L’Observateur / June 30, 1999

DEAR EDITOR: I read Lee Dresselhaus’ article about chemically controlled children and have to wonder has the friend with the child whom she asked him to have a talk with. And when he met this young man rather than greet a wellbehaved person he met the kid from hell now turned him against anyone who has an a child with ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder.

True attention Deficit Disorder certainly does not apply to the majority of badly behaved, disrespectful children with an attitude whose parents did not correct, punish or teach them civilized behavior. Who are now trying tocover up by pushing for these out of control children to be labeled as ADD.

When they aren’t ADD at all.

The only ADD these children have are Adult Discipline Deficiency.

Which has nothing what so ever to do with Attention Deficit Disorder! A child with true attention deficit disorder is a challenge to raise. Even bythe most caring, dedicated of parents who “do” the job. The drug Ritalin isnot meant to be a parent pacifier, it should be used only as a last resort in extreme cases. As there are side effects possible and should always beconsidered prior to its being prescribed. Never should Ritalin be handedout by rush rush psychiatrist like M & M’s.

Many children who truly suffer from ADD have difficulty comprehending that many activities are dangerous and that they or others can be harmed by uncontrolled behavior and do things without thought of the consequences of their actions.

Climbing up on a roof and just jumping off, eating poisons, playing with high voltage lines. Using real knives to sword fight. Watching andprotecting some with the worst cases of ADD and keeping them out of harm way is a 24-hour-a-day job. I do not think Lee has a real handle atall on what ADD is really all about. It isn’t just being ill-behaved orhaving a bad attitude. Or why having to weigh the drug Ritalin’s possibleserious side effects against not using it in severe cases is a tug hard decision in trying to protect a child from themselves and their siblings from this child’s see it, do it control faulty reasoning behavior.

By the time most parents having failed with this child give in and give up hope their child will ever learn to control themselves. This one out of two,three, five has been the biggest challenge of these parents lives. Theysleep very little always having to keep a watchful eye never knowing what the child will come to do next. Some sleep well through the night, somedon’t. Lee could wear out his foot with swift kicks to an ADD child andnever accomplish any change what so ever in behavior. Even dads like Leewho thought they had parenting down pat to a perfection land in the office of a physician or psychiatrist begging for help for their child who seems unable to learn self-control or to use safe reasoning.

The word heart-wrenching comes to mind. The parents questions are whatare we doing wrong that this one child does not seem to be learning civilized, self-control behavior? It is a travesty to compare a child with real ADD to children who were never taught civilized behavior, were never corrected, punished, never taught respect for others whose parents never bothered or took the time to parent their children.

The number of children with ADD is small. They are not crawling out of thewoodwork in high numbers. There is hope for these children to learn tocontrol their thought process and learn to modify their behavior to grow up to become productive, responsible adult members of society. Non-medication controlled.

For those who are running amuck in our schools, disrupting classes let to run like wild animals at home and given run of the roost to rule at home.

Who come in with that lousy bad I am going to made everyone’s life hard raised like a chicken child. Whose parents were just so wrapped up inthemselves or too lazy to bother teaching their child civilized, proper behavior. There is no hope. Many of these children end up in jail, or dead ornever amount to anything in life. Because they suffered from AdultDiscipline Deficiency to such a degree at home to them this lousy behavior is all they know.

This type of child has nothing to do with ADD.

If a swift kick in the rear cured all deficient thought process disorders.

We’d not need psychiatrist, psychologist, mental hospitals, etc. We couldall call Lee and let him come over and kick the child in the rear as well as adults and they would all be cured. Sorry Lee. You just don’t know enoughabout ADD to be an expert on it. I do agree that a lot of children’s parentshave been swarming to tag as such who aren’t ADD, lack training and discipline. But the two are in no way in the same ballpark.Children with real ADD need help, patience and intense measures at times to learn to modify their unruly, uncontrolled behavior. At times even withthe medication Ritalin, until something safer and better comes along especially the ones who do not see the consequences of ever very dangerous behavior like your own normal child easily does.

I do not have an ADD child. I do have a best friend who does. I knew thechild from infant on up. Who was corrected etc. just as the siblings were.My heart goes out to both the child and the parents of children with true attention deficit disorder. It takes a cut above parent not one lacking toraise an ADD child.

Lilian RidlenLaPlace

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