I don't think anyone can have a strong opinion about ADHD and medicating or not medicating unless they actually have a kid with the disorder and see the effects. I don't know what the situation is with HowlerKarma, but I have run into a shocking number of judgmental people who know next to nothing about ADHD, have not lived with it, but still have an opinion about medicating vs. not medicating. I have a kid with ADHD. It is immediately and obviously apparent when she is or is not on medication. When she isn't, her ability to focus her thoughts and stay on task is at about the same level as it was when she was 4 (she is now almost 8)--she hasn't matured one bit in that area. I am hoping that when she hits adolescence, maybe whatever part of her brain is misfiring will "catch up" or "mature" or whatever the appropriate term might be. But until then, there is simply no way she can learn or work towards her potential. Even here at home with no distractions, if she is not medicated and I have her try to learn math facts on the computer she dissolves into tears. But she is, for the most part, fine when she is medicated. What does it do to a child's self-esteem to not be able to perform certain mental tasks that other people take for granted? So it would be a punishment and a crime (IMO) to deny her something that so clearly helps her. I don't see any major "inappropriate demands". I think it's completely reasonable to expect an 8 year old to stay in their seat for 20-30 min. at a time rather than turn somersaults across the classroom or sprint down the hallway, to draw a picture, write a few sentences, and learn basic math facts. Without medication, I'm not sure if DD would do much of anything in school except get extremely annoyed at every other student that makes the slightest noise. Maybe there are inappropriate demands placed on kindergartners expected to sit still in their chair and cut and write. And there is still a lot of maturity happening at age 5. But most kindergartners are too young to be diagnosed anyway.
It irks me that people without ADHD abuse these substances and use them just so they can stay awake and study for a test, when there are people with an actual brain disorder. And every month I have to go in and get a paper prescription for DD and run around (or call) trying to track down the drug that she needs. If there was actually a way to easily detect the "fakers" that would make it easier for those who do actually have the disorder. I wish there was a simple brain scan or blood test that said "yes" or "no"--then maybe I wouldn't have to argue with everyone about whether this is a) a real disorder and b) whether I'm harming my child by medicating.
