Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Pearson presentation TODAY: outing ADHD fakers

Wow! Definitely lined up for a lawsuit when their test for "fakers" falsely accuses someone...

I share the grave concerns that HK mentions. I fear the misdiagnoses especially among gifted boys that has been noted as well.

My husband's family has rampant ADD among multiple generations. It's one big ADD-fest with any family gathering which drives my excessive planning personality to utter frustration regularly. I live a life where I am the only non-ADDer in my household. There is no ADD on my side and it has been quite a learning curve for me.

When my child started exhibiting ADHD behaviors at 5, I had some idea of what I was in for. There were unfortunately also inappropriate expectations and environments at that time. However, ADD is highly heritable. We chose to go through an Amen Clinic to not only look at symptomology, family history, and computerized testing but also have scans of his brain both at concentration and at rest. There was no question that he showed classic ADHD patterns.

So we knew answers. I wish all children could have brain scans rather than behavioral checklist based diagnosis. Unfortunately the scans are expensive and often not covered by insurers.

One of the interesting thing about Amen's approach is that he is not anti-pharmaceutical but rather holds them as a last resort trying treatment through managing nutrient deficiencies first. I was surprised at how low my son's Iron and Vit D were in particular. We have had substantial improvement from supplementing and monitoring levels through blood testing. He is a different kid when his levels are right. We also have found food sensitivities which impact his ability to absorb the nutrients in his diet. He also uses different classes of drugs for different patterns (on scans) of ADD and has developed his methodology by looking at the RESULTS through taking future scans and seeing the change in brain activity.

I hope that the NIMH recent support of taking a more scientific approach to diagnosis and management rather than the checklist DSM model will bring more RESULTs and diagnostic tools. Pearson is clearly stepping backward to the approach that has been used for the past hundred years rather than embracing the future for verifiable diagnostic standards.

Blackcat-- Sorry your road has been a tough one with your daughters illness. I don't think those who have posted so far intend to criticize anyone's individual choices but rather look critically at a broken system that has left many parents with precious few options.