In the United Stated there are currently millions of children being treated for ADHD, and that number is steadily growing. Currently, the most popular treatment for ADHD is medication; usually some form of amphetamine. There is a trend towards medicating children at younger and younger ages, and continuing to medicate them throughout their school years (at least). The process of medicating in itself is a process of trial and error. Doctors prescribe different medications at different doses until the parents and teachers of the children feel satisfied with the outcome. There is no medical test to absolutely determine whether or not a child has ADHD and there is no way to pre-determine a successful treatment plan. Additionally, long term effects of these medical treatments are unknown. For these reasons, the system is currently using millions of children as guinea pigs in ADHD treatment trials without any permission at all.
Children are labeled ADHD when they cannot sit and attend to the rigorous school day. I feel that, rather than studying medical procedures to mold children into the students we want them to be, we should be studying classroom procedures that allow children to be successful without altering their natural temperaments and personalities. If I had unlimited time and resources, I would study ways to change the educational system to allow children to feel happy, safe, comfortable, and able without medication. I strongly believe that it is not the children that must be altered but rather the system.
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