ADHD Information
Christopher Strauss (Chris_Strauss@UNT.EDU)
Sat, 19 Mar 1994 15:00:11 CST6CDT
If anyone wants I can e-mail them an annotated bibliography I did
for one of my library collection development classes on books about
ADHD. It is a lengthy Word for Windows file, but I can export to
just about anything you want. My interest in the topic is purely
personal.
I have three sons, all diagnosed as ADHD, plus one has the added
attraction of "oppositional defiance." All are scouts, Life, 1st
Class, and Bear respectively, as it has been the only youth program
that offers the kind of positive reinforcement that ADHD sufferers
need most. All take different types and dosages of the stimulant
Ritalin (it's basically an amphetimine that has a paradoxical calming
and concentration enhancement effect on ADHD patients; if a child
is NOT ADHD it will put him <mostly him's, statistically> in low
earth orbit). I have never run into a mandatory periodical drying
out period with either military or civilian pediatricians, but all
have monitored behavior and growth curves very closely.
As to statistics, I had as high as 10% of my Cub Pack noted as ADHD
and under treatment the one time I counted; this was a military
(half Army, half Navy) pack with roughly 80 cubs and 20 Tigers.
This may have been due in part to the relative success ADHD children
experience in Scouts compared to other endeavors such as sports
(some ADHD children often find team sports to be completely
irrelevant and uninteresting; mine did). Most of these children were
on Ritalin, but not all. Some respond much better to other less
utilized medications. One suffered ADHD symptoms from dietary
allergies that took years to properly identify; dietary excuses for
ADHD have largely been discredited.
In my experience medication used during the school year is just as
necessary during summer camping events. If the parents wanted to
take a child off medication during camp they were advised against it
unless they wanted to accompany him throughout the period. The
stresses of camp add enough problems without adding the loss of self-
control and ADHD child experiences when not on medication. It is
unfair to the child, and is a sure way to provide an unpleasant camp
experience for all concerned.
Scouters need more training on ADHD and other learning disabilities
that can affect the boys in their charge. Two times when I saw this
done well were in our roundtable when we had a pediatrician come in
to talk from the ADHD clinic (Kamehameha, Aloha Council), and when
Alamo Area Council Pow Wow included a session done by a local school
special education specialist. That's only twice in seven years that
I have seen it done. Consider adding it to your training programs.
YiS, Chris.
Christopher E. Strauss Internet:strauss@unt.edu
Computing Center Support Services Coordinator (817) 565-4979/2324
University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203 FAX 565-4060
{ Graduate Student, School of Library and Information Sciences }
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
