This question is being asked a lot in homes today. The school nurse has lists of students who are to receive medication at school. But, are we too quick in our society to do the quick fix of taking a pill or is medication something some children really need to succeed in school?
This area is a little murky for parents who struggle with the idea of medicating their children for educational purposes. They see the troubles their child is encountering in school and want to do what is best for them. The decision they make will have a lasting effect on their child and his/her education. It is a weighty responsibility and not one to be taken lightly.
Some of the negative aspects are the side affects of medication and the need for medication to increase in dosage as the child gets older. Some common side effects of Ritalin are headache, nausea, and drowsiness according to http://adhd.emedtv.com/ritalin/ritalin-side-effects.html . Another concern is for students who have a behavior problem, are they being put on medication when discipline would work just as well or better? Some feel the medication is used to drug the child to make them calmer instead of dealing with the behavior problem.
Teachers can tell you they can see a real difference in some students who are on medication. They can tell it really helps the students perform better in class. With other students, some teachers cannot tell a real difference or they feel the medication just drugs the child and makes them too lethargic. This may mean that the medications need to be adjusted up or down depending on the specific student. As teachers, we are not doctors and can only make observations of what we see. Only the child’s physician can recommend to the parents what is best for their child.
I, personally, am on the leery side of medicating students too quickly, especially for a behavior problem. In my classroom, I always encourage parents to try behavior management strategies first. If these do not work then we move on to other alternatives.
The decision, and it is not an easy one to make, is ultimately in the hands of the child’s parents.
This area is a little murky for parents who struggle with the idea of medicating their children for educational purposes. They see the troubles their child is encountering in school and want to do what is best for them. The decision they make will have a lasting effect on their child and his/her education. It is a weighty responsibility and not one to be taken lightly.
Some of the negative aspects are the side affects of medication and the need for medication to increase in dosage as the child gets older. Some common side effects of Ritalin are headache, nausea, and drowsiness according to http://adhd.emedtv.com/ritalin/ritalin-side-effects.html . Another concern is for students who have a behavior problem, are they being put on medication when discipline would work just as well or better? Some feel the medication is used to drug the child to make them calmer instead of dealing with the behavior problem.
Teachers can tell you they can see a real difference in some students who are on medication. They can tell it really helps the students perform better in class. With other students, some teachers cannot tell a real difference or they feel the medication just drugs the child and makes them too lethargic. This may mean that the medications need to be adjusted up or down depending on the specific student. As teachers, we are not doctors and can only make observations of what we see. Only the child’s physician can recommend to the parents what is best for their child.
I, personally, am on the leery side of medicating students too quickly, especially for a behavior problem. In my classroom, I always encourage parents to try behavior management strategies first. If these do not work then we move on to other alternatives.
The decision, and it is not an easy one to make, is ultimately in the hands of the child’s parents.
picture from Fotosearch stock photography and stock footage: http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/medicine-bottle.html
