A pediatrician had an opportunity to visit an elementary
classroom and spend a few minutes observing the students. She noticed the
children’s odd behavior and excessive movement. Immediately, she jumped to a
snapshot conclusion after her shocking recognition of the children’s challenges
keeping still, focusing, managing the movement of their bodies, etc. The
pediatrician only spent a brief moment in the classroom, and yet another
inaccurate statement was made by someone who does not spend a sufficient
duration of time observing the behavior of children in a classroom.
Her argument was the children did not receive enough recess
time or enough time to engage their bodies in movement. While children can
always use more recess time—knowing the mind often needs more rest time than
the body itself—limited recess time is by no means the causing factor of ADHD
and its challenging behaviors. Furthermore, additional recess time can and will
not dismiss nor minimize the behaviors of ADD or ADHD.
As I continue to state, it is impossible for the additional
challenges of speech and language, sensory overload, limited emotional control,
limited inhibitory and impulse control, and complete disorganized and disrupted
working memory to be coupled with limited to zero attention control simply by a
lack of recess time during the school day.
Consider the fact there are several individuals in their
sixties who suffer from the condition, and their recess time was possibly
longer. During their childhood, children with problems related to ADD or ADHD
were simply removed from the classroom setting or completely expelled from the
school. Today, however, children’s behaviors are overlooked, ignored, and blame
is placed in every known place with absolutely no relation to the behaviors of
ADD and ADHD.
Children are now being diagnosed with sensory processing
disorder simply as a broad label when a clear, accurate answer is never found
through reports of caregivers concerning the behaviors of their children.
Basically, those who suffer from particular sub-cases of ADD are now being
labeled with SPD. Keep in mind there are several sub-cases of the condition;
thus, the reason I have classified them accordingly in my latest work, Autism Demystified.
Although many have the authority to diagnose children with
medical labels, keep in mind the conditions of ADD and ADHD are conditions
which cannot be identified or recognized by typical, physical examination. In
other words, the typical means of assessing a patient when he or she arrives in
the office of a medical professional are completely inoperative. Thus, leading
a medical professional to the mercy of reports given by caregivers and
teachers—those who share significant time in the lives of children.
Before racing to conclusions concerning behaviors of
children, it is imperative to acknowledge the significance of the conditions of
ADD and ADHD and understand they are not to be taken lightly. Most importantly,
conclusions should never be made based on reactive thinking during a first time
observation of children in a classroom. Most people who visit a classroom would
never recognize nor understand the existence of ADD and ADHD displayed by
children, and the demands placed on children and their educators are direct
evidence of this.
Jason M. Hufft
www.jasonhufft.com
