Hello my name is mark, im a drama studant in the uk and as part of our next production i play the parent of a child who suffers from ADD. I hope you can be of help in helping me understand the condition further inorder to play my character to its full potential. The play is called "find me" incase you wanted to know.
The main character is the child called Verity who does have the add condition.Her mother seems to be intolerable with Verity but cannot control her, however her father is not. He is very reserved in his actions and rarely outbursts with Verity. I dont mean to be disrispectful in anyway but i find it hard to see his motivation in staying so calm with his daughter after all that she puts him and his family through.He sometimes seems to pretend like these things are happening and tries to avoid the reality of what is happening.
I would be very greatful for any insight any user of this forum may provide in my attempt to expand my knowledge of this condition further, thank you

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Re: Verity's father: is it denial or empathy? Mark, could you give us more detail, please?

I think hes in denile more than anything, i really want to sympathise with him but im finding it hard at this point. He loves his daughter very much but just wont accept that theres a problem, and just thinks that "Verity will grow out of it."

Mark, ADHD is most often genetic. Is it possible that Verity's father may have "been there, done that" as a child?

That may be a possability but i cant recall seeing anything in the play which would suggest that, but thats new to my knowledge and its something that i can look into and research further into his character, thank you

Mark, do you have any idea why the playwright chose to create a character with ADHD? What is the theme of the play?

I dont really know if theres any personal experience from the playwrites point of view, but the theme of the play is completely abstract. Its built entierly around Verity and its based in the 1950's where any treatment for any mental health disorder wasnt really understood and was dealt with in harsh terms, so i think the play is meant to draw its audience in to sympathise with her character come the end of the play.

Im sorry im going to have to leave the forum now but if you do wish to reply can you please send any replies to my e-mail, e-mail removed by moderator, please read forum guidelines.

Thank you for any help

Mark,

I think if you spent some time reading through the General Parenting Section you would get a good picture of what we, as parents go through. The tough decisions, the pain, the frustration, the searching for solutions, the denial. It is all there. If you are looking for particular feelings or reactions try using the "search this forum" at the top of the page.

Kim

Add is generic and by the sounds of it came from the father in you play.

I know this is long but plz do have the time to read it.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity that occurs in academic, occupational, or social settings. Problems with attention include making careless mistakes, failing to complete tasks, problems staying organized and keeping track of things, becoming easily distracted, etc. Problems with hyperactivity can include excessive fidgetiness and squirminess, running or climbing when it is not appropriate, excessive talking, and being constantly on the go. Impulsivity can show up as impatience, difficulty awaiting one's turn, blurting out answers, and frequent interrupting. Although many individuals with ADHD display both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, some individuals show symptoms from one group but not the other.


But don't all children show these kinds of behaviors? You may ask yourself.
Because most individuals - especially children - display these behaviors from time to time, it can be difficult to differentiate behaviors that reflect ADHD from those that are a normal part of growing up. The key distinction is that for individuals with ADHD, problems with attention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity are substantially more persistent, severe, and intense. There is a difference between an energetic child and one whose activity level causes persistent problems; between a friendly, talkative child and a child whose excessive talking is an ongoing source of difficulty; and between a child who sometimes has difficulty completing homework or chores and a child who requires constant monitoring and supervision to get things done. The difference is that for a child with ADHD these behaviors cause significant impairment in daily functioning. When such impairment is not evident, and the behaviors occur only occasionally, they are more likely to reflect typical childhood behavior.


"How come a child with ADHD can play Nintendo for hours but can't concentrate on homework for ten minutes?"
One perplexing aspect of ADHD is that a child's symptoms can vary considerably at different times and in different settings. For example, it is common for parents to wonder how their child can have ADHD when that child focuses intently when watching TV or playing Nintendo. Similarly, when engaged in free play activities, children with ADHD are often indistinguishable from their peers. In other settings, however, particularly those where activity must be restricted and attention sustained to tasks that seem uninteresting, the symptoms are quite evident.

For children with ADHD, this variability in symptoms does not indicate laziness or defiance (although these can be issues that must also be dealt with). Instead, it demonstrates that ADHD symptoms are simply more likely to be evident in some settings rather than others. Unfortunately, the classroom is one setting where ADHD symptoms are very likely to be prominent, and sometimes this explains the very different views that parents and teachers have of the same child.

"What about other problems that go along with ADHD?"
In addition to the primary symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity, children with ADHD often display a number of other difficulties. These associated features will vary according to the child's age and may include low frustration tolerance, temper outbursts, bossiness, problems in peer relationships, depressed mood, and poor self esteem. Academic underachievement is very common, and the vast majority of children with ADHD will have trouble with school performance. Family relationships are often strained, sometimes because the variability in a child's symptoms leads parents to believe that their child's problematic behavior must be deliberate and willful.

It is important to emphasize that these associated difficulties are not symptoms of ADHD itself, that they can occur for a variety of reasons besides ADHD, and that not all children with ADHD display them. It is incorrect, as is sometimes done, to diagnose ADHD based on these associated problems rather than on the primary symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity.

"Do children outgrow ADHD? If a child has ADHD, what does that mean for their future?"
Until relatively recently it was widely believed that children with ADHD would outgrow their symptoms and behavioral difficulties by adolescence or early adulthood. Unfortunately, as data on the long term outcomes for children with ADHD has accumulated, it has become increasingly clear that this is often not the case. It is now believed that between 70-80% of children with ADHD will continue to exhibit significant deficits in attention and impulsivity relative to their same age peers during adolescence. Thus, even though the frequency and intensity of their symptoms may decline in an absolute sense, relative to their same age peers they continue to exhibit deficits. In the few studies in which children with ADHD have been followed into early adulthood, approximately 50% continued to evidence symptoms of the disorder, even though they may not still qualify for the formal diagnosis. Clearly, ADHD can influence an individuals development over many years, and it can no longer be considered to be a disorder of childhood alone.


I hope this helps alot. :) :) :) :)

IMHO it has nothing to do with denial but rather the common sense that nothing is going to get accomplished if both parties in question are screaming out of control and most ADD kids spank back so that won't work well either. Perhaps, Verity's father just has a little more common sense? I find that the calmer I stay with my children the better my results are in getting them to correct a behaviour or calming them down. 2 screamers don't make for quiet night.

IMHO it has nothing to do with denial . . .
Perhaps, but it was this part of Mark's post that made me think of denial.

He sometimes seems to pretend like these things are happening and tries to avoid the reality of what is happening.



. . . the common sense that nothing is going to get accomplished if both parties in question are screaming out of control and most ADD kids spank back so that won't work well either. Perhaps, Verity's father just has a little more common sense? I find that the calmer I stay with my children the better my results are in getting them to correct a behaviour or calming them down. 2 screamers don't make for quiet night.
I totally agree.

From that quote I got the feeling that he was just keeping an eye on things. For instance, my kids know the rules and they get dangerously close to breaking them and I won't say a word until they actually cross that line. Not sure if I'm making any sense just thought I'd put a different swing on things.lol