CityView Magazine

Your health It’s easy for parents to feel isolated when a child is diagnosed with ADHD, but you’re not alone By Dr. Lenny Salzburg Pay attention! M ichael Phelps, the record- breaking, gold medal-winning Olympic athlete, has ADHD. And he’s not the only one. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder affects between three and five percent of all children. Based on a 2003 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 7.8 percent of children have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives. In Johnston County (less than an hour’s drive from Fayetteville), 10 percent of children who attended public elementary school had ADHD. To put these numbers in perspective, in an average Fayetteville classroom, one to three children will have ADHD. In 1845, Dr. Heinrich Hoffman wrote, “The Story of Fidgety Philip,” a poem about a boy who wriggled, giggled and 58|February/March • 2009 couldn’t sit still at the table. These are some of the features of the “hyperactive” part of ADHD. Children labeled with “ADHD, Predominantly Hyperactive/ Impulsive type” often fidget, squirm, leave their seat in class, run or climb excessively in inappropriate settings, have difficulty playing quietly and often talk excessively. Parents describe them as “on the go” or “driven by a motor.” They may often blurt out answers before questions have been completed, have difficulty awaiting their turn and may butt into other people’s conversations or games. These behaviors frequently lead to negative interactions with parents, peers and teachers. Kids with ADHD aren’t necessarily “hyper.” Another subtype, “ADHD: Predominantly Inattentive type,” is characterized by the daydreamer. Albert Einstein is said to have had ADHD. These children often fail to pay close attention to detail and end up making careless mistakes in schoolwork

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