ADHD or Just Being Kids?
About 11% of the children population of the United States has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and more than half of those children are taking prescription medications to solve the problem (Perry). ADHD is a behavioral disorder that happens to people who have difficulty paying attention, are hyperactive and impulsive (“What is ADHD”). ADHD in children is being overmedicated and overdiagnosed because children are being misdiagnosed, the medications are leading to side effects, and there are other ways to solve the problems.
More and more children are being misdiagnosed every year. “Unless we’re careful, todays preschool bandwagon could lead straight to an epidemic of four and five-year-olds wrongfully being told that they have attention deficit hyperactivity
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Behavioral modification is one of them. “The children who started with behavioral modification were doing significantly better than those who began with medication by the end, no matter what treatment combination they ended up with” (Carey). Behavior modification is an alternative path that someone could take in order to treat the symptoms of ADHD. It is based on a system of rewards and punishments. The parents reward the good behaviors (like paying attention for a few moments) and punish the bad ones (like defiance or not staying focused) (Carey). Also, the children who go through behavior therapy are more likely to have a better, closer relationship with their parents because of the time they are spending together and the more the parent/s are actually understanding and getting to know their child. This process does not only work better, but it also costs a lost less. Behavior therapy cost about $700 less a year per child than regular prescription medications (Carey). It has been proven that behavior therapy is a better alternative route to take when choosing how to treat