Hi my name is mala ,i am a parent of a grade 8 child,who has adhd and is on the ritalin.I tried her without the ritalin for the first term of school and that did not workout very well which resulted her in failing 3 major subjects. I got her back on it and the feedback of one of the teacher is that she is doing better now.I also did research and know that there is more negative than postive on the ritalin. I also experince the same situation when she was in grade 1 , the teacher want to fail her towards the ending of the year, which i agreed to ,because she went early to school. I then put back on the ritalin. She then passed grade 1 doing very well. At first i did not tell the teacher bescause i wanted to see the teacher notice any change which she did and the teacher thinking that i spoke to my child, which then i told the teacher what i did and she told me that what a change in my child there was. My point is that many teachers do not know about the ritalin and adhd, add . Which result in some of the children not coping in school or some parents not getting to why their child is not doing well in school . I think that if the principal of schools have their pupils assess then he nor she will know why a pupil is not doing well in school. I am not sayiny that every child has this problem, but by doing this the shool grades will pick up and the child will get the correct help which may be anyone of many different problems eg. lack of money , not having a proper breakfast due to being poor, lack of parents interest, coming from a abusive home,. Maybe if teachers know the problem then they will have better results and a happier class which result in the school and pupil getting good results.

Hi,

i have a nephew (Grade 3) who is having emense difficulty at school. he seems to have a mental-block towards certain tasks which are carried out in the classroom.his work is incomplete and continuosly tells the teacher that "he doesn't know what to do".

his teacher has recommended ritilin - which im not entirely happy about, but i would like to speak to a professional regarding this matter... someone who will also give me alternatives to ritilin, so that i can make an educated decision regarding this very important matter... im not clued up about this and i dnt want to make the incorrect decision coz this could affect my nephew severly

does anyone know of a child phsycologist in the KZN-Durban/Pietermaritburg area whom they can recommend to me.

qny assistnce in this matter would be appreciated.

That is the same thing that happened to my grade one child last year. The teacher "diagnosed" him with ADHD and told us already in June that he would be held back. We spoke to doctor and triend out Ritalin for a month what a horror - child was like a zombie. Took him off and tried concerta - even worse did it for two weeks and stoped. To our horror when books came home at end of year it became apparent that the teacher "wrote" him off and there was hardly any work in his books for the last five months - just neative comments - "too slow" , " cannot comprehend " . If the teacher is so negative how is the child going to cope. My child was very unhappy at the school and I am talking former model C school. We moved him to a remedial school and he is doing fantastic WITHOUT any medication. Full scores on dictation, got gold medals at eistedford and a diploma or double gold for Art eistedford and the only grade one in his school to get such a high award for art the other diplomas were all grades 5 & 6. Noew tell me where the problem lies - with the teacher or the child?

To you pro-ritalin "people" out there:

Ritalin and Cocaine, Morphine, and other Amphetamines are all in the same class - they are dangerous drugs, which are often abused for the effects they have.
If you are NOT prepared to give your child Cocaine, Morphine, or any other Amphetamine, then why are you prepared to give your child Ritalin?
After all, Cocaine, Morphine, and the rest ALSO have medicinal uses.

What is the difference?

I am on Concerta, which is just as 'bad'
It Changed my Life.

I am 18 and have just finished Matric, I Wouldn't have been here without it.
I'm bright and flew through primary school and started to struggle in my final two years, teachers noticed and so did my parents.
My parents didn't believe in someone being changed due to medication but after struggling through high school having a very low self esteem, constinitly being in trouble due to not remembering or doodling and generally strugglng with all things without understanding why and always being emotionaly insucure- i just did'nt know why other kids were doing so well and i could't, even though i was more capable.

I suffered a complete mental and emotional breakdown due to not being able to keep up in febuary and subsiquintly failed my first term after lots of thereapy and parental back-up i was put on concerta, yes withdrawl is difficult and it makes me sick often, but to be able to do the things that i now can is incredible. the benifts far out way the cons.

I try to take my meds as little as possible but i can't explain how much of a life changer this was for me and yes i play sport, go to gym amd live healthy but the best way to explain it to someone (in my case) is that i was always putting in 110% and getting out very litte, now what i put in is what i get out.

There is a lot of bad stories about Ritalin. It works for some people and really doesnt for others. I would suggest looking at this link http://www.risingchild.c...rta+or+Ritlin?groupid=2 parents discuss thier experience with Concerta as well as Ritalin treatments.
Hopefully you will get answers you are looking for.

Hi lalies

Shoowee, I'll bet you didn't expect a tirade like this when you posted your initial question!?

:)

Ritalin, when administered according to a proper prescription and monitored properly using regular feedback from the child's parents and teachers, can be beneficial provided the child has been correctly diagnosed with ADHD. In that case, the correct dose for a child who really needs medication like Ritalin or Concerta (both are methylphenidate) can aid a child tremendously to learn to focus on task completion in class and at home.
A child who is misdiagnosed with ADHD will not benefit from taking medication at all, but the same can be said for incorrectly diagnosing and treating any illness or disorder.

The thing to keep in mind though, is that medication is not the be-all and end-all of ADHD treatment. Your parenting style and strategy has to change, the way your child's teachers handle him needs to change. An ADHD child's diet needs to be monitored because they often get too distracted to eat and making sure they eat properly and regularly is very important. A multivitamin is a great idea for any growing child.

If you are going to Google something like Ritalin or ADHD you are going to see very little thats good about it because its the bad news that sells, unfortunately. Speak to your doctor and listen to your heart.

Best of luck to you lalies, I hope you find the solution that works for your child.