What About ADHD

Q: Our eight-year-old is scheduled to enter third grade next year. He has been doing very well this year. Nevertheless, his second grade teacher is convinced he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At a meeting with the principal, school psychologist, school social worker and the head of the special education department, a lot of pressure was put on us to have him tested and put on medication. When we pointed out that his grades were all very good to excellent, they pointed out that his standardised test results were just average. But in our estimation, he’s self-motivated and responsible. We don’t feel that one test proves much of anything. Granted, he’s somewhat impulsive and disorganised, but we’ve chalked that up to his just being a boy. We are considering homeschooling him. What is your advice? 

A: 

The scenario you describe is actually quite common. Public and private school educators have been generally persuaded by “experts,” through in-service workshops, that ADHD is 

Then there’s the matter of testing children to determine whether they 

And, yes, the diagnostic criteria are biased against boys, who tend to be much more impulsive, forgetful and distractible than girls. If the hunt for ADHD boys had been in full swing in the 1950s, I am convinced that I would have been caught in the net.

The sad reality is that once a school decides that a child has ADHD, they rarely let their “diagnosis” go and parents who are “uncooperative” are not regarded well. Under the circumstances, to parents who’ve asked, I’ve often recommended homeschooling. That isn’t a one-size-fits-all recommendation however, and obviously involves considerations over and above a school’s arbitrary decision that a child has ADHD. But since you’re already considering that alternative, I encourage you to investigate it further.