Reply to Experience with putting a 4 yo on Ritalin?

Forum Index » Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities

Reply to "Experience with putting a 4 yo on Ritalin?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm sorry that your child is having so many struggles at such a young age.  I don't think I would medicate a child that age unless they were really violent and were a threat to themselves and others. Everything else--as hard as it is--I would just accept and try every other non-med approach and hope that some of it goes away with maturity. There's so little known about the long-term effects of meds on kids. Sure they may help get them through Kindergarten, but what about the rest of their life?[/quote]

The op did not ask for your opinion on whether you would medicate. It's impossible for you to ponder that since you haven't been in a situation where you've had to consider it. The op was asking for folks who have actually been in their shoes.

And to your question of what about the rest of their life? That is exactly what is on my mind as I make this decision for my own 5 year old. A child's sense of self is being formed in these early years. It has a HUGE impact on later life. The schemas we develop about ourselves at a young age are incredibly difficult to alter later in life. It is completely reasonable to consider medicating your child at this age in certain situations and it aligns with the AAP guidelines. The AAP has considered all of these questions and determined that in moderate to severe cases when behavior therapy has not provided relief, the harm of not medicating can often be more than potential side effects of medicating. There isn't some magical switch at 6 that makes meds not harmful and they are poisoning your kid at 5.5, or even 4. They are most effective and with the least amount of side effects at 6 and up, which is why behavioral therapy is the first line of treatment, but there is plenty of research that it is still worth it for some kids under 6.

No one seems to be considering the impact on kids and their brains from being kicked out of two preschools and unable to function in situations with their peers. Given the ops child has been kicked out of multiple they are very likely grappling with aggression. Asking your child to use coping skills that they can't access because their brain is so wired is not some moral high ground.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics