22 month old prescribed Ritalin?

[goldcatt]

A few more links on the subject:

On the study released in 2006:

The study began with an original enrollment of 303 children, aged 3 to 5 years, who had been diagnosed with ADHD. The first stage of the study, before the drug trial, was a 10-week parent training and behavioral therapy stage. N
early half of the children were pulled out of the study by their parents after that initial phase. According to the study's authors, the reduction in number was due to the success of the behavioral therapy or to a refusal on the part of the parents to include their children in the drug-trial part of the study.

In the drug study, 183 children took Ritalin for about a year, at varying doses. The average dose was 14 mg per day -- half the average dose given to children six and older.

HowStuffWorks "Is Ritalin treatment safe for preschool children?"

Argument FOR using Ritalin in preschoolers:

However, there are indeed children who begin early onset symptoms of ADHD. Their behaviors clearly must be so extreme and consistent across many situations that parents who do try to enforce discipline and boundaries discover that it is nearly impossible. There are several behaviors to watch for in preschoolers that may indicate ADHD:

(List at link)

Is Ritalin Safe for Preschoolers? - Ritalin Advisor

And this is just frightening:

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is no longer diagnosed just in schoolchildren. ADHD has already become the most common mental health diagnosis for children ages 3 to 5.

(Emphasis added)
Preschool ADHD

 

[Cold Fusion38]

And I think some parents, childcare providers, whatever just don't want to deal with the terrible twos. Or in older kids, what are really discipline (and sometimes neglect) issues. The magic pill is easier.

so let 'em eat prozac if they can't handle it

And if the child has an actual problem, find out what that spcific problem is and how to go about addressing it. A catch-all and a bunch of pills isn't always the answer. My son really does have a tactile sensitivity, and there really are ways to help him cope and become desensitized that have nothing to do with drugs or labels. It just takes a little extra time and patience. Call me old fashioned, but I think pills are sometimes but rarely the answer. Especially for very young kids.

I occasionally suffer from tactile sensitivity and it is NOT fun, a light caress from my wife is unpleasant, the feel of my clothing on my skin is unpleasant, and I don't think what I get is a bad case so I can only IMAGINE what a sever case would be like. I hope your boy gets better and I am sure if ANYTHING can be done to help him YOU are doing it and I commend you for it.

 

[AllieBaba]

I share an office with a child welfare worker who is one of 9 in the state participating in foster-care screening. His job is to survey children in foster care to determine if they are "graded" correctly (the grade determines the rate of reimbursement the foster parents receive.)

I listen to him, day in and day out, arguing with foster parents who think they should get a higher rate of pay because the foster kids they have had since infancy are "ADHD", or "sexually inappropriate" or "self destructive".

And when he asks what behavior or diagnosis makes them say that? They give lame ones..."The two year old cries if I leave him alone in the living room". "the 5 year old girl puts her legs in the air when she's wearing a dress" "This four year old threw herself on the floor, screamed and kicked when my husband tickled her."

No shit.

It's disgusting.

And I've gotten into arguments with women who wanted to have their two-year olds tested or medicated for ADHD.

I tell my co-worker all the time, "I'll trade kids with them to show them what some truly challenging behaviors are."

My kids are 6 & 7. They actually have improved drastically in the last six months....but for years they had zero impulse control (even for little kids they were pretty awful), would run (and FAST) in to the street or parking lot if you weren't hanging onto them. grab strange dogs, hug complete strangers, wake up 3-4 times a night, run away from me in public places.

My own mother and I think even my sister (though she was diplomatic) thought there was something wrong with them. I kept telling them, "they just need to grow up, eventually their ability to control themselves will catch up, they just need a little more time."

At times I doubted it myself. But FINALLY we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The thing is, different kids are different...and it's not symptomatic of anything being WRONG with them. They're kids. Their little brains and neurons develop at different rates. My first two were very sedate and well mannered from birth.

These two have a different dad, and they're VERY high energy, willful, and were incapable of modifying their behavior regardless of the consequences, until they just got some age on them.

I've been one very harried mom. And I absolutely refused to medicate them or even have them diagnosed...and I'm so glad.

 

[Againsheila]

I also doubt a doctor would sue a patient for not paying for her single office visit.

some would, it's called small claims court.

 

[Againsheila]

I share an office with a child welfare worker who is one of 9 in the state participating in foster-care screening. His job is to survey children in foster care to determine if they are "graded" correctly (the grade determines the rate of reimbursement the foster parents receive.)

I listen to him, day in and day out, arguing with foster parents who think they should get a higher rate of pay because the foster kids they have had since infancy are "ADHD", or "sexually inappropriate" or "self destructive".

And when he asks what behavior or diagnosis makes them say that? They give lame ones..."The two year old cries if I leave him alone in the living room". "the 5 year old girl puts her legs in the air when she's wearing a dress" "This four year old threw herself on the floor, screamed and kicked when my husband tickled her."

No shit.

It's disgusting.

And I've gotten into arguments with women who wanted to have their two-year olds tested or medicated for ADHD.

I tell my co-worker all the time, "I'll trade kids with them to show them what some truly challenging behaviors are."

My kids are 6 & 7. They actually have improved drastically in the last six months....but for years they had zero impulse control (even for little kids they were pretty awful), would run (and FAST) in to the street or parking lot if you weren't hanging onto them. grab strange dogs, hug complete strangers, wake up 3-4 times a night, run away from me in public places.

My own mother and I think even my sister (though she was diplomatic) thought there was something wrong with them. I kept telling them, "they just need to grow up, eventually their ability to control themselves will catch up, they just need a little more time."

At times I doubted it myself. But FINALLY we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The thing is, different kids are different...and it's not symptomatic of anything being WRONG with them. They're kids. Their little brains and neurons develop at different rates. My first two were very sedate and well mannered from birth.

These two have a different dad, and they're VERY high energy, willful, and were incapable of modifying their behavior regardless of the consequences, until they just got some age on them.

I've been one very harried mom. And I absolutely refused to medicate them or even have them diagnosed...and I'm so glad.

Just a note, the day my son ran from me and was almost hit by a car was the day I got a halter and leash for him. Yeah, I had some people telling me I was treating my kid like a dog, I had others tell me how smart I was. A mother only has two hands, we really should have a minimum of six.

 

[AllieBaba]

My kids wore those leashes until they wouldn't reach around their bodies anymore. And I wished they had bigger ones..I actually considered making my own harnesses for them.