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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.

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.

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

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,

There seem to be too many kids (mostly boys) labeled with ADHD. We personally know parents whose sons were labeled with ADHD; the schools referred the parents to a psychiatrist; and the doctor made a quick evaluation and prescribed medication. In the case with which we're most familiar, the boy was BRIGHT - he was doing well and was simply bored in school.

I suspect this "disorder" was invented by pharmaceutical companies to sell drugs, and educrats and public schools receive more funds for "special ed" programs, so labelling them with a "disorder" could provide school systems with more money from the gov't. I hope you don't mind me asking: Exactly how does a child with ADHD behave that is so "bad"? We homeschool our sons (for now, at least), and, while they're still very young, they're very active. We're convinced that the first two could be labeled with ADHD very easily. I'm just curious to know how an ADHD boy acts that's so different from any other boy, and if my one of my own sons would fit that description, as we suspect.