First of all, being proud to put your kid on Ritalin is a bad thing. Ritalin, is a bad thing. Ritalin has been conclusively proven to cause the same reaction in the brains of both those with ADHD as those without it. The fact is this: Ritalin, affects the brain as has been conclusively proven quite recently in a bunch of studies, the same exact way as cocaine does. It is the exact equalent of feeding your child legally sanctioned cocaine. The only difference, is that the reaction to Ritalin, (for those with ADHD and without it, is that this reaction is enhanced.) IE you are sending your kid ona mega high.
Another fact, I want to see studies done on kids sent in to be tested for ADHD who actuallyt come out labled as NOT having it. In the last 20 years i have never heard of a single case. This diagnosis has absolutely no scientific grounding in methodology or standard of evidence. It is entirely based on subjective opinion. My husband a PHD at Vienna university's technical institute in theoretical physics confirms after a great deal of study on the methodology and standards of evidence applied to this "diagnosis" and it's process, confirms, that though ADHD may exist or maybe it doesn't, the methodology and standared of evidence lacks all scientific merits.
Another fact. there is no conclusive evidence that has yet been presented int he last 20 years that in any way validates and legitimizes this diagnosis with 1 small iotas worth of clinical organic proof. Oh there are plenty of theories and perhaps some of them do hold merit. But as of yet, even according to NIMH no proof exists. Which is why it is a disorder instead of a disease.
Your daughter is a high spirited child nothing more. I would sue my doctor for slander for slapping a lable on my kid without any organic evidence to back it up. But that is just me.
As for the rest of the evaluation stuff. There are different kinds of intelligence, spatial intelligence auditory intelligence verbal intelligence etc... The evaluation is checking on all these things to see where she falls in the schame of what is normal above aver and below average. It is normal for people with some sort of LD to fall very low in some things and then to score super high in others. Then to average out at about average. It can make learning harder for example if one has a high auditory intelligence in this society verses a high v isual intelligence. In that society is designed for highly visual people. Auditory functionality has become a secondary form of intelligence. Then, when put in a visual based learning environment for example, this child is at a disadvantage. The idea there is to understand how your child functions. What the best methods might be to teaching her in the future. What she is going to respond to the most. To see what the issue are that she must compensate for and what areas she is strong in and can use creatively to compensate for the weaker ones.
Take a deep breath. You sound scared. I think, it is time you take your child to another psychiatrist. One that isn't first order of business pop a pill! But one that looks to that as a final resort after all other forms of behavior modification have been tried for some time and have not eased the problem sufficiently. I am also very ticked that you sound so scared. And again, you must understand shrinks make money from drug companies for prescribing these drugs. They terrify parents into feeding their kids pills. This is a form of terrorism. And you have been made a victim of it. Maybe your child does suffer from some form of LD maybe even ADHD. But, i have been diagnosed with ADHD and undiagnosed with it now more times than i can count. Every other shrink i see says i have it and the next one says i don't. Don't let these terminologies scare you. Don't let them make you and your child a victim of the over drugging that goes on in this country. Some scary facts about drugs Over 66% of foster children in MA are on some form of anti psych med. Most of those being medications that are still in testing phases, the state is selling these kids as guinea pigs. The usa uses 99% of the world's supply or ritalin each year. The UN has issued statements against the over drugging of american children. Even the shrink that named ADHD in 1980 hhas stated it is medicated by far way too frequently.
I hope DRHD responds to this post because i think he can help you more than i can. But i think finding a new shrink that takes an honest non terroristic drug hyping aproach is in your best interests. Because at 7 your child's brain is still developing. Ritalin, has been proven conclusively, to shrink the frontal lobe (the logic center of the brain) roughly 5% with prolonged use. It has been known to cause tourrettes like symptoms, withdrawl has been a factor in several of the school shootings over the last 10 years. On top of that, it has been known to cause severe heart problems and death in some children as well as delusions.
Ritalin in no way affects or treats any of the symptoms of ADHD anymore or anymore effectively than a morning cup of coffee would. Because it is essentially the same thing a stimulant. The only difference is that it is alot less minor than they claim it is. The damage it can do to a developing brain is not known or fully understood. You couldn't pay me enough money to put my kid on that drug. Too dangerous! On top of that, i have witnessed first hand how these kids on it for long term get messed up. Trust me they do.
Having LD is not being retarded. It means your brain doesn't function as wqell in some ways as it does in others. And in other ways it's functionality is so superior it is off the charts. LD=Learning disabled. But it is better to think of it more as LD=Learning Differenced.
I know you are frusterated and scared and it is hard. It would rock if someone out there set up some sort of education for parents on how to navigate through all this nonsense and ont he terms etc so that parents could actually go into it knowing when they were being treated fairly and properly and with a full understanding of everything. But, the problem is, then the system would get financially burdened as parents would no longer be ignorant and could really effectively fight for their kids.
This is still your child. She may have LD she may have ADHD though there is a school of thought that that is a myth. I recommend that instead of looking into Chadd that is partially financed by the drug companies that you check out ablechild.org and Dr.Breggin among others. There are plenty of therapists out there who consider it a hoax and plenty who think medication is a bad idea.
But most importantly, protect your child from this nightmare that could consume her entire life and her entire identity. A label is a very powerful thing and it has a long history of destroying identities just ask the african population why they don't care for the N word or women why they hate the B word. Enough said there. So remember, and make sure everyone dealing with your child remembers that your child is your child and is who evver she is and not just a diagnosis or an LD or a learning issue that needs to be sorted. And don't let them scare you. Because, it may always have to be complicated and frusterating but it doesn't have to be terrorizing and terrifying. And when it is, it's time to dump the current "expert" and find one that doesn't need both hands to find his head up his ass.
Best of luck.
