I am struck by the increasing diagnosis of ADHD in young children these days. While I don’t discount the condition entirely, I have a concern about the age of these children when they are diagnosed and the symptoms they seem to exhibit that are used as criteria for diagnosis. The American Medical Association defers to the diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) when reporting on this condition. The criteria used to diagnose this disorder includes behaviors such as “often avoids doing tasks that are disliked such as homework or other activities”, “often fidgets with hands and feet when seated in chair”, and “often has trouble waiting ones turn”. If I’m not mistaken, aren’t these all symptoms of simply being a child. Learning to wait your turn or sitting quietly all come with the development of the brain. Most children do not not want to do their homework. Each child learns and develops at different rates.
In my daughter’s Kindergarten class last year, they were already expected to be reading books by the end of the year. Algebraic expressions and concepts were introduced along with the expectation that children sit quietly for long periods of time. I understand that progression in the education system is what most people want. It is necessary to propel our economy when our children grow and become adults who contribute to the country’s GDP machine. My problem is that the development of a child is not and should not be subject to such strict criteria. Guidelines are good, but the gap of time in which a child is given to grow and develop, is becoming narrower by the year. In fact, if my memory serves me correct, we were still learning to paste (and sometimes eating it) and singing songs. We were still required to take a nap in Kindergarten. Now children are expected to sit still for hours on end and not fidget or squirm or else they are shot a diagnosis of ADHD and given strong doses of stimulant medication that causes sleep disturbances, reduced appetite and loss of weight. WOW! That can’t be good! All of the literature from credible sources such as the American Psychiatric Association assures the public, that although these side affects are caused by the stimulant drugs that are prescribed, these drugs are safe and should help our children be more effective (“automated”, in my interpretation) learning machines that don’t include an ounce of normal human development that children so innocently display.
I sometimes liken learning development to milestones that our children reach when they are babies and toddlers. For example, toddlers all walk at different rates, although there is a guideline that the The American Academy of Pediatrics provides for the age at which is considered normal development. That range is pretty open. They state that a baby should take their first steps around their first birthday but earlier and much later are still OK. They are vague with the time-line because every child is different. Some babies, considered in normal development, don’t take their first steps until they are 15 months.
My point is that I see children not given the opportunity to develop normally within a healthy range. Children who are forced to sit still and given negative consequences and attention when they are not ready emotionally or physically, will develop unnecessary anxiety and low confidence level. This is a recipe for an unstable growth process. I don’t think we should guard our children against rules. They should be exposed to the rules that are expected of them but I think there should be some flexible and realistic expectations with the range of development that exists. It’s not a one size fits all. We can help our children meet the criteria by motivating them positively and not take away their confidence to develop in a healthy manner.
Each child develops at different rates and childhood should be nurtured and accepted instead of mandated and disrupted. By enabling children to be imaginative, learn and inquire about the world around them in a safe loving environment, we would see remarkable outcomes when these children grow up to be confident, knowledgeable and creative adults contributing to a society and pushing the limits forward in terms of technology and science. The most important discoveries, inventions and creations were brought forth to the world by those who did not follow all the rules. If Benjamin Franklin had not broken the common and social rules by flying a kite when it was raining, electricity as we know it would not exist. So encourage your children to create and imagine and keep them safe. But don’t take away their confidence and punish or medicate them for being a child. Be patient, be kind and be loving. A real learning disorder or condition will present itself well into childhood and should not be mistaken for simple and innocent childhood development.
