RE: New TECHWR-L Poll - ADD

["Kathleen" <keamac -at- cox -dot- net>]

Those figures are somewhat inflated: at least some people have more than
one of the disorders/disabilities. Also, there is no "true" definition
of some disorders, such as ADHD, so the incidence of diagnosis could
easily be greater than occurrence (or vice versa). Not to mention that
these are statistical predictions--no one has done an actual count of
people with such disorders/disabilities.
Re how this relates to tech writing: I honestly don't see how someone
could function as a tech writer (or in many other jobs) if they really
had ADD/ADHD, unless they were taking medication that controlled the
problem. You have to focus and track (even to drive a car or speak a
sentence). ADD is not the same as scatter-brained.

Kathleen

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Christner
 
This topic made me curious about ADD, so I looked up some statistics.
Those numbers prompted more research, so here are the sobering stats on
serious disorders and disabilities in this country:

ADHD: 0.04%
(http://www.add-adhd.org/ADHD_attention-deficit.html)

Autism: 0.0071%
(http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=299&a=3527)

Mental retardation:  0.028%
(http://www.thearc.org/faqs/emqa.html)

Blind and visually impaired: 0.04%
(http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=15)

Depression and anxiety disorders: 0.076%
(http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/15.cfm)

Hearing impairment up to age 54: 0.036%
http://deafness.about.com/cs/earbasics/a/demographics.htm

Total: 22.71% (0.2271) out of 250,000,000 Americans or
56,775,000 people

These numbers are based on quick calculations made by a math-impaired
tech
writer, but they're probably low when you consider they don't even count
those with other serious disablilities, i.e. type 1 & 2 diabetes,
emphysema, cancer, advanced heart disease, crohns disease, alcoholism,
etc.

The miracle is that anybody is healthy enough to work a 40 hour week!
How
 so many people can manage to work at all while dealing with their
illnesses is beyond me.

If you're in good health, be thankful,

--Chris



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