Public Attitudes

In the last several days lots of activities have me focused on public attitudes and public understanding about AD/HD and related disorders.

CHADD has worked this week with potential legislative sponsors on a renewal of U. S. Senate recognition in September of AD/HD Awareness Day. This coming Saturday, I speak to the National Medical Association's section on psychiatry and behavioral science on public attitudes and AD/HD and special education placement issues. Last Saturday, CHADD conducted a public forum targeted to the African-American community in Prince George's County, Maryland, where community attitudes were discussed. And we have radio talk show host Michael Savage and his colleague Selwyn Duke making declarations this week about the "fraud" of autism, added to their previous declarations about the "fraud" of AD/HD, and the reaction of family members to these declarations.

Family support groups, such as CHADD, have a mission to increase awareness of these disorders to foster a greater level of acceptance and understanding of the very real and significant challenges individuals with disorders and their families face. Growing up and living with substantial disabilities in daily life are emotionally, physically, and financially draining. My family is so fortunate to have supportive extended family, a caring community of faith, financial and health insurance resources, and informed communities and networks. With all of this, it is still difficult to deal with our challenges, expectations, emotions, and pain. Negative, hostile, antagonistic public attitudes from some individuals don't help.

We are all aware of the organized groups that deny the existence of mental disorders and declare that these disorders are fraud. But others in society who are not apparently connected with these organized anti-psychiatry groups foster this notion that AD/HD, autism, and other behavioral challenges are "willful" actions by "brats" with inadequate parental direction. My son's 17 years of difficulty are not willful; he is a delightful and kind person, and he has loving, supportive parents and family.

Just after the last presidential election, Armstrong Williams declared: "There is no scientific basis for the diagnosis of AD/HD. If a child is bored, distracted, and or boisterous in the classroom, he is often believed to be suffering from AD/HD, or to say, childhood."

This week, Michael Savage declared that autism is a "fraud" and a "racket", adding that "in 99% of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out."

Part of me says let's just ignore such ignorance and get on with helping our family member grow, develop, and live as normally as possible. Let us work with the professional community and fellow families to build supports. But a mission of CHADD is to rely on our professional advisory board to share the published scientific evidence to counter the spread of misinformation. So part of me says prepare a blog on this subject.