I once heard Dr. Russel Barkley, one of today's premier researchers and publishers on the topic of ADD/ADHD say at a conference that the DSM might do away with the diagnosis of ADHD and just stick with the term ADD. The reason for this, he explained, is that "hyperactivity," in the majority of cases, fades away as the child grows up and enters adolescence. To emphasize, however, as far as I understand, the other symptoms, such as being easily distracted, poor impulse control, and disorganization, etc., don't just disappear with age. In some cases, compensation, either adaptive, attained through therapy and hard work; or maladaptive, developed to cope and and live with the disorder might mask the still-existing symptoms.

It would be interesting to read more about the specific research you're referencing. What do others think?

Quote

Although my daughter is only in first grade, her symptoms have improved a lot since last year. I think this is because 1) she's being medicated now, 2) she has been in twice weekly in-home therapy for almost two years, and 3) she has a much better teacher this year. Specifically the bad behaviors in school have improved, such as hitting, spitting, pushing, crawling under the table, tipping her chair over, poking other kids with a pencil, and talking in class.

Quote

I'm 53yo. I am still hyper compared to my age group. How long I can, say, sit on a patio watching a sunset depends on how tired I am at that time. Whereas my friends have been vegging on patios for a couple of decades. We all slow down as we age, but I think ADHDers will always have more energy than people of the same age. Learning coping skills is a big help.

I am also noticing my unmedicated male ADDer friends in their 50's are getting worse mentally-more paranoid, less able to remember, shorter working memories, etc. For my ex-husband, the drop in his testosterone (as diagnosed, but not treated, by his doctor) seems to be making his inattentive-type ADD worse. I don't know the status of my boss' or friends' testosterone, but I see the same mental changes in them as in my ex. I don't see the changes in my neurotypical friends, even tho they presumably also have lower testosterone.

Quote

Quote:

Amy said: Although my daughter is only in first grade, her symptoms have improved a lot since last year. I think this is because 1) she's being medicated now, 2) she has been in twice weekly in-home therapy for almost two years, and 3) she has a much better teacher this year. Specifically the bad behaviors in school have improved, such as hitting, spitting, pushing, crawling under the table, tipping her chair over, poking other kids with a pencil, and talking in class.

Amy, I'm delighted to hear your daughter is doing so much better being on medication and receiving therapy twice weekly. Can you please describe which of her symptoms, other than the behaviors you listed, improved?

I'd also be interested if you can share with us what type of therapy your daughter is receiving and what goals they're working on.

Thanks, and looking forward to your response.

Oh, and I almost forgot to post the link to the article: http://www.ethiopianreview.com/news/31163

Quote

Although I'm sure that there are some reasons for ADD symptoms to decrease over time due to natural reasons (development of coping skills, physical changes, etc), I don't think we should overlook the impact of the grade levels themselves. Keep in mind that the earliest years of elementary school are focused less on teaching knowledge and more on teaching conformity to social norms such as standing in line, sitting in place, and so on. As a child advances through grade levels, they are also moving into topics which may present positive challenges which will capture and keep their attention. I remember in high school being willing to suffer through an incredibly boring first period class only because I was looking forward to ROTC in second period. Although the child's own development factors in, the changes that are seen from a year-over-year perspective may also be influenced by the changes in the environment itself.

Quote

Even since last year, with no change in meds (54 mg. Concerta) at 14 years old, I notice on the occasional days that she doesn't take her med she is doing much better in the self-control department. I do think that the impulsivity decreases as they get older, just as the hyperactivity does. She was always extremely hyperactive - in fact she had the type of ADHD that is more commonly seen in boys; whereas my son has the inattentive type, that is more commonly seen in girls. But I do notice with maturity a decrease in symptoms; she can also read for hours with no medication, which shows that she can focus more now without meds than before.

Quote

I was diagnosed with adhd when I was four years old. I was the youngest child of four, all of us have ADHD and so does my dad. I've got to say even my hyperactivity is still pretty bad. That's the only symptom that has the slightest chance of disappearing. All three of my siblings are still hyper too, and they are 22, 26, and 28. But I have seen other people with ADHD loose the hyperactive symptoms. Inattention and Impulsivity are still very apparent now that we are adults. Either way, extremely hyper and inattentive or not, I have a 3.8 GPA and am pursuing a masters degree in early childhood education. So with the right therapy and treatments and medication if necessary (for me it is) children diagnosed with ADHD can still become successful adults whether they 'grow out of it' or not.

Quote