Moves 3 & 4: An Expert Opinion
Early on in my research, I reached out to Dr. Russell A. Barkley to request an interview. In response to my email, Dr. Barkley asked me to read through the articles published on his website to see if my questions were answered there. In stark contrast to my great many frustrations with Dr. Stein and his unfounded arguments against both ADHD and medications, it was quite refreshing to read through several of Russell A. Barkley’s articles and publications.
"International Consesus Statement on ADHD"
“We cannot overemphasize the point that, as a matter of science, the notion that ADHD does not exist is simply wrong. All of the major medical associations and government health agencies recognize ADHD as a genuine disorder because the scientific evidence indicating it is so overwhelming.”*
*Russell A., Barkley. Plenum Publishing Corporation, "International Consensus Statement on ADHD." Last modified January 2002. Accessed October 29, 2014. http://www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/Consensus2002.pdf.
**Russell A., Barkley. Guilford Publications, "Fact Sheet: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Topics." Last modified 2006. Accessed October 29, 2014. http://www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/adhd-facts.pdf.
***Russell A., Barkley. "The Important Role of Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation in ADHD." Accessed October 29, 2014. http://www.russellbarkley.org/factsheets/ADHD_EF_and_SR.pdf.
“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Topics”
ADHD is a “developmental disorder seen in both children and adults that is comprised of deficits in behavioral inhibition, sustained attention and resistance to distraction, and the regulation of one’s activity level to the demands of a situation (hyperactivity or restlessness).”**
“[The] major symptoms of ADHD are likely to change markedly as a consequence of the nature of the situation the person happens to be in”**
"A significant minority of those with ADHD experience a greater risk for developing oppositional and defiant behavior (50%+), conduct problems and antisocial difficulties (25-45%), learning disabilities (25-40%), low self- esteem, and depression (25%). Approximately 5-10 percent of those with ADHD may develop more serious mental disorders, such as manic-depression or bipolar disorder. Between 10 and 20 percent may develop antisocial personality disorder by adulthood, most of whom will also have problems with substance abuse."**
"The Important Role of Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation in ADHD."
Self Regulation -“means by which an individual manages themselves in order to attain their goals” which “involves (1) any action an individual directs at themselves so as to (2) result in a change in their behavior (from what they might otherwise have done) in order to (3) change the likelihood of a future consequence or attainment of a goal.”***
Executive Function -“those neuropsychological processes needed to sustain problem-solving toward a goal” which (like self-regulation) involves “goal-directed, future-oriented actions” with such mental processes as “inhibition, resistance to distraction, self-awareness, working memory, emotional self-control, and even self-motivation.”***
“Each executive function can be considered to be a type or special form of self-regulation – a specific class to actions.”***
“Internalized, self-generated forms of motivation are weak at initiating and sustaining goal directed behavior…externalized sources of motivation, often artificial, must be arranged within the context at the point of performance; and…these compensatory, prosthetic forms of motivation must be sustained for long periods.”***
“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Topics”
Predominantly Impulsive Hyperactive type- "difficulties primarily with impulsive and hyperactive behavior and not with attention or concentration."**
Predominantly Inattentive type- “associated with more daydreaming, passiveness, sluggishness, difficulties with focused or selective attention (filtering important from unimportant information), slow processing of information, mental fogginess and confusion, social quietness or apprehensiveness, hypo-activity, and inconsistent retrieval of information from memory” and “considerably less likely to be associated with impulsiveness (by definition) as well as oppositional/defiant behavior, conduct problems, or delinquency.”**
Combined type- individuals are "likely to develop their hyperactive and/or impulsive symptoms first" and "will eventually progress to developing the difficulties with attention span, persistence, and distractibility."**
~OR~
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