World of Psychology

Teachers often identify ADHD

By John M Grohol PsyD
November 9, 2005

Teachers often identify ADHD

Right about now, parents are attending fall teacher conferences. And many are squirming uncomfortably in little chairs, hearing something like:

Johnny seems to have trouble paying attention.

Daniel often disrupts the class.

Hannah isn’t finishing her assignments.

Or more bluntly: I think your child has ADHD.

Most parents know attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is common. The best estimate is that 5% to 8% of children are affected. Most parents also know increasing numbers of children are treated with medications for ADHD — a fact that makes many uneasy. Adding to that uneasiness: recent news that one attention drug, Strattera, is linked with increased suicidal thinking in a few children.

No wonder many parents respond to a teacher’s concerns with alarm or denial. “They shoot the messenger, blame the teacher, blame the school. They think there’s a conspiracy by the drug companies. They just don’t want to hear it,” says Edward Hallowell, a Sudbury, Mass., psychiatrist who is co-author of two popular books on ADHD.

Of course, teachers aren’t always right. They know a lot about children but are not qualified diagnosticians. But they often are right. And experts say a teacher’s concern should always prompt action.


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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 9 Nov 2005

 


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