ADHD diagnosis and gender-bias

From me to you...online learning has allowed me to spend so much time thinking and writing about contemporary issues in mental health...loving it.

ADHD can appear as early as infancy (Seligman and Rider, 2012) and appears to have neurological foundations resulting in impaired frontal lobes (Seligman et al., 2012). There is some concern that over diagnosing may be occurring; for every two boys diagnosed, one girl is diagnosed (Seligment et al, 2012)—some have wondered what causes the disproportionate number of male diagnoses.

Harrison (2010) suggests that female adolescents with ADHD are an increased risk of “antisocial, addictive, mood, anxiety, and eating disorders” (Harrison, 2010). Harrison’s analysis is particularly relevant because as she points out, the majority of existing research consists of male dominated control groups (Harrison, 2010).  “Despite a possible difference in ADHD symptoms exhibited by boys and girls, our study clearly shows that exactly the same symptom picture is evaluated differently in boys than in girls.” (Bruchmüller, Margraf, Schneider, 2012, p136)

Gender based studies are important for several reasons, mainly because there are such clear behavioural differences between genders, that these variables must be considered in both diagnosing and treating ADHD. ADHD is considered by some to be on the Autism spectrum; females are diagnosed Aspergers far less frequently than males, and it is often attributed to social conventions (that is, it is acceptable for a female to be shy, smart and eccentric). I wonder if this is the case with ADHD; are females better at hiding symptoms, or coping and developing adaptive behaviours to compensate?  There are three times more males diagnosed with ADHD than female and the diagnostic  process is largely heuristic (Bruchmüller et al., 2012) leaving a bit too much grey area.

References

Bruchmüller, K., Margraf, J., & Schneider, S. (2012). Is ADHD diagnosed in accord with diagnostic criteria? Overdiagnosis and influence of client gender on diagnosis. Journal Of Consulting And Clinical Psychology, 80(1), 128-138. doi:10.1037/a0026582

We are not CURING we are TEACHING!

Everyday Magnificent Minds (Toronto, ON)  students take steps towards success and I become re-inspired by their infinite potential. A child with a generalization-deficit exclaims a phrase that was never explicitly taught; a child makes a genuine learning connection; a new untrained request/utterance is made and... meaningful change has just begun. 

We often witness the first of many AHA! moments to come. 

Every day we witness those small steps that make learning possible; we understand how to successfully lay the foundation for learning, at any skill level. Occasionally More often than you'd think, a specific child will surpass his/her goals, and really soar above our expectations. Our kids on the spectrum are in a habit of impressing their teachers; and we're so proud. Raising the bar for our concept of progress and development, my team has created meaningful change in the lives of our kids, and it's directly because of their knowledge, their efforts, and their dedication to principles of Applied Behavioural Analysis. 

Surfing the web I came across this article, linked to the success of social skills interventions for children with Asperger's syndrome; I couldn't help but think nostalgically back to our own  2011 summer program, and consider the impact we had on our young learners. Just like the article reports, our kids are functioning better in a group, individually and exhibiting more verbal behaviour. We knew that our group therapy/learning programs would support generalization, and we have anecdotal/professional and research-based/peer-reviewed proof to support our cause. 
Though our summer intervention only runs between July and August, we remain dedicated to the teaching framework which propels learning and socialization all summer long. 


Our Enriched Group Learning program is rooted in the same basic principles of ABA, play-skill building, and a focus on the coping strategies which enable full participation in the natural environment. The success of the program is rooted in it's ability to propel skill generalization and ensure skill maintenance; this is half the battle for children on the spectrum, making our programs highly effective. Each parent has a unique set of aspirations and goals met, and it's this kind of progress that really inspires and instills hope. Note: We are not CURING children, we are TEACHING coping strategies and generalization skills.


With weekly Friendship Clubs we continue to support the social development of our learners into the fall and winter months; many of our summer camp friends join-us for weekly friendship clubs to continue building on social skills development. Split into two groups based on age (Junior and Senior), our kids develop pre-social skills, or beginner/intermediate social skills needed to thrive within the group dynamic. We teach skills like  conversations, making a phone call, ordering at a restaurant, and asking for more information; we target skills based on comprehensive needs assessments conducted at the beginning of each new academic semester. Our summer program went so well, we couldn't imagine not offering some version of it all year long; it's called Social Skill Sundays at Magnificent Minds, and it's TONS of fun.