| When I read about children with ADHD having an | | | | I did not medicate my hyperactive son until I realized |
| increased risk of using drugs, flunking out of school, | | | | that this child had absolutely no physical control over |
| or landing in jail, I think about my two boys. When | | | | his impulses. He was incapable of counting to 10 |
| they were very small I had a friend that said the | | | | before he did something that he would later regret. |
| older son would be a lawyer and that the younger | | | | Medication treats this symptom. His impulsivity has |
| son would need a lawyer. The boys were two and | | | | vanished. If we can give someone medication and |
| four years old at the time but even then it was clear | | | | the impulsivity is gone, is this not proof that there is |
| that my ADHD inattentive older son would stay out | | | | some pathology in the brain that the medication is |
| of trouble and the baby would be another matter | | | | correcting?? |
| altogether. He was impulsive and fearless even as a | | | | I recently was reading an article regarding how to |
| two year old. | | | | punish an ADHD child because he destroyed |
| I believe that impulsivity is the where the 'rubber | | | | something precious while off his medication. The boy |
| meets the road' for most people dealing with ADHD. | | | | was confused and distraught over what he had done. |
| Most of our households can adapt to hyperactive and | | | | The post asked how the child should pay for this |
| inattentive kids. We can run the hyperactive kids | | | | destruction. I was quite torn while reading this article |
| around the block and nag the inattentive kids until | | | | because I truly believe that my hyperactive/impulsive |
| they focus. These symptoms can be extremely | | | | son, un-medicated, will do things that he has no |
| disruptive to a person's potential but they do not | | | | control over. |
| disrupt the foundation of a household the way | | | | Here is something to ponder. Let's say that a child |
| impulsivity does. | | | | with Epilepsy suffers a grand mal seizure where he |
| People with inattentive ADHD are, by and large, not | | | | hits a shelf, knocks down a precious vase and breaks |
| impulsive. When you have an impulsive child with | | | | it. Should this child be held responsible for replacing |
| ADHD and a child with inattentive ADHD, you | | | | the vase?If we truly believe that impulsivity is a |
| completely understand why the hyperactive/impulsive | | | | symptom of the complex brain pathology of ADHD, |
| sub-type gets all the research study dollars. These | | | | then we must not punish the ADHD child for a |
| are the kids that, as a society, we really worry | | | | disease symptom that un-medicated, is beyond his |
| about. | | | | control. |