Ritalin Is Not the Answer: A Drug-Free, Practical Program for Children Diagnosed With Add or Adhd

by David B. Stein

At Last! A Healthy, Drug-Free Alternative to Ritalin

Nearly one-tenth of all school-aged children in the United States are being coerced into taking mood-altering drugs with side effects that include insomnia, tearfulness, rebound irritability, personality change, nervousness, anorexia, nausea, dizziness, headaches, heart palpitations, and cardiac arrhythmia. These are the children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ritalin Is Not the Answer confronts and challenges what has become common practice and teaches parents and educators a healthy, comprehensive behavioral program that really works as an alternative to the epidemic use of medication-without teaching children to use drugs in order to handle their behavioral and emotional problems.

Genres: Nonfiction

203 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 1999

Reviews

[Beth A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would be really good to read if you're ready to believe that ADD/ADHD is a behavioral problem that can be cured by really strict parenting and proper time out use.

I resented the fact that he called ADD a "not thinking" problem. And if it is a problem of "not thinking" he doesn't do well at describing how to teach the child (or myself) to "think".

I believe he is correct that a good, very consistent discipline program with lots of positive reinforcement would be helpful to someone with ADD, but I think that the stories of children magically overcoming their ADD when properly motivated are unrealistic.

I did like some parts. He reminded me of some of the good parenting techniques I learned from The Power of Positive Parenting: A Wonderful Way to Raise Children They both used words like “target behavior” and “positive reinforcement” and “extinction.”

But whether it’s a “disease” or not, ADD is a real condition. And if it is possible to cure without stimulant medications, I would expect that cure to be more than a really “good” discipline program. Actually, I found his discipline system to be too rigid. Yes, consistent, immediate consequences are very important, but timeouts don’t work for every child. And I thought his removal of privileges too severe, and the consequences sometimes too distant from the immediate situation.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent ways on getting your distracted your child one on one with you and the rest of the family along with the schools!!!