Who agrees with giving a child Ritalin? for years I resisted because I dont believe it does them any good ?
Answer:
i am so sorry you have been having problems, my 10 year old has a.d.h.d. and is taking both ritalin and melatonin. I give my son 3 ritalin a day and it is enough to stop any physical outbursts, but he is still very loud. Ritalin does not suit everyone, Iknow a lot of mums who said it did not affect their kids at all but the kids were losing lots of weight. schools are so unwilling to learn about our kids, much easier to pop a pill in them,all i can suggest is that you get as much help as possible, see about extra help in school for your son, it is so hard i know how you feel, good luck.
my sister in law has a child similar to yours, she swears by giving him a caffine drink before school. it supposedly calms them, or evens them out. i dont know if it is good to do, but she swears it works
Don't let the school force you into anything that will hurt your child. You could try a diet low in sugar, preservatives and colorants. Do a bit of research to find alternatives.
Good luck!
I had my son on Ritalin and he was fine it just calmed him down enough to sit in class. I didn't care that he ran like crazy at home. I wasn't going to put him on it, it took me a long time. The school wasn't pushing. I take paxil for ADHD and I'm 41. I didn't realize I was so jumpy until you put me in a chair for 4 hours I was driving the students around me nervous. My husband sad I was like his home entertainment center. My father, so and I are a lot a like in this respect. The Ritalin wares off so fast so I was going just pull him off and try something else, but it worked fine. Good Luck to you
In general I don't have a problem with using Ritalin in children for the appropriate disorders, but I do have a problem with the school thinking its their decision. By law you have the right to refuse any treatment of your minor child; unless he is disrupting the learning environment for others, the school has no business in your decisions.
My husband was diagnosed with ADHD when he was a boy and they put him on Ritalin. His mother said the same thing -- he was always sad or non-emotional. Nothing like a "real" kid. So she took him off it and said she would rather have HER son. Anyway, long story short... he never did well in school... he ended up dropping out of high school and getting a GED. He is one of the smartest men I know... he retains information like crazy -- always watching the History Channel and knows everything about everything... I think that the school just wasn't challenging enough for him. But anyway, my point in telling you all that is... there's gotta be a root to his acting out. Maybe things aren't moving fast enough for him... or maybe he needs a non-traditionally school system. Just a thought... But I'm totally against the Ritalin for kids too... everyone is always so quick to medicate these days.
Also, I just read a book called Thumbsucker and during part of the book the main character talks about being on Ritalin and how he felt... then how he felt when he got off it. You should check it out... it was interesting and exactly how my husband describes it do me.
Good luck.
The National Autistic Society are very helpful.
Do not put him on it. I spoke to my sons new kindergarden teacher for the first time trying to explain to her about my sons autism first thing out of her mouth was Do you have him on medication. Uh no what happened when teachers didnt have that how in the world did they teach?? Do not put him on it let his body even itsself out maybe try the caffiene before school see if this helps I have heard of people putting loose rubber bands aroudn thier wrist and popping them it gives them movement. My sons therapist made the suggestion for them to do activitues that are long right after an hard workout at recess saying this will cause him to stay focused longer.
Please use extreme caution when giving your child Ritalin. My friends sons both have ADHD and were prescribed Ritalin. Sadly, it has done something to their hearts and they now have a unique heart condition. It's very serious as the smaller child only 12 years old had to under go heart surgery as a direct result from the medication. I did some research on this subject and found that this has happened to a lot of other children. Please be careful as your child's life is a precious gift and I wouldn't want your family to have to go through the same situation.
Good luck to you and your family!
Congratulations, you've just found out why Ritalin is commonly known as the "chemical cosh". Quite simply, it completely de-sensitises the user. Look at dietary alternatives instead of administering this horrible drug. Good luck.
Medication is rarely the best treatment for Asperger's Syndrome, many AS people, especially children can have odd reactions to some medications, especially sedatives and stimulants. Gluten-free diets are often suggested, I found it made little difference to me, but it may be worth checking about possible food-intolerances with your GP.
Ritalin is normally used for ADHD, not AS unless the two are both present. A common side effect of Ritalin is difficulty sleeping, so it is possible that the melatonin interacted with the Ritalin to cause a major screw-up.
I agree with your view that the school shouldn't force you to drug him with Ritalin. Admittedly if the school had to deal with the aftermath of the Ritalin wearing off they might be less prone to suggest it's use. Not that I'm suggesting you cause the situation deliberately.
Sadly many schools still do not know how to handle children with AS, often forcing them into high-stress situations like team sports or noisy playgrounds, the highly-stressed child then can become disruptive within the classroom. I found school a lot easier to cope with when I could avoid both of those.
The National Autistic Society may be of help (http://www.autism.org.uk/)
Ritalin seems a totally inappropriate drug to give children,it is a strong drug,with mental side effects.Keep away from it
Hi Lita M. We had a little run in with Ritalin years ago. The school wanted it so the doctor prescribed it. I don't think it did any good at all. But at the tender age of 6, if he did not have that stupid pill in his lunch box he was punished by the teacher. When I protested (the sitter had packed his lunch) she insisted that it was his responsibility. After a few years we went through more thorough testing than the local pediatrician. They could not give us any answers but they said he definitely did NOT need Ritalin. I was so happy. The schools like to have the children under chemical control. Now I believe my son had Asperger's syndrome and therefore he did not do well in the stressful enviornment of the school. He did very well with one on one teaching in a quiet room. Unfortunately he was teased, bullied and victimized by the other children because he did not fit in; so the teacher had to punish him further for disrupting the class. In his 12 years of school only ONE teacher understood and removed the bullying children from him without making a scene so he could do his work. I live in Canada, I homeschool my last two children. (I have five) After 5 years of homeschool my daughters have surpassed my sons education that took them 12 years in the regular school. Most of the people in the homeschool section are from the USA and I think the rest are from the UK. A few of them are from Canada. I know if you ask you can find some sort of support group in the UK. Homeschoolers make their own communities for social and sporting activities. Your son is old enough to have some idea where he wants to go with his life and you could facilitate that by tailoring his education to meet his needs. You cut out all the make work, fluffy non-essential courses and concentrate only on what he needs to follow his path of interest. He would probably be so grateful to be out of school he would work extra hard for success. Oh yeah, Say no to someone wanting to drug your child!
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