‘I WAS TOLD TO DOPE MY KID'

New York Post ^ | 8/07/02 | DOUGLAS MONTERO

[kattracks]

Should school systems be allowed to recommend that children be put on psychoactive drugs?

A 12-year-old upstate boy says the trusted educators in his local school forced him to take a cocktail of drugs that turned him into a psychotic who heard voices in his head.

[WyldKard]

Why do I get the notion that if a doctor had "prescribed" marijuana and the school and the courts forced the mother to keep administering it to her kid, that the outcry by some on FR would be against the parent for demonizing the wonderweed.

Geeze Dane. You sure have pot on the brain a lot these days, even in posts that don't have anything to do with it. Methinks you doth protest to much, you know what I mean?

Long story short: Ritalin CAN help with ADHD in some serious cases. I know from personal experience. BUT....BUT...

A) Do not FORCE it on kids, for crying out loud.

B) Ritalin is just a tool that needs to be used in conjuction with other behavior therapies.

When I took Ritalin, it was for only about 10 years (1981 to 1991, age 6 to 16), and I was allowed to make my mind up as to when I wanted to go off it. I took it because it was the only thing that worked for me and I didn't suffer from any of the side effects, and when I took it, I was one of maybe 5 kids in 500 at my school was on it. (So 1% at best.) And now they give it to every frigging kid! ADHD is not THAT PREVALENT a condition, and not every kid with it NEEDS Ritalin. It's just the makers of Ritalin have teamed up with the State to make profits for themselves! This is far too dangerous a drug to force on all these kids, because it DOES have some bad side effects for some people!!!

This is an evil beyond description. The Public Education system has failed. I honestly do not think there is any way to salvage it.

[philman_36]

Properly prescribed, the purpose of ritilin is to increase the child's ability to fulfill his responsibilities.
Man, all this time I've been thinking a kid's responsibilities were simply to be a kid and the parents were the ones duly charged with responsibilities.
I guess an "educator" would think that elementary school kids have "responsibilities". Homework is such a great "responsibility". Proper behavior such as common courtesy and respect I can understand, but I wouldn't call those things actual "responsibilities".
What responsibilities do you think a child should have at which ages? I agree that older children do have more responsibilities as they grow older, but elementary school children?

[mlmr]

"I don't care about the money," said Weathers, who formed her own advocacy groups to prevent schools from forcing parents to medicate kids. "My son suffered. I also suffered, but now I'm out there talking to the media trying to make a difference"

Care about the money. It is the big judgements that stop this sort of abuse by schools and social workers.

[azhenfud]

I have a friend who was advised to "medicate" his son because the teachers claimed he disrupted the class. This kid's IQ is 182+/- and the teachers were often being corrected when they taught mistakes, so their least resistive method (they reasoned) of dealing with the boy was to drug him with Ritalin.

The boy was placed into a private school, graduated at 14 yrs old, entered a School of Math & Science and will graduate college before twenty.

This case points out those who may also actually need medication with those psychoactive drugs....

Regards,
Az

[Steve Eisenberg]

Properly prescribed, the purpose of ritilin is to increase the child's ability to fulfill his responsibilities.

Man, all this time I've been thinking a kid's responsibilities were simply to be a kid and the parents were the ones duly charged with responsibilities. I guess an "educator" would think that elementary school kids have "responsibilities". Homework is such a great "responsibility". Proper behavior such as common courtesy and respect I can understand, but I wouldn't call those things actual "responsibilities". What responsibilities do you think a child should have at which ages? I agree that older children do have more responsibilities as they grow older, but elementary school children?

We might just agree. By "responsibilities," all I did mean was doing homework and exercising common courtesy most, not all, of the time. It may be that, when the school initially insisted on ritilin, the boy was just being a boy and the school had assigned him a weak teacher, a woman in over her head and thus who couldn't handle him. Two years ago our younger son, labeled ADHD, got a bad public school 3rd grade teacher, and, right in September, we sent a quick series of politely insistent calls and letters to the school and district asking for a teacher change. The principal sure did not like us after this, but we got our kid a great teacher who knew how to handle a boy who is a handful. Of course if the parents don't push, their child will suffer. But suing is not the answer -- instead, be polite, be insistent, and check out the local child psychiatrists.

[MarkL]

The problem is that in government run schools, the administration does not want to have to deal with children! Children, who by nature are somewhat hyperactive and hard to control, are too much work! The only way to indocterinate them easily is to keep them drugged.

I also wonder if the "computer age" and video games aren't somewhat to blame here too. I remember when I was in grade school, I'd get home from school, and then go out and play for about 3 hours every day, before dinner. Games like "king of the hill," baseball, football, or kickball. Stuff that would wipe a kid out, giving him a chance to burn up all that excess energy. Now, so many kids just sit around, playing computer games or watching TV, and that energy has nowhere to go...

Mark

[blam]

From the July 27th Science News magazine, vol 162.

....However the psychological models shake out, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appears to play a largely unappreciated role in the lives of sex offenders.....Knight also sees evidence for a link between ADHD and sex offending. More than half the men in his studies had previously received ADHD diagnoses.

[Steve Eisenberg]

It is the big judgements that stop this sort of abuse by schools and social workers.

The taxpayers pay the judgements, so why would they care? They do care about parents who take up a lot of their time, but there are more creative and polite ways to get their attention than suing.

[philman_36]

By "responsibilities," all I did mean was doing homework and exercising common courtesy most, not all, of the time.
When I was in elementary school (4/5 grade) in the late sixties I was in the "crossing guard" detail. Rain or shine we were out there, every school day. The kids in the school were the ones responsible for safe crossings at the streets. There were no teachers or parents with us.
THAT was responsibility at an early age. Our children are not given any responsibilities today as it is deemed to be a liability to do so.
But suing is not the answer -- instead, be polite, be insistent, and check out the local child psychiatrists.
No, suing is not the answer. Sometimes polite and insistent doesn't work and the "child psychiatrists" can kiss...well...
It's still all Psychobabble Rap.

[bandlength]

right! and all that's needed to keep that within reasonable limits at that age is called discipline and responsibility; sometimes being delivered by percussive maintenance, if necessary ; )

it seems more than just a coincidence that single moms with sons have this "affliction" in spades. (and i'm a divorced 5' 2" single-parent mom with a so-called "hyperactive" 5' 11" tall teenaged son who wouldn't DARE "test the waters.")

[bandlength]

p.s. to make it even better, he is a bi-racial child (insert huge gasp here; these kids aren't supposed to be able to do ANYTHING according to the psychobablistic statistics) and is on the chess team, the honor roll, varsity cross-country team and jazz band. he has a two lawn mowing jobs and an assistant soccer coaching job.

ya gotta keep 'em busy!

hope this doesn't sound like bragging.

[savedbygrace]

That's the most interesting post on this thread so far.

[TxBec]

hope this doesn't sound like bragging

nope, just effective parenting :)

[anatolfz]

One thing is: just because a kid's a "handful" (most likely bored at school), should he be drugged? Or should the school try some different approach, like making an effort to teach him?

There are lots of kids with special requirements. Isn't this just another one?

Another thought: kids like this probably don't do too well in the chaotic, directionless confines of the sort of elementary school classes I've seen. Not enough structure.

It's interesting that in the last forty years or so teaching standards have dropped and pupils are being doped up. In another forty years look for public schools to be full of glassy-eyed automata maundering through their ABC's year after year until they graduate.
AFZ

[blam]

"That's the most interesting post on this thread so far. "

Thanks. Here's a link to the article.

Men Of Prey

[bvw]

If could post a link or two regarding that intriging theory it would be appreciated! Thanks, and godspeed with such research.

[sirchtruth]

And Mel Gibson has the hots for me.

Wait just a minute here! My wife says Mel has the hots for her all the time!

Why that two-timin' scallywag!!

[slimer]

Should school systems be allowed to recommend that children be put on psychoactive drugs?

Of course they should. Who knows your childs needs better than the State? How are we ever going to become Socialists when people keep questioning the wisdom of their Government?

Get with the program. Don't make waves and rock the boat. Get your child the help he or she needs or you might find yourself being charged with neglect.

You might want to ask them if they think you need some medication too. ;>)

[martin gibson]

Michael was medicated to keep the evil, dreaded disease known as MASCULINITY from surfacing.

It's a birth defect, a biological flaw dontcha know...

[mlmr]

The taxpayers pay the judgements, so why would they care? They do care about parents who take up a lot of their time, but there are more creative and polite ways to get their attention than suing.

I disagree. Polite isn't what court rulings are about. The war for our culture is not a curtsy-fest.

Large judgments change professional practice. And these professionals should be sued personally as well as the institutions that shield them. Conservatives are reluctant to use the courts to stop the erosion of their rights. It is like they want to play tennis and refuse to use the racquet.

Forcing a school disctict through the courts to stop intruding into the family or to stop mandated medications or to permit a child to bring his bible to class does not change national practices.

However, when a substantial penalty is attached to these rulings, professionals nationally think twice about their behaviors. Management take notice and protocols are revised. Every professional journal and paper has their Courtwatch section and the big judgements are publicized with recommendations for change.