Schools Can't Require ADHD Drugs

National Alliance against Mandated Drugging of Children is thrilled Congress Passes Bill That Says Schools Can't Make Drug Treatment Mandatory.

U.S. House overwhelmingly passed a bill 407-12 barring schools from requiring hyperactive children to use drug treatments as a condition for attending classes.

This bill was designed to curb reports of school officials telling parents that disruptive kids must begin drug treatment for ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in order to attend school.

National Alliance against Mandated Mental Health Screening & Psychiatric Drugging of Children is a caring organization dedicated to informing the public about ADHD and other psychiatric conditions often misdiagnosed because of underlying health conditions and learning differences which are often overlooked.

Many times if a child is having difficulties, the school will be quick to do a psychological evaluation which can lead to a mental diagnosis and psychotropic medications.

This has caused many children to be misdiagnosed with a psychiatric diagnosis which requires lethal psychotropic medications.

Doctors often rely on teachers to identify disruptive behaviors in class they feel can be signs of ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

We feel it is only fair that a child suffering from underlying health conditions and learning differences are checked out by a professional and that the issues at hand be addressed.

What many teachers don’t realize is there are many underlying health conditions and learning differences often misdiagnosed as an subjective disorder like ADHD.

A few common underlying health conditions and learning differences often misdiagnosed as ADHD are food allergies, hidden food sensitivities, preservatives & food dyes.

Some spinal problems can cause ADHD like symptoms because if the spine is not connected to the brain properly nerves from the spinal cord can give the brain all of signals at once making a child rambunctious and always on the go.

Children are misdiagnosed because of hearing problems like middle ear infections or auditory processing disorder.

Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Specialist and/or Audiologist: Because ear, nose and throat infections can affect a child's ability to learn - and because signs of hearing loss often impact listening and attention behaviors - an ENT Specialist or Audiologist may be called upon to rule out non-ADHD problems.

Children who have had a history of ear infections or chronic middle ear fluid are at a higher risk for having difficulties in auditory perception and processing.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), previously known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) is often misunderstood because it can be confused with certain learning disabilities and ADHD.

It has been found in past research that psychostimulants cause brain atrophy - (Shrinkage) they have tried to prove the difference between a normal brain and an ADHD brain based on This theory.

The research failed to reveal the truth because those with brain atrophy had used psychostimulants prier to the research and the damage was already done.

If your child has never been exposed to psychostimulants like Ritalin, there would be no atrophy and chances are your child would be considered to have a normal brain by a neurologist which would rule out ADHD.

Some Osteopathic Physicians are dedicated to finding the underlying health conditions and learning differences often misdiagnosed as ADD and ADHD.

Nutritional deficiencies or excessive amounts of vitamins can be toxic to the body.
Iron deficiency: Iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying pigment in the blood. Iron is normally obtained through the food in the diet and by the recycling of iron from old red blood cells. The causes of iron deficiency are too little iron in the diet, poor absorption of iron by the body, and loss of blood. It is also caused by lead poisoning in children.

B vitamin deficiencies: Many experts believe that one of the main causes for inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, temper tantrums, sleep disorders, forgetfulness, and aggression are caused by faulty neurotransmissions a problem with the neurotransmitters in the brain. Vitamin B-6 is a necessary vitamin used in the making of neurotransmitters that affect behavior. A lack of this vitamin or really any other vitamin can cause a child to act inappropriately.

Excessive amounts of Vitamins: Excessive amounts of vitamins can be toxic to the body and may cause the same ADHD like symptoms. It is possible to overdose when taking vitamins so make sure you contact a physician and check for vitamin deficiencies before taking extra vitamins.

If your child is struggling or just not being challenged enough, Find a learning center that can identifying your child's specific needs and create a personalized program just for your child, with highly trained and certified teachers that work with your child individually, so your child receives the specific help he or she needs.

We have a law called the HIPAA law; Medical issues should be privet family matter.

I feel schools should stick to academics, and if a parent or guardian is duped into believing in a subjective diagnoses like ADHD it's personal.

If an educated parent or guardian prefers to find the real cause of their child’s difficulty rather than masking it with lethal, addictive psychotropic drugs, that’s their choice.

We like many other parents and guardians have been coerced into starting our children on these mind Altering drugs.

Our son’s school social worker told my wife and I if we refused to compile with their evaluation of ADHD and take our seven year old son to the doctor for Ritalin, that we could be charged by child protective services for neglecting his educational and emotional needs.

Some school officials even attempt to force parents into choosing between medicating their children as a prerequisite to attending class, this is criminal.

Nearly 4 million U.S. children under age 17 had been diagnosed with ADHD by 2004, according to the CDC.

Doctors wrote more than 5.6 million prescriptions for Adderall a drug used to treat ADHD during the first six months of 2005. That's a 15% increase over the same period a year before, according to IMS Health, a pharmaceutical information and consulting company.

That’s just Adderall alone, I don’t know the stats on all the other similar drugs like Ritalin and concerta.

Many parents and guardians have made complaints to legislators in Washington.

I personally went from room too room telling our story about how we were coerced into drugging our son with Ritalin.

And the fact that our 14-year-old son's death death certificate stats his death was caused from the use of Ritalin prescribed for ADHD.

It is unknown how often schools have tried to make medication a condition of attending class.

Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) says the House Education and Workforce Committee, which he leads, have received a number of complaints" from parents.

I would like to say to Rep. John Boehner, Thank you with all my heart for keeping your promise to me of perusing this very important issue of the forced drugging of so many American children.

This will not bring my son Matthew Smith back or all the other normal children that have died, but this new law will save the lives of many children and cut back on future drug addicts.

Written by Lawrence Smith
12/09/2005