What if a parent is told a child has ADD or ADHD?
Dear Dr. Fournier: We were summoned to our daughter’s school, told she is ADHD and instructed to get her on the meds. My neighbor says ADHD is something that was developed so pharmaceuticals can sell more unnecessary drugs and absolve parents from having to actually parent and teachers from taking responsibility for what our daughter isn’t learning. Please tell us the truth. Assessment: I have been answering questions about ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder with or without hyperactivity) and the surrounding controversy for several years now. The ADHD diagnosis is often communicated to parents when their children become distracted and do not complete tasks or act impulsively and disrupt the classroom. ADD/ADHD is not a disease, but a cluster of behaviors, some of which may be acceptable in certain classroom situations and not in others. In some cases, these behaviors may continue through life and be the very strengths that lead to success, such as the “daydreamer” who becomes a heral
