There's a bandwagon traveling from school to school in this country. It's the ADD-ADHD bandwagon and everybody is jumping on. Parents, teachers, students, specialists, administrators, pediatricians ... everybody. The song goes like this: "He's hyper, she's antsy and they can't concentrate. Let's medicate! If one drug doesn't work, let's try another one!"

I say, "Stop the music and stop it now!"

My colleagues tell me that referrals for ADD-ADHD evaluations outnumber other referrals by a huge margin (as many as seven to one). Adults everywhere are looking for the quick fix. But even more troubling, are the teachers, new as well as experienced teachers, who tell parents directly that their children should be on medication.

A fellow school psychologist, Guy McBride, sounds loud, cautionary notes about this trend when he writes:

"Teachers and parents need to be educated as to all the pitfalls and possible contraindications to a pharmaceutical intervention. That might not cut down on referral rates; but it might temper teacher enthusiasm.

"We have seen almost all the side effects in our county, including children who couldn't sleep, children whose anxiety went through the roof, children who seemed fine at school but exploded at home when the medication wore off, kids who suffered from tachycardia, kids who sold their drugs to other kids, children whose Tourette's symptoms were exacerbated by inappropriate medication, and kids who developed problems in self-confidence from teachers who innocently inquire, whenever they get just a wee bit rambunctious, 'Did you forget your meds today?'

"The research says growth problems have reportedly not been documented, but we have seen kids who didn't need to lose weight, drop when they should have been gaining. We have seen children do well on brand name drugs and go down the tubes on generics; children who were just fine on the regular pills but who went back to baseline on sustained release.

"Most of these problems could have been worked through had parents been appropriately prepared for these possibilities. Unfortunately, when they have not been prepared, parents feel betrayed and further efforts at intervention are compromised. We had one parent who took us to the court, suing a teacher she believed had inappropriately coerced her to put her child on Ritalin. She lost, but so did everyone else. When trust is gone, it is hard to get it back, and the one thing we need in successfully working with children is a team spirit, not an adversarial relationship." -- Guy McBride, School Psychologist

A parent who wrote to me, expressed similar frustrations with the label-and-medicate craze.

"Teachers, social workers and principals treat me, the parent, like I'm the bad one for not standing over my child like a drill sergeant and seeing to it that he dots every "i" and crosses every "t." I feel that parents have a place in their child's education, but I also feel that there are paid professionals who are supposed to be instructing them. I am tired of hearing the teacher tell me that the classroom aide spends half her day with "my son, because he can't help it."

I tell her he can help it, if you tell him to behave and that you will not tolerate such behavior. I live with him, and what I say goes. He is hyperactive, but I feel that this ADD-ADHD stuff is really getting out of hand. The government (and colleges) need to train teachers for a new generation of quick thinkers and brilliant pacers. My son is not retarded, nor is he academically slow. He is hyper, curious, witty, computer literate, compassionate, loving, happy, harmless and artistically talented. But he has the labels ADHD, cannot focus, cannot sit still, cannot follow directions, cannot, cannot, cannot.

He has read two grade levels above his placement since first grade (he's now in fifth); he's in phase II math for next year; and he just told me how to do an algebra problem today. He can, can, can.

Ritalin is not always the answer. My son was taken off it because he developed "tics" which, after two months off, are still there. He may never be rid of these tics, all because trained professionals labeled him a hyperactive, cannot control himself, pest. --- Who Do I use?

Author's Note: I've posted several articles here about ADD-ADHD. Reader questions and comments about it continue to flood in. For many parents and their children, medical treatment for ADD-ADHD has been a Godsend. I recognize its value (for some children) as part of a comprehensive treatment approach based on a comprehensive evaluation, developed on a child by child basis. The "one size fits all" mentality is what I object to. Each child has unique learning needs and is entitled to instruction that addresses those unique needs. Any and all questions about medication should be referred to qualified medical professionals. Let's stay off the bandwagons.