Schooling the the U.S.A

[louadams6]

Posted this on chatterbank last night but maybe it was wrong section or noone is interested. I was told last night that in the U.S.A children between the ages of 5 and 18 who do not pay attention at school are made to take prescription drugs to make them pay attention. If they refuse to take the drugs they are expelled. Has anyone else heard of this? How would you feel if it was your child? I think its absolutely appalling that children are treated in this way

[Clanad]

Another myth perpetuated... fact is a child cannot even be administered an aspirin without the parents consent.  Studies have shown, however, that the drug Ritalin has been over prescribed (with the parents consent) for some disruptive behavior.  This has and is being evaluated and its use is greatly curtailed.  Many cases of disruptive behavior does originate with the parents own failure to discipline their child, beginning at home. In years past, children dreaded a visit to the principal's office, which could result in a paddling.  This wasn't nearly as dreaded though, as knowing what awaited them when they went home and faced their parents.

I see, in the news, that some English schools have allowed the use of the "f" word by school children, but only 5 times per day... sadly, if true, similar to what occurs here inthe U.S. in the guise of modern education... in my humble opinion...

[woofgang]

these days I am amazed to find anything true printed in any newspaper!!

[louadams6]

i agree woofgang but i didnt actually read this in a newspaper! it came first hand from an american citizen!!!

[jake-the-peg]

And I heard from a British citizen that at a museum reconstruction of a victorian school room they had to take the sum off of the blackboard because today's teachers couldn't do it.

I think that all this proves is that people from all over the world have a vast capacity for repeating and exagerating unmitigated and ill-informed rubbish!

[libertie]

After reading this question I emailed friends in the US to ask their opinion........they thought it highly amusing!! As Clanad says Ritalin has in the past been prescribed for some children but can I point out that it is also prescribed for some children in this country, most of whom - not all - also come from families where parental control is sadly lacking!!

[jake-the-peg]

"Parental control sadly lacking"

Myths are flying thick and fast here today.

Do you have any experience of this Libertie? I mean other than what you've read in the papers or seen on "fly on the wall" documentries

[libertie]

Sadly jake - the - peg to some extent I do, for several years I had to live next door to a family that had little or no control over their daughter, no structure of any kind in her life.....no regular meal times, bed times etc always picking on other kids in the street, now I'm by NO means saying that the other kids were angels but generally speaking if they were up to mischief or such like they were punished for it, as for my own children I certainly never swore at them or allowed them to swear at others!  This childs parents always blamed everyone else for her behavior....she's easily led she's allergic to orange juice etc etc, she suffers from ADH, maybe she did but and I'm doing her parents a grave injustice but I doubt it!

[jake-the-peg]

I know quite a bit about ADHD, my son's a sufferer (although my daughter isn't)  and I've spent a lot of time talking to health professionals about it. It is very often inherited - I was awake for 22 out of 24 hours at the age of two. My uncle was reputedly just as bad.

Now think about that for a moment and think how well you might be able to cope with a situation like that, week in week out. and you might start to see how people might start to think you had had "no parental control"

Saying there's no parental control with some ADHD families is like remarking how many asprin takers have headaches.

By the way diagnosis and prescription for my son took slightly over two years of examination, meetings and diagnosis with continuing support and re-evaluation

I can't speak for the US but Ritalin, Equasym and the others are certainly not handed out like sweets in the UK.  

[libertie]

I certainly was not having a go at parents whose children do have ADHD I clearly said - not all!  And I can only imagine how difficult it must be not to mention depressing having people judge you when they have no right! Surely though you must have come across people whose children are badly behaved and who do not have ADHD but use that as an excuse for bad parenting! I'm by no means implying that I was/am the perfect parent.....that person just does'nt exist, what I am trying to say though,is that I have always taken responsibility for my children's behaviour both good and bad!  Sorry if I offended anyone with my post!

[jake-the-peg]

True enough and I may be a bit sensitive on this subject because there's a lot of self appointed experts about who seem to think it's some kind of made up complaint by bad parents.

The truth is that there is a lot of sifting that goes on before a diagnosis is made. Things like ADHD can easily get mixed up with other autistic spectrum conditions like  Aspergers which cannot be effectively treated by ritalin