A recent report states that non-medicated ADD kids are three times slower than their unaffected counterparts, a condition that disappears with drug treatment. But the question remains. I find it astounding that we even ask such a thing. While advocates compare this to immunizing children from certain disease, something the government requires before attending school, the issues regarding Attention Deficit Disorder are very different. The diagnosis is still uncertain, and the long-term effects of drug treatment are still at issue.
Many children have dramatic reactions to such drugs, including sleeplessness and appetite loss.
And finally, one person's hyperactivity may be another person's boredom. As I have said before, the wave of hyperactivity among children is, in my mind, due in part to the sedentary life so many lead. Instead of running and playing for hours each day, our kids are planted in front of the television or computer. No wonder they become distracted or disruptive when seated for hours at a time in a classroom. Last time I tackled this subject, I received several letters blasting my simplistic solutions.