SCI/TECH: Research Finds ADHD Kids Have Brain Dysfunction

Child Psychiatrist Alasdair Vance from Australia's university of Melbourne together with a team of Researchers have found that Adolescents with ADHD have dysfunction in the areas of the brain that help people concentrate and ignore distractions. 14 brains were studied of boys aged between 14 and 16 years using MRI scanning techniques to compare half the children with ADHD to a control group of healthy children of the same age group. Dr Vance stated that the factors that place children at risk of ADHD are both environmental and biological. He also said that vunerability to ADHD may begin in the womb when the neural networks begin to develop.



As more research is undertaken, ADHD becomes more known to us and less of a mystery. In many quarters there is still opposition to the idea that ADHD is caused by a chemical imbalance or brain dysfunction and is mainly the problem of a lack of discipline. These studies are showing that ADHD is in fact an issue for the medical profession to overcome and hopefully as more and more is revealed about this problem, then treatment methods can be upgraded and improved instead of sticking these children into a basket labelled hopeless case and medicated with Ritalin or Dexamphetamine, two dangerous poisonous chemicals.

[edit on 19-9-2005 by Mayet]

I have to agree. Ritalin is the most over prescribed drug ever IMHO. Some of it may be the consequences of the go go 70's and 80's where even casual drug use may have impacted the fetal development of these children.

Source: www.cchr.org...
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is NOT a genuine brain chemistry disorder that must be treated with drugs to help children. This so-called disease is entirely fictitious and has no measurable physiological basis whatsoever. Hyperactivity in children is actually caused primarily by poor nutritional habits (consumption of refined sugars and food coloring) and can be easily corrected in less than two weeks by taking children off all refined carbohydrates and food additives. The ADHD "disease" was invented to sell drugs and boost the power of the highly corrupt psychiatric community, which increasingly "discovers" fictitious diseases and treats them with mind-altering narcotics. To learn more, visit the Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

Check out www.cchr.org...

I don't know if it's true, but I have never really believed that such a thing existed myself.

[edit on 19-9-2005 by Yarcofin]

Hay I don't believe this article because adhd and add is deferent for different people. Some people that are hipper active may not have adhd. they just have a high energy level. but for people with add and adhd have there heads I have add and take three different medications and all is okay. Thay need to take that study again and with the write people. Because there are people with add and adhd. People how take that median have actually have a comical imbalance. I bet they were testing normal kids that were taking ridaline. Then kids that actually have the disorder. it could be a comical imbalance or just someone how eats two much sugar (I don't mean people how eat one or two candy bars). People with adhd or add get hyped up on one candy bar. People with add there brains are like a tv out of control. People ho have high energy level just run around a lot and don’t have any mental problems at all or they just mean they are out of control. People with add and adhd can have self-control but it takes a lot for them to keep in control all the medicine dues it make it easier for that person to keep his her self under control. also people with adhd can also be vary smart to because they are more receptive to there surrounding environment. plus with the write medication they can also be better then the average jo. So please don't think just because they have brain problems that they are not smart it just takes them a bit longer for them to learn things then other people. I expresses my dislike for this article. Because people think, just because some people are different that they are stupped.

[edit on 19-9-2005 by hughes28105]

[edit on 19-9-2005 by hughes28105]

14 brains, including a control group within the number 14, does not seem high enough to me to produce conclusive results. While I'm at it, I'm going to point out that kids who cannot retain information long enough to be able to discern that one cube image is the same as another, when only presented with 5 images total, are not ADHD. They is ignunt.

Zip

I kind of agree with the above.

ADHD is often misdiagnosed and is simply an excuse for poor parenting.

That is not to say that ADHD does not exist. It's just that it's easier to drug our children up rather than give them a good upbringing.

In this society no one takes responsibility. Everyone is to blame except the parents.

Science seems to vindicate parents when really our knowledge is incomplete and picking and choosing which scientific "discovery" excuses our lack of responsibility is no way to go.

I don't recall hundreds of psycho kids running around 20, 30 years ago.

In the future people will look back at this entire episode with disdain. Pumping our children full of drugs is plain wrong. What are we building up for the future when our drug dependent children seek a reality without drugs ?



[edit on 19-9-2005 by John bull 1]

I agree JB but there's another aspect to this as well, SCHOOLS. They want the kids doped if they're over active. They are even willing to provide doctors for diagnosis. If the parents believe these administrators, they could find their kids medicated. Sad.

In stead of saying dysfunction I would say they are advanced, The thing I hate about the human race, we fear or label what we don't understand.

What is normal anyway?

The obvious final solution here is more Ritalin, rather than a deeper study using control groups of kids getting proper nutrition without drugs, verses kids getting pharmaceutical poison, Ritalin etc.

Since such studies have already been conducted independently in schools that forego the vending machines and horrible mayonaise-macaroni mixed with rancid lard, for healthy salads, and whole grains. Do you think the giant octapus of drug conglomerates are going to fund such obvious studies? No they are going to support their fictitious ADHD by selective research.

Corporations feed the public garbage then sell more poisons, how profitable. In the 19th century a savvy public would get out the tar and feathers faster than you can say "charlatan."

[edit on 19-9-2005 by SkipShipman]

Originally posted by SpittinCobra
In stead of saying dysfunction I would say they are advanced, The thing I hate about the human race, we fear or label what we don't understand.

What is normal anyway?

We have changed our world - chemically, biologically, and yes - genetically.

Who's to say what's a positive adaptation, and what is not?

Chill. You can't stop the train. Might as well try to understand it.

.

ADHD is NOT a disease, folks. It's a scam once again to make money by the drug industry, not to mention a sick joke. ADHD is CAUSED by FOOD ADDITIVES and/or toxins which may be heavy metal toxicity of any sort. Nobody HAS to have ADHD! Look it up!

Science like this would say it's "dysfunctional" to be anything besides a robot. With the same thinking you can classify Einstein et al as dysfunctional, because those people are different when compared to a specific platform of control.

If schizophrenia was overly prevalent in our society and walk of life, being non-schizophrenic would be "not normal."

There is no normal, and there is no dysfunction. Just difference, different perspective. Should we wait for psychologists to finally realize that? Or should we bombard them with psychadelics for long periods of time..

Originally posted by John bull 1

ADHD is often misdiagnosed and is simply an excuse for poor parenting.

That is not to say that ADHD does not exist. It's just that it's easier to drug our children up rather than give them a good upbringing.

In this society no one takes responsibility. Everyone is to blame except the parents.

Science seems to vindicate parents when really our knowledge is incomplete and picking and choosing which scientific "discovery" excuses our lack of responsibility is no way to go.

I don't recall hundreds of psycho kids running around 20, 30 years ago.


[edit on 19-9-2005 by John bull 1]

Grrrrr......I have to respond to this!!

When my kids started to school, I got an 'education' of my own. I found out that I was soooo stupid, I knew nothing about children, in spite of having two of them, living every day with them for five whole years......teachers knew everything about kids, even my kids, whether they had any of their own or not.

The first week, I was informed my son had a hearing problem.....and when I tried to say that he had already been tested by his pediatrician, and by a health dept. clinic for preschoolers.....the teacher just talked louder, drownng out my words, to impose her standard speech, "If you can't AFFORD a doctor, you can take him to such and so FREE clinic." I had to wait for her to stop for breath, before I could repeat that he had a regular pediatrician, and had been tested. She had just assumed I was po trash....that I hadn't bothered to take him to a doctor, and there was no need to listen to anything I had to say!! (I had been foolish enough to come directly to pick him up in my yard/barn work clothes, rather that stopping to change into my pearls and heels. )

Fortunately for me, I had a college degree myself, with a background in early childhood develpment and nutritional diseases, so I could pull it out and wave it in front of them when they began to talk down to me. Lord help the really poor parents who weren't so lucky. ( Unfortunately, I had not gotten a full educational degree, but had changed my concentration to art and design, so I had not attended the classes in "Parents are Stupid 101", and did not realize exactly what I was up against.)

Years later, when I went back to college to get my teaching certificate, I DID find out that, YES the ed. prof. DOES actually stand in front of a room full of 'teachers-to-be' and say, "PARENTS ARE STUPID", not qualifing it with, " SOME" parents, but we are all poor parenters! This was done more than once, and in Grad level courses!!

I meanwhile, muddled on, unaware that I was soooo stupid.....My son's second grade teacher diagnosed him as ADHD, because he didn't sit still, cut up in class, and was always trying to get her attention. ( Even though he was perfectly able to do his work when he was at home, would even sit still for hours, when working on a model car.....successfully building kits that were recommended for much older ages!) She insisted he had a disorder, insisted he take Ritalin.....that's right she diagnosed him, not his doctor, he just went along with it, saying it might help, at least it would, "make the teacher happy if she knew he was taking it."! ( this was before all the bad pr about this drug was made avalilable.) Before he actually began taking the Ritalin, I had changed his diet, taken him off all refined sugar, all white flour, and restricted his intake of artificial flavors and additives.

During all of my 'poor parenting' of my son, I also had a daughter who was excelling......not one of her teachers ever suggested she needed 'medicating'! Yet she had the same rotten parents, the same horrid diet, and probably recieved less over all attention ....shouldn't she have had even more problems???

A few grades later, my son had a teacher that thought he was simply bored, so had him tested....revealing that he had an IQ of 145. Upon having 'proof' of what I had already suspected, he 'admitted' that he'd had a 'crush' on that second grade teacher, and had been getting her to pay extra attention to him by making noises and 'pretending' to need help with his work. Ha!! so much for my 'poor parenting'!

ADHD may actually exist......there are studies like the one mentioned above that do seem to support it's existence. BUT, it should be diagnosed by a doctor, not a teacher and it should NOT be shrugged off as poor parenting to excuse poor teaching!!


And yes there were plenty of psycho kids running around 20 and 30 years ago.....at my high school they were recruited for the football team!

[edit on 19-9-2005 by frayed1]

You don't say if you allowed your child to take the Ritilin.

If you did, and you have said that you didn't believe he had ADHD, and you allowed your son to take it on the word of a teacher then I would say that that was a poor parenting decision.

If you didn't, you seem to suggest that you fought it and tried other avenues, then I think that's a brave good parenting decision.

My point wasn't that a parent diagnosed with ADHD is a poor parent. My point is most child hyper activity can be attributed to so many other things and that too many parents are eager to find a medical condition that science says can be treated with drugs rather than look harder themselves.

As for the teachers you describe, as has been said above. Sedating the children is a comfortable quick solution.

Originally posted by John bull 1
You don't say if you allowed your child to take the Ritilin.

If you did, and you have said that you didn't believe he had ADHD, and you allowed your son to take it on the word of a teacher then I would say that that was a poor parenting decision.

Ahhh, it never ends, does it.

Yes, I allowed him to take it. I HAD FELT I HAD NO CHOICE. This was quite a bit before as much was known about Ritalin. I had never heard of it before. I talked with his doctor on three separate visits before the doctor decided we might as well try it. HE did not offer me any negative information about it. There were NO negative studies that I found, only positive 'wonder drug' tales of 'miracle' cures!! I got only grief from my sister-in- law, who was a teacher, and my mother-in-law, who was ready and willing to believe the 'poor parenting' mantra that was in the phamplets that her daughter was showing her!!!

I stood ALONE!! My marriage suffered, my relationship with my child suffered! I lost sleep over the 'poor parenting' crap....no, I was distraught over it!

The teacher INSISTED that he had to take it......she made me believe that she could have him removed from her class, maybe even taken out of school ( and private school was totally out of the question! NOW, I would home school him in a NY minute, but then it was rare, frowned on unless one was a 'professional' or a genius!) She sent negative notes home with him every day.....she only let up when he showed up with a bottle of pills.

When I could see no difference in his behavior, and I had the IQ test for some back up, I refused to let him take it any longer......Do you think the school system liked that? I should say NOT. They pushed the meds like they got a kick back!

I was sent a lenghty letter by the Board of Ed., to the effect that I was irresponsibe, and that I would have to sign a statement that I had removed his medication without a doctor's order......never mind that he'd not had a doctor's order to say he needed it in the first place. I fought against this stuff before it was deemed 'right' by almost any source you could find on it. Finally I began to get some vindication....the mainstream views began to come around to where I'd already been for quite a while. I got to tell a few people, "I told you so!"

And now I'm a poor parent because I could not win that fight, in the first round??!!.

People today have allways wanted the easy way to solve a solution and "miricle pills" are the way they do it now instead of changing diets or addressing learning and eviroment problems that affect the moods of kids.

Back in the 90s I was working at a martial arts studio and had parent who thought that because thier kid had ADHD THIER kid needed special attention. I pointed ot the class room outside and asked them to find the ADHD kid, then pointed to a picture of a class of graducated black belts and asked them to find the ADHD kid in the picture. It wasn't even an issue with us. Since we know how to teach, and direct a person energy to a more positive area.

Some teachers are too lazy to deal with problem children, and some parents are the same way. Doping them up on drugs is NOT the solution. and should be used as a method of last resort after all other methods like phychotherapy and behavior modifcation have been done.

It wasn't a problem 20 years ago, why should it be now?

FYI it is not in the drug industries best intrest to cure people. Think about that for a second before you start taking a precription medicine to adjust a behaviorly issue

Child Psychiatrist Alasdair Vance from Australia's university of Melbourne together with a team of Researchers have found that Adolescents with ADHD have dysfunction in the areas of the brain that help people concentrate and ignore distractions

No foolin'? I'm sure glad them brainiacs figured that our for we swabs! Laddys with ADHD have trouble payin' attention to the trim on their mainsail....no bloody kiddin'! Avast ye mates! Salute Captain Obvious of the HMS News.com!

Adolescents with ADHD have dysfunction in the areas of the brain that help people concentrate and ignore distractions.

Dysfunction? Or difference?

Maybe these kids can process wayy more information than other people. Maybe teachers just don't recognize the process - or the product.

Multi-task anyone?


.

I as many of you know have six of the lil beggars...Love them all but of course, there is testing times...My six year old is being pushed into the adhd basket, my nine year old who is physically disabled with a form of autism is pushed into the ADD basket and my three year old wanderer is being pushed into visiting same doctors now too....they are just normal active children who get bored easily

I have found the following.... if my kids have cordial and it doesn't matter what colour or if they have soda, about 15 minutes later .. they change, they turn into a Jekyll Hyde character...They scream and yell and climb walls..... they throw things around and trash the place, they fight and have huge tantrums....needless to say, they only have water and fresh squeezed juice now..

Lollies do it and processed meats and some canned foods....

Studies should be done on diet, food colours and processed foods...

Wow i must say i do not think anyone read my first post. but then again i don't know that for shore. adhd can not truly be diagnost and there for can be what ever anyone wants it to be. but in the future with more information on how the brain works and with that understanding the people will understand what rilly going on in are brains. so for know don't mess with the mind it can be a vary dangerouse thing to mess with. i mean this greatly because the mind can become are wirst night mare or are gratest dream.