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Should
Ritalin Use Be Banned In Our Schools? |
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Below is the text of a paper presented by Ms. Patti Johnson, a member of the Colorado State Board of Education. She is attempting to persuade her fellow members of the Colorado Board of Education and others in attendance that Ritalin and other medications are to blame for the problems faced by schools in the 1990's. Copies of this article were distributed at that meeting. Resolution to Ban Ritalin Text of a Presentation given by Patti Johnson THE DRUG ABUSE WARNING NETWORK
(DAWN) GATHERS ITS INFORMATION FROM EMERGENCY ROOM ADMITS. IT IS A REPORTING
SYSTEM TO DETERMINE TRENDS ONLY WHEREBY DRUG MENTIONS BY PATIENTS
BROUGHT INTO EMERGENCY ROOMS ARE RECORDED. THERE IS NO SYSTEM FOR REPORTING
THE CONTEXT OF DRUG MENTION. IN OTHER WORDS, AS I UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM, IF
SOMEONE CAME INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM FOR A CAR ACCIDENT CAUSED BY DRUNK
DRIVING AND UPON HAVING THEIR HISTORY TAKEN MENTIONS THAT THEY TAKE RITALIN,
RITALIN WOULD BE REPORTED AS "A MENTION". THIS WAS A POPULAR
CITATION BY THE DEA AND MERROW WHEN THE BASHING STARTED IN THE EARLY 90'S. OF
COURSE, ITS ALL QUOTED WITHOUT CONTEXT OR
EXPLANATION.
DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT WHEN
PEOPLE CITE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES THAT WERE WRITTEN BY NON-SCIENTIFIC WRITERS
AND BASED ON OPINIONS OF THINLY EDUCATED INDIVIDUALS? The International Journal of Addictions capable of inducing sudden cardiac arrest and death. Twelve year old Stephanie Hall of Canton, Ohio died the day after her Ritalin dose was increased. I NEVER HEARD OF THIS CASE, THOUGH I DO KNOW OF A FEW EXAMPLES INVOLVING OTHER MEDICATIONS WHEREBY THE CHILDREN HAD VERY COMPLICATED MEDICAL HISTORIES; NONE OF THEM WERE TAKING RITALIN. WHAT IS THE COMPLETE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THIS CHILD? The medical community has expressed alarm over the widespread use of psychotropic drugs for children. Dr. Fred Baughman Jr., pediatric neurologist, BRAUGHMAN IS ONE OF SCIENTOLOGY'S DARLINGS. HE'S NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY ANY OF THE ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC BODIES WHO STUDY AD/HD. said of psychiatrists, SCIENTOLOGISTS WANT TO WIPE OUT THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGY/PSYCHIATRY "They have proven several times over that chronic Ritalin/amphetamine exposure they advocate for millions of children causes brain atrophy (shrinkage)." The National Institute of Health (NIH) reported, "We do not have an independent valid test for ADHD, and there are no data to indicate that ADHD is due to brain malfunction. Further research to establish the validity of the disorder continues to be a problem." (SELECTIVE QUOTING IS SO HANDILY USED BY INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE THE HANDMAIDENS OF THE BRAUGHMANS, BREGGINS, HASLIPS AND SCIENTOLOGISTS OF THE WORLD.) THE QUOTE FROM THE CONSENSUS STATEMENT WAS TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT OF A VERY LONG AND COMPLICATED REPORT, AND WHICH WAS WRITTEN BY THE UNTRAINED OBSERVERS WHO MADE UP THE CONSENSUS PANEL. IN ADDITION, ALTHOUGH SCIENTISTS HAVE NOT YET DEVELOPED A SINGLE MEDICAL TEST FOR DIAGNOSING ADHD, CLEAR-CUT CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED, RESEARCHED, AND REFINED OVER SEVERAL DECADES. THE CURRENT GENERALLY ACCEPTED DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR ADHD ARE LISTED IN THE DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS (DSM-IV) PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION (1995). USING THESE CRITERIA AND MULTIPLE METHODS TO COLLECT COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION FROM MULTIPLE INFORMANTS, ADHD CAN BE RELIABLY DIAGNOSED IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS. The NIH also reported that Ritalin and other stimulant drugs result in "little improvement in academic or social skills," RECENT SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FROM
THE MULTI-MODAL TREATMENT TRIALS SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
MENTAL HEALTH SUGGESTS IT IS A MYTH. IN THESE STUDIES, STIMULANT MEDICATION
ALONE WAS COMPARED TO STIMULANT MEDICATION PLUS A MULTI-MODAL PSYCHOLOGICAL
AND EDUCATIONAL TREATMENT, AS TREATMENTS FOR CHILDREN WITH ADHD. THE
SCIENTISTS FOUND THAT THE MULTI-MODAL TREATMENT PLUS THE MEDICATION WAS NOT
MUCH BETTER THAN THE MEDICATION ALONE. TEACHERS AND THERAPISTS NEED TO
CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO HELP INDIVIDUALS WITH ADHD, BUT WE NEED
TO REALIZE THAT IF WE DON'T ALSO ALTER THE BIOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT
ADHD, WE WON'T SEE MUCH CHANGE. RESEARCH HAS REPEATEDLY SHOWN THAT CHILDREN,
ADOLESCENTS, AND ADULTS WITH ADHD BENEFIT FROM THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT WITH
STIMULANT MEDICATIONS, WHICH HAS BEEN USED SAFELY AND STUDIED FOR MORE THAN
50 YEARS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE NEW YORK TIMES REVIEWED A RECENT STUDY FROM and they recommend research into alternatives such as change in diet or biofeedback. RECOMMENDING RESEARCH INTO ALTERNATIVE IS NOT THE SAME AS RECOMMENDING ALTERNATIVES. TO SUGGEST THE NIH RECOMMENDS ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES IS COMPLETE BUNK… IN FACT, NIH AND OTHER STUDIES CONTRADICT THE USE OF ALTERNATIVES AT THIS POINT. If we care about children's health, IF WE CARE ABOUT OUR CHILDREN'S HEALTH WE WILL IDENTIFY THEIR NEEDS AND ADDRESS THEM, EVEN IF THEY ARE CAUSED BY NEUROBIOLOGICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS we owe it to them to explore healthful ways to improve their classroom performance and deportment. I would start with an observation: In the 1950's we did not have millions of children unable to concentrate in the classroom. What has changed? ADHD IS NOT A PHANTOM DISORDER. THE EXISTENCE OF A NEUROBIOLOGICAL DISORDER IS NOT AN ISSUE TO BE DECIDED THROUGH PUBLIC DEBATE, BUT RATHER AS A MATTER OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. SCIENTIFIC STUDIES SPANNING 95 YEARS SUMMARIZED IN THE PROFESSIONAL WRITINGS OF DR. RUSSELL BARKLEY, DR. SAM GOLDSTEIN, AND MANY OTHERS HAVE CONSISTENTLY IDENTIFIED A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE TROUBLE WITH CONCENTRATION, IMPULSE CONTROL, AND IN SOME CASES, HYPERACTIVITY. ALTHOUGH THE NAME GIVEN TO THIS GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS, OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THEM, AND THE ESTIMATED PREVALENCE OF THIS GROUP HAS CHANGED A NUMBER OF TIMES OVER THE PAST SIX DECADES, THE SYMPTOMS HAVE CONSISTENTLY BEEN FOUND TO CLUSTER TOGETHER. CURRENTLY CALLED ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER, THIS SYNDROME HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A DISABILITY BY THE COURTS, THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, THE OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS, THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, AND ALL MAJOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL, PSYCHIATRIC, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS. First, the classroom climate. The traditional classroom was expected to be a quiet, well-ordered environment. Desks were arranged so that all students could make eye contact with the teacher, see the demonstrations and read instructions. Students were not permitted to distract or disrupt others. The teacher was presumed to know more than the children, and so gave direct, whole group instruction, guiding students step by step in learning new skills, modeling standard English grammar and syntax in the process. Time was spent learning disciplines of cursive writing by practicing ovals and "push pulls." Subjects were taught separately. Elementary students had a short recess in the morning, a half-hour recess after lunch and a short recess in the afternoon. THIS ENVIRONMENT SOUNDS LIKE A DEATH TOLL FOR PEOPLE WITH ADHD. MANY STUDIES OF STUDENTS WITH ADHD HAVE PROVEN TO DO BETTER WITH NOVEL INSTRUCTION; NOT DOGMATIC, MONOTONOUS, IN-THE-BOX TEACHING. Progressive educators undermined this approach and gave us the open classroom in the 1960's. Yet, structure makes so much sense. When adults are faced with tasks such as balancing the checkbook or figuring our income tax, we tend to seek out quiet place where we "can hear ourselves think." Children are more sensitive to stimuli than adults, more easily distracted. Insisting that they become "self-directed learners," fending for themselves in a noisy, chaotic, confusing, classroom can do them a disservice. Therapists have had success with children diagnosed as ADHD by providing a calm, soothing, structured environment. Scientists are finding that the discipline of cursive writing develops part of the brain associated with self-control. Recent test scores, common sense, and science seem to lead us toward the conclusion: Traditional classroom instruction and age appropriate recess time is very effective. It is hard to tell today's "process" classroom from yesterday's recess. Desks are arranged in groups. Students cannot see the teacher and distract one another. The failed "Whole Language" method has replaced phonics. Students are passed on to the next grade whether or not they have learned to read. Children spend their time ambling around the room, chatting with classmates, playing computer games, and even lying on the floor. Discipline is sometimes lax and supervision is casual. Subjects are combined into long blocks of time. Some schools have abolished recess altogether. Many of those children go home to empty houses where they play more video games, surf the Internet, and snack on chemically-altered, heavily-sugared, artificially- flavored junk food. Wouldn't it make sense to provide more attention, more supervision, more exercise, and more nutritious foods before prescribing potentially harmful psychotropic drugs to render children compliant? Could attention deficit disorder really mean that children suffer from a deficit of attention as well as displaying it? JOHNSON HAS JOINED THE RANKS OF THE PARENT-BASHERS. This brings to mind another change since the 1950's. According to film critic Michael Medved, in the 1950's the TV camera lingered on one scene an average of 45 seconds, whereas in the 1990's the average is a maximum of 5 seconds per scene. Children come to school after having watched thousands of hours of flashing cartoons and shows that jump from one scene to the next. We could reasonably conclude that television has contributed to shortening or disrupting children's attention span. If their television viewing were limited would they be more receptive to classroom instruction? I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR
MEDVED'S ANALYSIS OF Recently I listened to a frustrated mother complain on a radio talk show that her 18-month-old had too much energy. She justified why she felt she had to drug him. He was wearing her out. At 18 months he was climbing straight up the bookcase. MY SON WAS LIKE THIS ONLY HE STARTED CLIMBING UP THE BOOKSCASES AT 12 MONTHS OF AGE. CLEARLY, JOHNSON HAS NO IDEA OF THE PERVASIVENESS OR CHRONICITY OF THE IMPULSIVE, HYPERACTIVE, INATTENSTIVE SYMPTOMOLOGY OF ADHD. MAYBE SHE'D LIKE TO BORROW A FEW ADHD KIDS FOR A WEEK? Could some cases just be a matter of perspective on what is normal behavior? One frustrated mother's "hyperactive" child may be another mother's proud "future Olympic gymnast." It is not my intention to judge parents, counselors, and
doctors, or to dismiss the genuinely hard cases. My only motivation is to
provide information that could help schools and parents make sound decisions
about the health and welfare of their children. |
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