[HSList] Ritalin & ADD
TIM BANDY
In a message dated 3/31/98 3:33:34 PM Eastern Standard Time, VLJe...@aol.com
writes:
<< I have yet to see a child who didn't blossom as a result of love and
patience. >>
Many children who truly have ADHD certainly need love and patience but in
order to do well in life and in order for other people to be able to live with
them and tolerate their social presence, they also need strict structure, firm
management, consistent consequences, education about their problem and their
unique challenges and what to do to develop sufficient self -- control and
better attention and focus. They do function better when they are allowed to
move and do physically active school activity. Often, the serious social
problems do not emerge until preteen and teenage years, so you would not have
seen the severe challenge ADHD children can present to classrooms and parents.
Research consistently shows that ADHD children who go untreated are at
high risk for juvenile delinquency, poor school performance, substance abuse
and school drop out. They also tend to be accident prone due to their
impulsive behavior, high energy and easy distractibility. There are very
loved ADHD children who ran into trees and buildings running full speed and
dart into oncoming traffic.
While preschool and elementary TV watching can produce certain ADHD type
behaviors (short attention span, impulsive speech, easy boredom, desire to
avoid paper and pencil school activity, marked tendency to fail to finish
projects or chores), there is little evidence that parents cause ADHD, unless
we want to hold them responsible for passing on a genetic load for ADD.
Maternal Consumption of alcohol, Grass and Cocaine & Cocaine products can
cause ADHD, so can closed head injuries and a rare strain of encephalitis. ---
of course, this is all in my humble opinion.
Tim B.
Jean Riskus
You are well versed in the subject, Tim. There wasn't a thing that I could
object to.
Jean
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> From: TIM BANDY <TIMB...@aol.com>
> To: homes...@efn.org
> Subject: Re: [HSList] Ritalin & ADD
> Date: Friday, April 03, 1998 7:27 AM
Elaine Harvey
Ouch! I know that your thoughtful reply did not intend to poke fingers but could
we include that some parents pass on a genetic tendency to ADD/ADHD without the
deplorable behaviours listed. Your facts are absolutely accurate but these kids
are the minority I think. Maybe that's just my feelings talking.
I have three sons who suffer from ADD in varying levels and the youngest two are
homeschooled. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! It did not 'cure' the ADD but it sure clarified
how much was physiological and how much was psychological or situational. I
didn't realize how much I liked my kids. I have always loved them, but like most
ADD kids they can be very hard to like.
Here's a great description of ADD/ADHD that I heard in nursing school:
Sit in a room and turn on the TV at full volume. now turn on 3 or 4 radios. Now
try to read a book or solve a crossword puzzle. That's ADD
Now add in an unbearable itch in the middle of your back. That's ADHD.
All Ritalin does is to turn down the volumes and help scratch the itch. It does
not remove the radios or TV, but it helps make them bearable.
As an RN and the mom of the "ADD posterchild", I get truly frustrated by parents
who see ADD as some sort of status symbol. When I hear a parent say "Oh, Johnny
only needs 5 mg in the morning to get his day started" or "we don't use Ritalin in
the summer - weekend - evening, because Johnny only seems to have a problem at
school" or my favorite "Ritalin just gives Johnny the edge he needs to excel. You
know, all ADD children are really gifted kids who are just bored". These parents
and the drug pushers, I mean doctors, who supply them are not helping those of us
whose kids really need help.
Here's a rule of thumb for you: 1. Ritalin does not help a child who is not truly
ADD. It's a stimulant and it will act like a stimulant. 2. If the child can be
'normal' productive and socially appropriate everywhere but school, might not
school be the problem?