After watching the video that Bill posted from pbs.org about ADHD in children and reading Sam's take on the situation, I thought I should add a bit more. Treating and diagnosing ADHD is so much more complicated than we can imagine. There are parents out there that want to have to kids diagnosed so they can "benefit" from the accommodations they now can receive under the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) like the video informs us. I think this is awful and ludicrous, but there are true cases of ADHD and many children that can benefit from the use of drugs like Adderall.
One case that I witnessed last semester while doing fieldwork with a school psychologist was that of a fifth-grade boy. The boy came into the principal's office with another student to invite him to their class's Thanksgiving supper. The boy was thoughtful, well-spoken and cheerful. After the student left, I was informed that just a month ago this student was down in the office every day for behavioral problems in the classroom. He didn't do any work and was constantly frustrated and in foul moods. It's not to say that medication is a cure-all, end-all for every student, but if medication not only helped this student perform, but also improved his moods and began to enjoy school--it makes me question my strong stance against medicating children.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I had a similar experience to yours, Emily, at my summer job. I interned as a child care worker with a company that runs, among other things, two group homes and a day school program for deaf children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. Before taking this position, I would have told you that I was against medicating young, developing brains. However, as the summer progressed and I watched the academic and behavioral progress of our clients whose parents OK'd medication versus the progress of those kids whose parents refused medication, I changed my mind. Granted, many of our clients had issues far more severe than struggling with ADHD, but after watching the videos, I think that ADHD meds could have significantly aided the progress of several of our clients (though certainly not "curing" them of anything).
ReplyDeleteNot surprisingly, this job also made me better appreciate the frustrations of the schoolteacher working with a child with ADHD. It is very easy to wish for a pill that will make it all better when a hyperactive child is running around the classroom! For me, this clearly illustrates the fine line that educators and providers of mental health care services must negotiate between addressing what a grown-up thinks is convenient and the learning/behavioral goals and overall well-being of an individual child.