I would not force any one to take a medication,Taking meds should be a individuals decision.
I believe if the student is doing there best to overcome a disability,we should provide reasonable accomidations.
John,
Your son isn't the only one who cannot deal with the meds, even if he wanted to. The bottom line is that there are lots of legitimate reasons why a student may not chose to or be able to tolerate the medication. That doesn't make their need for support or their call for equal access any less real.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
some students can not take these MEDS for a long period of time due to side effects, as experience by my son who suddenly is not hungry and eats a lot less and can end up about twenty pounds lighter in a matter of five to six weeks, doses have been adjusted and work for a longer period of time but still has some weight loss and must stop the med for a short time.
Warren,
That's a GREAT idea for helping students learn to manage their difficulties with attention. And I like the fact that you recognize it will work for some and not for others. All such "tricks" are good to keep in mind, to be put into use as needed.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
An other possible way to deal with such students is to try to arrange your class and lab time so students are not stuck in lecture for long periods. I work with an instructor who would assign jobs like passing out hand-outs to the class to his more "hyper" students. Not every situation is the same. Things that work for some students wont work with others. It's helpful to have a few "tricks" in your bag to try.
Gary,
I wouldn't put too much stock in the idea that the symptoms of ADD/ADHD can be controlled through diet. Rather, I think there is evidence that for some students, consuming certain substances can be a trigger for MORE distraction, and eliminating those triggers can help the student self-monitor.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Gary,
Well said -- and well noted! You are right, of course. How much someone can focus is often dependent on how much interest there is in the topic at hand. What is the "payoff" for getting the task done. Sometimes, the student brings his/her own motivation to the table. Sometimes, it can be provided by a creative instructor who helps the student see the importance of the task in the grand scheme of things.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Hello, Dr. Darrow. Along these lines i have recently heard of cases where diet has proven to be a major factor in what we call ADD and ADHD. Are there any documented studies now which show improvements in students' abilities after rectifying a poor diet? Should parents of school- aged children (and college-age adult learners)be paying more attention to this?-- Gary O. Ackerman
Hello, Dr. Jarrow. the comments of Robert and Scott remind me that finding that fascination with a discipline or skill can be so important. Though never diagnosed, I found that the amount of focus I needed was often hard for me to muster. But when presented with a great challenge by a passionate teacher, I could accomplish what otherwise would have become another unfinished endeavor. It's a lesson I try to remember as a teacher now: A passion within, well cultivated, can drive growth and development. --- gary
Chris,
I couldn't agree with you more. The choice of taking medication (or not!) is a personal choice, with lots of reasons behind it. It is not up to us to intervene. It is our job to work with the student "as we find him/her" (whether that means medicated or not!).
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Taking or not taking medication for ADHD symptoms is NOT up to the teacher; it is entirely the choice of the student (assuming adult students). If not taking medication is equated with "not doing their part", then I believe we would be doing these students an injustice. As educators, our goal should be to find out (directly from the student I have found to be the best way) how we can help them be more productive and successful in our classroom.
Donna ,
Actually, there are physiologic reasons that support your conclusion, as well. There is a change in brain chemistry that suggests that the impact of the medication on youngsters with ADHD is altered after puberty. That is why medication dosage is monitored so carefully for the drugs that are generally associated with this disability.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I don't believe that we can ethically require students to take medication. That being said, younger students (pre puberty) appear to be helped more by meds than older students in my 15 years of teaching experience. As the students age they often learn ways themselves to accommodate for their disability.
Sandra,
That is certainly part of the reason that we do not, and should not, REQUIRE students with disabilities to take medication. We don't know what the side effects will be, or how those side effects will interfere with their ability to focus on their academic pursuits.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
The med do not always work . Sometimes the side affects are even worse.I have seen it take affect in a student and he got sick everytime he ate. He moved like a he had no energy and just was super mellow, more so then humans should. He in reality was not imself.
Earline,
There are a couple of misconceptions here. First, you suggest that the student has been "tested" for ADHD, rather than assessed. Tested suggests a kind of exactness that just doesn't exist here (as shown by your suggestion that the doctor has concluded the "specificity of medications"). This is not an exact science.. There are no scientific tests (like a blood test) that will tell us specifically what dose of medication will correct the difficulty. Indeed, with ADHD, the meds aren't meant to fix (cure) the problem, only to help control the symptoms. More, there is no way to tell what the side effects of the medication will be (which is why many choose not to take the meds), and it is not up to the institution to dictate that someone must EARN the right to equal access by suggesting that if they don't "do their part" we are under no obligation to do ours.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I believe that a person that has a mental challenge; every possibility to maintain a balance should be taken. The student's doctor has tested the patient to conclude specificity of medications that need to be taken. The question I raise is why wouldn't the student want to take the medicine to make them feel better? Accommodations shouldn't be made available if the students aren't going to comply with behavior that is going to disrupt the flow of the classroom.
John,
There is no question but that meds are a tremendous help for some, and a tremendous concern with/for others. It is never an easy decision, as a parent, to be making a choice that you know could affect your son/daughter for a lifetime. Gather all the information you can but remember that "the best you can do is the best you can do!"
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Scott, Thank you for your insight. we are having the same kind of issue with my son at this moment and have been wondering if we should consider taking him off the meds.
Michelle,
I think you have the right answer from the start, Michelle. I don't think we have the right to REQUIRE anyone to take medication. That doesn't mean that it is off limits for us to encourage students to *consider* the possibility that medication might be helpful in the management of their symptoms. In the end, though, the decision must be theirs.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
