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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m an educator who has had a lot of conversations over the years with parents of confirmed or suspected ADHD children about medicating versus not. In the no medication camp I’ve heard a lot of concerns about side effects and over-medicalization of “normal” behavior. Few folks seem to mention the possible effects of not medicating ADHD. I’ve also talked to a lot of parents who see their own behavior in their kids. If the parent was unmedicated for ADHD, they often believe their kid can also make it through “just fine.” Also, some folks just don’t believe that ADHD is real. They’ll debate you on the whole premise of the disorder. They see it as natural behavior, especially amongst boys. They may also refer to labels for this and other challenges as a “crutch.”[/quote]

+1
I’m a psychologist and one of the main reasons I also hear is concern about the side effects of the medication.

Many families try meds for their child any then stop because their kid “lost his appetite and stopped eating” or they didn’t like his “ blunted personality” on the medication. [/quote]

Are you suggesting those aren't valid reasons for stopping drugs? They are.[/quote]

I’m not questioning the validity of their reasons. I’m just adding to the PP’s list of common reasons parents choose not to medicate their child with ADHD.

[/quote]

Well the PP was the overtly questioning the validity of the reasons parents gave for not medicating, so it sounds like you actually are questioning their validity, especially when you put them in scare quotes.

And it's attitudes like this, btw, that makes parents wary of medicating their kids, because when teachers and psychologists treat even valid concerns as just unreasonable excuses, and push and push to medicate these kids without any willingness to try other options first, it makes you suspicious of the whole system.[/quote]

Look, I’m sorry for the confusion I was just agreeing with PP that those are some reasons  parents choose on to medicate their children. And I added a few more to the list.

I have heard many parents say the things I mentioned and the things that the educator brought up in her post. That’s it.

[/quote]

Well you misread the PP. She is criticizing the parents who choose not to medicate and arguing that the reasons they give are not valid. She is painting them as anti-science idiots who don't even believe in ADHD at all. And you are agreeing with her.

There is a huge difference between a parent who doesn't think ADHD exists, or does not view the problems caused by ADHD as problems, and someone who will go through the trouble of getting a diagnosis, medicate their kid, and then finds that the effect of medication creates other problems they can't live with. Those parents are not the same. The parent you tells you that ADHD is a fake disorder and that their child's disruptive, sometimes dangerous behavior is normal is in denial. The parent who has actually put their kid on medication but is now telling you that the side effects are just as bad as the ADHD itself, is actually asking for help. If you can't tell the difference between these two parents, you shouldn't be in the feel of child psychology.

Also, the tone of the comments from educators is troubling too. Specifically the comments about ADHD or "presumed ADHD." I have a kid who was diagnosed with ADHD by her kindergarten teacher. We had her evaluated and she doesn't have ADHD, but she does have anxiety. When we explained this to the school and asked for an IEP, the teacher rolled her eyes at us. She was convinced she knows what ADHD looks like. What she didn't understand (because she was an absolute idiot, I'm just going to say it) is that she was exacerbating our kids anxiety and triggering what appeared to her to be ADHD behavior, by yelling and shaming in the classroom, behaviors that are a massive trigger for my kid's anxiety. She didn't get this, and likely still doesn't, even though it's several years later and my kid is doing great at the same school, with teachers who DO get it. She has still never been diagnosed with ADHD and has never been medicated for anything. Not because I don't believe in medication, but because I didn't leap to the conclusion that a 5 year old struggling in a K classroom needs to be on stimulants without exploring the situation any further.

THIS is the argument against medication in kids. It absolutely may be necessary for some kids, and it might work well for some kids. But it's also viewed as an easy out by people who simply lack the patience or compassion to work with kids who may have a broad range of neurological divergence or behavioral issues. It's not a last resort but it's only appropriate in some situations. So this attitude of "omg these idiot parents who refuse to medicate their children" doesn't help your cause, if the goal is to actually get kids the help they need. Responding instead with curiosity and empathy would be a great start.[/quote]

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