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Raising the Ritalin generation
I remember the moment my son’s teacher told us, “Just a little medication could really turn things around for Will.” We stared at her as if she were speaking Greek, says Bronwen Hruska for the New York Times. Will was in third grade, and his school wanted him to settle down in order to focus on math worksheets and geography lessons and social studies. The children were expected to line up quietly and “transition” between classes without goofing around. This posed a challenge — hence the medication.
“We’ve seen it work wonders,” his teacher said. “Will’s teachers are reprimanding him. If his behavior improves, his teachers will start to praise him. He’ll feel better about himself and about school as a whole.”
Will did not bounce off walls. He wasn’t particularly antsy. He didn’t exhibit any behaviors I’d associated with attention deficit or hyperactivity. He was an 8-year-old boy with normal 8-year-old boy energy — at least that’s what I’d deduced from scrutinizing his friends…
One Response to Raising the Ritalin generation
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jnystrom
August 20, 2012 at 6:01 pm
I tried the ritalin to no avail and I agree meds are not the way to go. My daughter is 8 and has ADHD. I use a neurofeedback/edufeedback program called Play Attention (playattention.com). This program was developed by a teacher for parents and teachers as well. We use it before homework time (which was unbearable) and when she cannot focus and is not calm. She likes to play it so much that I am now using it as a reinforcement tool. I have seen immediate results and I am so happy I changed over to this platform. It also gives me the interaction with her and control over the behavior whereas the medication did not. Once they wore off she became lethargic and just as out of control. It has shaped her behavior and I believe in a few years she will live a normal and happy life without using anything except her own mind! I can’t say enough about it.