ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, June 26, 1996 TAG: 9606260028
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE FIREBAUGH
I WAS appalled at the Talking It Over feature on your June 20 Opinion page (``Too many kids are being doped'') in which Anne Lester talked about the use of Ritalin among school-age children. She made several assumptions, as well as overstepped her boundaries when talking with one child about his medication. The school also erred in how it handled distribution of medication to children.
I believe that any child who needs to take medication while at school should be able to do so without the knowledge of his or her peers. I cannot believe school officials would announce ``medication'' time over the school intercom. How tacky! Why don't they just stick a label on each child's forehead with a medical or psychiatric diagnosis?
Lester assumed all eight boys were taking Ritalin for an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Not all children who take medication at school are diagnosed with ADHD. Perhaps one child needed allergy medicine or was diabetic. Unless Lester had access to each child's medical records, she has no way of knowing the medical or psychiatric diagnosis.
In addition, not all children with ADHD take Ritalin to manage their behavior. There are a variety of medications available to treat this condition. Some are stimulants similar to Ritalin, but not all are. What medication is prescribed for a child with ADHD varies depending on the physician, the parents and the child's needs.
What possessed Lester to inquire from a school-age child about his medication or diagnosis? If I were the parent of the child she spoke with, I would be livid. This woman asked for detailed information from a child who wasn't able to adequately explain his condition. His knowledge of ADHD and his medication is based on a child's view. What he knows may be what his parents have shared with him, on a need-to-know basis. Small children are unable to understand the complexities of ADHD and the treatment for it.
As the parent of a child with ADHD, I speak with experience. Although my child takes medication, he doesn't take Ritalin. My child is very bright, articulate and athletic. Without his medication, he wouldn't be able to stay on task in a classroom or stay seated. Heck, without his medication, he wouldn't even be able to get dressed in the morning to get to school. His experiences with taking medicine at school have thankfully been better than what has been described by Lester.
ADHD is a diagnosis made by a qualified doctor. Medication is always prescribd by a doctor, and never by a parent or teacher. It irritates me endlessly when people assume that this condition is being mishandled by parents. Would Lester, or anyone, question how to handle a child with physical or mental disability? Or suggest parents spend their money on something other than prescribed treatment?
Regardless of what behavior-management technique I use, my child will still have ADHD and still need medication. So, please, quit blaming parents! We already struggle with maintaining some sense of normalcy for our children.
And, by the way, my son's teachers have taken him out to the track to run off some of his energy during the school day. It didn't always work.
Leslie Firebaugh of Roanoke is an adolescent substance-abuse counselor with Blue Ridge Community Services.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 linesby CNB