Prescriptions for ADHD triple in B.C. – An interesting article from The Vancouver Sun
What an interesting article in the news today. Reading this article brings up many questions and topics of discussion that educators and the public need to address. Firstly there is no doubting that the diagnosis of ADHD is on the rise. This brings up the first important question: Is the prevalence of ADHD increasing? Are there really more individuals in the population with ADHD than before? Or are we simply better at recognizing it? One theory is that there is that although it still exists, perhaps there is less stigma today surrounding this kind of diagnosis than before. This theory holds some weight when we consider that recently the diagnosis has not just been for children, but we see adolescents and adults as well diagnosed with ADHD. Perhaps a combination of awareness of treatment options and relatively less stigma has resulted in more adolescents coming forward and reaching out for help.
Another important question to ponder is in which cases of ADHD is psychotropic medication necessary? Certainly in some cases prescription drugs are appropriate and necessary, however medication should not be the only course of action. Drugs such as Ritalin or Adderall can sometimes have negative side effects like changes in personality or excessive sleepiness. It’s not necessarily a teacher’s role to comment on the appropriateness of medications, this decision should ultimately be made by psychiatrists, ideally in consultation with the student, the student’s parent and notes or reports from the teacher. While pharmaceutical treatments are best left to the professionals, certain accommodations and adjustments can be made to benefit students with ADHD right in the classroom. Even small changes in classroom environment can have a really good impact on students who have difficulty concentrating. A host teacher once reluctantly let a student keep a small toy in his desk to fidget with. The results were amazing! No one would have ever have guessed that just a tiny bit of kinesthetic movement (and the gesture of a concession from the teacher) would change this student’s behaviour in class and attitude towards school. From this experience I have learned, anything is worth a try! Here are some other methods that are commonly used and I saw my host teacher use: Moving the student away from distracting peers and next to a good role model (side note: role model seemed to understand her role and was honoured to help a classmate). While instructing the class he used the ‘proximity method’ to try to increase attentive behaviour and discourage inappropriate behaviour. We also made it a point to praise good work which created incentive for the student to try harder and to give him a chance to see the progress he was making.