ADHD Solutions
Approach to helping with learning struggles- ADHD Solutions
Approach 4: medication
Another approach physicians use to “help” struggling students is prescribing medication.
Nationwide, the number of children being medicated is astounding. At least five million American children annually are receiving a prescription for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).2 The Drug Enforcement Administration has stated that “. .. many schools have more methylphenidate [Ritalin] stored on a routine basis than most pharmacies have in stock.”3 Stimulants such as Ritalin and Dexedrine (amphetamines) are the most widely used medications for ADD/ADHD and are often effective in reducing inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, although the success rate of these drugs is hotly debated.
ADHD Solutions – Is medication always the best solution?
I maintain that the ADD/ADHD diagnosis all too often becomes a convenient way out, not for children, but for frustrated teachers and parents. Children are sitting in classrooms trying to do what they cannot do -- read, learn, and master academic subjects; no wonder their attention wanders. When students can’t keep up and continually fail, they become inattentive, tend to daydream, and develop bad attitudes. Sometimes they act out and distract other students. Boys in particular become class clowns or troublemakers. They can’t sit still or keep from talking. Reading or doing math problems is impossible because certain key cognitive skills are simply deficient.
We must acknowledge that a small percentage of students do have genuine cases of ADD/ADHD; however, the condition is highly over-diagnosed. Parents and educators must share responsibility for an over-reliance on the ADD and ADHD labels. In many cases they simply don’t understand that there is an alternative explanation. What’s often going on is that a child, discouraged and frustrated because of weak skills, is simply acting out the frustration.
Rather than turning to treatment with drugs, educators, parents, and physicians should seek solutions that eliminate the cause of the child’s learning problem.
Assessment Methods - Return to Topic List
Excerpts of the book Unlock the Enstein Inside by Dr. Ken Gibson
2 LeFever, G., Arcona, A., and Antonuccio, D. ADHD Among American Schoolchildren: Evidence of Overdiagnosis and Overuse of Medication. The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice. Volume 2, Number 1. Spring/Summer 2003.
3 Woodworth, Terrance. Deputy Director -- Office of Diversion Control -- Drug Enforcement Administration. DEA Congressional Testimony Committee on Education and the Workforce: Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth, and Families. May 16, 2000.
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