Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Frontline documentary - The Medicated Child

I thought some might be interested.
It will air tomorrow evening, Tuesday, January 8 on PBS.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/medicatedchild/
Ania

WoW!! Little scary. I wonder how many of these children just need more attention and discipline.

I am not saying that there aren't cases where medication is appropriate, but it seems they are handing it out like candy.

I know there are situations where its medically necessary to give drugs to a child but I just have a hard time with how often its handed out. I really am bothered by the amount of medicated kids that we have. I would much rather see other methods tried first and have medication be the last resort.

I agree about trying other methods first. I have a friend who's son is gifted in math but is having trouble with his reading and with some cognitive processing issues. His teacher talked to my friend the other day about testing him for ADD - not the hyperactive kind, just the inattentive part. I'm very scared for her that they will just label him ADD and want to put him on something without truly finding out what the underlying problem is. I encouraged her to ask for testing to rule out other problems first but I don't even know what kind of testing they do for cognitive issues to even guide her in the right direction and she doesn't really even know what questions to ask or what to research at this point. It seems alot of times people just want to label an issue ADD or ADHD without first attempting to see if it is something else. It is scary.

" I wonder how many of these children just need more attention and discipline."

Unfortunately, those who don't know often think it's just a matter of parental attention/discipline, but it's not. It only makes it harder for struggling parents to be judged by other parents. FYI.

Also, EandCmom, a diagnosis of ADHD does not necessarily mean medication. There are other alternatives. And a diagnosis may allow your friend's son to get the help/accommodations he needs in class. Maybe his desk just needs to be closer to the teacher, or maybe he has to take a test in a room by himself. Unfortunately, those on the other end of the labeling are often labeling in their own way. If your friend suspects a problem, she should get the best evaluation she can find and then figure out what to do about it. And a thorough evaluation considers all the possibilities, including, maybe he's just bored in school...

Oh I know ADD/ADHD is a real diagnosis and that some kids do need help with medication. I have another friend who's son's life has been turned around by his medication. It just worried me for my friend mentioned above that the ADD label was where they wanted to start. My friend knows there is a problem but it seems to be with retention of information, though not in math. I just want her to get a thorough evaluation before they just stick any sort of label on him. She just doesn't know what to expect but hopefully the school will provide him with a thorough evaluation and find out what kind of help he needs.

I agree that medication is not the place to start treatment. My son was diagnosed ADD inattentive type by two different professionals when he was eight and nine. We were very opposed to meds and tried all kinds of alternatives, including natural remedies, vitamins, cranial sacral therapy, and behavioral techniques. NOTHING made a difference, and we ultimately went to stimulant medication last Spring, two and a half years after the first diagnosis. He is on a very low dosage, but it has made a great difference.

I want to emphasize that my son is homeschooled- if he had been in a traditional school, he probably would have had the teachers trying to slip him some ritalin from grade one! I can remember touring his Montessori preschool when he was three and wondering how in the world they'd ever get him to sit still for circle time. He wasn't aggressively hyper, but he was always twitching and fidgeting. He was very easily distracted and got in trouble for wandering around the room and "helping' other kids with their work instead of focusing on his own. Homeschooling allows a lot fo flexibility to deal with attention issues, but I was exhausted from constantly trying to redirect.

DD was diagnosed at six with ADHD and she is clearly hyperactive. But we have not felt a need to medicate her as yet, though I can see that we might go that way later.

I have heard of kids using these meds for performance enhancement, which is totally illegal and immoral.

In my state it's illegal for the teachers to suggest that a child has ADHD. But that didn't stop the school psychologist from calling a parent meeting where she demanded that we take DS, age 7 back then, to a pediatrician, because, "YOUR SON HAS A MEDICAL PROBLEM." Then she went on to praise Dear Mrs. Classroom teacher who has dealt with the toughest ADHD boys successfully in the past 20 years, but just is at wit's end with mine. She's never seen anything like him.

((LOL - that's probably statistically true, just from the 1/1000 IQ test alone, other issues aside! 20 years of teaching x 20 kids in the class only equalls 400, KWIM?))

Actually this may have worked in our favor because 4 months later we got a semester of inschool OT/PT which was needed, without an IEP or 504 due to the Principal hearing our story and being po'd at her staff. But it was an emotionally devistating begining to an emotionally devistating school year, for me, DH, and DS.

I'm not ready to speculate or draw any conclusions, but I am pleased to speak up and tell my story. Dottie has met my boy, and she can attest that he doesn't appear to be a 'worst ADHD in 20 years' kid, as suggested by the School Psychologist. I still go round and round with "Is it purely HG? Is it some kind of 2E? Should I pay for more tests? Do I want to know?" But that self doubt, which is normal to good parenting, and amplified by meeting after meeting to 'figure out how to make him behave' are likely to have that effect on a person.

I feel like the fact that he didn't 'totally' fall apart in 6th grade, even with the mid year skip (yuck!) and that 7th grade is going much much better, academically, at least, is somewhat reassuring, as that is a classic time for these missed learning problems to surface. Life is sure interesting!

Love and More Love,
Grinity

GS at 6, sat up front with the other kids for the 'kids sermon' at church. It's just a 5 minute talk, once a month, during the regular service. As usual, he was squirming around, waving to everyone in the congregation that he knew, talking to and poking the boys next to him, making faces at the camera(we tape the service), etc.; but he answered every question the minister asked. On the way home my husband chastised him for not listening, I asked GS to repeat the kids sermon and he gave a thorough synopsis of what the minister said and included how it applies to him.
It was my conclusion then that GS has the ability to multi-task. He does not have ADD as some might guess from first impression. He has the ability to process several things at the same time. It has to be extremely interesting to engage his whole interest at one time. His teachers have confirmed this is how he is in class. Just because he is paying attention to the kid across the room does not mean he is inattentive to the teacher.
I wonder if this ability to multi-task is often confused with ADD when the child is a gifted boy?

Also wanted to add, our daughter was diagnosed with bipolar when she was 15. We went through a lot with her, including having to switch drs. to keep with a dr on our med plan only to have that dr stop the drugs the previous dr had her on. Why did he do that? Because he didn't see any sign of bipolar, well the )*(Q&%# didn't see any signs of bipolar because the depakote had stabilized her! Then we couldn't get her stabilized the 2nd time around, not unusual we discovered.
Drugs are good, when used properly. Unfortunately there is too much 'practicing' done by those who practice medicine.