[email protected]

Yes, I agree with many here who say Ritalin is overprescribed and that ADD
doesn't apply in an unschooling life. Again, to me those things were
irrelevant. WHat really bothered me was someone deliberately violated a
parent's wishes and decisions.

I want to let you all know that when I responded to the orginal post with
the concerns of children on ritalin going cold turkey, I was only coming from
this standpoint. Be it ritalin, or any prescribed medication meant for
children
on the standpoint of calming, anxiety or antidepressant etc...
The uncle that wrote the post, gave no clue how the children stopped
medication
Except that he used the term cold turkey in
his post.
So lets give the guy a break on this issue. As I don't know how it happened.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sue

Hi,

I just wanted to add that in Perth Australia - where I am originally from -
we have one of the highest rate of children diagnosed with ADD per capita in
the world. What I have noticed with some of the children that I know who
have been diagnosed with ADD is the family life is so structured and too
much is happening in the childs life. ie/ school, afterschool sports 3
nights a week and on Saturday plus their parents busy social life. When does
the child ever get the chance to take a breather and to organise their
thought processes - a classic case of the hurried child syndrome for some of
these children.

I also found with one family that their home life has become explosive and
they would comment on how well their boy would do with me and how calm he
would be - All I did was stop and listen to him and join in on activities
with him ie/ experiments he would do. I would video tape them and make a
commentry on them. This experiement was the same one that his mother said no
to immediately and that it was dangerous - I said that I could look into it
for her and him and she said fine you can do it with him and we had a
pleasant afternoon - no hassles whatsoever.

I do understand that this boy is more intensive then most children and
living with him fulltime would be a challenge but I don't see the family
making any adjustments to suit his special needs. I think that person (sorry
forget who it was) did a wonderful thing for his nephews taking them on
holiday with them and his intentions came from a very good and loving place
(excluding the stopping of medication - not for or against just not educated
in that area to comment) but I wonder if half the children diagnosed with
ADD are just reacting to an environment that they do not want/appreciate/or
need to be different for what ever reasons but to force them to remain in
that environment is harmful to them in a number of ways!!!

Sue
----- Original Message -----
From: <staclarspr@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 1:23 AM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] clear up a ?


> Yes, I agree with many here who say Ritalin is overprescribed and that ADD
> doesn't apply in an unschooling life. Again, to me those things were
> irrelevant. WHat really bothered me was someone deliberately violated a
> parent's wishes and decisions.
>
> I want to let you all know that when I responded to the orginal post with
> the concerns of children on ritalin going cold turkey, I was only coming
from
> this standpoint. Be it ritalin, or any prescribed medication meant for
> children
> on the standpoint of calming, anxiety or antidepressant etc...
> The uncle that wrote the post, gave no clue how the children stopped
> medication
> Except that he used the term cold turkey in
> his post.
> So lets give the guy a break on this issue. As I don't know how it
happened.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ~~~ Don't forget! If you change the topic, change the subject line! ~~~
>
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