SUPPORT GROUP HELPS PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH ADD

Although she's a guidance counselor at Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau, Linda Meadows may be doing her best counseling at home.

Her 8-year-old son, Kyle, has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

Meadows said that she and her husband learned that their son had the disorder about four years ago.

Meadows now volunteers her time as coordinator of the local chapter of CH.A.D.D. (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders). The organization meets the third Monday night of each month in the Harrison Room at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Interested persons can contact Meadows at (314) 334-7511.

"Even as familiar as I am with it now, there are still times when I get frustrated and want to scream," said Meadows. "You feel like people just don't understand."

"When he (Kyle) was little, he was always kind of a rowdy child. He was difficult for some of the day-care teachers to handle," she said.

Meadows said she first heard of the disorder while working on her master's degree in guidance and counseling.

When Kyle started half-day kindergarten, he had a lot of behavioral problems. He had difficulty sitting still.

By the time he started first grade, it was obvious it was not just a case of a typically active child, recalled Meadows.

Since being diagnosed, Kyle has been put on medication.

Kyle takes the drug when he is in school or at church, or for special events. The drug only stays in his system for about four hours.

"We were to the point where it was just a wrestling match in Sunday school and in the church service. He used to be over the pew, under the pew, climbing around during the church service," she said.

Dr. James E. Hoffman, a Cape Girardeau pediatrician, estimates he sees six to 12 new ADD cases a year.

Typically, children are not diagnosed with the disorder until they are of school age.

"Most of the time, from a physician standpoint, we are reluctant to make that diagnosis until that child has had an adequate amount of time in a controlled setting, such as a classroom," said Hoffman.

"Most of the time, I am going to see them in the first or second grade," he explained.

Hoffman said a team approach is needed to treat a child suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder.

"I think there are things that the parents can do at home in terms of behavior modification and discipline," he said. "There are also some things that need to be done in school. There are educational strategies that work well with Attention Deficit Disorder."

Hoffman said that, as a physician, he must treat the disorder with medication -- typically ritalin. The drug reduces the impulsive behavior of children with the disorder and helps them concentrate.

Hoffman said about 40 to 50 percent of children don't outgrow the disorder. ADD is more common with boys than girls, he said.

"I think if you have a child with Attention Deficit Disorder, with hyperactivity," said Hoffman, "you have a difficult task raising that child."