Posted on 08/04/2006 12:18:12 PM PDT by Teflonic
Those were the days...I keep hearing about all of these kids in my daughters classes are are allergic to almost everything you can think of...bread, peanut butter, sugar, chocolate...I'm waiting for some kid in her class to be allergic to air.
Ritalin, in a properly titrated dose for a PROPERLY DIAGNOSED child, is a help. The problem is this: kids are being 'diagnosed" behaviorally, while there is a perfectly viable and accurate clinical test available. And, the drugs are passed out like high-yield candy - where the dosages being used are way, way too big.
I have had 2 kids diagnosed clinically, put on the smallest dosage of ritalin, received proper therapy (where they are trained to recognize when they are paying proper attention via brainscan readings), and who have subsequently gone entirely off of the medication. They have been ritalin free for several years, while retaining their gains in the ability to sort through environmental noise.
One thing to keep in mind, though... The clinical test shows that up to 50% of those "behaviorally diagnosed" (think of a teacher saying Johnny can't sit still) do not have the condition. That means that up to or even more than half of the kids being drugged up have no reason to even be around ritalin. Of the remaining few that could benefit from it, the drug is over-dosage, and nobody is helping the kids learn how to manage their attention themselves.
Yeah. That's the problem. Not enough kids on Ritalin.
That's the answer.
I did a quick scan......it did not say who funded the research. Indirectly it could be a ritalin manufacturer. Would also be curious to know if any of the researchers have a connection to companies or would benefit in some way from the increased drugging of kids
If there is more ADHD, I bet its because of the parental tendency to allow infants and toddlers to vegetate in front of a TV, where there can now be found 24-hour baby and kid channels. Its been shown to affect brain development.
Personally I'm all for abolishing public schools entirely, and replacing them with a voucher system in the amount currently being spent on public school students. Make the vouchers redeemable by anyone, including homeschooling parents and private tutors, who the child's parents register as the child's educator in advance, and who can get the child to pass basic verbal and math tests, with passing score set at the 50th percentile of current public school averages. Pay AFTER the child passes the test (which must be administered in a different location from where the child regularly studies, and by people who have no financial interest whatsoever in who passes or how many pass. At the very least, this would raise the achievement level of 50% of the students currently in public school at no additional cost to taxpayers. Keep in mned that when capital expenditures (i.e. buildings, land) are included, most school systems are spending between $10,000 and $20,000 per year per child (with $10,000 being mostly in rural areas where land is cheap and teachers can be hired for less and students don't expect Olympic swimming pools, etc.).
I would have said something equally stupid 5 years ago. I would rather my child not be on concerta, but it helps her considerably.As somebody who was only diagnosed at 31 years old I commend you for trying the treatment for your daughter. Many of us that have been properly diagnosed look back and wonder how our lives would have been if only we had been diagnosed earlier.
For kids who really have ADHD it's not just school that's hard, it's getting everything together in life so that you can be successful, so that you can be the person that you WANT to be.
Is ADHD over-diagnosed in children? Probably. Is it under-diagnosed in adults? Probably.
Either way if somebody tried to take me off Concerta, they'd have to deal with my wife, and it wouldn't be pretty.
And after they realised how many kids were dropping dead after eating those sandwiches, they stopped giving them those things. ADD is a very real disorder, despite the rantings of folk psychologists. It's not simple "just boys being boys and being bored with school". It's more complicated than that. I have ADD and througout all my life, it's been very hard to concentrate on anything. I've had interests in many things but I just abruptly quit because I got distracted by something else. I've never been even close to concentrating on things until I started taking caffine pills, which are similar to ritalin, but without all the bad side effects.
I can't say that homeschooling is a panacea, but for my children and others, it overwhelmingly works amazingly and seems to be tailormade for children with attention problems.
After you walk in someone elses shoes you might know what you are talking about. I wouldn't wish the confusion and heartache ADD has brought my family on anyone. It isn't just about hyperactivity. I shouldn't get upset about the unfounded comments posted by people that don't know anything about ADD. I would and did say the same thing 4-5 years ago.
Perhaps there are kids on Ritalin/concerta that don't need to be. I don't pretend to talk to that issue. All I can talk to is my daughter's case. Please STFU and don't lump everyone together.
by the way 40 years ago dyslexia was not diagnosed either.
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