Labeling our children with ADD and ADHD

By Douglas V. Gibbs

While waiting in a doctor's office I picked up a magazine to thumb through to give my overworked hand-held devices a long-needed break.  The magazine was "Web MD", the March/April 2012 issue.  On page 77, I came across an interesting piece titled "Mind Quiz: Does your child have ADHD?"

"My son is 6 and in first grade," mom2therescue wrote in the WebMD Parenting Community.  "He is very impulsive and doesn't focus the way everyone else thinks he should  The boy's grades aren't affected, but his behavior disrupts the class."  These are classic symptoms of ADHD.  Do you know the others?

The article then took the liberty to list the symptoms of ADHD.  "Fidgeting, squirming, or moving legs, feet, arms, hands, and fingers frequently.  Walking, running, climbing when he or she is expected to remain seated."

Every child is different, and yes, some have trouble focusing their attention more than others.  Some are more hyperactive, and some children prefer to be quiet and sit with their hands on their knees.  Each child is an individual, and requires a unique style of environment for them to best learn whatever it is they are trying to learn.  Some do well in large settings with a lot of kids, and a teacher writing on the chalkboard, and some need a one-on-one atmosphere where they receive constant attention from the instructor.

Each child is his or her own individual self, and their individualism is not symptoms of some disease, or mental handicap.  Since when must individuality need to be labeled?

It is at this point that the parents of children that have been labeled, and perhaps even drugged, come to the defense of conventional wisdom, and start to hammer on me as an ADD or ADHD denier.  I don't deny that these conditions exist, or that some children need more care and attention than others to ensure they reach their educational potential.  I get it.  ADD and ADHD exists.  But they are not conditions that we must fix, and then force our children into compliance with all of the other children.  They are conditions that must be embraced and celebrated.  They are evidence that your child is an individual, with individual needs, and individual abilities.  Every child learns differently, and it is a wonderful thing.  They don't need to be labeled, drugged, and forced to conform.  That is the way of socialism, to make everyone the same, to force them to fit into a one-size-fits-all pattern of education.  True individuality will never allow for such a thing.

Everyone is brilliant in something.  One child may suffer in a classroom, but be an Einstein in a hands-on situation.  Another may be terrible at both, but excel in a quiet space with one-on-one attention.  It is our responsibility, as parents, to recognize these things about our kids, and adjust our lifestyle to their abilities.

Now, let's pause and think about all of this for a moment.  I am advocating that when it comes to learning abilities, we must not go to some kind of extreme and require all kids to be the same.  There is always going to be a deviance in how each child learns.  There are some things that we should have standards on, or a moral compass, if you prefer.  Societal norms do exist, and we need to conform on some things, but the actual abilities of a child, or their "way to learn," should not be forced into that package.  Individuality is not a disease or a handicap.  Individuality is something that should be celebrated, understood, and worked with.

All kids fidget, daydream, bounce off the walls sometimes, squirm, or move around when they aren't supposed to.  Much of that is just them being a kid.  Some of it is their own individuality trying to make itself known.  Do we squash that individuality, and drug that individuality, or do we nurture it, care for it, and help it develop?

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