gets diagnosed more often now. If you don't know what to look for, you aren't going to find it, right? 50 years ago or more, kids with severe autism were labeled as "retarded". Kids that were hyperactive were just labeled as discipline problems and often left or got kicked out of school early.

At age 62, I have just now been diagnosed as ADD (inattentive type). I was smart enough that I compensated when I was in school and still got As and Bs. That was 50 years ago, when ADD was primarily diagnosed in hyperactive boys, not girls lost in their daydreams. It was thought that you grew out of it and that adults DID NOT have it. There is still resistance to diagnosing adults today, with some insurance companies refusing to pay for ADD meds for anyone over 16. In my case, I inherited it from my dad, who was also bipolar (I'm bipolar 2). Of course, he was never diagnosed with ADD because he was born in 1931. But better late than never, right?

[mikahawkins]

11. Something I try

Perhaps the most basic fix is to focus on/do one task at a time. When you eat food, only eat food. When you talk to someone ,focus only on what they are saying and their voice.

[NJCher]

14. I recall

Having big problems with irritability when I quit smoking.

Thank Dog it got better.