Quote: "10 percent to 15.3 percent—'a huge rise of 53 percent' in just four years."

Um, to me that looks like it's just an increase of 5.3 percent, and without knowing the sample size it's kinda meaningless and disingenuous.

Regardless, as a father of a 13 year old boy, I completely agree with this article, especially with the way schools are not properly dealing with these kids. My son is very impulsive, extremely unorganized, and refuses to try and get even remotely motivated about homework. As a parent I try my best to provide some oversight at home but I have no visibility into the teacher's lesson plans or homework schedules - I only find out about things after they've been turned in late.

Gendered schooling. Doesnt have to be separate buildings, just separate rooms. The kind of teacher that works best for boys would frighten the girls.

When my son--may he be at peace--was about to be put on Ritalin, I asked the doctor what signs my son exhibited that confirmed the diagnosis.

Here was the exchange:

"There is no diagnosis."
"What?"
"Well, other than what the teachers at school say, which is that he has a hard time concentrating, behaving. I have to take their word for it."
"Why?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why take the word of people who want him to behave? Give him something that will make him behave, he behaves. And then everybody thinks, "Aha! Success." Where's the genius in that? You're assuming what you're trying to prove--that there's something wrong with his behavior."
"I can only go what the teachers and counselors and parents tell me. They interact with him everyday. I don't."
"That's ridiculous. You're the doctor; we're observers. You wouldn't treat any other disease this way. And he's not hyperactive."
"There's such thing as ADD without hyperactivity."
"Yeah, it's called being nine."

I lost the argument. My soon-to-be-ex-wife put him on Ritalin. And while my son overdosed on drugs when he was 24--and being proscribed Ritalin had nothing, NOTHING, I'm convinced to do with it--that day in the doctor's office still pisses me off.

want to see the cases of adhd drop like a rock?
get rid of the federal entitlement for it.
if you look at map of the USA that showed where all of the
cases of adhd are you would see huge clusters concentrated
around large cities in some states.
hardly any in others.
the ones with the low rates didn't opt in for the federal entitlement.

Steve, a 5.3% rise would make it 10.53% percent. A 100% rise would make it 20%. So a 53% rise is 15.3% 10 + (10 x .53) = 15.3% :)