Tag Archives: Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

Special Parents Confidential 50 ADHD Nation Alan Schwarz

ADHD Nation Author Alan Schwarz.

ADHD Nation, Children, Doctors, Big Pharma, and the making of an American Epidemic, is a new book by New York Times correspondent Alan Schwarz, that is putting a lot of focus on ADHD and the way it’s diagnosed and treated in the United States. Alan Schwarz is the Pulitzer Prize nominated investigative reporter who wrote more than 100 articles that helped expose the serious problems of concussions in football players of all ages. His work lead to movies and documentaries about the seriousness of concussions and to the NFL finally admitting the problem and making changes in how they deal with the problems.

Since then Mr. Schwarz has begun investigating ADHD diagnosis and medications, writing a new series of articles on the subject that lead to the publication of ADHD Nation.

Excessive Diagnosis?

Mr. Schwarz has done an intense amount of research in the hard statistical evidence that shows an often higher number of children and adults are being diagnosed with ADHD than what the established rate of diagnosis is supposed to be. In fact, it’s nearly three times the established number, which means millions of people more than expected are being diagnosed, or often misdiagnosed. He also profiles a number of the major names involved in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD all the way back nearly 200 years when the symptoms we now associate with ADHD were first recorded. Along the way we meet Dr. Keith Conners, who has been called “the father of ADHD”, and we learn his concerns about how his work has been misused.

A Fair Balance.

ADHD Nation is a very well balanced book, in that it doesn’t attempt to deny that ADHD is a valid medical condition. In fact the book opens with the statement, “AHDH is real.” Mr. Schwarz proves that in the correct circumstances ADHD medications work and are highly effective. But, as you’ll hear in this interview, far too many people, especially children, are being put on the medications when they clearly do not have ADHD and don’t need medications. This is an important book and you’ll learn how Mr. Schwarz researched the numbers and compiled the evidence that he presents in the book.

Links Mentioned In The Podcast.

ADHD Nation Official Website 

Alan Schwarz at the New York Times 

Alan Schwarz’ Profile on Wikipedia

 

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Special Parents Confidential 42 Understanding Learning Disorders Part 2

Understanding Learning Disorders Part 2.

ADD. ADHD. Dyslexia. Dysgraphia. Dyscalculia. Understanding learning disorders might be one of the most difficult challenges any parent can face. We’ve known about these disorders for centuries, and the medical names for them have been in place for decades. But there’s still a lot of misinformation and incorrect beliefs when it comes to learning disorders. And these incorrect beliefs can cause a lifetime of needless problems for those who have learning disorders.

This Episode Is Part Two.

My guest for these episodes has such a large amount of information and research to share that the interview I recorded with him took over two and a half hours. I had to split the interview into two episodes because if I had tried to post the original recording in it’s entirety, the file size exceeds the limit that my web hosting service allows.

Dr. John McCaskill, of McCaskill Family Services in the Detroit, MI area, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in learning disorders. He’s spent years researching the causes and the affects of learning disorders, and has done extensive work in finding the right solutions and therapies. The one thing he makes clear is that so much of what we think we know about learning disorders is incorrect or misleading. Dr. McCaskill fully explains his methods of research and breaks down exactly how learning disorders affect those who have them.

Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia and Other Learning Disorders.

In this episode, Dr. McCaskill talks about Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and other learning disorders. He breaks down exactly what each disorder is, how it affects those who have it, and what kinds of treatments and therapies can help. He also discusses how to advocate for your special needs child with schools to make sure the school is offering not just the appropriate help, but the correct kinds of help; how families need to ensure that they are also supporting kids with special needs the right way at home; and how parents can make sure they are finding the right kinds of therapies and treatments for their kids outside of school. 

As always, please share this episode with everyone you know. Just use the social media buttons at the bottom of this posting.

Further Information.

McCaskill Family Services Located in the Detroit, Michigan Area.

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Special Parents Confidential 41 Understanding Learning Disorders Part 1

Understanding Learning Disorders Part 1.

ADD. ADHD. Dyslexia. Dysgraphia. Dyscalculia. Understanding learning disorders might be one of the most difficult challenges any parent can face. We’ve known about these disorders for centuries, and the medical names for them have been in place for decades. But there’s still a lot of misinformation and incorrect beliefs when it comes to learning disorders. And these incorrect beliefs can cause a lifetime of needless problems for those who have learning disorders.

This Episode Is Part One.

My guest for these episodes has such a large amount of information and research to share that the interview I recorded with him took over two and a half hours. I had to split the interview into two episodes because if I had tried to post the original recording in it’s entirety, the file size exceeds the limit that my web hosting service allows.

Dr. John McCaskill, of McCaskill Family Services in the Detroit, MI area, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in learning disorders. He’s spent years researching the causes and the affects of learning disorders, and has done extensive work in finding the right solutions and therapies. The one thing he makes clear is that so much of what we think we know about learning disorders is incorrect or misleading. Dr. McCaskill fully explains his methods of research and breaks down exactly how learning disorders affect those who have them.

Learning Differently.

In this first part of the interview, Dr. McCaskill discusses the many misconceptions and incorrect beliefs about learning disorders. People with learning disorders are not lazy. They’re not deliberately refusing to learn. They have, according to Dr. McCaskill, ‘glitches in the brain’ that causes them to learn differently, and given the correct methods, they can be educated just as successfully as those who don’t have those issues. He also goes into great detail about ADD and ADHD, what Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder is, and just as importantly, what it is not.

As I say in my introduction to this episode, what you’re about to hear is nothing short of a master class in learning disorders. 

Of course please be sure to share this episode with everyone you know. Just use the social media buttons at the bottom of this posting.

Further Information:

McCaskill Family Services, located in the Detroit Michigan Metro Area.

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