I work in a clinic, and I see SO MANY kids being prescribed medication for ADHD. A lot of these kids are very little, 3, 4, 5, 6.... Do you think kids should be prescribed and diagnosed at such a young age? Do you think these diagnoses are legit? Would you medicate your own child if you received this diagnosis?
i know i am young, but i am the daughter of a elementary school teacher (5th grade, but the teachers all talk and the school is fairly small) and yes yes yes kids NEED medication. the children with ADD/ADHD problems are almost all medicated before 5th grade, and the teachers are very good at recognizing problems!
kids aren't put on meds just for the heck of it-- the teacher that suspects a learning disability had to go throught an entire process (sorry i don't remember the exact name at the moment) of documenting the childs behavior and a series of meetings with the parents and the principal and the schools child psycologist (and this all has to be approved by the parents before it begins).
the kids that aren't medicated that NEED it by 5th grade are not only hard for the teacher to deal with, but they frusturate themselves. most of these kids are so sweet and they despirately want to do good and be smart-- but they can't focus. and parents that won't medicate their children just because they don't believe in medication need to think of what is best for their kid!
learning should be exciting and fun! not frustrating and near impossible!
Original Post by celesteleary:
i know i am young, but i am the daughter of a elementary school teacher (5th grade, but the teachers all talk and the school is fairly small) and yes yes yes kids NEED medication. the children with ADD/ADHD problems are almost all medicated before 5th grade, and the teachers are very good at recognizing problems!
kids aren't put on meds just for the heck of it-- the teacher that suspects a learning disability had to go throught an entire process (sorry i don't remember the exact name at the moment) of documenting the childs behavior and a series of meetings with the parents and the principal and the schools child psycologist (and this all has to be approved by the parents before it begins).
the kids that aren't medicated that NEED it by 5th grade are not only hard for the teacher to deal with, but they frusturate themselves. most of these kids are so sweet and they despirately want to do good and be smart-- but they can't focus. and parents that won't medicate their children just because they don't believe in medication need to think of what is best for their kid!
learning should be exciting and fun! not frustrating and near impossible!
I do have to disagree with part of what you say, celeste. I do think that absolutely, some children need the medication. However, trends have shown that doctors these days are far too quick to prescribe these medications to alot more of the children that walk into their offices.
Here's my reasoning: Parents these days are alot busier than they used to be. We have alot more households with both parents working full time. Children are getting less and less one-on-one time with their parents, and discipline is not what it used to be. It used to be that if a child acted out in class, the parents were notified and they took control of the situation. They did what was needed to be done. Now, it seems that parents are more reluctant to "parent" their children. They seem more quick to place the blame on a teacher or the school or some disorder for their children's unruly behavior. Instead of taking the initiative in their child's upbringing, they are more willing to take their child to a doctor in the hopes that the doctor can medicate the you-know-what out of these kids. The consequence is that we have alot more kids walking around like medicated little zombies.
Bottom line is that kids are rambunctious (spell?). They are energetic. They are wild and outgoing and all over the place. This is completely normal. But instead of realizing this, it seems like more parents are just looking for an easy way out . They don't want to take the steps needed to guide and discipline their children.
Society is getting lazy. We want someone else to do the work for us.
As long as the pills made the dinosaurs go away I was a happy toddler.
Original Post by frokusblakah:
As long as the pills made the dinosaurs go away I was a happy toddler.
you are always so silly
. let me guess were you the class clown, i was always told not the encourage the class clown.
dr's go around prescribing too many pills, period. dont think that the pharmaceutical companies don't have anything to do with it either. i do believe some kids need medicated help but sometimes its just ridiculous. my friend's kid was prescribed some meds but his mother took him off after 2 weeks. the affects worried her more than his behaivour. she got him some counseling tho, it took a couple of years or maybe he just grew out of it, i don't know. but he's much better. it's hard counseling young kids tho as they are not as aware or fully expressive.
Original Post by celesteleary:
i know i am young, but i am the daughter of a elementary school teacher (5th grade, but the teachers all talk and the school is fairly small) and yes yes yes kids NEED medication. the children with ADD/ADHD problems are almost all medicated before 5th grade, and the teachers are very good at recognizing problems!
Teachers are not psychologists. ADHD is way over diagnosed. It's not as common as teachers make it out to be. There comes a point where teachers need to deal with behaviors and not just try to force meds on kids.
Original Post by peaches0405:Bottom line is that kids are rambunctious (spell?). They are energetic. They are wild and outgoing and all over the place.
And they're constantly getting their recess and phys ed cut so they have even less of an outlet to use that energy.
They are overprescribed.
In 90% of cases, taking the children off of the prepackaged-full of preservatives and dyes type foods - they "miraculously" begin to listen again.
Parents want to cut corners by providing what, hot pockets? those lunchables? fruit drinks (not fruit juice), hell sodas even! pb&j in the freezer? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
I don't have a lot of time or energy, but my kid eats granola bars, yogurt, eggs, yes sometimes cereal - but only occasionally. He has REAL food to eat. He likes it because he HAS to. I don't buy him any other choice.
Its what you put into them - physically AND mentally. He knows if he misbehaves, there are consequences. I don't just throw around empty threats (like the most recently diagnosed ADD child's parent I know of) I actually - GASP! - follow through!
Its a combination of both, and even good parents on the behavior side will opt for the "ease" of a pill instead of the trouble of providing food with no preservatives and dyes.
If I am this lazy and can do it, ANYBODY can do it. Period. I am an extremely low-energy person and I find the time.
**I am not saying it doesn't exist. I'm saying its OVERDIAGNOSED. the majority don't have it at all.
Man I wanna take that woman's kids home and teach them what real consequences are. It just makes me SOOO angry! We stopped hanging out with them because their children are hellions but they won't discipline other than yelling empty threats. GRRR.
Original Post by floggingsully:
Original Post by peaches0405:Bottom line is that kids are rambunctious (spell?). They are energetic. They are wild and outgoing and all over the place.
And they're constantly getting their recess and phys ed cut so they have even less of an outlet to use that energy.
YES!
They keep them inside if they have misbehaved! Really? THAT is going to make the rest of your day go better?
Original Post by octo-luv:dr's go around prescribing too many pills, period. dont think that the pharmaceutical companies don't have anything to do with it either.
Check. Know who pays for doctors' continuing education (even though they make beaucoups of cash)? Pharmacy companies. Know what pharmacy companies like to teach during the classes they pay for? Take a guess.
Original Post by crazydiamondchrysalis:
They are overprescribed.
In 90% of cases, taking the children off of the prepackaged-full of preservatives and dyes type foods - they "miraculously" begin to listen again.
Parents want to cut corners by providing what, hot pockets? those lunchables? fruit drinks (not fruit juice), hell sodas even! pb&j in the freezer? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
you are right. actually i remember a couple of decades ago they discovered that some of the artificial ingredients, i think it was a red dye, actually made kids very hyperactive. it started with an E*****. i think maybe the first thing we should look at is a child's diet.
Original Post by crazydiamondchrysalis:
They are overprescribed.
In 90% of cases, taking the children off of the prepackaged-full of preservatives and dyes type foods - they "miraculously" begin to listen again.
Parents want to cut corners by providing what, hot pockets? those lunchables? fruit drinks (not fruit juice), hell sodas even! pb&j in the freezer? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
I don't have a lot of time or energy, but my kid eats granola bars, yogurt, eggs, yes sometimes cereal - but only occasionally. He has REAL food to eat. He likes it because he HAS to. I don't buy him any other choice.
Its what you put into them - physically AND mentally. He knows if he misbehaves, there are consequences. I don't just throw around empty threats (like the most recently diagnosed ADD child's parent I know of) I actually - GASP! - follow through!
Its a combination of both, and even good parents on the behavior side will opt for the "ease" of a pill instead of the trouble of providing food with no preservatives and dyes.
If I am this lazy and can do it, ANYBODY can do it. Period. I am an extremely low-energy person and I find the time.
**I am not saying it doesn't exist. I'm saying its OVERDIAGNOSED. the majority don't have it at all.
Man I wanna take that woman's kids home and teach them what real consequences are. It just makes me SOOO angry! We stopped hanging out with them because their children are hellions but they won't discipline other than yelling empty threats. GRRR.
Couldn't agree with you more.
very few kids need medication, but those who do need it really need it.
the problem isn't with the medication, per se. it's with the lack of proper assessment and diagnosis, first; then, it's the lack of proper monitoring, ongoing assessment, adjustment of dosage, etc.
kids' bodies and brains change so fast, it's not reasonable to think that a kid can see a specialist once or twice a year and get good care (and that's assuming the best-case scenario; that they even get to see a specialist at all).
Let me first say I am not denying the fact that ADD and ADHD are disorders that exist and there are individuals who suffer from them...
But I miss the days when the medication prescribed that actually worked was a parent actually being a parent and knowing what discipline is. Sometimes I feel it is easier to to medicate...let Ritalin deal with it.
NOT saying that ADD/ADHA has anything to do with lack of discipline or parenting...
I just know too many kids that were just being kids and discipline would have gone a long way. Reminds me of that South park episode.
yeah. well, when people look back to the good ol' days when kids did as they were told, they're usually forgetting how few of those kids made it past seventh grade.
wouldn't it be convenient if all those kids who can't sit still for five hours a day could just drop out and go work on the farm/in the mill, like they used to?
Original Post by pgeorgian:
yeah. well, when people look back to the good ol' days when kids did as they were told, they're usually forgetting how few of those kids made it past seventh grade.
wouldn't it be convenient if all those kids who can't sit still for five hours a day could just drop out and go work on the farm/in the mill, like they used to?
I remember the good ole days. When I acted up in school and the teachers notified my mom...I was petrified for the rest of the day thinking of what would await me when I got home. So acting up ceased. I remember when all my mom had to do was give me the "Look" and I immediately stopped what I was doing and prayed she would forget about it by the time we went home. Now Billy runs around the Gap touching everything and pulling stuff off the shelf. And mommy "pleads" with Billy to stop and if he acts like a good boy she will buy him ice cream. Or the other day when I was waiting for my friend to buy a cookie and lil Billy hit his mom because she didn't get him the right cookie. My mother never pleaded with me or enticed me treats in order to stop my bad behaviour. I don't think I would still be around if I acually hit her. Those good ole days were in the late 80's. Not to long ago...
I'm sure Billy got prescribed something...
Original Post by pgeorgian:
very few kids need medication, but those who do need it really need it.
the problem isn't with the medication, per se. it's with the lack of proper assessment and diagnosis, first; then, it's the lack of proper monitoring, ongoing assessment, adjustment of dosage, etc.
kids' bodies and brains change so fast, it's not reasonable to think that a kid can see a specialist once or twice a year and get good care (and that's assuming the best-case scenario; that they even get to see a specialist at all).
Exactly. Mention it to the pediatrician and you walk out with a prescription.
I've worked with legit ADHD kids and without meds it's hellacious compared to these so-called "ADHD" kids.
My teacher tried to tell my mom that i needed medication when i was 5 years old...my mothers response was, "what 5 year old sits still for 4 hours?!"
I thank god she took a stand, since then no other teacher ever mentioned to her that I was diffcult to teach or had trouble learning and might have a "disability" im a prefectly well adjusted adult. All my teachers ever said to my parents was that i was bright, and sometimes being so bright caused me to be bored in class and either distract myself by reading anything i could get my hands on or by day dreaming. While i recognize that some kids need medication I think a lot of people just use it as an easy way out.
Original Post by alibsam:I've worked with legit ADHD kids and without meds it's hellacious compared to these so-called "ADHD" kids.
and the flip side of this, of course, is the legit ADHD kid who is on medication. i knew one little guy, kenny, whose mom was mentally ill, and in the mornings he was kind-of on his own to get ready for school. he often forgot to take his meds, so we kept a supply in the school office. i got in the routine of going straight to his classroom when i arrived at the school in the morning. i'd just have to look at him to know if he'd forgotten, because he'd be vibrating.
Will not be surprised to find out that many cases of ADHD, Autism, Aspergers, (and other unprecedented outbr eaks in behavioral conditions) will be found to have resulted from the evils done to our food and water supply.
Original Post by pgeorgian:
Original Post by alibsam:I've worked with legit ADHD kids and without meds it's hellacious compared to these so-called "ADHD" kids.
and the flip side of this, of course, is the legit ADHD kid who is on medication. i knew one little guy, kenny, whose mom was mentally ill, and in the mornings he was kind-of on his own to get ready for school. he often forgot to take his meds, so we kept a supply in the school office. i got in the routine of going straight to his classroom when i arrived at the school in the morning. i'd just have to look at him to know if he'd forgotten, because he'd be vibrating.
Oh exactly. That's what I meant. Our kids in the charter school program I worked for were all from homes where the kids weren't looked after properly. The parents were supposed to give them their meds before the buses picked them up but we knew as soon as they walked in the door when they hadn't taken their meds.
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