Medication and ADHD: Teaching Your Child to Live with the Disorder

The occurrence of ADHD in children and adolescents has grown exponentially during recent years. The use of medication to treat ADHD has more than tripled, leading to an estimated 1 in 25 children and teens in the U.S who are medicated. The three main symptoms of the disorder are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Because these symptoms can impact school, socialization skills, and organization, parents often choose to medicate their children without exploring other options, such as new disciplinary techniques, first. After all, medication is easy—consistent disciplinary techniques are not, especially when you are parenting an ADHD child.

The U.S is not the only country where there has been a spike in medication. Other countries around the world are also seeing a spike in medication use. Stephen Hinshaw, the chair of UC Berkeley’s Department of Psychology, said:

A common misconception is that ADHD only exists in the U.S. and that the pharmaceutical firms are getting bigger sales because of the 'creation' of the disorder in the U.S. Yet cross-cultural research has shown that ADHD exists in nearly any culture that has compulsory education. Clearly, ADHD--which has a substantial genetic liability--is not just a figment of American doctors' imaginations (emphasis added).

It’s interesting that ADHD exists (or is a hindrance) only in cultures that have compulsory education. Compulsory education requires order and organization. There is no other way to educate large groups of children. If a child is easily distracted by activity going on around him, he won’t do well in a public education setting. Classmates’ actions, sounds inherent to the school setting and other distractions make it difficult for him to focus on the lesson at hand. If the child lived in a poorer country where farming and labor were the main activities of his day, his abundant energy would be a gift rather than a curse. ADHD wouldn’t even be noticed because his hyperactivity would be put to use. Unfortunately, today’s modern world and educational systems are not places where children with ADHD can succeed unless they learn to cope with the symptoms of ADHD. This is why it can be a mistake to turn to ADHD medication without also employing techniques that will help your child learn to live with his disorder.

The ADHD individual must learn how to conform to a compulsory education society. Medication dulls the symptoms, but it doesn’t teach the child how to overcome the symptoms of his disorder. This is not to say that medication is never needed. Some children are absolutely unable to focus without it. But the decision to medicate for ADHD is one that should not ever be taken lightly by the parents. Parents must first examine their own parenting approaches. There are many disciplinary techniques covered in the Total Focus program that can be employed to teach an ADHD child how to overcome the disorder.

Raising a child with the challenges of ADHD is extremely challenging, but it can be done without medication. In the long run, children who learn how to live with the disorder are more successful later in life. After all, there will come a time when you can’t stand over your child and make him take his medication if he chooses not to. What you can do is equip him to discipline himself, so that he can be successful in a compulsory education society, even with an ADHD disorder.