Ron Burkett
Dale Wisely ADHD series
Dale Wisely speaks to Mountain Brook parents about ADHD on Jan. 12.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common among children, but Dale Wisely said many parents don't know everything they need to help a child with the disorder. As Mountain Brook City Schools' director of student services and a member of the All In Mountain Brook board, Wisely holds seminars twice a year on the subject.
“I’ve got a longstanding belief that one of the most important things for kids who have ADHD is to have adults in their lives who know what the disorder is,” Wisely said. “I think parents understanding the disorder is every bit as important as medication."
The latest seminar began on Thursday, Jan. 12, and Wisely said about 75 people - twice his usual registration - signed up for the event. The first 90-minute session was about the basics of ADHD, and Wisely said the next two sessions will be about medical treatment options and practical tips for “how to manage these things at home as parents.”
The next session is Jan. 19 and the third will be Jan. 26, both at 6 p.m. in the PLC room of the Mountain Brook Schools central office.
"It's a complicated disorder," Wisely said. “We do three 90-minute talks and it still doesn’t seem like enough.”
Wisely said he tries to address common myths about children's behavior with ADHD and medical treatment options for parents to make more informed choices. He said he often meets people who believe ADHD causes the inability to focus on anything at all, when typically it just causes difficulty for the child to persistently pay attention to things that aren't fascinating to them, such as a least favorite class.
Kids with ADHD also have a higher accident risk due to impulsive behaviors and short attention spans, which Wisely said can be dangerous for teen drivers. Effectively managing ADHD not only affects children's performance in school, and later college or careers, but also their safety.
“People that have it and don’t get treated, they don’t do well as a group,” Wisely said.
Simply understanding the disorder can also make it easier for parents and children to interact positively at home.
“I think a lot of parents come into it thinking they understand the disorder and come out thinking there’s a lot more to it,” Wisely said. "If parents don’t understand the disorder, kids aren’t going to get what they need.”
The last two parts of Wisely's ADHD seminar series are still open and free to the public. Visit allinmountainbrook.org to register.
