Serious Debate: ADHD infecting trinidad and tobago?

[Cjruckus]

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (sometimes referred to as ADD) is thought to be a neurological disorder, usually diagnosed in childhood, which manifests itself with symptoms such as hyperactivity, forgetfulness, poor impulse control, and distractibility.[1] In neurological pathology, ADHD is currently considered to be a chronic syndrome for which no medical cure is available. Pediatric patients as well as adults may present with ADHD, which is believed to affect between 3-5% of the human population.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention- ... y_disorder

I never encountered this on such a mass scale until i went to college in the states. The school had an extensive Learning Effectiveness Program (Known as LEP) that had a good number of the student population (about 7 - 10%) involved. But now i sit down and think about it, throughout my 18 years living in trini prior to college I never knew anyone who had serious ADD. As a matter of fact, my school didnt have a program for it, none of my friends too drugs for it, and it seemed like somthing you would only find outside the country.

So a friend of mine just got a job as a teacher abroad and she said that in her class of 4th graders, about 40% of them are diagnosed with ADD by the school and doctors. Some of the kids even are going in enroute to get some serious drugs to get their problem fixed. Such as small doses of adderall and such..

Now is ADD becomming a growing problem across the board?
What about our Trinidadian Primary schools? Are grades on the decline? has the school system slowed down to accomodate the change?

Tuners with growing kids, what are your experiences with them in school?

Has society changed in such a way that our attention spans have shrunken so much that we cant focus on somthing for more than 10 seconds?

So Banzai, indeforest, strauss, hutrini and the other socially inclined posters.. lemme hear you on this.

(if you wish to learn more about it, check the link)

[X2]

Those drugs fugg up the kids... I know american kids that use it and I wouldn't give that to a child nah.

Personally I think ADD...ADHD...etc.... are overdiagnosing people.... maybe it's just that the teaching methods suck... ?

[JWT]

ahh young one
the attention span is short true not due to ADD but because of bordom and technology. When i say technology look at it this way long time ago we neevr had playstation and other devices to keep us company and have us tehcology inclined. These children in the system can work a computer by age 13. can use a dvd player at age 5 and they expect the same technology from schools. The education system in this country cannot keep up with technology. So do not blame ADD blame the schools thatare not using the technology to make the lessons being taught more interested.

Days of Chalk and talk are gone!

[Lei]

i feel parents use ADD as a scapegoat to blame their kid's inattentiveness and to make it ok that their kid does not perform like the "bright" kids. there are genuine cases to be sure. but i think to some it's just easier to believe their kid has a disorder than he just does not grasp certain types of knowledge easily and/or isn't interested in certain subjects or to be politically incorrect: dumb.

[Yorkshirelass]

The school my boys are going to are trying to reduce the numbers in each class due to the extra attention that is being demanded from the teachers. The boys in particular have become a now for now group, who are unwilling to wait for anything whic the principal puts down to the increases in technology and what they are exposed to. Interesting thought though. Wouldn't like to think I had to give that medication to my boys though.

[Sumana.00]

My brother has it diagnosed by doctors in Minnesota. Schools down here were unwilling to learn about it and eventually, he jus didn't do high school. IS working now. You really just have to give anyone with ADHD time to find their own ground. The medication that we did get for him initially was from an ADD Center in Chicago, and now he's off tablets (for now). Been using a more natural form by the name of B'Calmed

[zer0xp]

ahh young one
the attention span is short true not due to ADD but because of bordom and technology. When i say technology look at it this way long time ago we neevr had playstation and other devices to keep us company and have us tehcology inclined. These children in the system can work a computer by age 13. can use a dvd player at age 5 and they expect the same technology from schools. The education system in this country cannot keep up with technology. So do not blame ADD blame the schools thatare not using the technology to make the lessons being taught more interested.

Days of Chalk and talk are gone!

That's not true at all... Being someone who was introduced to use a home computer at the age of 8, I've gone through my entire middle/upper school with it. This is no time and place to show off my grades, and that's not what i'm trying to do, but for the last 3 academic years, i've held above a 3.9GPA, throughout highschool and college. My highschool had nothing "fancy" to it, and nothing different than everwhere else. It was all pen, pencil, paper. With the implementation of things like TV shows in classrooms, and even videogames in physical education in the US, why would classrooms still be too "boring" for the average teenager?

Hoping for expansion on JWT's post.

[Cjruckus]

I happen to commend the Trini style approach in public schools. It seems that the going through the rough with little focus on the individual can be a great prep for life in the real world.

Through out college the LEP program offered special hand outs for the students with ADD, such as extended test time, and being able to register for classes early and such. Are these kind of "hand outs" the way to rid the problem from society?

What about when the person starts to work and can't supply a project on time... he/she would blame ADD?

[JWT]

ahh young one
the attention span is short true not due to ADD but because of bordom and technology. When i say technology look at it this way long time ago we neevr had playstation and other devices to keep us company and have us tehcology inclined. These children in the system can work a computer by age 13. can use a dvd player at age 5 and they expect the same technology from schools. The education system in this country cannot keep up with technology. So do not blame ADD blame the schools thatare not using the technology to make the lessons being taught more interested.

Days of Chalk and talk are gone!

That's not true at all... Being someone who was introduced to use a home computer at the age of 8, I've gone through my entire middle/upper school with it. This is no time and place to show off my grades, and that's not what i'm trying to do, but for the last 3 academic years, i've held above a 3.9GPA, throughout highschool and college. My highschool had nothing "fancy" to it, and nothing different than everwhere else. It was all pen, pencil, paper. With the implementation of things like TV shows in classrooms, and even videogames in physical education in the US, why would classrooms still be too "boring" for the average teenager?

Hoping for expansion on JWT's post.

Expansion here:
Keep ADD in mind you ever noticed that it is the Single sex schools like Girls schools and boys schools that do so well in exams. Why not the coed schools? Answer it is not ADD it is the bathroom to go screw that have the kids mind suffering from ADD
this is sad but it is very true

[Chiney]

hmm...

as zer0 calls me.. 3dmarks.. i cyar get enough of him and that( he even ask me wat score wud de samsung d600 get that i wanna buy! " muffler bearing" )..jus becuase ppl like computer doe mean its bad.. and yuh behind ah pc alot..its something one have to like..and have ambition for!

its starts with how the parents introduce dem to life..

if they behind the fuggin pc all de time. or if they involved in activites in and out the house.. its wat the parents encourage them to do...

also well disipline needs to be taken into account here.. i got some white friends.. who folks have dem doin sh!t like if it correct..and in the classroom they [b]dont pay attention[b] and have the ppl around dem acting like them.. one waz infront of me and i couldnt take it no more.. i kick his chair and de poor fellas fly off and fall on he face.. talk bout laugh.. well he got the attention he wanted and plus he challenge me after class.. wat ah fool..

one ah dem went and fart while he pops waz talkin to ah teacher, like normal normal and de fadda laugh yes.. and de teacher serious as ever...

some other jus have ah metal block for school work.. or as they say..not book smart.. but are good with their hands.. and no!.. jockin doesnt count..



blame parents for being part of it as well !

[Cjruckus]

but once these kids are out of school..
They start taking the meds to stay sane during the day.

[Chiney]

oh really...

thats ah different situation there!

damn thats ruff!

[Cjruckus]

but then they blame it on the ADD.... so could it be like what X2 said and we need to figure out new ways of helping our children learn?

[Chiney]

^^^ speakin of ways to help children learn..

in primary i had ah real cool teacher..

the teacher waz full of zeal and had energy of ah 5yr old.. made learning interesting.. even the most boring topics like poetry waz made fun..

in secondary school as well had ah great math teacher.. for me i eh to hot in maths.. but he used real life to compare with the question/problems.. it do help.. we jus need to make sure the teachers kno what they doin and dont settle for nothin less than good...

[zer0xp]

Sub-Topic for discussion: "Hand-outs" for standardized tests such as the SAT/ACT...

Your thoughts on people that use ADD (whether diagnosed by a real doctor, or "diagnosed" through connections) for their own personal gain on such tests?

Is this a fair "allowance?"
What about people who use connections to gain these "hand-outs," even through they don't have ADD.. And yes it happens every day.

Your thoughts on what these "hand outs" do to said people when they attempt to enter the work force?

[Cjruckus]

Its just like those parents who make their child believe they are "bi-polar" and put them up with meds, so even if the kid is depressed they will take the meds to make themseleves feel better. But thats a different topic all together though but along the same lines...

Are parents to blame for their kids dependency on drugs? I say yes.

[aR&D]

ahh young one
the attention span is short true not due to ADD but because of bordom and technology. When i say technology look at it this way long time ago we neevr had playstation and other devices to keep us company and have us tehcology inclined. These children in the system can work a computer by age 13. can use a dvd player at age 5 and they expect the same technology from schools. The education system in this country cannot keep up with technology. So do not blame ADD blame the schools thatare not using the technology to make the lessons being taught more interested.

Days of Chalk and talk are gone!

... and i agree with all what you said, while at the same time it is the responsibility of the parent (i know another debate right there by itself) to ensure that their kids are balanced ie. traditional learning eg. reading books, doing mathematics without a calculating device, learning music, listening to classical music (forget soca, dub, rap, even chutney), playing of sports that is organised and structured... and limiting televison and computer time.

once the kid can appreciate that they can do it, they can conceive it without the use of electronic aids, then the gradual introduction to technology can start and other aspects of music. Once there has been a proper foundation and molding of the brain, the thoughts and their self worth

I am of the firm belief that the days of Famous Five, Eind Blyton, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Boyo and Sunny, even Annancy and Papa Boi. Checkers and Chess ... First primer etc etc ... oh The Students Companion ... still has a very important role to play... just like Windows and Mac ... later on.

[SurGTR]

The American way of life is to blame others or external forces for their own shortcomings or faults, so they blame ADD, a guy will recieve hot tea and without testing it shove it in his mouth, then Sue the fast food outlet.......a woman will swerve at a very high speed and flip the car then sue the car company, a guy will walk into your yard without permission, get bitten by your dog, then sue you......America will try to dictate the world and its resources, who ever they cannot control they attack, then blame Weapons of Mass Destruction........Americans killed out the Red Indian then in movies portray them as savages.

Americans over eat, they blame the food for too much fat content

To me their kids lack of discipline is to blame, but parents wont take the wrap for their shorcomings in parenting skills, they think the problem MUST be their child, they say "hey lets pump em full of drugs they will get better"

I wonder why cancer is on the rise

[link]

google 'Linus Pauling'

rgds

[Yeo]

I also think that kids in the US are lazy... they are accustomed to everything being done/given to them.. few of them are willing to try for something on their own. Look at the colleges, majority of the kids are choosing schools with the best "party" atmosphere... very rarely that you hear of someone choosing for the curriculum.

I do believe that ADD/ADHD does exist... but it is being "diqagnosed" too easily.. and also Superfriends was a helluva a great cartoon but I'll always remain impartial to Batman...while the weather does look good today make sure an walk with an umbrella because the neighbors' dogs are pretty moody and liable to get a good book and read on the porch, nothing beats a nice quiet afternoon.. whatever happened to Quietriot?.. anyways I digress... hmm... WTH was I talking about?

[SurGTR]

^^^
I dont think your case is ADD Yeo...I think its Druuuugs and Akohol

[AllTrac]

put some iodex on dat!!

[Cjruckus]

I also think that kids in the US are lazy... they are accustomed to everything being done/given to them.. few of them are willing to try for something on their own. Look at the colleges, majority of the kids are choosing schools with the best "party" atmosphere... very rarely that you hear of someone choosing for the curriculum.

Very true, the first week of college is an bombardment of the "Oh my god in im college" styled acting.

I made the mistake of being an orientation staff leader last year. In the first weekend alone the school had 8 trips to Detox in each of the freshman dorms, not to mention to copious ammount of alcohol that was confiscated that weekend.

So who do we blame for that? The parents and The Teachers for not enforcing how important a good cirrculum is? (because spending 27 grand a year to take underwaterbasketweaving your senior year is a waste of money) or do we blame the Media for putting out Party movies like Old School, Animal House, and Van Wielder and promoting the heavy party scene in college?

[Cjruckus]

sendin this back up for the Sunday night crew.

[redmanjp]

ok i know this thread is old but recently their has been more evidence aka brain scans which show evidence of a real difference between ADHD people and normal people-it has to do with dopamine levels in the brain, as well as the size & structure of the brain so its not just symptoms of being hyper or daydreaming

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3284629.stm

Also there is supposed to be a 'Pavlidis Test' which also show a difference between ADHD & normal people

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6886

so it is a REAL BIOLOGICAL disorder, which may even be genetic as parents whose kid is diagnosed with it remember having the same symptoms when they were young- and continue to have some of them into their adult lives

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 090809.php

http://news.google.com/news?q=adhd%20ge ... =en&tab=wn

I wonder if T&T children are being evaluted for this in the same way they test for short-sightedness or other stuff- or do they just assume that the kid is lazy or daydreams? between 5-10% of US kids have this so in every classroom there could be at least 1 or 2 kids with it & boys are 4-5 times more likely than girls to have it

ADHD kids/people lack the dopamine (brain chemical thats responsible for reward/motivation) to enable then to focus/be motivated like all other children/people who take it for granted so we shouldnt dismiss such a child as lazy, stupid or even unintelligent-they say Einstein himself didnt do well in school & based on his symptoms might have had ADHD but was obviously extremely intelligent

[bluefete]

America is a sick society. Do you realize the pharmaceuticals control the psychology of the mind?

We have a tablet to sell you, so we must invent a sickness to sell you so you can buy our tablets.

Capitalism is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ADD is nothing more than a spoilt child looking for attention.

And of course, if you lack, dopamine, we have a tablet for you too.

[Humes]

ahh young one
the attention span is short true not due to ADD but because of bordom and technology. When i say technology look at it this way long time ago we neevr had playstation and other devices to keep us company and have us tehcology inclined. These children in the system can work a computer by age 13. can use a dvd player at age 5 and they expect the same technology from schools.

I used to believe something similar, but the truth is the majority of children I've seen diagnosed (or wrongly diagnosed) with ADD in T&T come from households with no computer. A few might have a PS2. And a DVD not much different from the VHS players we used to have.

I think this situation is a lot like child molestation. It was always happening, but only recently have people begun to recognise it and speak up about it.

You also have to seriously consider that these diagnoses are a fad among many parents. It adds an aura of uniqueness to children who might just need some discipline. I remember one parent who told me her son had "a bit of autism". The boy was probably just dyslexic or a slow learner, and it was compounded by his dysfunctional family situation, the fact that his mother spoiled him, and his lack of regard for education.

[buzz]

America is a sick society. Do you realize the pharmaceuticals control the psychology of the mind?

We have a tablet to sell you, so we must invent a sickness to sell you so you can buy our tablets.

Capitalism is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ADD is nothing more than a spoilt child looking for attention.

And of course, if you lack, dopamine, we have a tablet for you too.

congratulations


you're an idiot

[bigga514]

The American way of life is to blame others or external forces for their own shortcomings or faults, so they blame ADD, a guy will recieve hot tea and without testing it shove it in his mouth, then Sue the fast food outlet.......a woman will swerve at a very high speed and flip the car then sue the car company, a guy will walk into your yard without permission, get bitten by your dog, then sue you......America will try to dictate the world and its resources, who ever they cannot control they attack, then blame Weapons of Mass Destruction........Americans killed out the Red Indian then in movies portray them as savages.

Americans over eat, they blame the food for too much fat content

To me their kids lack of discipline is to blame, but parents wont take the wrap for their shortcomings in parenting skills, they think the problem MUST be their child, they say "hey lets pump em full of drugs they will get better"

I wonder why cancer is on the rise

[/thread]

co-sign to the fullest

[Hook]

Man the number of illnesses and disorders that have magically come to the fore in the last decade is staggering...ADD, ADHD, PMDD, RLS...all with fancy-shmancy names and adverts in black and white with some chick in sweats crying over it...and of course you have your selection of pills to cure or control it that can be displayed buffet style, all 256 colours...then it's just to turn on some strobes, share glow sticks and have a party..or u can make a collage with it and occupy your time for a few mins before the ADHD sets in again.

It boils down to discipline and a society that isn't ready to admit that they went wrong, yet is always looking for a scapegoat and a quick fix and a magic pill to solve all their problems. Look for instance at all the drugs that proport to help you lose weight without exercising. Laziness at it's finest!

No matter all the "scientific evidence" you can muster up to prove that it's a neurological disorder (c'mon we KNOW it's all made up...next you're gonna tell me homosexuality is genetic too...wait...naaaaaaah...), 30 years ago we had scholars and learned and disciplined ppl out the wazoo and now we dealing with a bajillion drop-outs and ppl who take the better part of a decade just to get their first degree yet they at every university fete. Genetic outbreaks of idiocy don't happen, so who infected the human gene pool?
Bottom line is, you can't fix stupid, but u can make a pill for it and sell it to stupid ppl to give to their stupid kids. So now everybody thinks they're sick and then you wonder why your health system needs reform.
I think I strayed from the point I wanted to convey even beforeI typed this but who gives a fcuk, right?

on a lighter note...this is the funniest thing I read all week

I also think that kids in the US are lazy... they are accustomed to everything being done/given to them.. few of them are willing to try for something on their own. Look at the colleges, majority of the kids are choosing schools with the best "party" atmosphere... very rarely that you hear of someone choosing for the curriculum.

I do believe that ADD/ADHD does exist... but it is being "diqagnosed" too easily.. and also Superfriends was a helluva a great cartoon but I'll always remain impartial to Batman...while the weather does look good today make sure an walk with an umbrella because the neighbors' dogs are pretty moody and liable to get a good book and read on the porch, nothing beats a nice quiet afternoon.. whatever happened to Quietriot?.. anyways I digress... hmm... WTH was I talking about?

and I actually read it all the way thr..oooh look a bunny wabbit! *runs off*