Fluglehrer

I don't think it's a mental disorder either, but the FAA thinks it is. I think it's a personality-type issue for many kids diagnosed with it, and I fault modern education, modern medicine, and modern pharma for making the lives of these kids far more difficult than necessary.
A good number of WW2 (and possibly a few present day) fighter pilots were most probably ADD/ADHD. The number of kids I've seen diagnosed with ADD-type issues during elementary or secondary school that subsequently show up at our school for flight training is fairly high, but in line with the figures I've heard that up to 25% of U.S. males have been or should be diagnosed and treated for ADD/ADHD at some point in their student lives.
Fortunately, the FAA has approved just about every one of the students who came to our school after an ADD/ADHD diagnosis, although not without extra cost in time and dollars (sometimes taking an extra year and thousands of dollars in evaluation/test costs).
Disclose the condition and pay the extra cost in time and dollars, and don't beech about the FAA causing the problem. Blame your parents, your teachers, your doctor, and the maker of your prescription pill. While you're at it blame television, MTV, rap music, X-Box, Playstation, and the Internet.
And blame lawyers (always and often).
My recommendation is disclose the diagnosis, and don't hesitate to vent often on these types of websites...both will help keep your blood pressure lower at your next medical.

rickair7777

Oh yeah, regardless as to how you categorize it I think it's way over-diagnosed and over-medicated. Some boys are just going to be boys, and will never have the patience to be stellar academics...especially in grade school. Root cause is parents wanting kids to be the kind of students and paragons that they never were Schools/teachers that expect all students to behave like sugar and spice don't help either.

Hawker Driver

Rickair7777, Your "Boys will be boys" generalization & "root cause" comments are way off the mark. I am the parent of a boy diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. I was anti-medication all the way too until I realized one day, that my own kid could not help himself with many of his negative behaviors without it. It was a huge revelation. Huge. What's really unfortunate though is the multitude of kids who are being punished & disciplined daily through parental ignorance & through no fault of their own.

Respectfully,

HD

Reservist

Kids were never meant to sit in class for 8 hours a day.

In my opinion the "ADD" kids can learn but the would require specialized alternative teaching/schooling strategies, which for many is unrealistic. Drugging them to get them to sit still is the societal norm.

rickair7777

I didn't say it wasn't real, I said it's over diagnosed. At one point thirty percent of the boys in my sister's class were on ADD meds...That's a problem with the medical and/or education system, not the kids IMO.

Sounds like your kid was a legit case.