Not long ago it was thought that Attention deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Only school-going boys influenced-the naughty guys who could not sit still in class and always got into trouble. Nowadays the number of ADHD diagnoses is rapidly increasing in all age groups, with some of the greatest increase in women with young and middle age.
The figures are amazing. It is thought that about 2 million people in England, 4% of the population, have ADHD, says the Nuffield Trust, a think tank. The symptoms often overlap with those of autism, dyslexia and other disorders that, like ADHD, are supposed to be caused by how the brain develops. All in all, 10-15% of children have attention patterns and information processing that belong to these categories.
At the moment ADHD is being treated as something you have or not. This binary approach to diagnosis has two consequences. The first is that treating everyone as if they are sick fills healthcare systems. Waiting lists for ADHD reviews in England take a maximum of ten years; The education system with special needs is responsible for the seams. The second consequence occurs when ADHD is treated as a dysfunction that must be determined. This leads to a terrible waste of human potential. Forcing yourself to fit in with the “normal” is tapping and can cause fear and depression.
The binary view of ADHD is no longer supported by science. Researchers have realized that there is no such thing as the “ADHD brain”. The characteristics around which the ADHD diagnostic box is drawn – attention problems, impulsivity, difficulty organizing daily life – span a broad spectrum of seriousness, just like ordinary human characteristics. For those at the serious ending, medication and therapy can be crucial for finishing school or holding a job, and even life -saving, by suppressing symptoms that lead to accidents.
But for most people with ADHD, the symptoms are mild enough to disappear when their environment plays to their strengths. Instead of making people “normal”, it is wiser – and cheaper – to adjust classrooms and workplaces to neurodiversity.
In Portsmouth, teachers in southern England have been trained to assess the neurodiversity profile of a child about characteristics that include speech, energy levels, attention and adaptability. The goal is to find where children need support (easily distracted) and where they have strengths (being a visual student), without diagnosing them with something in particular. Organizing lessons to sit, standing and working in groups is a way to make things easier for students with ADHD-type properties. Larger freedom to choose when you have to arrive at school or work can help those who are worn out by sensory overload during the morning trush. Bullet-point summaries of lessons or work memos, noise-suppressing headphones and quiet corners can also help.
Such things must be universally available at school and at work. A better understanding of neurodiversity would reduce bullying in schools and help managers understand that neurodivergent people are often specialists, rather than generalists. They can be bad in large meetings or noisy classrooms, but exceptional in things such as multitasking and visual or repetitive activities that require attention to detail. The wise use of their talents means that they delegate what they cannot do well with others. A culture that tolerates differences and takes an enlightened view of the rules will help people achieve more and get more out of life. That is, instead of more medical agreements, the best way to help the growing figures in line stand for ADHD diagnoses.
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