Autism?

Yes i agree, and its sad how some parents are so misinformed that they allow their children to be put on meds without even giving it a second thought, for six years i was on medication for ADHD when it turned out all along i had Aspergers syndrome.
It's like now a days if the child isnt behaving its automatically 'oh my child needs medication because he's out of control."  Personally i just think those parents need to re-evaluate the way they handle their children, because they dont really think about it now but those medications do have prolonged effects on the body.

[I]

i quite agree
but.. can't there be a mild form of ADHD?
or ADD?

What do you mean? There's no such thing as a mild form of ADHD or ADD. If there was a mild form then the majority of all the children on earth would be on ritalin right now.

If you're intelligent but lack concentration, bright but lazy, and hyper and talk nonstop about silly things, then I should be on ritalin right now.
The whole thing is ridiculous.

How much research have you done on ADHD or ADD?

 I can tell you that there ARE various forms of it, ranging from mild to serious. I have 2 kids with ADD, a husband with it, and a father-in-law too.  Yes, it can be hereditary, although it isn't always.  They all have a milder form of it- not really hyper or bouncing off the walls, but in a form that affects concentration, organization, and completion of tasks.  Mr jehan and his father were of course undiagnosed, as back then it wasn't labeled as such, but their lives would have been much easier if they had known what their problems were (and are).

My daughter was diagnosed in the third grade.  She got to the point where she was not concentrating, completing work, or doing much of anything in school.  She had no friends because she was "weird" - tests with only her name on them, writing on herself etc.  Papers strewn all around her desk. Note she was NOT hyper, bothering anyone else or a discipline problem.  We did NOT put her on ritalin to "Shut her up" or make her behave.  She was only on it for school, not on weekends or holidays.  Once she was on ritalin (a low dose) she went to the top of her class, was placed in a gifted program, and everyone wanted to work with her because she was so smart.  She always was extremely bright, of course- she just couldn't complete work.  She was on ritalin until 11th grade, when she decided she could organize herself well enough and work with her problems. She hasn't taken it since. Today she is a bright university student, doing very well.

My son is younger, and still on his medication.  His case is similar, but now that he is on his medication he is doing well enough to probably get a full university scholarship next year with an average of over 95%
 
Neither of my kids would be where they are today without their diagnosis and treatment.  Neither were discipline problems, put on drugs to stop them bothering people.  Their ADHD affected only themselves, but thanks to some caring teachers and doctors they are doing very well today thank you.We did not put them on drugs without trying everything else first, including behaviour modification,  careful consideration and a certain amount of reluctance. We were also lucky that neither one had any side effects.  And remember that the drugs are a tool, not a cure.

Also remember that ritalin and others are stimulants.  If a "normal"l kid takes it, they will get a "high", not be calmed down.  It's on kids with ADD that it actually "works".

Please, I know this is getting very off topic, especially since we know that Anastasia did not have autism, and probably not ADD either.  Some kids ARE just "Active"- and Anastasia was probably just an averagely active kid, and further speculation is useless.  But this is a hot button topic for me, and please don't dismiss families who are doing their best coping with ADHD using whatever tools they can as "dumb".  Try doing some research and talking to people who are living with it first.

["Господь им дал дар по молитвам их размягчать окаменелые наши сердца за их страдания..Мне думается, что если люди будут молиться Царской Cемье, оттают сердца с Божией помощью."]

I do know people who have it or have children with it. I know about it; my father was a psychiatrist and my mother was a doctor.
But all the symptoms these disorders entail can correspond with any child or adult. If all those symptoms mean someone has a severe mental disorder, then there would be tons of elementary school children on medications right now. I've had all the symptoms of having ADD or ADHD and have them all the time; because I'm human. I remember when I was younger there were about 6 kids in my class taking pills everyday because they got a hyper, couldn't concentrate on work/didn't do it, or were disruptive. But I don't believe that was medically created. The majority of the children I've known with these disorders were just hyper and couldn't obey to what anyone told them and their parents couldn't deal with it on their own. There are about 2 million people in the US diagnosed with these disorders and it just seems ridiculous to me. There are still professionals trying to debunk the legitimacy of these 'disorders' and there always will be people doubting it.
In any case, I'm glad the medication helped your children to get back on track with their education and lives.

But let's get back on topic now.

[I'M BAAAAACK!!!]

Anastasia was autistic?!  When was this diagnosed? It must have been after her death because, as far as I know the disorder per se wasn't even described until the 40's, before that the term was applied to adult schizophrenia.

She wasn't diagnosed, and it's very unlikely she ever had it. This thread is only speculation.

From what I've read, Anastasia doesn't appear to have suffered from Autism though I leave myself open to correction.

Just as there are mild to serious forms of heart disease, kidney disease, mental illness, etc, there are mild to serious forms of ADD & ADHD. I'm not sure why people get so "worked up" about the existence of ADD & ADHD. Would you not treat heart disease, hypertension or kidney disease if you or a loved one suffered these ailments? Would you allow pancreatitis to go untreated? Do you castigate and not treat those who suffer from the different forms of Hepititis? There are a battery of physical and psychological tests the patient is put through before the diagnosis is made and drugs are prescribed for ADD & ADHD. (If the doctor is worth any grain of salt) So it isn't as if you walk into the local pediatric doctor's office, say my child won't sit still and focus then <poof> the doctor writes a script for Concerta, for example. And this class of drug will not work for someone who doesn't suffer from ADD & ADHD. I am stunned at those people who believe that ADD & ADHD is simply a matter of making a child sit still. It's an illness and unfortunately, not all people want to open their minds to its existence.

STOP THIS NOW!

The word she heard on the television program was "ARTISTIC" pronounced with a British accent, which sounds like "Autistic" to an amercian ear not familiar with British pronunciation...

THAT IS ALL. there should be no reason for a six page discussion of something that never existed.

Amen.

A number of people on this thread have severely underestimated those on the autistic spectrum. It is possible that Anastasia was on the spectrum, though it is exceptionally doubtful that she had full-blown Classic Kanner's Autism.

Let's get a few things straight.

- All those on the spectrum are not anti-social. There are autistic extroverts. In fact, there are autistics who are extremely extroverted.
- A number of people on the spectrum can indeed understand and use sarcasm, hidden implications, and the unwritten social rules.
- You can not tell if someone is autistic by their looks! That idea is preposterous!
- Many autistic people are exceptionally intelligent, moreso than the average person.

I was misdiagnosed with a form of autism myself at the age of four, and am engaged to a lovely man who truly is on the spectrum. Please do not judge and stereotype. I do not know much about Anastasia at all, but I am not ruling out the possibility of her being autistic simply because she was an engaging and likable person.

[artistic]

- All those on the spectrum are not anti-social. There are autistic extroverts. In fact, there are autistics who are extremely extroverted.
- A number of people on the spectrum can indeed understand and use sarcasm, hidden implications, and the unwritten social rules.
- You can not tell if someone is autistic by their looks! That idea is preposterous!
- Many autistic people are exceptionally intelligent, moreso than the average person.

[...]

I do not know much about Anastasia at all, but I am not ruling out the possibility of her being autistic simply because she was an engaging and likable person.

All valid points regarding autism and stereotypes, but nonetheless probably irrelevant to Anastasia Nikolaevna. As FA said, this discussion was the result of a misunderstanding -- a British documentary referred to Anastasia as artistic but an American viewer misheard it as "autisitc." In spite of the variance in autistic spectrum individuals, there's no evidence to suggest Anastasia Nikolaevna had any form of Asperger's or autism.

[artistic]

- All those on the spectrum are not anti-social. There are autistic extroverts. In fact, there are autistics who are extremely extroverted.
- A number of people on the spectrum can indeed understand and use sarcasm, hidden implications, and the unwritten social rules.
- You can not tell if someone is autistic by their looks! That idea is preposterous!
- Many autistic people are exceptionally intelligent, moreso than the average person.

[...]

I do not know much about Anastasia at all, but I am not ruling out the possibility of her being autistic simply because she was an engaging and likable person.

All valid points regarding autism and stereotypes, but nonetheless probably irrelevant to Anastasia Nikolaevna. As FA said, this discussion was the result of a misunderstanding -- a British documentary referred to Anastasia as artistic but an American viewer misheard it as "autisitc." In spite of the variance in autistic spectrum individuals, there's no evidence to suggest Anastasia Nikolaevna had any form of Asperger's or autism.

Ah, I see. I skimmed over the artistic vs. autistic comments; my apologies.

STOP THIS NOW!

The word she heard on the television program was "ARTISTIC" pronounced with a British accent, which sounds like "Autistic" to an amercian ear not familiar with British pronunciation...

THAT IS ALL. there should be no reason for a six page discussion of something that never existed.

What a rude response!  If I want to speculate and discuss with others that Nicholas had the clap and Alexandra had herpes, I should be able to without fear of getting vitriolic demands!

It is NOT rude.  There is a thread for people to speculate on fictional ideas, that is  "having fun". THIS thread is about a genuine discussion of genuine facts, NOT speculation. 


She did NOT have autism, and I want to make it crystal clear to the student and teachers who come here to LEARN the facts.  Please feel free to speculate, just not here.

I don't know if I could possibly agree more. I had thought this thread a solved case and utterly forgotten, not to mention overtly misguided...