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I agree with you on this, and it really boils down to how much the school is able to accommodate each child. My son has a few "tools" like a strip of velcro attached to his desk (for tactile stimulation), and chew necklace (he tends to gnaw on his clothes or non-edible items)... worst case scenario, the teacher will send him for a short walk. He's in a very small class, so it's easier for the teacher to address behaviors quickly. The thing is, medication is what has gotten him to the point of being able to be redirected and then brought back to task; it's part of the treatment plan, not a substitute for one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jo48
I worked as a Special Needs Para. Oh, yes, there were little boys with ADHD whose parents refused to give them Ritalin for compliance. I know the general feeling with Admin. was that they did not like NOT giving meds to these kids, but this was a decision for parents to make themselves. It is far easier on staff to have a child given some meds than to have to deal with the extra work unmedicated kids can present.
Worked around it. You cannot have one or two kids totally distrupting the entire class. Time Out. By that I do not mean standing them in a corner. Take them out of class for a time, walk the hallways, or even go on the basketball court and let them RUN. I am tired. Can I go back now? Are you ready to sit and work in the classroom? Yeah. The girls acted differently. They would fidget in their seats. Doodle on a piece of paper when teacher was talking. Things like that. The boys wanted PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
I know a lot of people would say what I did was rewarding bad behavior, but was drugging them into submission the answer? Oh, no. They did come back and do their work.
One size does not fit all does not work, especially with special needs children. You just have to work with what an individual child needs.
I'm not saying there aren't kids who have ADHD, but it is way overdiagnosed in our society. When kids are fed a steady diet of processed carbs, sugar and video games it's no wonder they're bouncing off the walls and can't sit still in class. I think many parents are just lazy and rather than discipline their child, it's easier to shut them up with a pill.
^ Ritalin is a narcotic in legal terms but not in scientific terms. (I hate it when that happens!)
No, the DEA schedules group drugs by potential for abuse. That does not mean Ritalin is classified as a narcotic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FeelinLow
OP, your points are spot on, but sadly, not a new concern. As a previous ''mental health professional'' who has also worked in childrens' programs, I have observed this first hand.
Not going to be popular, but I am going to say it, I think ADHD and ADD are ''designer'' diagnoses. Meaning ''pharma excuses''. Poor or nonexistant parenting is the culprit. In very rare instances a child might have some chemical imbalances in the brain beyond a Red Bull/high fructose constant sugar high, but very very few do.
I came to believe that ''family life'' as we used to know it has become non-existant for many kids. Exercise and outdoor play are being taken away by schools and overly protective parents and hours of sedentary video game watching and texting instead of being active with friends.
Kids are being ''ware housed'' like many pets and old people. Drug 'em up to keep them compliant. I left that world of mental ''non-health'' as I could no longer tolerate the ''instant fix'' mentality of the parents and doctors.
As others have noted, ADHD is very real, and technology is coming up with ways to show how the brains of people with ADHD differ. Sugar does not cause it, and it does have a genetic component. Treatment involves more than just medication, and medication does not "Drug 'em up to keep them compliant". Medication is also not an "instant fix" but must be accompanied by counselling.
Quote:
Originally Posted by augiedogie
AdHD is pure nonsense and starting these poor kids on drugs is silly and harmful to the child.
1. What lots of kids need is more discipline. That is, get out of line, misbehave, etc. and you'll be punished. That's what a spanking was for. That's part of the way to keep a child to behave.
2. Children, with very active bodies and lots of energy, need time to blow it off. What I was in school we have a morning and afternoon 15 minute recess, and a one hour lunch time, all of which was spent outside, playing on the playground, playing kickball, that kind of stuff. And this was in Wisconsin, all winter long. YOu can't expect kids, especially boys with lots of energy to sit in a classroom all day and pay attention. Its unnatural. I really feel sorry for kids today. Recess and play time is also a good remedy for this problem.
Kids do need physical activity, and I agree we need planned time to play in our schools, but a kid with ADHD is not going to come in from recess and be able to focus and learn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jo48
I worked as a Special Needs Para. Oh, yes, there were little boys with ADHD whose parents refused to give them Ritalin for compliance. I know the general feeling with Admin. was that they did not like NOT giving meds to these kids, but this was a decision for parents to make themselves. It is far easier on staff to have a child given some meds than to have to deal with the extra work unmedicated kids can present.
Worked around it. You cannot have one or two kids totally distrupting the entire class. Time Out. By that I do not mean standing them in a corner. Take them out of class for a time, walk the hallways, or even go on the basketball court and let them RUN. I am tired. Can I go back now? Are you ready to sit and work in the classroom? Yeah. The girls acted differently. They would fidget in their seats. Doodle on a piece of paper when teacher was talking. Things like that. The boys wanted PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
I know a lot of people would say what I did was rewarding bad behavior, but was drugging them into submission the answer? Oh, no. They did come back and do their work.
One size does not fit all does not work, especially with special needs children. You just have to work with what an individual child needs.
Have you ever talked with an adult with ADHD? You might be surprised to learn what a difference medication makes in their lives. Actually, you have probably talked with a lot of adults with ADHD and did not know it, because they are happy and productive.
We actually agree on something for once: "You just have to work with what an individual child needs."
AdHD is pure nonsense and starting these poor kids on drugs is silly and harmful to the child.
1. What lots of kids need is more discipline. That is, get out of line, misbehave, etc. and you'll be punished. That's what a spanking was for. That's part of the way to keep a child to behave.
2. Children, with very active bodies and lots of energy, need time to blow it off. What I was in school we have a morning and afternoon 15 minute recess, and a one hour lunch time, all of which was spent outside, playing on the playground, playing kickball, that kind of stuff. And this was in Wisconsin, all winter long. YOu can't expect kids, especially boys with lots of energy to sit in a classroom all day and pay attention. Its unnatural. I really feel sorry for kids today. Recess and play time is also a good remedy for this problem.
Except as some of us noted, it's not outgrown and plenty of adults have it. Are you calling us all liars? Why would you question the experiences of others who have it?
I'm not saying there aren't kids who have ADHD, but it is way overdiagnosed in our society. When kids are fed a steady diet of processed carbs, sugar and video games it's no wonder they're bouncing off the walls and can't sit still in class. I think many parents are just lazy and rather than discipline their child, it's easier to shut them up with a pill.
Right. Isn't it odd to anyone that the number of cases has gone up so much? Its being over diagnosed.
My mother (now age 70) was suddenly diagnosed with ADD about 15 years ago and put on meds for it (I think Ritalin, but not completely sure.) I never noticed any ADD symptoms in her prior to the diagnosis, but she's seemed to have horrible ADD ever since starting on the meds She's told me that without that medication, she would just sleep all day. Her behavior has been very off since being on ADD medication, that's for sure. She's mentioned that when trying to find a new doctor, they have been in strong disagreement with all the medication she's on (she's also on pain killers and anti-anxiety meds), so I think some quack just has her drugged up. I know she has to see some psychiatrist once a year to be able to get refills. Of course, he or she doesn't know how many actual psychiatric problems she has, or how difficult it is to deal with her.
Except as some of us noted, it's not outgrown and plenty of adults have it. Are you calling us all liars? Why would you question the experiences of others who have it?
ADHD? No adult I know has ever admitted it to me, but I do know two BiPolar Adults; my own daughter, and her cousin. My daughter was a real handful growing up, but even BiPolar wasn't diagnosed much back in those days. At 21 she committed herself to a hospital when she tried to slit her wrists, and that is when they "found" it. Is BiPolar "outgrown"?
Can that be cured? My daughter was told no it can't be cured but it can be "managed" with meds for the rest of her life. It was horrible when she was on these meds. They kept switching dosages, different brands, etc., because not a one did not present some kind of problems after a time. She finally got fed up with it all and stopped taking them. "I will learn how to deal with my ups and downs all by myself". That was 15 years ago. She is now medication free, married, and has a job she loves. LIFE never handed her some very, very bad curv balls over all those years? Of course, but she was able to deal with it. Her cousin hasn't been on meds for over 20 years. Her youngest is now graduating HS this year. She somehow managed to live her life, and raise 3 kids, without these meds. Both of them are today walking around among you all too.
I do not want to get OT on this thread, but medicine wants the public to be on some kind of meds for the rest of their lives.
No, the DEA schedules group drugs by potential for abuse. That does not mean Ritalin is classified as narcotic. ........
The DEA uses the term "narcotic" in its drug classification. They do not use it in its scientific context. I *think* that even a schedule II drug can be classified as a schedule II narcotic *if* being used illegally.
"When used in a legal context in the U.S., a*narcotic*drug is simply one that is totally prohibited, or one that is used in violation of strict governmental regulation, such as codeine or morphine.
From a pharmacological standpoint it is not a useful term,[3]*as is evinced by the historically varied usage of the word.
Statutory classification of a drug as a narcotic often increases the penalties for violation of drug control statutes. For example, although federal law classifies both*cocaine*and*amphetamine*as "Schedule II" drugs, the penalty for possession of cocaine is greater than the penalty for possession of amphetamines because cocaine, unlike amphetamines, is classified as a narcotic.[5]*Both cocaine and amphetamines are stimulants. A narcotic is classified under depressants.[6]"
The DEA uses the term "narcotic" in its drug classification. They do not use it in its scientific context. I *think* that even a schedule II drug can be classified as a schedule II narcotic *if* being used illegally.
"When used in a legal context in the U.S., a*narcotic*drug is simply one that is totally prohibited, or one that is used in violation of strict governmental regulation, such as codeine or morphine.
From a pharmacological standpoint it is not a useful term,[3]*as is evinced by the historically varied usage of the word.
Statutory classification of a drug as a narcotic often increases the penalties for violation of drug control statutes. For example, although federal law classifies both*cocaine*and*amphetamine*as "Schedule II" drugs, the penalty for possession of cocaine is greater than the penalty for possession of amphetamines because cocaine, unlike amphetamines, is classified as a narcotic.[5]*Both cocaine and amphetamines are stimulants. A narcotic is classified under depressants.[6]"
I have a son who suffers from severe ADD.
He went undiagnosed for a long time because he has never been hyperactive or disruptive, but at age 8, testing showed he could not concentrate on a subject for more than 10 seconds at a time. By then, he had completed the 3rd grade, but was still unable to read or write. He also suffers from dyslexia.
He was prescribed Ritalin, and we had some trouble at first getting his dosage right. He really disliked the jittery feeling it gave him, but it improved his concentration span immensely, and also helped his dyslexia very much. Eventually, his doctor found the right dosage of time-release Ritalin that helped him without giving him the jitters.
He repeated the 3rd grade, and from there on, he had no trouble keeping up with the rest of his class, and he graduated High School. A few years later, he attended a 4-year technical school and graduated from there as well. He continued to take Ritalin throughout; in his years at tech school, he medicated himself whenever he felt the need for it, as by then he could tell when is attention span began wavering.
All I can say is before Ritalin, we both believed he would never make it all the way through school. Like so many other kids who were never diagnosed, he would faithfully attend school, steadily falling farther and farther behind his classmates, until he was old enough to drop out, and then would never hold a good paying job for the rest of his life.
These days, he's making $25 hr. on his job, loves it, has purchased his own house, and is leading a happy life as an adult. If you ask him, he will say it was the Ritalin and a couple of dedicated teachers in elementary school who helped him catch up, that is responsible for who he is today. I fully agree. The difference in one year on the drug was remarkable.
I won't deny that Ritalin is being used for the wrong purposes, or that it is being over-prescribed. I am also sure that it is not a cure-all for all kids. But the drug, when carefully monitored and prescribed does work, and may be the effective first step in helping very complex cases of hyperactivity, depression, and other childhood disorders.
For Ritalin to do its work at its best capability requires a good doctor, involved parents, and good teachers and other caretakers who understand these children's problems. If any one of that combination isn't there, the child won't be as effectively treated, and may not be helped nearly as much. It is very easy to put the blame on a drug alone, but Ritalin does work, and does change young lives for the better.
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She's told me that without that medication, she would just sleep all day. Her behavior has been very off since being on ADD medication, that's for sure. She's mentioned that when trying to find a new doctor, they have been in strong disagreement with all the medication she's on (she's also on pain killers and anti-anxiety meds), so I think some quack just has her drugged up. I know she has to see some psychiatrist once a year to be able to get refills. Of course, he or she doesn't know how many actual psychiatric problems she has, or how difficult it is to deal with her.
