Subject: A.A.A.D.D.

[BJ_M]

>Subject: A.A.A.D.D.
>
>I'm sure some of you can relate, and those that can't, well, this might
>
>explain why we are the way we are.
>
>Recently, we were diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D. -
>
>Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
>
>
>
>This is how it manifests:
>
>I decide to wash my car.
>
> As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on
>
>the hall table.
>
>I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
>
>I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the
>
>trash can under the table, and notice that the trash can is
>
>full.
>
>So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out
>
>the trash first.
>
>But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I
>
>take out the trash anyway; I may as well pay the bills first
>
>I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only
>
>one check left.
>
>My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go to my desk
>
>where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.
>
>I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the
>
>Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.
>
>I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put
>
>it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
>
>As I head toward the kitchen with the coke a vase of flowers on
>
>the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered.
>
>I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading
>
>glasses that I've been searching for all morning.
>
>I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going
>
>to water the flowers.
>
>I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container
>
>with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote.
>
>Someone left it on the kitchen table.
>
>I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be
>
>looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on
>
>the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where
>
>it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.
>
>I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on
>
>the floor.
>
>So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels
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>and wipe up the spill.
>
>Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was
>
>planning to do.
>
>
>
>
>
>At the end of the day: the car isn't washed, the bills aren't
>
>paid, there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, the
>
>flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my
>
>checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses,
>
>and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
>
>Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm
>
>really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm
>
>really tired.
>
>I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some
>
>help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.
>
>Do me a favor, will you? Forward this message to everyone you
>
>know, because I don't remember to whom it has been sent.
>
>Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!
>
>
>
>
>
>GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY.
>
>GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL
>
>LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC!

[flaninacupboard]

you could have removed the >'s first :P

[tekkieman]

you could have removed the >'s first

He was going to but then he noticed.....

[Capmaster]

you could have removed the >'s first

He was going to but then he noticed.....

That describes a typical day for me, with slight variations:

First thing in the morning - fire up the PC to check e-mail. Remember that the cat needs feeding.

Go into the closet to put food in Max's bowl and notice the toilet paper dispenser is almost empty. Run downstairs and get halfway before deciding to bring my empty coffee cup down and save a trip.

Set the cup on the counter and remember to feed the turtles. They are probably hungry so I feed them before bringing the TP upstairs.

After feeding them I notice the cat took a dump under my telescope ...probably because his litter box is full and my wife forgot to empty it. Yoda was supposed to show up on Tuesdays to do that So I clean it up and spot the insurance certificate for the car still on the counter.

Since a current one needs to be in the car at all times, I carry it out into the garage and put it in the car. On the way back in, I decide the blinds should be opened, so I do that.

In the library I notice the trash should be emptied, so I carry it into the garage and dump it into the larger garage bag because I'm too lazy to take it outside.

While in there, I remember that I forgot to take the old insurance certificate out of my car, so I do that, and notice my CD case is still there. I had been meaning to rip a few tracks.

I carry the CDs upstairs and remember the TP. So, with the damn CDs still in hand, I go downstairs and get 8 rolls for the bathroom. I can't carry that and the CDs, so I set the CDs down.

Upstairs I forget I set the CDs down, and open CDex. Then I realize I forgot the ******* CDs, so down I go again.

I get the CDs and head back upstairs and remember a problem member on videohelp I should be watching, so I log in. I end up issuing a yellow card to him, and that requires an entry into my Excel spreadsheet I keep on all cards I issue. And I have backups on my CF card, the Latitude laptop and the Libretto. So I spend the next 5 minutes copying the updated spreadsheet.

In the meantime, the dog needs to go out, and I still need to run to the store, so I carry some mail upstairs from the previous day and set it down on my CD case on my desk ...concealing it. I log off, get my coat and head out,

When I get in the car I notice my CDs are missing. I don't even back down the driveway unless tunes are blasting away, so I shut the car off and spend the next 15 minutes trying to find the ******* CDs. I take them out to the car, but in the garage I can hear the phone ringing.

It's my friend Charles who wants me to e-mail him the Quigman's web site. So I log on again and send it to him. Then I notice that I forgot to rip the CD cuts so I go into the garage and get the CDs.

Then I get a "senior moment" and wonder what the **** I'm doing in the garage for the third time that day, and it isn't even 8am yet?

I go into the house and decide I've done enough work for today, and I'm going to spend some quality time to reward myself. So I pump Dolly up to 5 psi and "take it to her".

And nothing caps off a nice vinyl boff like a trip through the forum looking for the return of King John with an alias. So I'm back at the PC now, typing this post.

And you wonder why I get cranky ......

[bazooka]

I fully relate.

I have had A.D.H.D all my life.

[northcat_8]

ADHD Bullshit says I.

I had ADD when I was in school, our teacher's didn't call it ADD or ADHD, they called it day dreaming and corrected it with a meter stick.

Today I get to sit in meetings and listen to people who the school district pay, for them to teach us how to hold the attention of those students, how we can alter our classroom's so that these kids will pay attention longer, will stay on task longer and be more productive. Basically, how we can entertain them.

I have an alternate theory. I think if you shoot just one, just wing him, not kill him, just a little buckshot in the leg or something...I would be willing to bet that ADD would exist no longer.

Seriously though, I have to wonder about these kids who won't pay attention for longer than 30 seconds...where are they going to get a job? How dangerous is that job to that kid and how dangerous is that kid to the other's he is working with?

I personally do not have trouble with ADD kids, and I don't alter my classroom whatsoever for them and have never had one minute's trouble. Apparently I must be naturally entertaining to them or something.

[bazooka]

I have adhd.

I forgot they did not add the h until later, so back then it was just add

[flaninacupboard]

I also subscribe to northcats bollocks theory. the people in my school with "add" were just noisy fuckers from broken homes. I'm sure a good caning would have shut them up.

[bazooka]

I also subscribe to northcats bollocks theory. the people in my school with "add" were just noisy fuckers from broken homes. I'm sure a good caning would have shut them up.

Nope

[Cobra]

Certain conditions must not be ignored. However, students using it as an excuse to be disruptive should be removed and strictly disciplined just as any other pupil would be.

I don't think the varying conditions that are now recognised as science moves on can be ignored, but as I say entire classes of pupils should not have to change as a result.

[vitualis]

ADHD is a real diagnosis. It is also overdiagnosed.

I agree that a lot of kids are simply "naughty" and some more discipline is what they need.

However, some kids (and it is probably in some adults too) aren't just "naughty". Their brains are wired wrong. A normal person taking dexamphetamines would feel "hyper". A kid with ADHD does not. More often than not, they say that it is the first time for a long while that they remember feeling "normal".

Regards.

[bazooka]

ADHD is a real diagnosis. It is also overdiagnosed.

I agree that a lot of kids are simply "naughty" and some more discipline is what they need.

However, some kids (and it is probably in some adults too) aren't just "naughty". Their brains are wired wrong. A normal person taking dexamphetamines would feel "hyper". A kid with ADHD does not. More often than not, they say that it is the first time for a long while that they remember feeling "normal".

Regards.

As a child I took Dexedrine. It had the opposite effect on me in that it would calm me.

I now take strattera. It works well.

[SquirrelDip]

Bullshit says I.

Northcat... I'm still laughing over this post - and I agree with you 100%!

You're the first teacher I've heard talk this way about ADD - I'm not saying it doesn't exist but definitely far over diagnosed. Same here on the yardstick


@Capmaster: I'm with you dude... Hate to admit it, but I'm with you...

[jdw]

ADHD is a real diagnosis. It is also overdiagnosed

However, some kids (and it is probably in some adults too) aren't just "naughty". Their brains are wired wrong. A normal person taking dexamphetamines would feel "hyper". A kid with ADHD does not. More often than not, they say that it is the first time for a long while that they remember feeling "normal".

That's right.

Those who say ADHD and other conditions such as autism are not real and that it is a "cop out", are just plain ignorant about these disorders. I don't mean this in an insulting way, just that most likey they have never dealt with a real case first hand and are not educated about these neurological disorders.

Our daughter has Apserger's syndrome, and believe me it's real. Without medication, cognitive behavioral therapies, an IEP in the school, support groups, etc, our family life would be destroyed by now.

[Capmaster]

I personally do not have trouble with ADD kids, and I don't alter my classroom whatsoever for them and have never had one minute's trouble. Apparently I must be naturally entertaining to them or something.

I know you keep me laughing

[flaninacupboard]

ADHD is a real diagnosis. It is also overdiagnosed

However, some kids (and it is probably in some adults too) aren't just "naughty". Their brains are wired wrong. A normal person taking dexamphetamines would feel "hyper". A kid with ADHD does not. More often than not, they say that it is the first time for a long while that they remember feeling "normal".

That's right.

Those who say ADHD and other conditions such as autism are not real and that it is a "cop out", are just plain ignorant about these disorders. I don't mean this in an insulting way, just that most likey they have never dealt with a real case first hand and are not educated about these neurological disorders.

Our daughter has Apserger's syndrome, and believe me it's real. Without medication, cognitive behavioral therapies, an IEP in the school, support groups, etc, our family life would be destroyed by now.

Autism i get, ADD i do not. i've seen way too many examples of children with "ADD" and an "expert" tells the parents how to handle their children (i.e. teach them some respect and manners) and the ADD magically disappears. maybe there -are- people out there with a real problem, who knows. but if you're aware that your behaviour is bad then learn to control yourself. drug addicts learn to suppress their urges, afterall.....

[Capmaster]

Our son Justin was diagnosed with ADD when he was in second grade, but I doubt the diagnosis was accurate. He never needed medication, always got As and Bs in school, and outgrew it. I think he was just an active little cuss ...and he is extremely bright, so I'll bet he suffered from the same thing I did in elementary school ...boredom

He can concentrate now like nobody's business .......I suspect he never really had it. Which reinforces Michael's take on the overdiagnosing that goes on for this "condition"

[jdw]

Autism i get, ADD i do not. i've seen way too many examples of children with "ADD" and an "expert" tells the parents how to handle their children (i.e. teach them some respect and manners) and the ADD magically disappears. maybe there -are- people out there with a real problem, who knows. but if you're aware that your behaviour is bad then learn to control yourself. drug addicts learn to suppress their urges, afterall.....

I understand what you say and yes, a lot of kids (and adults) are diagnosed errouneously and parents and doctors can be too quick with the Ritalin.

Those who truely do have ADHD, some will deal with it their entire lives. With others, the symptoms can diminish with age. No two people are alike.

But, a lot of kids are often mis-diagnosed with ADHD when the underlying disorder is diagnosed later or not diagnosed at all. Autistic people can show symptoms of ADHD, ODD, OCD, tics, anxities and whatnot.

One person said something interesting to me one time and that is ADHD is not the lack of focus on one thing, but the person actually focuses on everything at once.

[bazooka]

ADHD is a real diagnosis. It is also overdiagnosed

However, some kids (and it is probably in some adults too) aren't just "naughty". Their brains are wired wrong. A normal person taking dexamphetamines would feel "hyper". A kid with ADHD does not. More often than not, they say that it is the first time for a long while that they remember feeling "normal".

That's right.

Those who say ADHD and other conditions such as autism are not real and that it is a "cop out", are just plain ignorant about these disorders. I don't mean this in an insulting way, just that most likey they have never dealt with a real case first hand and are not educated about these neurological disorders.

Our daughter has Apserger's syndrome, and believe me it's real. Without medication, cognitive behavioral therapies, an IEP in the school, support groups, etc, our family life would be destroyed by now.

Autism i get, ADD i do not. i've seen way too many examples of children with "ADD" and an "expert" tells the parents how to handle their children (i.e. teach them some respect and manners) and the ADD magically disappears. maybe there -are- people out there with a real problem, who knows. but if you're aware that your behaviour is bad then learn to control yourself. drug addicts learn to suppress their urges, afterall.....

Mine has not disappeared, and it is a problem I fight every day.

It is all too easy for people who do not have A.D.H.D to say that it does not exist, but they are just sticking their head in the sand.

[bazooka]

Dr. Phil said while sometimes overdiagnosed, it does exist.

So for everyone that does not believe, take that.

I toss a virtual snowball at you.

Splat

[flaninacupboard]

Dr. Phil said while sometimes overdiagnosed, it does exist.

So for everyone that does not believe, take that.

I toss a virtual snowball at you.

Splat

Who?

[bazooka]

Dr. Phil said while sometimes overdiagnosed, it does exist.

So for everyone that does not believe, take that.

I toss a virtual snowball at you.

Splat

Who?

Dr. Phil - He is a very good and famous psychologist who has his own talk show.

[tekkieman]

Oprah with sheepskin (down Cap!) :P

[bazooka]

Oprah with sheepskin (down Cap!) :P

Oprah is not a psychologist.

[Capmaster]

Oprah with sheepskin (down Cap!) :P

Oprah is not a psychologist.

No shit, Sherlock. That's why he said "an Oprah with a sheepshin". He was referring to doctor Phil and his style Bazooka, you crack me up
And, yes tekkie, that is mildly arousing

[bazooka]

Oprah with sheepskin (down Cap!) :P

Oprah is not a psychologist.

No shit, Sherlock. That's why he said "an Oprah with a sheepshin". He was referring to doctor Phil and his style Bazooka, you crack me up

I think I will leave now.

[tekkieman]

It's like taking candy from a baby. So simple to do, gets an immediate scream, and is funny as shit!

[Capmaster]

Oprah with sheepskin (down Cap!) :P

Oprah is not a psychologist.

No shit, Sherlock. That's why he said "an Oprah with a sheepshin". He was referring to doctor Phil and his style Bazooka, you crack me up

I think I will leave now.

I was just teasing. I promise I'll behave now

[northcat_8]

Here's an example:

As a Jr, Sr and all through college....had any of you looked into one of my math classes you would have seen Northcat, sleeping, doodling, playing games on his calculator, goofing off or causing trouble (I can be mischievious ya know)......

Now I tell you that my behavior in every math class I took past Geometry in HS qualifies as ADD behavior. I was distracted, unable to stay on task <I just didn't want to stay on task>

The problem was not that I didn't understand the material, the problem was that I understood it so easily and got bored quickly. Honest as I can be, math was always easy for me. I had to work at it in algebra 1 and geometry, but after geometry something just clicked and suddenly I understood. I got straight A's in every math class from geometry up, even through college and I bet I did MAYBE 30% of my homework. It was just easy.

Now the same behavior could also be observed with me in english class. English was not easy for me, and I didn't good to get C's, but I was unmotivated, didn't like english class and all that sentence structure, parts of speech bullshit. Last time I checked, the purpose of language is for communication and as long as I can accurately communicate my ideas to others then what difference does it make how that message gets across? When I speak spelling is not important, sentence structure is not THAT important just listen to "important" people speak sometime....so my attitude towards that class was indifferent and ADD behavior was a result.

I'm not saying that there aren't kids with some serious issues and who are actually ADHD, but so many kids are being diagnosed with it that it's bullshit. In my 9 years in public education I can say that I have had exactly ZERO kids with REAL ADD.

All you have to do is make the subject matter relevant to the kid. That's it, that is 100% of teaching. You want to see ADD in action, take all the OT members put them in a room, then have someone come in and explain how to backup a DVD using DVDshrink. And make sure he talks for 50 minutes...and I'll show you 100% ADD all in one room. You'll get the same result if he talks for 50 minutes about something no one cares about.

There is ADD in a plain ass english. I've got a kid right now who is diagnosed ADHD...guess what, he's really into cars, rebuilding engines, etc. I make the math relate to cars, engines, gear ratios and waa-*******-laaaa, he pays attention, does his work and is a model student.

But there is something in there that I do that is not real prevelent amongst teachers. I know he likes cars, because I took the time to get to know him. I will even do you one better, I know what every kid in every class I have is interested in and likes to do with their time.

ADD BULL-*******-SHIT.

[bazooka]

Whatever