Thank goodness for someone with some common sense on the subject of ADD/ADHD…

J    G       wrote:

 Thank goodness for someone with some common sense on the subject of 
 ADD/ADHD.  I am a teacher that started teaching in the mid-1980's.  At 
 that time, we had never studied ADD/ADHD in child psychology, nor were 
 any students in my first four years diagnosed with it.  After an 
 absence from teaching while I stayed home (part time, at least) to 
 raise my children and get my master's degree, I returned to the 
 classroom.  Now, in one of my classes, nearly every child has been 
 diagnosed with ADHD or appears to have the symptoms.  Several are on 
 Ritalin, etc. 

 It seems to me that most of these problems may be here-diagnosed and 
 treated- or not because of the increased use of day care centers.  
 Instead of one-on-one attention, it is more like 4 (for infants), 8 
 (for toddlers) and 20 to one for kids aged three and over.  Surely, 
 this has to impact the children with language development.  Also, the 
 over structure (being required to sit still and watch videos, etc) for 
 hours on in is not good for all children as they need to be able to 
 move at will in the early years.  Finally, many people, particularly 
 boys, are not ready to settle down and learn until they are quite 
 older.  It wouldn't hurt at all for these "hyper" boys to have another 
 couple years of free play until they are developmentally ready to learn. 

 Last week, the counselor at my school received an angry letter from a 
 mother of a boy with "ADHD" on my team.  He is "on" what we call a 
 "504" plan, i.e. has "other health impairments", i.e. is on Ritalin.  
 The mother demanded to know why her son was failing tests (in his math 
 class, taught by my counterpart), why she hadn't been informed (she 
 had been), and why the teacher couldn't help him better at the after 
 school tutoring (which, is free of charge to the parent, nor does the 
 teacher get compensation).  Parents have gotten the notion that they 
 can go get the "diagnosis" and the medication and then blame the whole 
 school every time their child does poorly academically or 
 behaviorally.  This same parent was at the school last year with a 
 "child advocate" trying to keep him from receiving any consequences 
 for his actions.

 As a teacher, I have seen a "small handful" of kids that go BALLISTIC 
 without their medication.  I blame this, in part, for the lack of 
 discipline schools can administer.  For example, there are groups that 
 will track things like suspensions by schools (this one must be 
 better, they're not suspending anyone) or by race or gender.  Also, 
 most principals are just waiting for the retirement train and don't 
 want to be hassled by trying to handle problems and the hands of 
 teachers are completely tied.  Parents, when contacted about their 
 children's conduct, will nearly always question their child until they 
 can prove that everyone else in the class is much worse than their 
 "innocent" child. 

 You are the first one I've seen to try and expose this ADHD fraud for 
 what it really is.  Keep up the good work

 C*****