ADHD and Autism

Kids with ADHD deserve action

Here is an excellent letter to the editor from the local Burnaby paper (click above).

Every year kids come to school with a variety of learning disabilities and mental health disorders, these include Autism, ADHD/ADD, depression, anxiety and related disorders. And recently studies have shown that BC is one of the places in Canada that is very unlikely to be prepared to help children with one of the most common of these disorders, ADHD, or ADD as many people mistakenly call it.

As the writer of this letter states, "Our Ministry of Education, as well as school communities, needs to know that ADHD is not a behaviour issue, that it can't be "cured" by changing diet, that it's not a result of poor parenting and that the kids who suffer from it aren't bad kids. And they need to know that I am not unnecessarily "drugging" my child. They need to know it's a genuine medical condition, that many kids with ADHD are very bright, that it affects up to 12 per cent of school children, that it's stressful for parents and hard to deal with for kids."

Well, I couldn't have said it better myself, and I am often frustrated by the way ADHD/ADD is treated or should I say not treated in the schools. This is especially important to parents of children with ASD or Asperger's Disorder. Treatment is often non-existant for ADHD. There is an assumption that behaviours are the result of choice, that the problems and failures are purposeful. While the provincial government had taken steps to address the need to provide treatment in the schools and community for autism and Asperger's Disorder, there is really very little available in the schools for children with ADHD/ADD. While there is a large percentage of children with ADHD/ADD you very seldom find a school district providing ADHD specific training for it's staff or parents. While I have spoken in dozens and dozens of schools throughout BC on autism and Asperger's Disorder, and provided training, consultation and observations focused on children with autism, it is nearly impossible to get a school to ask for a workshop, training session or a consultation on ADHD. And often our children with autism and Asperger's have ADHD as a co-morbid disorder. It is seldom addressed in Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and when a school does deal with the symptoms / behaviours that result from ADHD they apply "warnings" and punishments as the "treatment." This is something that sooner or later has to be addressed by our schools. This week alone three of the children seen in my practice were being punished for their ADHD symptoms. A school would never punish a student for their behaviours-symptoms of anxiety, or punish a student for behaviours-symptoms of Tourette's syndrome (although I have to admit, I have spent more than one full semester dealing with just this issue in a major school district in California). More than ny other disorder I have heard negative comments from teacher's and staff when addressing the simplest behaviours relating to ADHD/ADD. Sometimes it's like they have either never heard of the disorder, or if they agreed it existed out entire society would fall.

For parents I have suggested reading "So I'm Not Lazy, Crazy or Stupid," Mel Levine's "The Myth of Laziness" or Dr. Barkley's many works on ADHD. (All of these can be found on my web page.

Often different disorders have separate"camps" of supporters. There are "autism awareness" days, walks, Depression awareness days...all sorts of support groups and programs. Oddly, there is no ADHD walk or ADHD day in any school's or towns I've been to. That's too bad. ADHD more than any other disorder needs to be brought out of the closet and addressed, and those who deny that it is a real disorder, or that it's really a choice a ten year old is making to fail all his subjects and lose all his friends needs to be confronted and dealt with.

I can offer this one piece of advice to parent. Get a copy of the diagnosis for both Autism/Aspergers AND ADHD. Make a copy. LEarn it. Mark the important terms in yellow, underline them. Make a copy for everyone on your child's IEP team. And then make sure everyone know that punishment for symptoms went out about 100 years ago. We don't punish individuals who have a diagnosed disorders like autism, Aspergers, Tourette's syndrome or ADHD for exhibiting their symptoms. Ever. If they try, ask for the research that shows such a "technique" is a good idea. What supports that as an intervention? Instead redirect everyone back to answering how we as a team, parents and school, are going to provide positive behavioural support through the IEP process to teach your child how to do better and succeed. That's what an IEP is all about!

...............................
...............................


The Autism blog is not offered as medical advice or as a means of diagnosing or treating Autism or Asperger's Disoder. The diagnosis of autism is complex and involves not just looking for symptoms of autism, which is all that those “web tests” do, but also involves ruling out other disorders that might look just like autism. Often individuals who think they or their child has autism or Asperger's Disoder have other disorders, and may have co-morbid disorders such as depression, anxiety or OCD. A simple check off sheet of “symptoms” doesn’t differentiate these. So avoid these on-line "tests" which are nothing more than a collection of symptoms. You need to see a licensed or registered professional for a real diagnosis. Medical doctors can diagnose autism, but the diagnosis is complex and often they will make a referral to a Registered Psychologist for a full understanding of a patient’s symptoms. You can obtain a referral for a psychologist with expertise in autism from the British Columbia Psychological Association (BCPA). The professional you select needs specific training and needs to use specific tools in British Columbia, including the ADI-R and ADOS, and also needs to complete a psycho-educational assessment. The government of BC provides these services for free, there is a waiting list, and some parents prefer private practitioners.

In my practice I offer autism assessment and treatment services for individuals, couples, families, children and adolescents in the Burnaby, Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Moody, New Westminster and Maple Ridge areas of the lower mainland. This includes neuro-developmental assessments, psycho-education, cognitive rehabilitation for problems with memory and concentration and cognitive behaviour therapy. I also provide diagnostic assessments for autism and Asperger's Disorder in my Burnaby office.

My web page lists a number of resources you can make use of yourself in dealing with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Please visit it at www.adhdhelp.ca or one of my other sites at either Psychology Today, AAMFT, PSYRIS or my professional site. Please feel free to call if you have questions about ADHD or other cognitive issues.

My autism web page can be found by clicking here. (www.socialcognitivetherapy.com)


Dr. Jim Roche
Registered Psychologist, British Columbia 01610
778.998-7975
www.relatedminds.com