Effectively Managing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

One approach to ADHD is to deny it. Mainly conservative groups often times will not recognize ADHD as a legitimate disorder, and credit its symptoms to childhood, or more often, boyhood (Fumento). It is not seen as a chemical imbalance, or a neurological disorder, but simply as boredom, restlessness and a lack of parental control. They see ADHD as a "hoax" and medication simply as "the perfect way to explain the inattention, incompetence, and inability of adults to control their kids." (Rush Limbaugh quoted in Fumento). While to some this may seem like a valid explanation, the truth of ADHD only become apparent when dealing with children who suffer from the disorder. Mona Charen, a researcher at Hudson Institute, and mother of an eleven-year old ADHD son says, "People without such children have no idea what it's like. I can tell the difference between boyish high spirits and pathological hyperactivity. ... These kids bounce off the walls. Their lives are chaos; their rooms are chaos. And nothing replaces the drugs." She adds, "I'm sure I would have been one of those smug conservatives saying it's a made-up disease if I hadn't found out the hard way" (quoted in Fumento).
Using the above sources, it seems that most medical and behavioral professionals agree that ADHD is a very real and treatable disorder. Medication seems to be essential to healthy treatment, but works fully only when combined with behavioral interventions or modifications. …