(sometimes referred to as response inhibition), because
children with ADHD reliably demonstrate impairments
on authenticated measures of inhibition.” (Bentall)
Thus, the problem with ADD/ADHD is not a lack of
attention, but rather a lack of self-control. Is this biological,
hard-wired into the brain? Or, is it a failure to develop selfdiscipline? That each child has a different predisposition and
requires different levels of effort in rearing should be obvious.
But at what point do we label a child as having a medical
“disorder”? Should we really accept the idea that perhaps as
many as 13% of our children have a medical disorder, and
must be drugged as a result? Again, I ask, at what point does
a struggle with self-control become a disorder requiring
medication?
The aforementioned behavior problems tend to have the
effect of limiting the success of ADD/ADHD affected
individuals. Often they are socially awkward, have difficulty
connecting with people, and are easily frustrated. A number
are highly intelligent or “gifted,” and when encountering
something that interests them, they “hyper-focus,” to the
exclusion of all else. My mother identified this trait in me and
described it as “obsessive.” Anything I could not master and