Posted on 06/08/2004 11:29:20 AM PDT by Dan Evans
When Chad Taylor noticed his son was apparently experiencing serious side effects from Ritalin prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, he decided to take the boy off the medication. Now, he says he may be accused of child abuse.
In February, 12-year-old Daniel began displaying some symptoms that his father suspected were related to the use of Ritalin.
"He was losing weight, wasn't sleeping, wasn't eating," Taylor told ABC News affiliate KOAT-TV in New Mexico. "[He] just wasn't Daniel."
So Taylor took Daniel off Ritalin, against his doctor's wishes. And though Taylor noticed Daniel was sleeping better and his appetite had returned, his teachers complained about the return of his disruptive behavior. Daniel seemed unable to sit still and was inattentive. His teachers ultimately learned that he was no longer taking Ritalin.
School officials reported Daniel's parents to New Mexico's Department of Children, Youth and Families.Then a detective and social worker made a home visit.
"The detective told me if I did not medicate my son, I would be arrested for child abuse and neglect," Taylor said.
A spokesman for New Mexico's Department of Children, Youth and Families told KOAT-TV that they could not comment on the case because of state confidentiality laws. John Francis, a detective for the Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety, said that Taylor was not threatened but told KOAT-TV that parents could be charged in situations like his.
"People can be charged with child abuse, child neglect or various other crimes involving a child," he said.
More Kids on Antidepressants
Taylor is among many parents facing a dilemma over whether to medicate children who suffer from mental disorders. A recent study by Express Scripts Inc., a medical benefits management company, found antidepressant use increased 49 percent among consumers younger than 18 between 1998 and 2002. Preschoolers up to age 5, the study found, were the fastest-growing users of prescription antidepressants.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
After taking her out, I discovered she was hypoglycemic, and my wife was giving her lots of carbs for breakfast. Her blood sugar was spiking, then crashing, which triggered disruptive behavior (getting upset and crying hysterically whenever any little thing set her off). Put her on high-protein breakfast (cheese, meat, eggs, etc) and the problems went away
I wonder how much of the problems in the schools are from kids getting sent off loaded with sugar?
ADD = Special Ed = much more $$$
Geez, people. Enough with bashing public schools over everything. He would have been accused of child abuse if a neighbor, a preacher, a relative, the kid's doctor, or anyone else had turned him in. In this case it just happened to have been the school, so get off it. Now, as to whether the father has a right to take his son off medication he thinks is harming the child, imo it depends. Just by what the article states (we don't know the whole story), then perhaps it was the best decision. Perhaps or perhaps not. I do wonder why the father didn't take the child to another doctor for a second opinion or consult the original doctor to determine if the medication could be adjusted or he could prescribe an alternative. My mother is a retired spec ed teacher who saw results with some of her students drinking a cup of coffee in the mornings before school. Go figure, a simple cup of coffee (caffine) somehow has a calming effect on these kids. The father has several options but just taking a kid off medication without consulting anyone isn't wise by any stretch of the imagination.
No one can blame the public school system for pre-schoolers on meds. It goes back to today's parents being so self absorbed they have no time or inclination to be parents. They shuffle kids off to daycare 24/7 and wonder why their little darlings are messed up. Society will be paying dearly for this when these kids are teens and adults.
I'm not so sure. Though I am no expert, I (unfortunately) have some experience with "speed" drugs (it was the 70's and I was young.. what can I say?) and with mild doses, I've found them to cause one to sort of hyper-focus. Thus the zombie effect. This is why the kids can pay more attention.. or seem to.
I think you have hit the nail on the head. These days few parents discipline their children at home, so when they leave the home -- to go to school, for example -- they take their misbehavior with them. Government schools won't/can't spank rebellious youth and are rarely permitted to expel them, so the last option to preserve even a semblance of order is to drug troublemakers.
Of course, this approach is as likely to be applied to a boy with a natural level of masculine energy as it is a true troublemaker, so normal children are drugged with all the rest.
Enough with bashing public schools over everything. He would have been accused of child abuse if a neighbor, a preacher, a relative, the kid's doctor, or anyone else had turned him in. In this case it just happened to have been the school,
And so we shouldn't blame the school? That makes no sense at all.
Don't you think it strange that 20% of the boys in some places have been diagnosed with the "disease" of ADHD and have been placed on Ritalin? If they were having a positive effect the schools might have an argument. But it isn't. Public schools are doing a terrible job of educating and a terrific job of indoctinating students with liberal idiology. Isn't it obvious that these schools have gone stark, raving, drooling mad?
The father has several options but just taking a kid off medication without consulting anyone isn't wise by any stretch of the imagination.
No. Sending your kids to public school is not wise, drugging your kids for years is not wise. This is insane.
When did it become law for us to take mind altering drugs? It's the same kind of crap that went on in Nazi Germany and in the Soviet Union.
I wasn't blaming that on the schools. They do plenty that deserves blame but doping up pre-schoolers isn't one of them.
Probably the Scientologists.
In Wake of Child Deaths—Hundreds Protest Psychiatric Convention in New York City (more...)
Psychiatric Drug Facts
Peter R. Breggin, M.D. (seen on Sean Hannity)
Health Experts Warn of Antidepressant Dangers for Children, Teens
While medication may be indicated for some with ADD, I certainly don't believe it should be the first line of defense as it all too often is, and it certainly shouldn't be administered for the convenience of the teacher or for the purpose of making the child more "manageable". In only extremely rare instances should any outside authority usurp the authority of the parents in making that decision.
The state has a tremendous amount of power over families once they are involved in their lives and the vast majority of referrals of abuse and neglect come from....you guessed it....the public school. At that point, parents can even be required to interact with their children in a certain way, and any failure to follow through can legally be considered neglect (although not necessarily abuse). The outcomes of these situations usually fall to the disretion of the workers involved in the child's case and one would hope that many would not subscribe to a medical model for every situation, although there certainly are many who do.
This may vary from state to state, but in Arkansas, the teacher is considered a part of the "team" and as such may be included in staffings which would include discussion of confidential information.
>>Who do you think demanded that the child be drugged in the first place? The schools!
Follow the money! Many of the local administrators and consulars are in programs that get money from the state or the federal government depending on how many kids are enrolled in 'the program'. It's obscene.
>>Public schools receive MORE FUNDING when they have "special needs" students enrolled
You hit the nail on the head. Excellent.
There are more and more resources for hometraining all the time. Homeschooling associations are springing up everywhere and some groups are also forming co-ops which allow students to study individually and in a group setting. Your daughter could teach the subjects she knows well and get help with those she feels less sure about.
The key thing is to know what her state requires in proving the children are being taught at home and tracking methods. This varies from very strict regulations (turning in lesson plans, listing teaching materials, yearly exit level testing, etc) to virtually none (simply telling the state you will be teaching at home). It is a huge blessing that you support her and would be a good idea to find out how her in-laws feel about it. If they're not in favor it's good to know from the outset, I read of a family who had many court battles because one set of in-laws was absolutely against homeschooling. Suggest she visit the library to find information on other families and how they've met the opportunities & challenges.
A number of families at FR are homeschoolers, you might look to them for help as well. Spookbrat is a friend of mine and Mrs. Tiggywinkle is a friend of hers. I believe either of them would be happy to encourage you and your daughter.
Remind her what an excellent recommendation Timothy's mother and grandmother received for the training they gave him. And the wise mother who speaks to King Lemuel in Proverbs 31. God believes in His daughters to "train up a child".
They're all quickly following suit.....federal money, you know. My advice to conscientious parents is to keep their kids out of public schools and, if possible, day care centers. These institutions are mandated "reporters" of suspected abuse or neglect and there are a broad range of "indicators" of child maltreatment which they are required to report. If your child falls and gets a bruise on his face and the day care reports it, next thing you know, you may have the authorities telling you what is acceptable to feed your kid and who can visit your home. (I'm making a broad generalization here, but legally, it can be that extreme.)
Cops? Are you refering to the detectives for the CPS? Just checking, as I don't consider them 'cops' per se.
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