Tips for the ADHD Parent: Things You Should Really Know

Ok, so I have seen some interest in the topic of ADHD and children. Well if you haven't guessed, this is one of my areas of specialization. I just want to let parents in on some tips that they might just not know:

• When you are taking your child for a diagnosis for ADHD, take them to a child psychologist. This information will be extremely comprehensive. You can then take what you learn from the psychologist to your pediatrician for medication (if you choose).
• The first dose is not always the right dose. I have parents come in all the time, telling me some major adverse affect the meds had on their child. Well taking the right medicine is like trying to find a pair of shoes. You keep trying it on until you find one that you like and that fits right. ADHD medication should not make your child a zombie, insomniac, or anorexic. The right medication will help your child maintain focus and help them control their own behavior.
• Not all children need medication. In order to get a real diagnosis of ADHD, the child's functioning must be affected both at home or at school (technically across two settings). So if your child is not exhibiting hyperactive-impulsive behavior or inattentive behavior at home, then you are probably not looking at ADHD.
• There are three types of ADHD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition: ADHD: Hyperactive-Impulsive, ADHD: Predominately Inattentive, and ADHD: Combined Type.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer what I can.

Halloween, Trick or Treat???

Ok, so what is up with people bashing Halloween. I mean, I know that some people don't believe in the devil (or if they do, they think the devil is the bad man below), but what is wrong with kids having fun. How stigmatizing it is to the child's whose parents say that Halloween is the Devil's holiday when all of their friends are dressed up like imaginary superheroes and getting bags of that great ol sugary goodness. I know that everyone is privey to their own beliefs, but when can we just let the kids have fun???

TV Ratings...Where in The World???

Has anyone watched a PG-13 movie lately? I just don't know what to expect. I was sitting around watching movies on demand, when my husband and I were watching the movie Pieces of April. This movie is rated PG-13 and it contains explicit sex, drugs, and family dysfunction. What in the world is going on with these ratings today? I mean is it really ok to let thirteen year olds watch these movies? When I was thirteen, I would have been like "sure I can handle that". But in reality, the thought level of these youngsters is just not ready. These kids have prefrontal lobes that are not fully developed and they watch a movie and think "man, that is some cool stuff". They don't think about the woman with cancer that will die and then the guy getting the crap beat out of him might have gotten killed if he didn't have "love". Come on people get it together and make sure you screen what your children are watching!

ADHD A New Childhood Pandemic

What is going on with children these days? I mean did Nestle put something in the Quick because these kids are out of control. Has anyone walked into a kindergarten class lately. You might be suprised. Comments from teacher range from, Never mind Johnny he didn't take his medicine this morning to Do you think you could help me, this child just doesn't want to sit down. Also, have you checked out the schedule for a kindergarten class? These children are expected to sit still for a few hours at a time. I don't think I have a met a five year old that could sit still for more than a few minutes. Is it possible that the drug companies and the largest government institution "public education" have teamed together to make some major "money"? Or is it also possible that as teachers get older, they cannot tolerate as much distress so they just sedate the children to help appease themselves, tell me what you think???

AIDS and the Lower Class

Is it a coincidence that most of the individuals in our country affected by the AIDS virus are living under the poverty level? Isn't it quite wierd that individuals such as Magic Johnson get AIDS and live a very long time (it almost seems like he is cured) but lower class individuals are dying every day. Is this a way for the government to have population control? Let's get rid of the poor so the rich can have more??

Passive Terroist Attack

Recently I came across a news feed that stated that the makers of Tamiflu (the drug responsible for helping with the Bird Flu) is being denied to the United States. Considering the seriousness of the Bird Flu and the possibility of a pandemic, I am beginning to think that this is quite possibly a passive attack on the United States. As a major country in the world, we Americans have always considered ourselves to be "better" than people from other countries. We take pride in our country and the people that reside in it, but when is it enough? We travel the world looking for countries to "recivilize" but is it possible that we are only causing them to hate us? Is it possible that now we are under a major threat because we are always trying to be "nice" to people. I think that we have over stayed our welcome in many countries and now they want to kill us. What a wonderful idea for population control, let's get rid of all those Americans so we can go back to the way we were...

Welcome to Rare Occurrences

Hello, Welcome to my blog. If you have found this blog then I am assuming that you are like me. You like to question why things are the way they are. You like to think about strange occurences and who is responsible. Please, if you have any strange or bizzarre ideas, put up a post. Thanks and Come Again!