Reply to My child is the only one with ADD, not on meds.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]http://www.nature.com/news/medication-the-smart-pill-oversell-1.14701

[i]ADHD diagnoses are rising rapidly around the world and especially in the United States, where 11% of children aged between 4 and 17 years old have been diagnosed with the disorder. Between [b]half and two-thirds of those are put on medication[/b], a decision often influenced by a child's difficulties at school. And there are numerous reports of adolescents and young adults without ADHD using the drugs as study aids.[/i]

[i]For most people with ADHD, these medications — typically formulations of methylphenidate or amphetamine — quickly calm them down and increase their ability to concentrate. Although these behavioural changes make the drugs useful, a growing body of evidence suggests that the benefits mainly stop there. Studies indicate that the improvements seen with medication do not translate into better academic achievement or even social adjustment in the long term: people who were medicated as children show no improvements in antisocial behaviour, substance abuse or arrest rates later in life, for example. And one recent study suggested that the medications could even harm some children1.

After 14 months, the groups treated with medication alone and medication plus behaviour therapy showed greater improvements in core ADHD symptoms than the other two groups. For academic achievement, only the group receiving medication and behaviour therapy combined outperformed the group receiving regular care2. By three years in, the four groups had become indistinguishable on every measure3. Treatment conferred no lasting benefit in terms of grades, test scores or social adjustment. Eight years later, it was the same story4. “Nothing we did could tease out and say there's a long-term effect,” says Swanson, who was one of the lead investigators on the MTA.[/i][/quote]

Which means 1/3-1/2 do not medicate, therefore the OP's child is not the only one by a long shot.   Now we can stop this thread since the OP's original question has been answered.  [/quote]

I suspect that in this competitive area (DC metro), more than 2/3 are medicated. [/quote]

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