Are You Falling Prey To These Common Myths About ADD?

ADD is one disorder that is shrouded in controversy and mystery. The medical establishment is divided about what causes ADD as well as how to treat it. Opinions range all the way from those that claim that ADD does not exist to those that believe that drug therapy is the only solution.

With so much confusion amongst the professional, it's no wonder that the ordinary layman is besieged with half-truths and misinformation regarding ADD.

One of the most common myths that even professionals fall prey to, is that children who suffer from ADD have a very short attention span regardless of the task. Many people feel that in order for a child to be diagnosed with ADD he must not be able to concentrate for long periods of time.

Whilst it's true that a very limited attention span is the hallmark of a child suffering from ADD, it's untrue to say that an ADD child cannot focus for extended periods of time.

The truth of the matter is that children with ADD can pay attention perfectly well to things that are novel, new, interesting, scary or stimulating.

Why? Because activities or events such as these cause the release of adrenaline which activates the brain functions that help the ADD child to concentrate.

Many ADD children will tell you that they find it quite easy to concentrate and focus for lengthy periods of time if the subject/activity is one that interests them.

Another important point to bear in mind is that children with ADD need adrenaline in order to focus. Adrenaline is the hormone that is released into the body when we are excited or stressed.

A recent research study revealed a deficiency of adrenaline in the urine samples of ADD children. Perhaps ADD should stand for Adrenaline Deficiency
Syndrome.

My son is a text-book case. It takes him 3 hours to complete 30 minutes worth of homework. He will get up dozens of times; to pat the dog, get a glass of water, annoy his brother or play with his little sister. Anything to avoid focusing on the task at hand. But give him a book on dogs or quad bikes and he will sit still and read it from cover to cover and remember every last detail of what he read.

The typical ADD child has trouble paying attention to boring, routine, everyday tasks like homework, school work and chores.

So if you were ruling out the possibility that your child had ADD just because he can concentrate on things that interest him (and is a real air-head with everything else), perhaps you should re-evaluate your decision in light of this new information.

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