Ritalin and The Law

[Justawoman]

Some public schools are accusing parents of child abuse when they balk at giving their kids drugs such as Ritalin, and as judges begin to agree, some parents are medicating their children for fear of having them hauled away.

It's an emerging twist in the growing debate about diagnosing and medicating children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): An Albany, N.Y., couple put their 7-year-old son back on Ritalin after a family court ruled that they must continue medicating him for ADD.

Child protective services visited another New York couple to check out anonymous allegations of "medical neglect" after they took their son off Ritalin and other drugs because of side effects, the couple said.

"This is relatively new, but it's happening," says Maryland psychiatrist Peter Breggin, who is aware of similar cases in Boston. Often, he says, divorced parents disagree on medicating kids, and judges recently have ruled in favor of the parent who wants to medicate. The Albany case is the first pitting educators against parents that progressed to a judge's ruling.

http://www.resultsproject.net/USA_Today.html

Last night I watched the show Desperate Housewives. This is my second time to catch this show. They had a storyline about medicating children last night. The mom that has twins was being encouraged to medicate them so that the school could handle them. Do you agree with the schools take on this? Or yet again as the legal end of a teachers job made them appear as if their hands are tied when it comes to school discipline? Just two years ago our school district use to send home a document letting the parent choose capitol punishment (spanking) or decline having their children disciplined this way. The last two years this document has not made it home with our girls. What changed? I never allowed in school spankings. Spankings don't work. But the fact that schools are at a lost with what to do with disruptive children is apparent. What is the answer? Where do they start to ensure the "good" students learning experience is not disrupted by Johnnys temper tantrum or lack of social skills? I am not for medicating children. I think it is too easy to label a child as having ADD/ADHD. The answer to this problem is far easier than actually dealing with the child.

[CuriousG]

Discipline begins in the home. If your children aren't disciplined at home, the schools aren't going to be able to do it for you. I have worked with kids a lot as a counselor at a summer camp for 12 - 15 year olds. We had almost 40% of our kids on ADD related drugs a few years ago. Most of these kids did not need to be on these drugs. They just needed a structured home life where they received love and attention, as well as appropriate and consistent discipline.

I'm sorry but I don't think putting your 2 year old on a "time out" does anything for anybody. When kids are too young, punishment needs to be simple and swift. Children that young can't reason and think about the consequences of their actions. Parents need to stop using television as a baby-sitter because then children have a hard time distinguishing between reality and fantasy. Their perception becomes blurred because they are too young to separate what is acceptable, normal and feasible behavior from what they see on television. I do believe their are some cases where children can benefit from medication, but they are the vast minority of current cases. Too many parents don't have the time or ability (often times because they aren't mature or capable enough themselves) to take care of their children. These kids act out to try to receive any attention at all from the people around them (even if it is negative attention, at least they're getting some) so society medicates these children to keep them in check. I'll have to stop, because I can go on forever about this situation.

Society needs to stop medicating children for the shortcomings that result from BAD PARENTING. Bad parenting isn't always on purpose, many of these parents don't realize that what they're are doing is wrong or neglectful.

I'm sorry, but who does the school or the government think they are for forcing anyone to give their kids a drug that is an over-prescribed band-aid for a bigger problem?!

[Justawoman]

EXACTLY CG !! When my mother was a teachers assistant she use to come home disgusted with the school she worked at. The principal had a bad habit of taking unruly children and sticking them in Special Ed. Mom and the teacher both knew this was wrong and would try and challenge their boss. The principal didn't want to fool with the children or the parents. This was back in the early 80's. More often than not the parents are not much help as they view the school as babysitter and releaved to be free of Lil Johnny for 8 hours. Sad but true. It wasn't long after my Mom's disgust on how easy it was to ignore a childs need for true structure that ritalin came on the scene. She would come in saying how one lil girl was more like a zombie on this drug than student. So unless the parents can be made to actively become a viable part in the childrens life, it probably will come down to court orders on how to handle children in society.

[jaimegerise]

As someone who has ADD and has been in and out of medication, I just have to say that teachers need to remember that they are NOT doctors and whether or not to medicate for ADD is an issue between a patient and/or family and their physician, NOT something done per a teacher's request. In addition, I have to say that there are MANY treatment alternatives in addition to medication and these should be looked into as well as, if not before, possible medication.

[CuriousG]

I agree Jaime.

[Alec]

Very well stated.

[Justawoman]

Points well took jaime. Unfortunately I doubt schools see that way. They don't like being disrupted it cuts into their money.