Posted on 11/19/2006 9:59:54 AM PST by paulat
DON'T DRUG THEM
Parents' obsession with their children's self-esteem plus profit-driven diagnoses create a dangerous prescription
Lawrence Diller
In our zeal to help our children feel better about themselves, are we really doing them any favors, or could we actually be hurting them?
[snip]
Several years ago, I treated an 8-year-old patient who had an IQ of 130 but was getting only B's and C's at his private school because he wouldn't turn in his homework despite his teachers' and parents' best efforts. He was more focused on reading adult level texts about the Sahara desert, his current interest. But he was feeling worse and worse about his less-than-stellar grades, so I ultimately prescribed Ritalin for him. After that experience and many similar ones, I began to wonder if someday I'd be seeing "the last normal child" in my office.
[snip]
ADHD has become the ubiquitous way we view problems of children's behavior and performance. While the Centers for Disease Control report 2.5 million children take a medication for ADHD, most research epidemiologists say the number is closer to 4 million. A more precise gauge comes from a medication insurance clearinghouse report that shows nearly 1 in 10 11-year-old white boys is currently treated with a stimulant such as Ritalin.
[snip]
First, we should make a concerted effort to involve fathers more immediately and directly in the evaluation of their children's behavior or school performance
[snip]
Father's involvement is critical. He often has a different perspective than the mom (he generally sees less of a problem because he's around less and also stereotypically is more effective with discipline). His participation with any behavior plan (or medication treatment for that matter) makes its success far more likely than without him.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
...;^) .... I suspect...more joyfully employed than his....
What is wrong with the above picture? The child refuses to turn in homework, but feels bad about his grades. In my house he would hear that he SHOULD feel bad about his grades because he isn't even trying. The way to feel better is to DO better.
My younger son (8 years old)and I recently went to a PTA meeting at school where children who had read and turned in book summaries over summer were being given awards. My son did go and choose books during summer but never picked up even one to read on his own. He got a certificate for participating. The other children got t-shirts and other stuff.
My son was outraged that he didn't receive a t-shirt. I very clearly made the point that HE hadn't done the work. HE didn't deserve a t-shirt. The other children did the work so they EARNED the award.
My sweet little child actually shot me a nasty look and said, "You're making me feel bad!" I replied, "Good! You ought to feel bad for wanting something you haven't earned."
It's interesting, when I was growing up, our Catholic church had no such thing as a "crying room". We were expected to behave appropriately, or be removed from the premises. All these stupid drugs do is make a teacher's job easier, and make it easier to indoctrinate children with liberal P.C. garbage.
Ah yes, 60s Catholicism.....I remember it well. We attended Sunday Mass with our class every week and if you so much as twitched you were facing detention, not after Mass, but after school for a minimum of a week, sometimes up to a month, even in 1st grade.
I had totally forgotten about that until this morning. There was no Sunday school this morning, so our daughter attended the entire service with us. Detention for me back then would have been for a month with all of her twitching and she's in 3rd grade. Yet everyone complilmented us on how wonderful her behavior always is.
When we were at church, restaurant or pretty much anywhere, we got pinches. If we got three, then it was out to the car where a wooden spoon was kept under the driver's seat. Although no one ever had to go to the car, we did get "the spoon" when we were bad in the car while mom or dad were driving. And you don't even want to know what happens when someone hides the spoon...
Has anyone ever inquired what Ritlan does to the body. I understand it's horrible.
My son, at about two or so was, well, a pain in the ass. He made me feel so inadequate as a mom, there were days I would come home from grocery shopping and cry.
One day, we were in the doctor's office, and he was being his usual self, trying to open all the drawers, crawl on everything. Doctor walks in, sees this going on, and tells me he is hyperactive and we have drugs for that.
I refused, would not allow it over my dead body. Today, he is an incredible young man. Still strong willed, but we have a fantastic relationship and we made it through without the drugs. Thankfully I homeschooled him so I avoided the whole school scene.
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It works good, doesn't it?
Parents who are concerned about their childrens' self-esteem should remove their children from the public schools.As any parent knows,children are quite perceptive.If you tell them over and over that they are
1)eating scarce food
2)breathing scarce oxygen and giving off dangerous CO2
3)consuming any number of products whose production increases global warming
then you are going to have children who have low self-esteem.No amount of corrective action will overcome the steady sream of propaganda that people pollute.
I feel really strongly about this topic -- I look around my extended family and I see girls doing well (which is wonderful) and boys who struggle (not wonderful). It seems like we're real supportive of girls and hostile to boys -- although I don't want to sound glib and say I've got any easy answers.
No matter what you do, do not let them drug your son. "Just say no". Our young men were both 'diagnosed'. It will consume years of your time, but is well worth it. Our eldest is a high school senior with an excellent GPA, 99th percentile SAT and ACT, and enjoys the outdoors. Our youngest is a sophomore and enjoys great academics as well. Plus they both love each other and have overlapping circles of friends. They comment on the "Zero's". Mostly boys that have zero spark in their eyes. The ones that stand in "that line" every morning for the drugging. It is a harsh commentary on our society.
Ritalin is speed. Speed kills, to quote an old Public Service Announcement.
"Nervousness and insomnia are the most common adverse reactions but are usually controlled by reducing dosage and omitting the drug in the afternoon or evening. Other reactions include hypersensitivity (including skin rash, urticaria, fever, arthralgia, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme with histopathological findings of necrotizing vasculitis, and thrombocytopenic purpura); anorexia; nausea; dizziness; palpitations; headache; dyskinesia; drowsiness; blood pressure and pulse changes, both up and down; tachycardia; angina; cardiac arrhythmia; abdominal pain; weight loss during prolonged therapy. There have been rare reports of Tourette's syndrome. Toxic psychosis has been reported. Although a definite causal relationship has not been established, the following have been reported in patients taking this drug: leukopenia and/or anemia; a few instances of scalp hair loss. In children, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, weight loss during prolonged therapy, insomnia, and tachycardia may occur more frequently; however, any of the other adverse reactions listed above may also occur."
http://www.ritalindeath.com/Ritalin-Side-Effects.htm
You and the other *teachers* got together and decided who was AHDH? Was a doctor involved at any point?
Probably something with the physical and moral strength of an oyster on the half shell
I think she said the teachers recommend for testing, at which point the doctor enters.
My son has ADHD and takes a form of Ritalin called Focalin. He takes a small dose but it is enough it helps him so much. I am of the opinion that parents should decide what is best for their kids and if a parent says no to medicine than fine, if they say yes than fine as well to me. I don't judge any parents for putting their kid on ADHD meds as it isn't place and I really don't appreciate it when people judge me for putting my son on meds.
I can also tell you since my son has taken the meds he has improved in school so much and does great. I ask him how he feels on it and he doesn't even realize he is taking anything and says he feels fine.
"by Supreme Court ruling, they are not allowed to force you to do it"
Could you elaborate on this? I wasn't aware of that.
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