They really started the over-prescribing due to young boys having the energy that all young boys have. Schools started cutting out the mid-morning and mid-afternoon recess and expected six and seven year-olds, to sit quietly in their seats all day. Teachers found it easier to just ask that the children be drugged. Some without the parents’ knowledge.
I was a substitute teacher in the 90s and the prescription drug cabinet for students’ medication went from a small box to an entire closet. Students were going to the office non-stop to get their daily pill just before lunch time.
The drugs are totally oversubscribed, I think other factors also play a major part of the problem.
I think the growth of fast food diets and processed food with all types of additives are a real problem.
The growth of video games have you boys especially in front of TVs playing video games instead of outside riding a bicycle or playing football, basketball, etc...basically making kids nothing but coach potatoes.
Years ago, a kid at our church was the epitome of ADHD. In actuality, he was a genius. His parents wisely kept him out of the system and refused to drug him into oblivion.
He was homeschooled and graduated high school at age 12. At that point, he was being scouted by some universities but of course he was far too immature for college.
He went to some sort of high level brainiac high school and earned two more diploma’s.
The ADD was still strong and this kid was pretty much an idiot who couldn’t tie his own shoes, but could give you the chemical formula for the glue that holds the plastic ferrules to the ends of the shoelaces.
(Unrelated issue-Wow! In FR parlance, I actually owe myself a new keyboard. As I was typing that I took a sip of coffee and immediately coughed. My desk faces a wall and it now has coffee spew all over it)
Anyway, this kid is now about 22. We saw him a week or so ago. He’s finishing his third Masters degree and heading for Med School.
While he was a real challenge his parents made the correct call
Under PL 94-142, students labeled as disabled are granted extra funding for resources to accommodate their disabilities. When ADD and ADHD were included as a disability, the number of kids diagnosed with it skyrocketed.
Further, more young people consume toxins in their food now than ever before. These poisons are damaging our kids.