The Christian Science Monitor is a somewhat unlikely source for this story, but it recently ran a fascinating account of the continuing debate over medication of hyperactive children, and whether schools are driving the exploding diagnoses of ADHD. In a few cases, one recounted by the Monitor, a parent was told that unless her child - in this, as in most cases, a boy - was put on Ritalin, he would be sent packing to special ed. (The U.S. House has passed a bill outlawing such demands, but it is stalled in the Senate.) But after two years on the medication and some alarming symptoms, including social withdrawal, she took him off his meds. The school promptly reported her to child protective services as a potential abuser. This episode may be extreme, but there is no doubt that ADHD diagnoses have ballooned (13 percent of children are now diagnosed with the ailment) and pressure to medicate from teachers and school administrators is a major cause. This is disconcerting, to put it mildly. There are doubtless children who benefit from medication. And just as sure, there are lots of jumpy, distracted kids who need a firmer hand, not pills. With new studies showing some unfortunate, long-term side effects of medication, including retarded growth, is it not time for schools to reevaluate whether they have the expertise to dabble in this kind of diagnosis?
"Some parents just say 'whoa' to school-required medications," by Kelly Hearn, Christian Science Monitor, June 14, 2004