Reading, ‘Riting & Ritalin?
Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was a rare condition 50 years ago. Today, it is extremely common, affecting an estimated 5-20% of all children in the United States. Previously known by a number of different names (including hyperactivity, hyperkinesis, and minimal brain dysfunction), ADHD is characterized by learning disabilities, short attention span, easy distractibility, impulsive behavior, hyperactivity, and lack of coordination. Although children with ADHD are not mentally retarded, they often do poorly in school and have difficulty making friends.
Conventional medicine has discovered that methylphenidate (Ritalin, a chemical related to the amphetamines) is often effective for children with ADHD. For reasons that are not understood, stimulants like Ritalin produce a paradoxical response in these children: slowing them down and helping them concentrate, rather than speeding them up.
Unfortunately Ritalin has many side effects and does not address the cause of ADHD, it merely suppresses the symptoms. Nevertheless, both teachers and parents sometimes look at Ritalin as a quick fix, or as the simplest way to deal with a complicated problem. Indeed, in some parts of the United States, as many as 6% of grade-school children are on this drug.