March 27, 2007

AD/HD? - No More Need to Travel to Be'er Sheva

By Or Kashti

Ha'aretz

For the first time, the Nitzan branch in the Negev city of Yeroham is providing multi-disciplinary evaluations for local children suspected of having Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). The evaluations are conducted collaboratively by a child psychologist, a representative of Yeroham's psychological services, and local pediatricians.

The mother of one student, Yuni (not his real name), stands outside the small room in Nitzan's Yeroham center, waiting for Yuni's evaluation to be completed. "He wants to learn and loves school, but it is so hard for him to sit and pay attention in class," she explains. Other mothers, waiting during evaluations of their children, express similar concerns and told similar stories: A student whose frustration leads to anger; another who struggles with the educational materials.

Some of the mothers comment on the excitement of the personnel at the Nitzan center; this is the first time that multi-disciplinary evaluations have been available to Yeroham area children with attention and concentration problems. Never before in the Yeroham area have evaluations been multi-disciplinary, combining a child psychologist, city psychological service representatives, and local pediatricians. Previously, such evaluations were available only in the center of the country.

Between 3% and 7% of Israeli school-aged children suffer from AD/HD. According to latest studies, at least 30% of these students also have learning disabilities. "Ritalin may sometimes help alleviate attention problems, but not learning disabilities," explains Dr. Tammy Moses, who manages Nitzan's multi-disciplinary center. "It is unreasonable to take a pill and to expect that learning problems will disappear or will be solved. Learning disabilities are not mere headaches that pass in time. Successful strategies require a combined approach, addressing both learning disabilities and AD/HD, with collaboration also between parents and schools. Medicine does not cure all."

© 2007 Ha'aretz