On Thu, 18 Jan 2001, Marvin Long, Jr. wrote:
> I don't like our culture's dependency on Ritalin either; it's evidence
> of priggish instance that everybody ought to be the same, or that
> keeping a classroom quiet is more important than making sure that
> children get the parenting and teaching they actually need. I suspect
> that in lots of cases hyperactivity is a side effect of sloth--too
> much time eating sweets in front of a TV and not enough playing and
> running around outside. There also seems to be a bizarre assumption
> that a six-year-old's natural state ought to be quiet, attentive
> obedience, no matter how boring or inane the class....
Besides, there are other things you can do for ADD. If I had a kid
diagnosed by the school as having ADD, I'd take him (or her, but more
likely him) to his own pediatrician, and get a referral to a disinterested
specialist, if need be. And then I'd look at what can be done besides
drugging the kid; for instance, there's a biofeedback center here in
Austin that claims some success in helping with the treatment of ADD.
(With biofeedback, you have to meet the people treating you at least
halfway; with drugs, you just have to swallow the crap.) I'm sure there
are other ways of dealing with the problem without drugging the kid.
Julia
