ADHD Kids Have Different Brain Pathways, Study Finds

when are people going to understand that what makes every one unique is our minds are different when the education system tries to make learning diversities into disorders you are limiting the intelectual posibilities of our nation.

you could be repressing the next big inventor

This is a medical diagnosis. The educational system has nothing to do with it. Teachers are often the first to see the ADVERSE effects in the classroom and should bring it to the attention of the parents. A loss in the foundations of education can be damaging to the child for the remainder of his/her life. Too many of our drop-outs are counted in this number.

You people JUST figured out my generation is different from yours? You older people are idiots…

Finally – let's stop labeling kids with ADHD and recognize that maybe some just learn differently or perhaps have different strengths. See http://www.gdc.com – reference the research Linda Silverman has done on visual spatial learners.

So wonderful to see like minded people commenting on this article. What are we going to do about it? I think we should start a revolution!

Excuse me I meant http://www.gifteddevelopment.com not http://www.gdc.com
Check it out!

take this from a guy who was diagnosed with adhd when I was in second grade. saying or telling your child he/she has adhd is the worst thing you can do, it gives them an excuse not to try, and it tels them that they wil never be like everyone else or as smart as anyone else their age, I tried everything, ridilin, aderall, all of it growing up and to some extent it worked, I got better grades, but the cost was, I had no personality, and I lost almost 30 lbs I didn't need to lose, I became anemic, depressed, and it was a world of shit. but I relized that pills took away everything I was gifted with, my abilities to draw, come up with creative ideas, and my way of looking at things, all of which where things that made me get off the pills, suck it up, and relize I'm not dumb, the poeple around me were the ones to dumb to relize how smart I was, now, in two weeks I will be greaduating college, and going back for a masters becuase people always told me I would never go to colege, I also recived a certification in personal traning, and won an international creative marketing campaign for oreos, so if you have a child with adhd, don't you EVER tell them they have a disabiity! they are a genious in there own way I gaurentee it. just don't ever discourage them from their intrest.

It's called indoctrination. I never went along with that and have been quite successful, even though I was labeled as a kid.

Hey wait a minute! That's not what the article is about. Why do you have to resort to name calling anyway?

ADHD isn't a disorder nor a disease. Stop medicating kids, you'll effect their brains in horrific ways. Kids who are "eccentric" shouldn't be punished.

This doesn't sound like new news to me. Please forgive me if I am wrong, but this sounds a whole lot like what adults diagnosed w ADD have been told for quite some time now. Granted, the brain continues to develop as we get older but c'mon, this shouldn't be a surprise.

Excuse me! This is not a disease, rather a learning disorder. This article is real inadequate about this matter.

I think the occupyers have given that a bad name.

If you happen to be a parent of a child with this condition, your absolute job is getting him/her their hs disploma.

ADHD is often overdiagnosed. We are currently going through this with my grandson. He cannot sit still, keep his hands to himself, speaks out of turn, roams around the classroom, just to mention a few, but at the same time he is academically gifted, so the school knows that the whole time it appears as though he is not paying attention he is and what he does is never out of maliciousness nor is he disrespectful. We are now thinking that there is obviously something else going on so rather than choose to solely medicate, which was a last resort, he is now being referred to a neuropsychiatric clinic for further testing. Giving children a chemical lobotomy isn't the sole answer though most people simply want a compliant child. It's a dangerous slippery slope that can lead to disaster in later life if they are medicated for ADHD based solely on a questionnaire that answers only a few questions. We initially tried every behavior modification we could for school and home to no avail and took him to his pediatrician who suggested other things to try and medication was a last resort. We went through countless drugs, which worked for the short term before causing psychotic type problems…not pretty to see in a six year old. Hopefully he will be given the help he needs without using mind altering drugs that could damage him later in life. It's difficult to say the least.

Ok…..So….What else is new? Is there some groundbreaking information here? So….As an ADULT with this issue, are you telling me anything useful other than " Well…you are screwed…but legitimately so…so yo you can relax and accept that you will probably never be a real success at anything except being a failure except that you will fail at that because you are unwilling to accept the fact that the system has little use for you because work so hard to overcome the fact that you actually pay to much attention to to many things that you will never be good at but have no other functional , practical options?"….etc…It's not like I can collect some NUT-CHECK and kick back the rest of my NON-LIFE…I wouldn't want that anyway,…but I think you folks are seriously retarded to think that this actually useful information except for filling space on web pages and giving folks ZERO HOPE? YIPPIE SKIPPIE…WE ARE WIRED DIFFERENTLY! NOBODY GIVES A F**K IN THE REAL WORLD! THERE IS NOTHING NOVEL OR USEFUL ABOUT IT!

Brian, your comment makes me sad. I have had ADHD since childhood. Although school was difficult for me growing up, I, like many others with ADHD have overcome it and found great success in life. In the last ten years since I graduated high school, I am owner of a multi-million dollar business, Leader of a large organization, and a hardworking/well respected member of our community. I didn't come easy, but I have achieved everything I've ever set out to do. My point is, Brian Haddad, You Cannot use this problem, or any other as an excuse to do poorly in life. Anything you decide is possible, you can do with a little focus and hard work

Cory J Brown Was kind of my point, though I have not achieved much of anything in recent years.The story says nothing really. I see this ADHD NEWS crap on Yahoo, and look at it and its like ..Whatever!I deleted my post and you popped on just under the wire. Thanks but this helps me NOT ONE BIT! Let it go. It wasn't worth my response but just represents distraction,..not hope or inspiration. Thanks though for your thoughts. I am glad you found your way. Now let me be.

I only wish you well Brian. Just wanted you to know that you can still achieve great things with your life. Peace & Happiness to you

PS – You're right, this article doesn't say anything helpful. Just that we think differently than the rest of the population.

I stopped taking adderrall a few weeks ago. When I look at my boyfriend now, I can tell that he wonders what he ever saw in me….argh… what can ya do…

Someone needs to contact the PhD and let her know, her study is nothing new and that she may wish to investigate previous studies. As this study is nothing new.

Cory J Brown Well, I wrote it, and I was diagnosed as an adult. Ritalin helped, then But I think it is a useful study because as you probably well know, inability or difficulty functioning in some mainstream ways- coupled with some 'superpowers' like hyperfocus- can make you feel a bit deficient from time to time. I find that if anything, the scientific studies supporting the differences in brain functioning for ADHD people means that hopefully one day we'll have to explain ourselves less.

My son has it, and once monthly I get a call from his teacher that he is fidgeting. Or building things under his desk. I hope one day they can make better use of the specific strengths kids with ADHD have.

And congrats on your success!

You are correct. I changed it to condition. I of all people should know better

Well, what people think is one thing- what we need to reform is education. Kids with ADHD are forced into tracks very poorly suited to their skills and talents.

I changed the wording

Michele I'mwiththeband Waldman That may be true, but as a parent to two ADHD kids- a son and a daughter- the expectations of teachers unfamiliar with the symptoms can be VERY wearing on the kids and the family as well. I'd like to see that changed. My kids actually did a LOT better in a democratic school, but I admit the process is not for everyone. We loved it.

Cory J Brown Ok…Just so you know …you have my attention to a degree…whatever attention means. I should be less anti-social about this subject and your response to me. i know little about you and you know little about me. I want to say I am sorry about my attitude. I am quite tired tonight and not terribly happy though I recognize it could be much worse..and…I recognize it could be much better, though I am inclined, based on experience, that this borders on delusion, which leads to disillusion, which is probably better in the long run, if it is the case that "It seemed like a good idea….but…."
I cannot go into it all and it is at best a boorish story about nothing…..I don't want to say anything more. I was NOT LABELED OR INDOCTRINATED AS A KID BEYOND EDUCATIONAL STAFF TELLING MY MOTHER THAT THEY COULDN'T FIGURE ME OUT…..a long time ago….gone….whatever I may have going for me now….NOBODY CARES! …AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH…..FOR ME…AND ANYONE CLOSE TO ME….SO IT IS JUST INCONVENIENT FOR ME! ….THAT IS HOW IT IS! I am going to stop there for lack of perspective and anything useful to say. I hate the internet..television…People…from personal experience! I haven't even been through the worst….I am not that open to the grand delusion…hope that isn't. At anytime I may suspend this facebook crap forever because of how stupid people are towards things I have typed …or just how stupid they are…PERIOD! And I look in the mirror at the idiot with a supposedly 130-140 IQ….BIG F**KING DEAL!……Its not where I am at…I am nowhere..NOBODY!…NOTHING!….I AM STUPID!…I MUST BE!….

They aren't going to understand. They are not interested in diversity unless it equals $$$$$$. They are there to teach PRODUCTIVITY…$$$$$$$$$$…..here… want to get all evil minded..$$$$$$-$$$$$$-$$$$$$……Efficiency! P.C…..Convenient….Talents…Skills…NOBODY CARES UNLESS IT MAKES $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$…right away…for whomever cares!

You are absolutely right!

Brooke Morton Not to bang the drum too hard, but the Free and Democratic School my kids attended was not publicly funded but 'was' sliding scale. It's amazing what happens when you take tenure, test scores and similar considerations out of the equation.

Revolutions just go in circles endlessly! ….That was kind of like a joke…only much smaller…Look!…How it floats away into nothing in the wind like cheap cologne…

I had hell of a time in school back in the day labeled as not paying attention could do better ect only wish they knew more back then maybe school would've gone better & my youngest son has it as well but he's done quite well & am proud of him:)

I didn't mean to offend any of you that have been living with ADHD. Educators have been trying to label my son with ADHD. Evaluations have shown that he is a visual spatial learner. When researching the topic, I discovered a lot of overlaps with ADHD and visual spatial learners. In fact, one article I read compares and contrasts the two. The article doesn't say anything new to you who have ADHD, but for me, I am new to understanding. I have had challenges with schools to make them recognize that my son learns differently, he is wired differently. Different shouldn't mean abnormal – who really is normal? Education needs to be reformed, somehow, to accommodate the different types of learners we have. How many minds have we already lost?

Kim LaCapria I am starting home schooling in January. We are very excited. Your kids are lucky to have a mom that understands their needs by providing an alternative school education.

I totally agree. I cannot personally absorb information via listening very well at all- reading and writing, where I see words, are my strengths. Sadly, IME with schools there is a strange dichotomy where they rush to label the child (I could tell you horror stories here) and push services that don't help (like talk therapy) and then simultaneously punish the child for ADHD symptoms like disorganization and inattention in class. If your district is anything like my district, you won't get very far in expecting some leeway and your child's best interests will lose out to standardized testing goals every time. The sadder flipside is that visual/spatial learners are often very advanced in other areas, but the love of learning is pounded out of them by the desire to push them into a mold that suits teachers and administration.

Brooke Morton I'm so jealous! We've considered it and been told it's our "right," but with the pointed subtle threat that pursuing that right is something that could have serious consequences. I've looked into online schools as well, particularly for my son, who has gotten increasingly miserable as he moves through conventional school. We're hoping to eventually move closer to a Sudbury School because we do think if we tried to homeschool, it might be a bigger problem than we're equipped with dealing as far as oversight and possible sanction goes.

As you can tell, our experiences with schools have been less than pleasant. I do believe a lot of that is because we have been labeled due to their history in an alternative school. And here's me thinking experience and being exposed to different practices encourages learning!

Brian Haddad Yikes…I am just trying to be a voice for my son and for those like him who may be misdiagnosed or misunderstood. My "revolution" is with nearly everyone I meet. I talk about what I've learned and most tell me their stories which relate directly to my son or some other sort of injustice with their eduction. I'm trying to inspire people one on one to think about education differently. To push back to the teachers and principals or try to figure how their kids are wired and provide an alternative means of education. Who knows what's next…it really only takes one person to change the world!

In central Oklahoma PTSD is underdiagnosed after all the recent earthquakes…

Kim LaCapria So true. Thanks for sharing. Like I said, home schooling for similar reasons. Yes, my son is functioning at or near college levels in some areas and below gradE levels in others. School feels like "prison" to him, says the boy who taught himself to sight read bEfore the age of two. One auditory processing research we've discovered through Dr. Silverman is a filter for your ear that helps with central auditory processing. Check this out http://www.coolestchildren.com/2009/05/able-kids-foundation-audiologists.html. The filter maY help kids with ADHD as well. We will be going for testing in about 6 months. Just sharing what I've learned…

Brooke Morton Cool! I can't open the link from my phone but I will look tomorrow. I actually also read at two- back then they called it "spontaneous reading"- i wonder if that's a part of it? congrats on making the homeschool leap!

Good luck to you and keep me posted!

Hhmmm… You really need to speak with dr. Silverman. She has studied gifted children for over fifty years. When I met with her she said there are only three explanations for reading that early: aspergers, an unusual decoding ability or profoundly gifted visual spatial learners. I know it was you who did the early reading, but the acorn doesn't fall too far from the tree, it could explain your child's need to build under the table at school. Is he obsessed with Legos? She works with gifted adults too!

Brooke Morton I think that is really cool. Keep going. Perhaps you can make things better for him. I suppose I am a bit jaded at this point regarding myself. The economy and all has me a bit pessimistic regarding myself. I tried to get help turning things around for myself, but at this point it is just managing to survive with no real progress, lacking any real support or resources. Sorry. The system has crushed the optimism out of me. I had some hope but after all is said and done it seems pointless. Just worn out.

Brian Haddad YOU are precisely why I want to stir things up! Just know that someone is rooting for you! Hang in there and keep trying to figure things out.

James Collins especially when followed closely by tornadoes…too scared to stay above ground too scared to go underground

Brooke Morton Thanks…You do the same. Good luck to you and your objective.

Kim LaCapria Wow….Fidgeting!….How…um….disconcerting?….Worthy of the call/note home?…He wasn't like…ehhhh,… scribing encrypted runes on the underside of a classmates eyelids or something more worthy of concern? …..Drawing complex three dimensional images of whatever is interesting today when he is supposed to be learning how to be acceptably dull so as to fit in? Listening more to the music in his head than the teachers ramblings about …whatever…?

Brooke Morton OMG yes! He has been OBSESSED with Legos since he was an infant, before he could speak, and even now at 11, it's the main thing he does to pass the time!

Check out the visual spatial learner on the gifted development web site. It sounds like you are already familiar with this so maybe you've already thought of it. If not there are some questionnaires to help you assess if he is. http://Www.gifteddevelopment.com. Dr. Silverman has discovered that at least 1/3 of the kids she studied were visual spatial with another 1/3 of the balance prefering visual over auditory learning. There are so many great articles on her website. Keep me posted… Can I friend you?

My son just told me he should be best friends with your son!

http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/Visual_Spatial_Learner/vsl.htm

http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/Articles/vsl/v04b.pdf