Comment by ON3i11 on 10/01/2020 at 18:17 UTC

34 upvotes, 4 direct replies (showing 4)

Maybe we should have an educational system that works well with alternative learners such as kids with ADHD instead of having to medicate them to force them to fit into the rigid public educational systems in place now.

This is coming from someone with ADHD who has been on meds for 14 years. Yeah I graduated high school (barely, because I hated school), but I think I could have benefitted far greater from an alternative learning educational system along with maybe some counselling/therapy to learn how to manage my behaviour and emotions better.

Replies

Comment by LimitedSwitch at 10/01/2020 at 18:46 UTC

15 upvotes, 1 direct replies

I was on the meds, Methylaphenadate (sp), and I can tell you in turned me from a fun loving kid into a zombie. After doing some research in clinical psychology, I've found out that how the medication works is rather diabolical. It suppresses the "play" function in children who seem to be over active. Suppressing this function in childhood can have serious psychological effects later on in adolescence and adulthood. Decreased social skills, difficulty with anxiety/depression, difficulty bonding with others are all symptoms I personally have experienced. I have since explored and found out the better ways I learn, and am currently at the top of my field (Flight Simulation). Classrooms are good for calmer kids, less playful and creative. Whereas hands on learning, or "contact learning" is more suited to those who are not easily taught about things they lack interest in, or are higher in play type personality.

*EDIT** I forgot to say that this is the only thing I'll say bad in reference to teachers. If it wasn't for them pushing, my parents wouldn't have even considered it. They should be barred from teaching, because they are obviously shit at it.

Comment by quidpropron at 10/01/2020 at 18:47 UTC

4 upvotes, 1 direct replies

When you were a kid would you have been open to trying meditation techniques as a way to help ADHD?

Comment by Liberal-Federalist at 10/01/2020 at 22:24 UTC

1 upvotes, 0 direct replies

What would have helped?

Comment by hasbroslasher at 12/01/2020 at 05:51 UTC

1 upvotes, 0 direct replies

I think the education aspect of it is part of it, but there's no discounting the fact that the world today is profoundly hyperactive and distracting - social models of disease explain this. I'd suggest that changing the social conditions around a disease or disorder is a much harder and much more effective for treatment it's social ills than is trying to further adapt society to it's supposedly "normal" presence, ie normalizing psychological disorders by having the system accommodate them is somewhat depressing. Basically, treat the cause, not the symptom