To fight life-long disorder… School system operates unique ADHD clinic

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard (McMinnville, Tenn.)

Dr. Deborah Watlington knows all too well the destructive behavior which can accompany attention deficit disorder. As a child psychologist and current Warren County School Board member, Watlington was a teacher before she opted to further her education.

It’s been years since Watlington has taught, but she won’t soon forget how one of her former students would descend on her classroom like a tornado and leave a trail of disaster in his wake.

“He was one of those students who didn’t always have his prescription filled,” said Watlington. “And you could tell when he didn’t. His behavior was just out of control. He was so hyper, the other kids didn’t even want to be around him. He made terrible grades, was fidgeting constantly.

“But with his medication, he was a whole different person. He was an A student.”

It’s estimated close to 6 million American children have been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD), which is now medically called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s diagnosed to affect three to seven out of every 100 school-aged children.

That includes around 120 students in Warren County who currently receive care from the school system’s very own ADHD clinic.

The ADHD clinic, now in its 12th year, is one of the school system’s hidden gems. The clinic has the services of Tullahoma pediatrician Dr. Cliff Seyler, who has attended national seminars on ADHD. The clinic emphasizes communication between the parents, teachers and mental health experts so a complete picture of the child’s behavior, from morning to bedtime, can be conveyed to Dr. Seyler.

“This is a really unique clinic,” Dr. Seyler said. “It’s by far and away the best in Tennessee, possibly in the nation, in dealing with ADHD.”

Dr. Seyler knows all too well that ADD is a life-long obstacle. If not treated properly during adolescence, it will continue to haunt children to their teenage years and into adulthood. ADHD can have serious consequences that include depression, failed relationships, under achievement at work and substance abuse.

“It’s a terrible disease and kids who have it are going to have a tough life with it if they don’t get the right treatment,” said Seyler, who is a firm believer many ADHD patients require medication to live normal lives.

For the majority of children and adults with ADHD, medication is an integral part of treatment. The medication is intended to control the symptoms of ADHD so the individual isn’t so restless or reckless and can function more effectively

Linda Wilson is the special education supervisor with the Warren County School System and she oversees the ADHD clinic. She says one of the great aspects of the school system’s clinic is the open dialog between Dr. Seyler, the child’s parents and teachers.

“We feel we are really making a difference,” said Wilson. “A full psycho-educational assessment is done to every child because we really want to offer quality services for children. Through this we’ve been able to prevent children from being overmedicated and over diagnosed.

“If ADHD interferes with a child’s learning and social development, we’re concerned about it. We don’t bring them in and say this kid needs medication. It’s quite the opposite.”

Some negativity has swirled around ADHD because of the medication, in particular Ritalin, which is prescribed to some children. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International is among the organizations leading the charge against so much medication. The group is also questioning the surge in ADHD diagnosis, claiming it is more a result of exuberant childhood behavior than a condition which requires daily medication.

That is an opinion not embraced by the American Medical Association, which points to research with indicates at least three separate brain regions have been associated with ADHD. The condition tends to run in families and more than 20 studies have supported the tendency for ADHD to be inherited.

Current treatment, like the treatment that takes place at the school system’s ADHD clinic, includes medical, educational, behavioral and psychological interventions. Medication is given when required.

“For someone to tell you that someone just needs behavior modification, they don’t need medication, it’s not right,” Dr. Seyler said. “Then they throw misinformation in there and it scares people. I don’t know why people have an ax to grind about this.”