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About Christine D. DeLoatch, MA CCC-SLP
Expertise
My expertise is both personal and professional. I am an adult with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, and I am an ASHA certified Speech-language pathologist. I worked in the school system, giving direct theraputic servies to children with both language difficulties and attention deficit disorder. (I am very familiar with the IEP process and the IDEA.)I have consulted on-line, in person and via the telephone with a number of parents of children with ADD.

Experience
My area of expertise lies in my holistic approach to ADD and other similar neurologically-based conditions including Non-verbal learning disorders. I am a researcher of medical treatments, studies regarding concrete documentation of the geographical differences in the "ADD" brain (PET scans, SPECT scans, etc.) herbal treatments, functional organizational strategies for children and adults (stuff that'll get you through the day; sensory techniques for relaxation and stress relief; and organizational tools - from the technological to the home-grown type. I am also a researcher of other conditions that are frequently co-existing with ADD. I have read extensively about women's issues and am an empathetic individal who would like to share strength, hope, experience and education.

Organizations
I hold a Certificate of Clinical Competency issued by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association.

You are here: Experts > Parenting/Family > Parenting Special Needs > Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) > ADD

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) - ADD

Expert: Christine D. DeLoatch, MA CCC-SLP - 10/25/2009

Question
Dear Dr.,
I am very close friends with a ten year old boy, and I think he might have ADD, not ADHD, but ADD. I say this because he is not hyper-active. He does not bounce off the walls and talk constantly. Instead, he does things like forgets his homework daily, cannot seem to follow instructions, his room is always messy, he cannot bring himself to write legible unless he is forced to, he is getting bad grades in school, etc. I don't know if this is just his behavior or if it is a sign that he has ADD. Please help, I really don't want to see him do badly in school. His parents are close with me as well, and they are worried about his performance in school. If ADD is the reason for his behaviors, then I hope they can resolve it quickly. Thanks so much,-M.

P.S. I also read that you yourself have ADHD. How did you come to find that you had ADHD?

Answer
Dear M.

Thanks so much for asking me your question. First I want to say, that I am not a doctor. I am a speech therapist.

I wonder how old you are. Do you know if either your friend or his parents know anything about ADD? Do they take medication if they are sick? Do they believe that depression should be treated with medication? Have you talked to your parents about your concerns if you are under 16.

These answers may help you know whether or not your friend or his parents are ready and receptive to discussing ADHD. You can always bring up the topic, by saying that you are considering doing a research project on ADHD and asking what they know about it. You then will be able to tell whether or not they think it is a hoax or an excuse or if they really don't know anything at all. Then you can work from there. It sounds to me that your friend does seem to have some signs of ADD, but sometimes what looks like ADD might be from depression or from a past trauma. Those things have to be considered also.

It is not a condition that is given lightly.

My Story: I was told by a friend and co-worker (school psychologist) that I had ADHD during a discussion about what we each needed to learn more about.

She stated to me that she needed to learn more about auditory processing disorders - and then remarked that "then again ADD and auditory processing disorders overlap so much."
I responded with, "Well, I need to know more about ADD (I just had heard it used to describe some kids without any more information. I didn't even know it was considered a mental health issue. She said, "What do you want to know?" I replied, "Like I would never know if I had it." That was my way of saying that I didn't know anything.

She got very quiet and said after a few seconds, which seemed a lot longer, "You do." I remember thinking to myself, "She's serious." Then I said it out loud. "You're serious." She then started reading to me from a book called Driven to Distraction about a man with tons of piles. I remember tears stinging the back of my eyes. It was like hearing about myself.

So at 26 that was how I learned I had ADHD. It is really not surprising though, when you think about the fact that my brother was diagnosed as being 'hyper-active' at the age of 7. He is two years older than I am. Some where between around 1976, (his diagnosis of being 'hyper-active') and 1997, (when I was told I had ADHD, many things changed. The name changed and more girls were being noticed - less (bouncy) hyper-activity in girls (more talkative). So you see, it does run in families, and I wish it was caught earlier, so that I could have been taught better organization skills, because I still struggle with my ADHD.

I hope that answers your questions, and also I hope that it gives you some motivation to continue to assist your friend. If you are a praying person, you could always pray for him, even if you can't bring yourself to discussing the topic with anyone.

You are a good friend for seeing the patterns and wanting to help.

Many Blessings,

Christine

P.S. M. I wanted you to know that I changed your message from private to public, because it didn't contain any information that would tell anyone who you are, who the person was that you are concerned about, not even a city - so there wasn't anything to keep private, and I wanted to give others a chance to read about how I learned about being 'ADHD.' I think it is a neat story. I hope you don't mind.

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