ADHD talk

I spent two hours today at our University talking to student nurses about Learning Disabilities and ADHD. It was really fun. These nurses will have to do public education, and they needed to learn about some of the issues they may encounter in their "classrooms". They asked really good questions... and as always happens when I do these talks, they relate on a personal level. Two came up to talk during the break and relayed some of their painful experiences is public school, and another came up to ask some questions as she thought her husband was dyslexic.
Since my son has ADHD (Inattentive type)and as he has given me permission to talk about him, I am able to relate some personal and real stories about ADHD. The nurses really liked that. I am hoping to do more talks like this in the future. I like public speaking (strange, I know, but I am an actor after all) and I think it's really important for people to get the message that medication for people with ADHD is not a bad thing- in fact the medical community believes that it is an essential part of an effective treatment plan. I have to say from experiences with my son, that I believe this to be true.
I have had so many parents over the years express, "I'm not medicating my child!"... and that makes me sad as I watch their child struggle to hang onto the concepts he's learned. I see many children who's attention span is so fleeting that information just seems to evaporate like ether, as new information comes in. Seeing how my son's situation improved so quickly and so drastically- I wish they would keep an open mind. I do understand the fears- I was there myself, but I do think it's worth a try. It think it's important to remember there are side effects to NOT finding an effective treatment for ADHD- the most notable one is the child's self esteem.