Attention Deficit

Children whose parents divorce are nearly twice as likely to be prescribed Ritalin in the aftermath of the split, a Canadian study reports.

What we need is a deeper understanding of this issue, at the level of the primary care practitioners,” said Dr. Abel Ickowicz.

“Because . . . if we are going too quick to prescribe medication, like Ritalin, like methylphenidate, we may not only be masking the normal process of adaptation to divorce, but we may be contributing to the degree of distress the children of divorce are experiencing.”

Continue reading: Study finds divorce increases Ritalin use in children

Dr. Lawrence H. Diller’s book, The Last Normal Child: Essays on the Intersection of Kids, Culture, and Psychiatric Drugs, is a fascinating and provocative work. As an experienced developmental/behavioral pediatrician, Diller examines the current trend to quickly diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the perfunctory prescription of stimulant drugs even when there is scarce evidence regarding academic improvement, social improvement, or long-term efficacy.

Diller’s perspective is quite evenly balanced; he prescribes stimulant medication for ADHD when indicated, but only as part of thorough assessment and comprehensive management program.

It is clear that Diller believes that ADHD is being over diagnosed. He states that over the last 15 years brand name stimulant production has increased by an astounding 1700% and generic stimulants by more than 3000%!

Continue reading: The Last Normal Child and ADHD

As I mentioned previously, many factors were involved in the cultural shift that altered our perception about children like Dennis the Menace. The cultural shift has made the United States the leading consumer of Ritalin. As a matter of fact, according to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the US now consumes about 90% of the world’s Ritalin supply!

Continue reading: The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 5

So, now children in the Henry Ford production line model of education, tempered by John Dewey’s experiential, nurturing educational philosophy, were exposed to changes to curriculum based on society’s fear of satellites. Strangely enough, even with the crazy dynamics of the times, children with attention problems existed; however, they were viewed quite differently than today’s ADHD children and actually survived and thrived quite well. Nurturing was expected and practiced at school, boundaries were set and maintained; if you got in trouble at school, you were likely to be in twice as much trouble when you got home. Furthermore, without the demands of incredibly stringent testing in all grades, ADHD children could were not exposed to the demands currently place on them.

Continue reading: The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 4

Dennis the Menace began appearing as a comic strip character in the early 1950s. While his physical appearance changed slightly in the 1960s and 1970s, he was still considered a lovable child when I began my teaching career in the mid 1980s. We continued to laugh at his innocent acts of menace toward his family and friends without mention of medication or ADHD.

Continue reading: The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 3

The great industrialist and inventor, Henry Ford founded his company on precision and efficiency in the early 1900s. To produce cars for the masses, he would need a method of assembly that could quickly assemble mass produced parts into a complete automobile. His assembly line model rapidly changed the world. Using the assembly/production line model, mass assembly of products became the norm. This in turn produced higher volumes of products available to the masses. Mass production allowed manufacturers to sell products for cheaper prices as well. All of this was based on efficiency. Educationalists were impressed.

Continue reading: The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 2

Anyone remember Dennis the Menace? As a child, I watched Jay North portray that mischievous blond-headed boy who always got into trouble and annoyed his grumpy neighbor. Dennis was loved back then.

Dennis is the kid everyone seems to have on his street even now. He’s intelligent and uses it to get into everything. Even when he tries to help others out, he still finds trouble. He often acts out without thinking about consequences.

Continue reading: The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 1