Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Again

I take issue with this article from top to bottom. Let's start at the beginning. Being attention deficit and being hyperactive are two very different things. To lump the two together is just like saying that a tomato can be sliced into an apple pie because apples and tomatoes are both fruit.

If you've ever worked with an attention deficit person, you know that hyperactivity is generally not the issue. When you work or know hyperactives, lack of attention is not the issue; the issue is keeping up with them.

Secondly, I take issue with hyperactivity being a mental disorder. How can enhanced movement and quickness be a mental disorder?

Third, I take issue with the so called symptoms developing in preschool. A person is hyper from conception. My son crawled at two months. He was sitting for a Christmas picture in December when he was born on October 20.

And last, one is not educated "ON" anything. Does one stand on hyperactivity like some kind of mountain?

Perhaps that's why good preschool teachers don't read articles.

As a hyperactive who is definitely not attention deficit, with high energy children and grandchildren, I abhor the idea that I'm mentally ill. Does my ability to accomplish deeds quickly and sustain an energy level for 18 hours a day without sitting down make me a wacko? Does leaping out of bed at 3:45 with energy and a real desire to accomplish something wonderful during the day make me certifiable? Some would say yes. I've been hyperactive all my life. And like most hyperactives I understand that I am "differently disposed."

The "disorder" that's "unbearable" to most teachers comes from an in ability to keep up with high energy children. High heels and tight skirts won't cut it. Keeping up with high energy kids means out thinking them.

Personally, I love the high energy hyperactive child because they are hilariously funny, bright, filled with life, and get it done twice as fast as anyone else in the classroom. They also know where everything is, how everything works, and how dull most school work is. They get the information first and can do the work dangling from the ceiling. Mrs. St. Louis once taught a child to read while the child was upside down with a rabbit in her arms. So who cares about posture; the child learned to read.

Most hyperactives don't need to do the paperwork. One quick look at the paper, and they have already done it in their mind. The mind is the playground for any hyperactive. You can see a hyperactive child's learning in the eyes. But they won't do it like most other children. They instantly separate the important from the unimportant and they disregard the average.

Disregarding the average can incite the riot of the average person like no other shot to the head. The average person regards his environment as perfectly acceptable. The true hyperactive looks at the same environment and says, "How can we make this better?" Why is it necessary to increase everything? Because a hyperactive wants to see limits - yours and mine, but especially his. He will never be content with what is but what could be and that is daunting to most average people.

Now regard the average person from the hyperactive's point of view. To one of us, the average person is moving in slow motion. Nothing ever gets done because the average person is adding unnecessary steps so slowly, you'd think it was Montessori all over again.

Want to know which one is hyperactive? The child who never sits down. He will have one parent who is also hyper, he will probably love oranges, and will sleep with his eyes half open. A hyperactive will not make friends easily, but he is unusually kind and helpful. Hyperactives come in all sizes and shapes, and the one outstanding characteristic is in movement.

Problem? When hyperactivity is not directed first by the parent and secondly by the child, there is chaos. It's as if he's lost and can't find his way. Show the child the way, and you will have superchild.

Now the article:


Most knowledge comes from magazine articles

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent childhood disorders. Symptoms start to develop when a child is of preschool age, which has implications for preschool teachers, who are a main influence on the lives of children during these formative years. Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have determined that most preschool teachers are not extensively educated on ADHD, which can make it difficult for them to deal with their ADHD students' challenging behavior.

"The most common educational experience of preschool teachers was reading a magazine article that included information on ADHD," said Melissa Stormont, Mizzou associate professor of special education in the College of Education, who conducted the study along with Molly Stebbins, a school psychologist with Columbia Public Schools. "Without quality educational experiences such as reading a journal article with summaries of scientific research or going to a workshop with valid information, the information teachers are getting from types of popular media may only be fads and myths."

The study examined 138 preschool teachers. Teachers were asked to rate their own knowledge concerning ADHD and report their opinions on current ADHD trends and issues. They were then tested on their general knowledge of ADHD. The educational level of the teacher also was noted.

Stormont found that 81 percent of teachers surveyed had read a magazine article on ADHD, while only 61 percent had read a journal article on the subject. Fewer than half of the preschool teachers reported going to a workshop on ADHD or reading a book about the disorder. The study also found that teachers with graduate level degrees possessed more knowledge about ADHD than teachers with high school or vocational level degrees.

"Almost 77 percent of preschool teachers indicated that it was not easy to tell which preschoolers had ADHD," Stormont said. "About half of preschool students with ADHD will continue to have severe behavior problems into their school years, so teachers need to be able to recognize the onset of symptoms as soon as they occur so children can receive appropriate support to make school experiences more successful. Many children with challenging behavior are 'kicked out' of early school environments and enter kindergarten without the social skills needed to be successful."

Stormont also believes the perpetuation of myths and fads by the media could spell trouble for preschoolers in the care of early child care professionals who don't look elsewhere for more information about ADHD.

"Teachers need to understand a child's individual needs and the nature of his or her disorder," Stormont said. "If they attribute ADHD to poor parenting or excessive sugar, they may be less supportive and accommodating in the classroom than if they understood the biological basis of ADHD."

Stormont's study recently was published in the journal Teacher Education and Special Education.