Former Newsreader Kate Silverton Sparks Debate On ADHD Diagnosis In Children | This Morning

Newsreader-turned-child therapist Kate Silverton has caused controversy, after claiming that parents are now too quick to diagnose their children with ADHD. In her new book ‘There’s Still No Such Thing As Naughty’, the former BBC journalist states that rather than rushing into medication, parent’s should instead look at the emotional reasons behind behavioural issues, and even consider whether their children are just “play deprived”. Kate joins us live in the studio to tell us why she believes the majority of problems can be resolved by "losing the labels", and working directly with our children to understand the “real issue”.
Broadcast on 28/03/2024
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[@HazelMae-vz3in]

Please get Kate back on-great lady and fabulous interview.

[@hendrikdevries9725]

Had the pleasure of hearing Kate speak on an NHS Conference about mental health in 2019, and had a short but great conversation on te correlation between childhood trauma , addiction and criminality. Interesting!

[@ninaleach6350]

As an elderly adult autistic with ADHD (waiting for official confirmation of my ADHD) I have seen the rising trend for more private ADHD assessment clinics. Unfortunately, they are businesses that often charge very highly for assessment and then for medication. There aren't enough NHS assessors. Getting a reliable diagnosis is very important but parents can be completely in the dark and then the choice whether or not to use medication is yet another huge decision. I know how important it is to get correct diagnoses as early as possible because I've seen the effects of undiagnosed neurodivergence in 5 generations. However, had I been diagnosed in the early 50s, my parents might well have been advised to put me in an institution. ADHD isn't just about behaviour, the visible observations are only a clue but may be a red herring. So, although I agree in part that maybe some children are wrongly diagnosed, I think we're experiencing an awakening with regard to neurodivergence and how our different brains work and how that affects all aspects of our lives. Most of us don't like the term ADHD and think it's misleading and stigmatising but until a new term is recognised, we need to use it.

[@trinaburrows7715]

So true....connect with them before you correct them.

[@newmetherapy7177]

Love this video! There are many reasons why ADHD symptoms show up for so many people. As someone who has lived with ADHD all my life as well as being an ADHD therapist and a parent with ADHD children, I help people understand why we think, feel and behave the way we do. There is an answer! There are many more ways to treat ADHD other than being diagnosed and given medication. Other ways to help understand who you are and how to nurture those qualities. More importantly, there is nothing wrong with us! In fact no two people in the world are alike. We are all unique individuals and that is why my mission is to help people discover their unique gifts. Go discover your gifts!

[@Saeshmea]

I would add to this that trauma and adhd can also go hand in hand. ADHD is genetic and therefore many kids with adhd will have parents that are adhd or ND without having ever been diagnosed or realised themselves, this brings them to behaviours at home that can be traumatic for a child (for example, not ideal ways of parenting, drastic mood changes, divorce, drugs...). So, while trauma can present in a way that makes us thing of ADHD and that can bring to a false diagnosis because the behaviour could improve with the right support, we can't say that kids with trauma can't have ADHD. I'm all up for the debate, she's not denying the existance of ADHD and what she's saying is valid, but you have to be careful with what you say on TV, otherwise you give fuel to the deniers. Or make people like me, adult, self-diagnosed first, with an education diagnosis after and waiting for the NHS one, with a huge impostors-syndrome and my fair share of childhood trauma, doubt our own judgement and that of the professionals who have assessed us. Maybe the people that need to be educated are not so much the parents trying to find help for their children but the professionals working with them so that assessments are always done right.

[@rachelevans6711]

I love this response 👍

[@CymruValkrja]

As a parent to a child who is Autistic has ADHD along with optional defiant disorder & have be told that even though he is 15 he will not be able to function as a normal human being like myself or others. I just want to say that, that is not completely nonsense as children brains don't fully develop till in their twenties but for people who have these disorders it is proven that their brains are completely different to what ever normal children are these days most kids who have these disorders don't know how to express their feelings. Also it is well known fact that ADHD is a genetic. 2 of my nans grandchildren are diagnosed as adhd & at least 4 of my nans great grandchildren are diagnosed with ADHD & ASD.

[@rachelevans6711]

I'm intrigued by this 🤔 Having struggled my whole life and finally being diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 45, having a label has been a major breakthrough for me in more ways than one. I would have been incredibly grateful for a label when I was a child. I have gone my whole life searching for a label 🤔 I don't think labels should be viewed negatively, rather they are there to help us and others around us to understand ourselves, to learn about our brains 🧠 Knowledge is power 💪 Also, ADHD runs all through our family and is highly hereditary. ADHD brains have been scannd, and they have found noticeable differences. I'm in the process of trying to get my son assessed for ADHD. I have had concerns about his behaviour for years. We have been through multiple traumatic events as a family, but the concerns about his behaviour and listening were there way before these traumatic events ever happened. I do believe that understanding why people in general are doing what they're doing is super helpful, including children, but I wonder how a parent should respond when they know that their child has deliberately made the wrong choice 🤔 I''m trying to educate myself about all of this, I'm learning to re parent myself and learn how to parent now I have been diagnosed with ADHD. What about boundaries and consequences? These are things I'm keen to explore 🤔 ADHD is very real, and now my whole life makes sense 🙂 I want my son to grow up in this world understanding his brain, so that he doesn't experience a lifetime of struggling and sinking like me. I'm thankful for the information that's out there 😊 Thank you for the work that you're doing 😊

[@catherinekennedy8358]

We should be embracing the fact that we are all wired differently. In early years in Scotland we don’t use the naughty step we come down to the child’s level and discuss about how they are feeling . How we can improve the child’s daily emotional experience of navigating through life. Don’t label a child with having a learning difficulty learn how that child can enjoy their play day. Don’t allow children under the age of 7 to have an I pad or watch too much tv. Their brains are still being developed and allowing a young child to watch social media tends to cause too much activity and crisscrossed information that a developing brain can not handle. Also sugar treats for some children can cause a lot of hyperactivity due to their brain and immune system not being able to tolerate it. After having the sugar treat they can become very hyperactive and not listen to the parent trying to calm them back down. Lots of fresh air and outdoor activities are the best way of teaching your child to overcome fears and obstacles. I have a very active 4 year old grandson and I have been teaching him how to climb using ropes since he was 2. At bedtime we will discuss stories that are made up by myself about faries and mermaids that live in the sea below his house. All these activities have given him a great sense of imagination and he will tell me an imaginary story. So I am giving him the space and time to develop all his life skills he will need at his pace. The problem in society is that when children start primary school if they can’t keep up with the teaching pace then tough because they don’t often have the extra support staff to help a child that wants to work at a slower pace. An example of that is a child that is dyslexic. That child just learns differently and are usually very talented but school often destroys that child’s ability to read or write by not keeping up with the pace that they need to learn. Believe me I had to learn so many different ways to learn how to support my child who is dyslexic when she was in school. I had to educate myself as she got no support in school but she is now in her 30 and became a manager of an early year’s practice . So please don’t label your children just embrace them as they are and learn how to love and just enjoy being a parent. Imagine how boring life would be if we all had the same talents. 🤔🤗

[@summerwest3099]

I actually quite like this SWYS approach that she talks about. I think if there is any way to talk and connect with kids about how they're feeling in a moment when they are either "misbehaving" or having a meltdown, this could be a paradigm shift for helping children to redirect their feelings and helping them to develop some sort of metacognition at a younger age. I'm autistic (diagnosed very late in life), and I suspect as well that I have ADHD with the hyperactivity component masked due to my ability to camouflage growing up. I would have benefitted greatly from this approach as a child. But I was highly verbal and social, which was a big part of why I was undiagnosed for so long. For kids who are "non-verbal" or very limited in their social interaction, this approach might not work very well.

[@azsky4233]

I'm here because of Kate Silverton. Didn't know she had a career change and is no longer a newscaster

[@melgrant7404]

Too old for newsreading.

[@melgrant7404]

If it was as simple as she says why are meds available at all.

[@boobopish]

$$$$$$$$$$$

[@jennyellacook6052]

meds are cheaper than therapy that is why .

[@emmiloub8699]

Easy option and money

[@joseph7391]

I think it’s because, in the UK, we are not supposed to try and control children or adults (natural) behaviour with medication as it’s a normal thing that most people go through in their lives. Unless there is a medical need for medication like mental health or physical condition. Or at least that is what I learned when I worked in care.

[@emilywilliams363]

Because it's easier to suppress things rather than work to work around things to reduce the excesses

[@xineconlon]

AAARRRGH. ADHD is not about being naughty. My son was so obviously neurodiverse from at least 5 years old. He was assessed over five years and diagnosed aged 10 because the NHS most certainly does not rush into the diagnosis. He didn’t start medication until he was 14. He wasn't naughty and he did so well academically, but he struggled to focus and he struggled with executive function etc. Without the label they can’t get the help. My child needed help and I’m so glad he got it. He was in top set for everything, then got moved down and after meds got moved back up again. As far as trauma my son was so happy and had no trauma during his assessment years. Nice she has an opinion, but people who have ADHD don’t need people putting belittling the existence of ADHD.

[@lovelyjanuary]

I just think that what she’s addressing generally in terms of connecting with children through communication and more open minded understanding of the interaction that can be much more helpful and even lead to a lot of resolution of behavioral or emotional “issues” that children may be expressing or experiencing and how that is approached “therapeutically” minded so to speak by their parents, guardians, etc. is an honestly great and not at all insignificant approach to the modern way of helping children throughout their early years in growing and adapting to the well intentioned and hopefully realized well being that those around them hope for them in their future young adult and later years- it just really isn’t at all the same conversation though when it comes to discussing the realistic and neurological identification and medical diagnosis of a child with (a condition like) adhd, which is a totally separate consideration that might result for some children that do express the specifically related symptoms to that potential indicated diagnosis, but which is a more medically and even often academically then centered treatment plan overall, which can obviously (and usually does) include many therapeutic behavioral and/or emotional interventions like counseling or even just an open communication between the child and parents/guardians similar to the first topic that Kate seems to be more adept at and realistically addressing with her overall great and well-considered more overall approach and ideas that she’s a proponent of, which actually again would be great for all children regardless of an adhd diagnosis or not. It just isn’t as simple as “either/or” in the way I think she’s kind of presenting with the tie-in or correlation she’s trying to bring alongside it to whether or not a child may indeed have adhd or that should even be considered as a diagnosis for a child in general. As someone (a young woman) with adhd-inattentive type who was largely viewed through that type of “either/or” perspective (particularly by my parents) it wasn’t helpful to have it either be “behavioral/emotional/academic issues” vs. adhd diagnosis because, as we all know, EVERYONE is subject to at least one type of-if not all three “types” of “issues” lol- from the first category at any and all ages, stages, ranges of development or even social and relational struggles and times in our lives! But that doesn’t mean that I still don’t have a different, neurodivergent brain that the smaller percentage of us that have adhd also have as a part of our permanent identities as well.

[@mirjamg8274]

More of this

[@rebeccajmb4675]

We need A LOT more neuro science in the UK that relates to so called psychology based issues such as Autism & ADHD etc. We need to realise that these kids have brain inflammation which is MEDICALLY treatable. Not send them off to a psychiatrist who will merely talk to them. Treat them medically first, THEN talk to them.

[@ninaleach6350]

Autism doesn't need medication or psychological therapy, just understanding. The co-occuring conditions might benefit from some medication. ADHD doesn't necessarily need medication but it can help.

[@egilejankute2136]

> 👑=🌞.....💁‍♂️

[@numberstation]

🦵🏼+🌂+🍆-🪕

[@melgrant7404]

New career then.instant expert.

[@upendasana7857]

NO not instant expert,she has spent years studying this and working with some of the most vulnerable children as a volunteer and of course has her own kids and her own childhood trauma too !!!!

[@melgrant7404]

@@upendasana7857 and now she is making money out of it .too old for newsreading now this.she is clearly on the make.

[@beautybev]

I get it but I really don’t think it’ll work on spoiled kids that get everything they want.

[@jane9875]

she sounds like she's the one with adhd

[@annfinnegan2791]

A load of bluster .

[@melinmove]

Why is it

[@melgrant7404]

Anything to sell a book.

[@upendasana7857]

@@melgrant7404 You seem very triggered,maybe you should try reading the book or another as its based on research and evidence and trauma informed approaches that are used with kids or adults who have been traumatised so...maybe not be so dismissive

[@melgrant7404]

@@upendasana7857 I can certainly spot a financial incentive when I see one .one can claim to know everything when money is involved. Aged news reader come trained adhd expert all of a sudden. If she wasn't making money out of it I would be more convinced.

[@melgrant7404]

@@upendasana7857 just wonder why she is making money out of it.

[@roathripper]

woke nonsense!

[@joshua_hailey]

Clearly you don’t know the definition of woke 😭

[@upendasana7857]

NO its neuroscience and based on an understanding on what our body and brains do when under stress...you can call that "woke"if you want to or maybe its just our biology !!! facts

[@juliegreensmith2433]

Blah blah blah