Recent Study on ADHD

There is a new study that is making the news today finding a delay in brain development for children with ADHD. Although the study is new, the results are not surprising as there have been other theories and evidence that support this line of thinking. The implications may be that the ADHD child is capable of learning at his or her age and grade level, but not capable of complying with the behavioral demands that go with that age. We medicate these children to get them to comply. We then demand that they keep complying when they get home. It seems clear to me that we should not be fighting these kids against their inner natures 24 hours a day. It’s one thing that place demands on them during the day for the sake of giving them the education they need. It is another thing to keep pressuring them through the afternoon and night, and make them do more schoolwork when they get home. If their brains are a few years behind, at least in the area of behavioral control, then we should let them act and play based on where they are at in a developmental sense. With little research to support homework as a policy for all, it should be a standard accommodation in a 504 plan for children with ADHD that homework assignments be waived or greatly reduced.

For other comments on ADHD, visit these recent postings:

Early treatment of ADHD.
Homework, ADHD, and the 504.
Homework, ADHD, and the lifespan problem.

Dr. Kenneth Goldberg is a clinical psychologist with 35 years of professional experience in dealing with many different psychological issues. He is the author of The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers and currently works in his own private practice.

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What is The Homework Trap?
A Roadmap to Success
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