My brother trained as a pediatrician. He is one of the most laid-back, easygoing people on the planet. Say the word "ritalin" and his head will spin around three times and explode. He's irate about the over-medication of perfectly healthy kids.
Thank God for your brother. One of a dying breed. Maybe intelligence was in his genes?
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.