People with Disabilities in Ireland
4th Floor Jervis House
Jervis Street
Dublin 1
Telephone: 01 87 21 74 4
Fax: 01 87 21 77 1
Email: info@pwdi.ie
Sunday 28th May 2006.
Irish society as a whole is failing vulnerable children and young people with conditions such as ADHD, ADD and autism, a conference in Waterford was told yesterday (Saturday).
Over 300 people attended the conference `Learning and Behavioural Difficulties In Children' organised by People with Disabilities in Ireland (PwDI), the national organisation representing people with all disabilities and held at Waterford Institute of Technology.
Mr Tom Power of the Waterford PwDI Network told the conference:
"The uniting factor here today is the lonely and unacceptably long road to diagnosis. Our schools often treat these children as simply being badly behaved rather than having a medical neurobiological condition due to a chemical imbalance in the brain, characterised by symptoms of impulsivity and inattention and/or hyperactivity."
"Societal changes are contributing to the prevalence of these conditions and to the difficulties that those affected face in school and at work," he said.
Dr Eddie McGrath, Consultant Community Paediatrician, specialising in development disorders told the conference that one of the areas that needs to be looked at is "the affects of nicotine and particularly alcohol in the early stages of pregnancy."
"In Ireland the alcohol and nicotine culture is driving the explosion of behavioural disorders," he said.
He also identified sleep deprivation as a huge factor.
"Children and young people with this condition should have no visual stimuli for the last half hour before bedtime."
He explained that this included TVs in bedrooms, while one mother told the conference of the devastating affects of late night text messages from a girlfriend in the case of her own son.
Dr McGrath also said that breastfeeding is important in the development of the child and talked about Ireland's low levels of breastfeeding compared with other countries.
Professor Fiona McNichollas, Child psychiatrist said that the use of cannabis could contribute to bipolar, and schizophrenia.
Mr Stephen McWhite, PwDI General Manager said:
"The clear message from today is that early intervention, providing the right supports, using appropriate educational and behavioural strategies are the key to success.
"This conference brings key professional experts with practical experience in the field together with families and teachers from 11 different counties. The level of energy and engagement by the audience and presenters underlines the dire need for greater understanding of the conditions as a first step towards developing proper supports."
Ends
Further information:
Tom Power - PwDI Waterford
Stephen McWhite - PwDI National Manager
Contact National Office: (01)8721744
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