Back when I was a kid, in the 1940s, it was paregoric. In fact parents would laugh about using it, shutting up the little shit, for a while. I don't think they were serious, just needed some relief. But, that was then, like you say.
My mom had a prescription for paregoric to take for stomach troubles for years. It tasted like licorice, and it really did work when my tummy was unhappy. It wasn't until years later that I found out it was an opioid.
Wow, I remember paregoric. It was for what ailed the stomach. Luckily, in Brooklyn, we kids ran around, played stoop ball, rode our bikes into Prospect Park, and so on, so no one medicated us.
(But we never shouted and shrieked. We weren't allowed.)
I didn't have a student on medication until the early 2000s, I think. And until then, they did homework unless they had a really good excuse, their parents didn't yank them out of school three days before Easter break in order to get in a few more days of skiing in Switzerland, and I never had to pull anyone aside for misbehavior in, or worse, monopolizing of, the class.
Things changed. Parents became friends to their children? Teachers became employees? Kids became royalty?
Still, I was lucky. I was relatively old, I remembered when teachers were the bosses, the parents never messed with me, and so their kids didn't either. The newer administrators were another story.
I loved my job.
I know some children need to be medicated, but in general it's a terrible idea, for lots of reasons, well stated in this essay.
My cousin's husband was put on an antidepressant after she died, and he couldn't get himself off it in order to try a drug that might have retarded his Parkinson's. But then, the poor guy didn't see much point in living anyway.
I'm not sure why it took so long to diagnose him. And then when they did, it took forever to ween him off of what he was on and start a drug that might help.
If E. had been alive, she would have forced him to walk and to exercise. He walked a bit with me but not enough. It was all very sad.
They were a lovely couple. I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by people who loved each other -- my parents, E. and her husband, her parents -- it was a good lesson.
My heart is breaking, Pamela. When I grew up in St. Paul, it was a wonderful place to call a hometown. It's unbelieveable the way the Twin Cities have been destroyed so quickly!
They took advantage of "Minnesota nice" and used it for a commie takeover. Exactly what the muslims are trying to do. Wouldn't surprise me if China recruited the muzzles to do their dirty work.
The current Governor of Minnesota is Tim Walz, and the Lieutenant Governor is Peggy Flanagan ( the lunatic who wore the "defend Trans kids" t-shirt with the knife on it). Is anyone surprised?
Absolutely not. Let's add Omar, Frey, Ellison, that idiot mayoral candidate, and some others I can't think of right now. Yes, the voters in MN are proving that they are as stupid as the ones in CA, WA, and OR...may even more.
Intended exaggeration. Not sure about minny but burning certain flags in other places are considered hate crimes ( not the US flag the burning of which is protected under 1A). There is a clear double standard in the public square. That's the point i wanted to.make. this is especially the case in western Europe these days
Wow. Thank you for this enlightening essay. I have heard hints about and seen glimpses of this widespread problem, and it is good to get some professional on the ground conformation about the harsh reality of the situation, even if the truth is depressing as hell.
Adrian, powerful stuff . This needs to be shared as much as possible. If only every newborns parents could be required to read it. Never a better time for a sick kid and never a more dangerous time for a healthy kid. That hit me right in the face. Thank you
I already shared to X. The problem is so big though--so webbed together with all else that has gone wrong--toxic fake foods, chemicals, kids in schools like it is daycare as both parents have to work and are stressed out, rapacious industries, some of whom target children, and on and on.
It’s also been politicized to the point of insanity. RFKJr wants to do something about a lot of this but because he is in Trump’s cabinet half the country has hysterical fits over it. I don’t like him either (he is a Kennedy and I despise the entire Kennedy Klan) but he isn’t wrong.
I just think the entire Kennedy Klan is evil. The men are horrible and get away with everything and the women aren’t any better. I don’t understand the worship they get and think they are entitled to. That said, I hope RFKJr can do something about this drug and food chemical mess.
This happened to my son 25 years ago. Now after the oxy debacle, plandemic, trans drugs, Im starting to think pharmacology doesn't really have humanity in its best interests....
During Covid, many of my women friends were being prescribed anti anxiety meds. Given the circumstances, it was quite normal to be anxious. No need to medicate for it. I am still furious that two years of our lives were stolen from us by Fauci.
Right, and his perfidy goes back to the AIDS issue. And what he funds to be "scientifically explored." Those poor beagle dogs, for instance, nevermind the GOFunction labs.
I have become increasingly opposed to animal exerimentation period. I have since forgotten both the author name and title of the book, ( sorry I used to have a good memory for that stuff but lately mind seems more seive like than ever!) It was written by a doctor MD from Spain and he pointed out that quite a bit of animal experimentation doesn't even translate well to humans bodies anyway, never mind the horrible torture of these creatures. Apparently animal studies are so numerous because it is much cheaper to experiment on animals than to organize and pay for human studies. The reality of academia/medicine is such that you must publish or perish and so they do a ridiculous amount of seemingly worthless, cheaper animal studies because then they can publish them.
Yes. I as an individual got out relatively unscathed (have a job where working from home was feasible, and a living situation that made working from home pleasant enough) but both my then-teenage daughter and my older parents missed out on irreplaceable life experiences on account of the lockdowns.
My mind was exploding with responses and personal connections, as I read your piece. Thank you, so much.
For the past 3 school years, in addition to teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities, I have been tasked with teaching 2 classes of students who are in general education and receive special ed support. My class is a forced elective, for these students. Nearly all of them are boys. The first year, they were 2 large classes full of students with behavioral challenges and referrals. The last 2 years, it's been an executive functioning/study skills class for students who struggle to pay attention. These classes are NINETY minutes long and forced upon middle school boys, grades 6-8. Recipe for disaster.
Some of these boys are ready to jump out of their skin, with excess energy. I'm thankful, for 34 years of being a mother to 3 boys who were exhaustingly challenging when they were younger. I made mistakes and learned from them. I can step back and see how many ways we are failing these kids and have absolutely insane expectations of them. I am forced to be on this ride, along with them, to keep a roof over my family's head, since my options are very slim.
I see students who would benefit from a shop class or extra time in PE. I see students who would benefit from very physical electives and opportunities to make things with their hands and learn about what they're capable of. I think these are things they would enjoy and get much more out of. But, nobody is going go listen to me, on anything. I've been shown that, very quickly. So, the best I can do is support students who try to transfer to a class they'd enjoy.
Who needs 90 minutes, 2-3 times a week, to talk about how to stay on top of their homework and classwork? It's an exercise in futility, for all of us. The classes are completely idealistic and give parents false hope. You want one of the fun electives, with your peers? You have to endure 2 years of this kind of stuff, first, maybe 3. Maybe, when you're in 8th grade, you might get lucky and get into Art class. Further complicating this issue as that most of my students are not fluent in reading/writing in English and many are not fluent in reading/writing in their native language, either. Yet, the expectations for them to perform (ie successfully pass standardized tests) have been dramatically increased. Oh, we're now asking Kindergarteners to do homework and thinking it's a great idea to push Algebra in 6th grade. One year, an entire school's 4th grade classes had to go backwards, 2 quarters, because none of the kids had the foundational skills needed to move forward. Last year, apparently 50% of our school failed their reading tests. Yet, we need to double down and push harder.
Sadly, I was one of those vulnerable, trusting, and profoundly naive parents when I was young. I was heavily pressured, by a school Principal, into seeking out medication for one of my kids, for boyish behavior that was completely normal and allowed when I was a child. Behaviors now banned in school. I did not know that they were wrong. But, I did listen to my child and got them off the medication.
We have to control children in order to force them to complete unreasonable, developmentally inappropriate tasks. But, no one is listening. You should see the nutty expectations of my work-skills classes. Students who will never work, never volunteer, never live without nursing support, are expected to be in a work skills class, where I ask them questions to plan their future careers, at the age of 11. I wish I was joking. I have a student who has his fingers in his mouth all day, holding a rubber chewy item. He drools, picks sores in his skin, bangs his head on the desk, and makes incessant noises. He paces the room, with an awkward walk due to many surgeries and physical disabilities. This is how he spends his school days. He does not speak, does not follow instructions, and you cannot assist him with physical activities as he will fully resist any efforts. Yet, I am supposed to teach him about the world of work and plan his future career. The same level of utopian fantasyland here. I could go on, with many more unreasonable examples. It all comes from the same misguided place.
The theory is that we are starting early, because they need more time. We are doing things that are developmentally inappropriate for students without disabilities, because the students are developmentally delayed. Yet, this makes sense to these people. The same people who destroyed Kindergarten and think it's perfectly sound to have a 5 year old learn to read and require them to take tests and do homework.
I am right there, with you, trying not to lose my mind. The best I can do is keep as much sane reality as possible, when these kids are in my room. I get it.
Thank you, so much. I figure that I am there to bring the best I can to these kids. That's my job. I support my students and try to help them get to know themselves, better. The whole system is broken and needs to be scrapped. Maybe, then, we can scrap the ADHD meds, too.
Heck to the yes. It's the definition of insanity. Add in the stress from the students behavior and the significant injury risk and I am looking for my next door.
You are there to bear witness and raise awareness to those of us who do not have first hand knowledge or experience in your field. Keep telling your story. You may save a child(ren) by doing so. You are doing Godly work and bless you for doing it. This broken system must be exposed. It benefits no one and does irreparable harm to the poor souls that are caught up in this insanity. Sending gratitude and a BIG HUG your way. XOXO
More and more parents are using vouchers or homeschooling to get their kids out of the public schools. I’ve been hinting that to my kids (who have babies) as well.
I had that conversation with my son just a few days ago. No hints. I told him point blank that he owes it to them. Then sweetened the proposition by pointing out how much he will also be enriched by it. His kids are 2, 4 and 7
If my daughter ends up having kids, I wonder if she would be open to homeschooling them given the nonsense she went through in the public school system. (Including two years of high school mostly “remote learning” because of Covid in a blue state.)
My first teaching year was during the lockdown nightmare. I cannot do the madness justice in a comment. I'm sure your daughter's experience mirrors the messes our students had to endure.
There are networks of homeschoolers out there who make homeschooling easier--as they work together in groups. Some churches also have some good schools.
My middle guy was talking about it, today, during our morning walk. He's been thinking it, for a while. He wants to be a father, someday, and he wants the best for his kids.
I can't help wondering....sure, there have always been kids like the ones you describe, but I could swear it was rare. I just don't remember kids like that in the 60s. I don't remember so much fidgeting that teachers were sending kids to the nurse. There was some acting out (I, a girl, had to be taken to task for some hyperactive behaviors) but something in general is just plain wrong. Mothers generally had a lot more kids to deal with back in those days as well.
And of course, rather than acknowledge that something -- either in the environment, or in the excessive number of childhood vaccines -- may be corrupting the kids, the left leans into defending autism as a desirable identity. Why can't these people separate concern for eliminating a condition, if possible, from DISLIKING the people with the condition? This is so low IQ I can't wrap my brain around it.
Has a lot in common with "autism," doesn't it? Easy to hang on an ever broadening population for that which was mostly normal not long ago and sells chemicals. Hmmm.
We had one girl in high school that refused to speak. She would get to class and stand inches from the door waiting for the door to be opened. I remember her returning a book to the library( that was one of my nothing electives senior year) at year end and owing a fine. If you had fines you couldn’t graduate. I basically waived it off. Can’t remember if she had any reaction
Others would see her out of school with her mom chatting away. Was she weird? Absolutely. Did anyone care? Nope.
I had a friend who didn't speak much. Interestingly enough, when she was an infant, her mother left her on her grandparents' farm, where she grew up partly feral. She retained some of that into adulthood.
I had a student who didn't speak much -- a delightful kid, though. And because I had a friend in high school who didn't speak much but made you roar with laughter when she did, I didn't mind so much that my student chose to listen.
I don't remember many like that .... but a few boys who were class disruptors. They just weren't coddled or attention brought to them.
My brother was the "retarded" kid in our school, he spent an extra year in kindergarten and was pushed along through the years to graduation, without having mastered many of the skills required (reading and math). He had basic skills and a sunny disposition ... he didn't even realize that he was being mocked or bullied ... he just went merrily on his way. His sisters did a tremendous amount of protection and bullying back to keep him physically safe from harm. After graduation he joined the Navy .... he spent 4 years and never rose above the initial "private" status (I think they called it something else). They taught him to follow directions, orders, and has been a school bus driver for 30+ years. He excels in that framework, as long as he is not expected to make decisions or choices about the end goal or methods. He is 65 years old and expects to retire next year.
You reminded me -- my younger brother was one of those kinds of kids. He didn't learn to speak fully until he was about six, so there were concerns that he was retarded. Turns out he has a high IQ., but he also thrashed in his bed and acted out in various ways that drove us nuts.
Then as an adult with three children, he learned a trade, and uses his bordering-on-autism obsessions with numbers to win at fantasy baseball, and run a side business selling magazine ads on ebay. In some ways, he turned out to be the most successful among us, which no one in our family ever would have predicted. And for someone who doesn't read he possesses an impressive vocabulary.
In my class, his name was Ernesto. My stepfather called him "Ants in the pants". He could not stay in his seat. Ernie grew up to be a great husband and father. Hardworking guy with a good career. I saw him at a recent reunion.
I think parents were much more prone to discipline decades ago. Kids learned FAFO at home and then they got it. Therefore they brought that attitude to school and there were less disruptions. Not to say some kids actually do have adhd etc. but it’s not the amount of kids we see today!
And in small towns, the whole community "parented." If you did something wrong, it would beat you home. And whatever adult witnessed, that person would call out the problem immediately. Now we don't have that kind of community and parents resent anyone who calls our one of their children.
I agree with you. I do wonder how much electronic/digital usage and the great increase babies and toddlers being raised in daycare, has on this as well as the high number of vaccinations. There is a dramatic increase in children who have tremendous impulse control challenges, profound communication deficits, and significant behavior issues. Violent behavior. I've been terrified by some things that have occurred and we had a teacher so badly injured, she didn't return. I see it first hand, between my job and my son who has Autism. He's not violent or aggressive. But, he has so many struggles. So many broken and damaged kids. It's not normal. Someone damaged my son, irreparably and I can promise you that he is aware of his differences and it's devastating. He was not born this way and I worry for his future, when I can't provide a roof for him. It's something I have to plan for, on my own.
Almost 20 years ago I read that there aren't enough places to house the truly violent autistic kids--and some are REALLY hard to manage and are physically violent when triggered. And some grow up to be big, too, so parents can't stop them. So, yes, we have a huge problem on our hands in terms of so many kids today being damaged. The data is just off the charts now.
You are very correct, about this. I was a member of an online group for parents of adult children, with autism. Some of the stories were frightening. There were mothers hiding from adult sons, in fear of their lives. They had no options, other than going to the emergency room for treatment. These women were also racked with guilt, for seeking support and protection from their own offspring.
It's unforgivable, in my opinion, that we have no place for violent individuals to live. It's also driving me out of my mind, to see students who are not violent and aggressive, forced to be in classes with students who can be scary to go to school with. Why is that okay? I've seen people justifying it, saying they get used to it or it's really not that bad, doesn't affect them.
Bologna. I see the impact. I've seen students hiding from peers and I've seen behavior completely change, when a student who should be in a different school, comes into the room. Why should these students be tormented, just because they have a disability? If I was a parent and saw what goes on in these rooms, I'd sue the school system until there was nothing left.
But, I'm unable to do anything and our hands are completely tied, legally, by the state and our district. Students are also allowed to destroy my things, with no recourse. I can spend my own time and money, pursue grants, spend thousands of hours to create and gather things, and a student can go on a rampage for 30-40 minutes and destroy things. The school won't pay for it. They didn't even provide me with what I needed to get started, just a. nearly empty trashed room filled with discarded textbooks. They won't even pay if your glasses get broken by a student. The response is that they're personal property.
Thank you, Louisa. It's actually been really helpful, to have these conversations. So many things make sense, now, including the way I get treated by other adults. My family is reassessing, for many reasons, including this issue.
While I wouldn’t discount toxic environmental or pharmaceutical reasons for behavioral changes, I also think that there was a sea-change in parenting methods during/after the 1960s.
For the past few generations, children have been permitted to behave in ways that would have brought severe consequences in the past. Recent generations of children have been louder, more disruptive, and more aggressive — because, like today’s criminals, they suffer, no consequences whatsoever for their bad behavior.
An anecdote may help. A former friend was inordinately proud of his grandson. He would regale anyone, and everyone was stories of how intelligent, how wonderful his grandson was. Note that this is someone who did such a poor job of raising his own daughter (the mother of said grandson) that she was often unwilling or unable to care for him. This meant that the grandparents spent a lot of time with the child, picking him up from school, keeping him for sometimes days or weeks at a time. Grandpa wants recounted how, when the child disagreed with what grandpa told him to do (no matter how practical and ordinary) grandpa would permit the child “negotiate“ a better deal. No, how do you think that would play out at school? And, for that matter, later in life? For that child, authority figures can be safely ignored, and your own wishes can be substituted for any rules. Sheesh, what a nightmare!
I would also suggest that working mothers aren’t available to discipline children properly. Rearing children has become secondary to working outside the home. And yes, the aversion to patriarchal authority has parents - mothers in particular- derelict in duty.
Over 20 years ago even— the woman upstairs was CARRYING her six year old because “he wants it.” Another friend breast fed FAR TOO LONG. Another mother was asking a three year old what she wanted for dinner! I almost ran over there to say: She’s eating whatever you give her!
So we have extremes on both sides— too much mothering, and not enough.
In my own experience, eating what was set in front of me lent itself to being sanguine about whatever is set down in front of me. I’m the last person in any group to demand we eat what I want.
[So Dog, how's it in your neighborhood tonight? I have a guy on the avenue three houses south of me blasting a boombox for hours. Did the 311 bit, the precinct said it corrected the problem, and I wrote back Try again. I know it's a holiday, but no one else's holidays inflict this nonsense on the rest of the world; here, it's actually worse than usual. And the music is so moronic. Don't think the Pakistanis want to hear it either.]
I wonder whether 311 truly did anything about it! When I finally broke down and called last year during the ASSAULT OF THE BLOCK PARTIES, they said they were sorry but there was nothing they could do.
Now I'm sitting here asking myself how it could be so quiet! Yes the park was humping and thumping, and I passed several HUGE SPEAKERS in setbacks around the barbecues, but shockingly enough, it's QUIET on Throop Avenue (knock wood).
I have heard fireworks though.
And it may be that they didn't give permits for block parties this year, or maybe the neighborhood is...ahem...changing...because there weren't many block parties this summer either.
Anyway, good luck getting through it. And I'm sorry you have to endure it. It truly is awful...
Finally the guy must have left. Some cars roared by thumping, but they were a passing thing. Now it's quiet.
Well, good for your neighborhood! Bring on gentrification, which is, after all, a returning of neighborhoods to the gentry who built the brownstones.
I sometimes have luck with the cops. I'm glad I don't have their job. When our next mayor takes over, noise complaints, however shakily handled now, will be a thing of the past.
I was born in 1959, was in elementary school in the 60s and graduated high school in 1977. We had a lot more freedom as children, a lot less device/mechanical distractions, a LOT less TV and much more time running around outside. You have probably heard old people talk about how our moms would kick us out of the house during summer vacation to run around the neighborhood with other kids, not coming back home until dinner time. We weren’t really unsupervised because all the other moms in the neighborhood kept an eye out because their kids were running around, too. We even had woods to play in. A lot of us also had jobs before we were legally able because we worked in the family businesses, which were all blue collar jobs like printer, auto mechanic, etc.
Thank you for sharing. My youngest son is likely just like one of your students. Add into it that his formative learning years 4th-6th were during Covid and my child is much farther behind than the school would like to admit. I’m so mad at myself for not trusting my gut.
Trusting your gut… and doing what? Pulling him from school? Genuinely curious. Mine was also in a formative phase (early high school) during Covid, and it affected both her education and her socialization. I’m still bitter about the schools having been closed for so long. Especially after reading David Zweig’s book about how it really didn’t have to be that way. But even if we had tried to homeschool her, it’s not like she would’ve been allowed to socialize with anyone at that time in this state.
Pulling him from public school and putting him in a catholic or private school.
He doesn’t know to use capital letters to start a sentence. It’s that bad which I didn’t realize because school work is all on the computer and his teachers said he’s doing fine! Uh, no, this is not ok.
My super-Democrat friends are outraged that Trump wants to get rid of the Department of Education (est. 1979). “Our children won’t learn anymore!” they screech. Each and every one of them are as old as I am and were educated before there was a DOE. Since its inception, reading and math scores have plummeted, there is too much emphasis on psychiatric and cultural BS (math is racist, correct spelling isn’t important) and “feelings” plus all kinds of weird indoctrination (boys can be girls). Homeschooling seems to be the only way to know what your children are being taught and to track their progress because schools will not help you.
Every post I see on TwiX where Dems are trying to complain that we shouldn't get rid of the Department of Education ends up being a complete self-own. Our schools are failing BECAUSE the feds (with their Leftist ideologies) meddled in education. Everything connected to education has gotten WORSE since 1979.
My oldest son has seen to do ok, however, not nearly as well educated as I was in my opinion. I think a lot has to do with lack of reading for many kids - even the super smart ones struggle with vocab on SATs. I suspect COVID and the way my son was taught to read (not phonetically like we were and the method that has been re-instated after disastrous results). I also think since we were working parents, we weren’t as on top of it all after school. I do blame myself too.
Based on complaints on TwiX, dogs are becoming a significant problem in cities, because people treat them like children...and fail to discipline, just as they fail to discipline children.
Most dog breeds have been bred to WORK. You take away the ability to do what they are bred to do, and it's no wonder they go nuts.
Wow! Thanks for sharing. The madness all starts these days with the Schools of Education, which were taken over sometime ago by the politically correct ideologues, the suckers for the latest faddish textbooks being pumped out, people motivated by money instead of spreading knowledge, and the malign influence of powerful teachers’ unions.
I’m a product of public education all the way through grad school and law school. Two of my adult kids had careers as public school classroom teachers, although one has become a lawyer and the other is a high school principal now training for superintendency (is that a word?). I’ve watched everything unravel in the public education sphere, with the dwindling number of honorable teachers swimming against the powerful tides of wokeness, greed, power, and the protections in place for bad teachers. It’s so sad, and it’s badly damaging the younger generations - with predictable, observable consequences for our society.
My heart is breaking Nicole Ann. Thanks for sharing. I can't even... And note that we are all tip-toeing around the issue of vaccine mental and physical damage. It has been swept under the carpet for decades and decades. By California state data, 1 in 8 boys now has autism.
The boy you described would have been institutionalized once. Or perhaps a valiant mother would have cared for him at home, and been considered a hero for it. Now parents are able to offload the responsibility to public schools and pretend they aren't institutionalizing their child, even though he's being managed by strangers for most of the day. The 'work skills' class is part of the illusion that he will somehow magically become functional someday.
Exactly, Celia. You'd be told "he's entitled to an education" and "every child can learn" and "we'll let our students surprise us". He's been there 3 years. First year, his math goal was to point to something he likes. The only thing happening with this student, is that he's getting larger and stronger and more resistant to walking the direction we need him to. He's started walking around the room and laying across people's desks while they're working-which is obviously irritating to them. He bumps into people, to interact with them, and when he grabs you it hurts. HIs fingers are hard and strong, with rough nails. He wears a helmet to protect his head, because he bangs it and gouges his face. He is never going to work. I am so sick of pretending and feeling as if we are cheating all of these kids in the process. I had one parent actually tell me it rubbed salt in her wounds to ask her what future career she saw her child having. I was legally bound to fill out the form.
Somehow, it's become normalized to expect staff to be skilled in nursing care: G-tubes, changing diapers on teens, managing diabetes, managing physical mobility needs with wheelchairs and walkers, hand feeding students, etc. I finally put the mental pieces together. I've been told both that I'm too hard on myself and that I am never satisfied. That's not the truth. The truth is that there are extraordinarily unreasonable expectations piled high on me, without adequate resources or support. I am someone who is a natural troubleshooter and I see small, easy ways we can do better.
But, I work in a world where people just focus on checkboxes. They don't want to troubleshoot or plan ahead. They definitely don't want my input and do not respect any knowledge I bring to the table. I am constantly feeling inadequate, because the expectations are insane. How do you teach work-skills to a student who is in a wheelchair and barely is able to have independent mobility of his eyes and has no independent movement of his body? I'm expected to occupy students like this, for 90 minutes, with meaningful instruction and activities (which are NOT provided for me). I can promise. you that the thousands of hours of effort matter to almost no one. I work invisibly, unless there's a criticism. I'm also treated like a babysitter, because the electives are providing planning time for the other teachers. This post and ongoing comment conversation has been very helpful.
Great article, thank you. When I read articles like this I visualize sales meetings, graphs, numbers. That's what it is all about. The sales departments of pharmaceutical companies exist to growi sales. Every person who works in sales is motivated to increase sales. Everyone, young sales people, middle managers, top level managers. Sales must increase, or, they lose money, maybe their jobs. That's it. That's the incentive. That's the motivation. That's the reality. Only our government can fight them, that's why RFK Jr must be removed. They tried so very hard to destroy him and they failed, but they're not about to give it up. He's costing them billions, and if he stays, it will only get worse, much much worse for pharmaceutical sales. The news media, the politicians working to remove him, are corrupted by this money stream. It's so simple yet so many are still blind to it. The Biggest Phony of The Week award has to go to Bernie Sanders
Bernie was it “RFK jr must resign “ or some such? NYT comments weeping and wailing about having difficulty getting their 100th Covid vaccine. Most normal people have vaccine fatigue. My own doctor says most of his patients are just mentally “done” with Covid. But then, Times readers are not normal people.
We have to control children. Control. Isn’t that the game the elites are playing? They want to control everything and everyone. From thoughts and speech, to the lightbulbs you can buy, to the type of stove you use, to the physical activity of children. It’s so 1984.
I stand in awe this morning of our Dr. Gaty - and thank you, again, dear Celia.
It takes courage to stand against the machine - of the leftist conformists who run the medical associations and their allies in Big Pharma, which puts profits over health and safety. always. Wasn't it one of Hillary's vile minions who said they wanted a docile and compliant populace - easy to control and manipulate? Not only do they use drugs to make students conform, but they won't hesitate to bludgeon into conformity anyone who dares oppose their dreadful dogma. Human history and liberty has never advanced under a dreary and mediocre conformity and servile obeisance. Today our medical profession has never been held in lower regard. Why? The legions of drones who will not, or cannot, think out of the box and question orthodoxy. Bleeding, disbelief in pathogens, and electrocution were once the norm. Oppose them and ostracism was your reward. This was, of course, writ large during the Covid orgy of stupidity and cowardice. Physicians such as Dr. Gaty should be praised and heralded. We need more Dr. Gatys. And doctors Malone, Makary, Battacharya and the like. Doctors with hearts, minds and souls who are unafraid to speak truth against the leftist automatons and corporatist rent seekers who profess to represent "the science." Yes, those just like the grasping, demented dwarf who insisted "oy yam da soi-yence" while committing crimes against humanity worthy of Mengele.
I so agree Bruce. "They" went too far though, and now the truth is emerging. "They" have harmed too many people--and that goes for all these industries that are out of control.
About 35 years ago, they started really pushing ADHD -- I was pregnant with my eldest and can remember reading articles about in the US Parenting magazine that my mother sent me on subscription. It was supposed to be a short term thing which would help with focus etc. but people were supposed to outgrow it.
I dread to think what would have happened to Winston Churchill or the Duke of Wellington if they had been given various chemical coshes.
So often these people seem to want a label, rather than accepting that personalities do vary and sometimes children really need to exercise. I know my lot were all better behaved when they walked to and from school. It is the decompression which can get lost.
I also know if my children had too much screen time, they had to decompress. It is hard for young children to concentrate for a long time like.
Computers and scrolling is a fairly solitary activity. It is hard for children to interact with their parent/caregiver if the parent/caregiver is otherwise occupied.
Our oldest son had ADHD from birth. (When his younger brother was born, I finally had confirmation of my instincts that our oldest had never been 'normal.') As he became a toddler, his hyperactivity became more and more obvious, and I was well aware that if nothing changed, we were going to be pressured to give him meds when he started school.
I had started studying homeopathy, and had already seen it work--it put a rapid end to the weird demonic-possession-like tantrums he would have upon waking from his nap every day. (And when I say 'put a rapid end,' I don't mean to the individual tantrums, although it did do that; after the second dose, there were no more of those tantrums ever again.) So I decided to seek out formal homeopathic care to try to 'fix' the ADHD before he reached school age.
Although the ADHD never resolved fully, it did improve enough that we were never pressured to medicate him. When he was eleven, a counselor did suggest a trial of Adderall, and our son wanted to give it a try, so I grudgingly allowed it. But it had no visible effects on his behavior, so we quit after a couple of months.
As a teacher and a parent of kids with ADHD and ADD, I have to say that there ARE kids who truly benefit from medication. Their ability to do their school work goes up exponentially; their stress level, anxiety, and frustration decreases exponentially. They don't make as many poor choices because their impulsivity decreases. Their self-esteem increases as their ability to focus and meet academic goals increases. They are so much happier when they are successful in school and their frustration and anxiety are decreased. Other kids respond to them better, too.
I can also say that my mother was ADHD, and I can only imagine how much better and less stressful her life would have been if there had been meds for her in the 1950s. She would have been much more successful in her career and her life--better choices because she would have been less impulsive and much less anxious. The family would also have benefitted from a mother who wasn't filled with overwhelming anxiety and manically exercising.
I feel so bad for all those boys in my 4th-6th grade classes who were always sent to the principal (and are now CEOs or in jail!). Definitely, a few of them would have had a much better school experience (and life experience) had there been ADHD meds for them.
My mother had ADHD, both my kids have ADHD, their dad has ADHD. When I had a conversation with the kids psychiatrist, he said, "gee, you spend a LOT of your day doing work-arounds. Do you want to try ritalin?" It occurred to me that my house was filled with sticky notes, there are notepads all over (I can't remember anything unless I write it down), I have trouble processing a lot of verbal information at once, and I can't remember what I thought about 3 seconds ago. Oh, I need to go into the kitchen to get a pen. When I get to the kitchen, I don't know why I'm there. I had to study 3x longer and harder than all my high school and college classmates because my mind wanders when I read. All of these issues caused a lot of anxiety.
SO.... I tried ritalin. What a difference! I had no idea I was actually smart and competent! What a difference this med would have made to my school experience, my career, my marriage, and my parenting. While big pharma may be bent on creating lifelong customers, some of us truly benefit from ADHD meds.
Please don't discount the effects that chemicals in our environment and our foods may have on kids. It's entirely possible that there are more kids with ADHD as our population increases and chemical exposure increases. Not as many kids as big pharma would like, but definitely more than in 1950.
Glad to hear the success stories! A reminder that nothing is ever one size fits all in any direction. The problem is when the greedy aholes want to get everyone on these drugs instead of relying on individual fully informed consent and longtime doctor/patient diagnosis and discretion.
Uh oh. Manically exercising. Guilty as charged! I hate sitting around and feel awful if I don’t get at least 45 minutes good exercise a day, plus weights and life activities, such as gardening and taking care of my horse. Still leaves time for reading and JIP-most days, anyway.
At 70-years-old, Mom would play 2 hours of tennis and then run 6 miles. Daily. Even with a broken tailbone! Then she'd often spend the rest of the day shopping at the mall!
I was hoping there would be some personal experience anecdotes in the comments. My 24 yo son is on Adderall and I have so many conflicting emotions about it. I do think it helps him but also, he’s on legal meth. He didn’t start as a child though, it was when he was in college that he was “diagnosed.” Mmmk. Isn’t it a wonder drug for all college students?
I really, really didn't want to put my son on meds (he was 9). I tried homeopathic stuff and diet, but it didn't help. I finally put him on strattera (non-stimulant) it made a huge difference in his life!
That said, it's trendy for college kids to take the stimulants because it increases their energy and focus. These are mostly the people who don't need them. When you don't need the meds, they work like meth. If you DO need them, they calm you down and work like they're supposed to. That's the difference.
My question Litr8r, is what was the root cause of the family generational ADHD? You describe well how the drugs help manage it, but... The whole area of "genetics" hasn't provided answers--despite tons of money being spent in that direction. And industries have tried to use that explanation so as to NOT have to look at other causes--which are right out there blinking like red lights. But this story is a very old story in the willful blindness of "modernity" business. Also, some of the damage from chemicals, etc., CAN be passed on to a fetus. Bet you don't read that in MSMedia though, but it has been used in law suits against things like pesticides, etc.
Excellent question. It seems doubtful that my mom's parents had ADD or ADHD. Something must have changed in the environment during the 1950s (or so) that triggers it in some people, maybe? Something in vaccinations? GMO seeds and foods? Food dyes? More sugar added to foods?
Thanks for your comment! I was so against medicating my youngest son who was diagnosed with ADHD at nine years old after we paid to have a neuro-psych evaluation done. He’s now 11 and on medication on school days only- a low dose of Vyvanse. The success you describe in the beginning of your comment was our experience with him. He even told his teacher “look how much I am getting done”. He was adopted from foster care as an infant and was drug addicted at birth and had a rough first couple of years while the system played games with his permanency. We have worked hard to build his resilience and to overcome the damage from his early life but his impulsivity and lack of an attention span was only helped with medication. Anyway, I still hate that he’s on meds but I also see how it clearly helps him.
There ARE success stories. My best friend's mom made all her kids take ritalin at one point or another. For her, the main benefit was that it allowed her to learn to read an analog clock (she had never succeeded at that, despite being highly intelligent). She didn't end up continuing to take it (probably because it didn't 'fix' her the way her mom wanted her 'fixed'), but it did actually do something useful for her.
Adrian Gaty is a national treasure. Thank you for publishing him.
In the mid-2000s, my daughter’s best friend, a happy, vibrant middle schooler, took a line drive to her head in a softball game. She developed epilepsy as a result and was medicated. A few years later, she swallowed a bunch of staples. Then she figured out pills were more effective. Her mother said that her child had could see the world without herself in it, and that it was okay. My daughter’s friend was hospitalized regularly throughout high school. By her senior year in college, she figured out the correct dosage and finished herself off. I cannot help but wonder what effect those early drugs, given at the onset of puberty, did to her developing mind.
Fast forward a decade. The same daughter had a student in her second grade class whom she caught self-medicating. Mom put the vial of her ADHD meds in her backpack and told her take a pill when she felt she needed it. A seven-year-old addict.
Oh my. This essay had me enraged the whole time. And maybe others reading this will have asked the same question as me; what are these children eating? Did anyone start there to diagnose these children? I have changed my diet over the past two years to keto and what a difference it made. This is what Secretary Kennedy needs to address. It’s what I voted for. I know that this is a complex situation but starting with the basics should be the way to go.
Yes, thank you! Kids’ brains are starving and in need of some real nutrition. My wife volunteers a lot in our elementary school lunch room, and it isn’t just the lunches provided by the school that make me sad. Quite often the lunches packed by the parents are worse. Uncrustables, crackers, fruit pouches, juice boxes, and some Oreos for “dessert”. “My kid won’t eat anything else”. Please. 🙄
My daughter’s first grade teacher sent home a flyer about snacks. It asked that we please follow the county policy and provide “healthier” options. Some examples: Goldfish crackers, 100 calorie packs, pretzels, Teddy Grahams, and animal crackers. None of that is food.
And we wonder why kids can’t sit still or concentrate. It’s so sad.
We had REAL food when I was in elementary school, prepared in the kitchen by REAL lunch-ladies. By the time my kids were in school, it was all sent from central kitchens to be reheated, and all what we would consider 'junk food.'
A virtue signaling niece who lives in Minnesota posted today: “I wish for you what you wish for trans kids.” My response would be “I wish for them healthy minds and bodies, whole and free from mutilating surgeries and life destroying drugs.” That’s not the answer she’s looking for.
It's interesting how sure they are that non-Leftists want to *kill* trans people (and gay people, and brown people, and...) or put them in camps. It's as if they can't imagine any other way of people dealing with those who disagree with them.
And that turns out to be a projection, since they themselves have expressed that they want to do *exactly that* to non-Leftists.
Before I read my nine millionth article about children, during my lifetime, did you know the Hooties had a prime minister?
The pill pushing used to be for adults only. That’s bad enough. It’s horrifying that children are targeted too.
Back when I was a kid, in the 1940s, it was paregoric. In fact parents would laugh about using it, shutting up the little shit, for a while. I don't think they were serious, just needed some relief. But, that was then, like you say.
For those below a certain ripeness: Paregoric=opioid. Was OTC not that long ago. Great cough syrup, too!
That was it, OTC. I had to look it up, as I do almost every shorthand, that was it.
My mom had a prescription for paregoric to take for stomach troubles for years. It tasted like licorice, and it really did work when my tummy was unhappy. It wasn't until years later that I found out it was an opioid.
The “cough syrup” my mom and her sisters were given on the farm in rural Georgia in the 1920s was moonshine mixed with sugar.
The opioid OTC cough syrup was Chericol. The name -- like Coca Cola -- seems to have survived the fun stuff.
Wow, I remember paregoric. It was for what ailed the stomach. Luckily, in Brooklyn, we kids ran around, played stoop ball, rode our bikes into Prospect Park, and so on, so no one medicated us.
(But we never shouted and shrieked. We weren't allowed.)
I didn't have a student on medication until the early 2000s, I think. And until then, they did homework unless they had a really good excuse, their parents didn't yank them out of school three days before Easter break in order to get in a few more days of skiing in Switzerland, and I never had to pull anyone aside for misbehavior in, or worse, monopolizing of, the class.
Things changed. Parents became friends to their children? Teachers became employees? Kids became royalty?
Still, I was lucky. I was relatively old, I remembered when teachers were the bosses, the parents never messed with me, and so their kids didn't either. The newer administrators were another story.
I loved my job.
I know some children need to be medicated, but in general it's a terrible idea, for lots of reasons, well stated in this essay.
My cousin's husband was put on an antidepressant after she died, and he couldn't get himself off it in order to try a drug that might have retarded his Parkinson's. But then, the poor guy didn't see much point in living anyway.
My experience too, B. I'm sorry to read about the guy in the last paragraph though
I'm not sure why it took so long to diagnose him. And then when they did, it took forever to ween him off of what he was on and start a drug that might help.
If E. had been alive, she would have forced him to walk and to exercise. He walked a bit with me but not enough. It was all very sad.
They were a lovely couple. I was fortunate to grow up surrounded by people who loved each other -- my parents, E. and her husband, her parents -- it was a good lesson.
I grew up around people who could barely tolerate each other, but as we've aged, death has gotten our attention. Love is now abounding.
Lifelong customers...big pharma's goal!
Hooties been blown away fish?
lol. I resisted. You couldn't.
Nope. I used it yesterday with a friend and got a 😃
I see what you did there.
I’ll have to look up the Houthi flag so I recognize it when Democrats start flying it next to their Ukrainian and Palestinian and Pride flags.
I think they rate the Jolly Roger, in the Red Sea. But it would have too much humor, for them.
MN already changed their state flag to look like the Somali flag. 😡
Seriously? I had no idea.
I saw that. Minnesota is lost.
My heart is breaking, Pamela. When I grew up in St. Paul, it was a wonderful place to call a hometown. It's unbelieveable the way the Twin Cities have been destroyed so quickly!
I grew up in St. Paul as well!
They took advantage of "Minnesota nice" and used it for a commie takeover. Exactly what the muslims are trying to do. Wouldn't surprise me if China recruited the muzzles to do their dirty work.
What would Mary Tyler Moore say?
The current Governor of Minnesota is Tim Walz, and the Lieutenant Governor is Peggy Flanagan ( the lunatic who wore the "defend Trans kids" t-shirt with the knife on it). Is anyone surprised?
And it seems from the news covering the shooting that many other officials of the state are also as loony as the governor.
Absolutely not. Let's add Omar, Frey, Ellison, that idiot mayoral candidate, and some others I can't think of right now. Yes, the voters in MN are proving that they are as stupid as the ones in CA, WA, and OR...may even more.
I’m originally from Minnesota. It’s a travesty what is happening there.
The commies used "Minnesota nice" against us!!
And if you burn it you go to jail
What? Really? If you burn a MN flag you go to jail?
Intended exaggeration. Not sure about minny but burning certain flags in other places are considered hate crimes ( not the US flag the burning of which is protected under 1A). There is a clear double standard in the public square. That's the point i wanted to.make. this is especially the case in western Europe these days
Yes! Such as criminalizing laying tread marks on a painted Pride flag, “hate speech”.
Past tense!
Not any more.
Wow. Thank you for this enlightening essay. I have heard hints about and seen glimpses of this widespread problem, and it is good to get some professional on the ground conformation about the harsh reality of the situation, even if the truth is depressing as hell.
Adrian, powerful stuff . This needs to be shared as much as possible. If only every newborns parents could be required to read it. Never a better time for a sick kid and never a more dangerous time for a healthy kid. That hit me right in the face. Thank you
Shared…
What they’re doing to a 5 year old is sick.
I already shared to X. The problem is so big though--so webbed together with all else that has gone wrong--toxic fake foods, chemicals, kids in schools like it is daycare as both parents have to work and are stressed out, rapacious industries, some of whom target children, and on and on.
It’s also been politicized to the point of insanity. RFKJr wants to do something about a lot of this but because he is in Trump’s cabinet half the country has hysterical fits over it. I don’t like him either (he is a Kennedy and I despise the entire Kennedy Klan) but he isn’t wrong.
He is also not liked by many of his family because of what he is doing. But they are part of the deep state problem.
I just think the entire Kennedy Klan is evil. The men are horrible and get away with everything and the women aren’t any better. I don’t understand the worship they get and think they are entitled to. That said, I hope RFKJr can do something about this drug and food chemical mess.
This happened to my son 25 years ago. Now after the oxy debacle, plandemic, trans drugs, Im starting to think pharmacology doesn't really have humanity in its best interests....
During Covid, many of my women friends were being prescribed anti anxiety meds. Given the circumstances, it was quite normal to be anxious. No need to medicate for it. I am still furious that two years of our lives were stolen from us by Fauci.
Fauci stole much more than two years.........
Every day that goes by I see more collateral damage from those two years. Fauci should be in jail.
And a bunch of CCP party members as well.
Right, and his perfidy goes back to the AIDS issue. And what he funds to be "scientifically explored." Those poor beagle dogs, for instance, nevermind the GOFunction labs.
I have become increasingly opposed to animal exerimentation period. I have since forgotten both the author name and title of the book, ( sorry I used to have a good memory for that stuff but lately mind seems more seive like than ever!) It was written by a doctor MD from Spain and he pointed out that quite a bit of animal experimentation doesn't even translate well to humans bodies anyway, never mind the horrible torture of these creatures. Apparently animal studies are so numerous because it is much cheaper to experiment on animals than to organize and pay for human studies. The reality of academia/medicine is such that you must publish or perish and so they do a ridiculous amount of seemingly worthless, cheaper animal studies because then they can publish them.
Yes. I as an individual got out relatively unscathed (have a job where working from home was feasible, and a living situation that made working from home pleasant enough) but both my then-teenage daughter and my older parents missed out on irreplaceable life experiences on account of the lockdowns.
'pharmacology doesn't really have humanity in it's best interests.....'
Best understatement I've heard recently.
Pharma is about treatment. NOT cures. You don't even need to look that one up!
Thank you, Dr. Gaty.
I wonder if there have been any studies done on adults who were prescribed Ritalin, etc., as kids?
Between pharmaceuticals and ‘smartphones’ (another kind of drug) so many kids today seem doomed.
ah, yes, the phones. They are a real problem for kids.
My mind was exploding with responses and personal connections, as I read your piece. Thank you, so much.
For the past 3 school years, in addition to teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities, I have been tasked with teaching 2 classes of students who are in general education and receive special ed support. My class is a forced elective, for these students. Nearly all of them are boys. The first year, they were 2 large classes full of students with behavioral challenges and referrals. The last 2 years, it's been an executive functioning/study skills class for students who struggle to pay attention. These classes are NINETY minutes long and forced upon middle school boys, grades 6-8. Recipe for disaster.
Some of these boys are ready to jump out of their skin, with excess energy. I'm thankful, for 34 years of being a mother to 3 boys who were exhaustingly challenging when they were younger. I made mistakes and learned from them. I can step back and see how many ways we are failing these kids and have absolutely insane expectations of them. I am forced to be on this ride, along with them, to keep a roof over my family's head, since my options are very slim.
I see students who would benefit from a shop class or extra time in PE. I see students who would benefit from very physical electives and opportunities to make things with their hands and learn about what they're capable of. I think these are things they would enjoy and get much more out of. But, nobody is going go listen to me, on anything. I've been shown that, very quickly. So, the best I can do is support students who try to transfer to a class they'd enjoy.
Who needs 90 minutes, 2-3 times a week, to talk about how to stay on top of their homework and classwork? It's an exercise in futility, for all of us. The classes are completely idealistic and give parents false hope. You want one of the fun electives, with your peers? You have to endure 2 years of this kind of stuff, first, maybe 3. Maybe, when you're in 8th grade, you might get lucky and get into Art class. Further complicating this issue as that most of my students are not fluent in reading/writing in English and many are not fluent in reading/writing in their native language, either. Yet, the expectations for them to perform (ie successfully pass standardized tests) have been dramatically increased. Oh, we're now asking Kindergarteners to do homework and thinking it's a great idea to push Algebra in 6th grade. One year, an entire school's 4th grade classes had to go backwards, 2 quarters, because none of the kids had the foundational skills needed to move forward. Last year, apparently 50% of our school failed their reading tests. Yet, we need to double down and push harder.
Sadly, I was one of those vulnerable, trusting, and profoundly naive parents when I was young. I was heavily pressured, by a school Principal, into seeking out medication for one of my kids, for boyish behavior that was completely normal and allowed when I was a child. Behaviors now banned in school. I did not know that they were wrong. But, I did listen to my child and got them off the medication.
We have to control children in order to force them to complete unreasonable, developmentally inappropriate tasks. But, no one is listening. You should see the nutty expectations of my work-skills classes. Students who will never work, never volunteer, never live without nursing support, are expected to be in a work skills class, where I ask them questions to plan their future careers, at the age of 11. I wish I was joking. I have a student who has his fingers in his mouth all day, holding a rubber chewy item. He drools, picks sores in his skin, bangs his head on the desk, and makes incessant noises. He paces the room, with an awkward walk due to many surgeries and physical disabilities. This is how he spends his school days. He does not speak, does not follow instructions, and you cannot assist him with physical activities as he will fully resist any efforts. Yet, I am supposed to teach him about the world of work and plan his future career. The same level of utopian fantasyland here. I could go on, with many more unreasonable examples. It all comes from the same misguided place.
The theory is that we are starting early, because they need more time. We are doing things that are developmentally inappropriate for students without disabilities, because the students are developmentally delayed. Yet, this makes sense to these people. The same people who destroyed Kindergarten and think it's perfectly sound to have a 5 year old learn to read and require them to take tests and do homework.
I am right there, with you, trying not to lose my mind. The best I can do is keep as much sane reality as possible, when these kids are in my room. I get it.
Oh Nicole I am sorry you have to so painfully witness and 'go along' with this travesty.
Thank you, so much. I figure that I am there to bring the best I can to these kids. That's my job. I support my students and try to help them get to know themselves, better. The whole system is broken and needs to be scrapped. Maybe, then, we can scrap the ADHD meds, too.
Bingo! Your story is reason 1,367,892 why almost every teacher I know would quit if they could. 🌞
Heck to the yes. It's the definition of insanity. Add in the stress from the students behavior and the significant injury risk and I am looking for my next door.
Darling Nicole Ann,
You are there to bear witness and raise awareness to those of us who do not have first hand knowledge or experience in your field. Keep telling your story. You may save a child(ren) by doing so. You are doing Godly work and bless you for doing it. This broken system must be exposed. It benefits no one and does irreparable harm to the poor souls that are caught up in this insanity. Sending gratitude and a BIG HUG your way. XOXO
More and more parents are using vouchers or homeschooling to get their kids out of the public schools. I’ve been hinting that to my kids (who have babies) as well.
Very wise indeed.
I had that conversation with my son just a few days ago. No hints. I told him point blank that he owes it to them. Then sweetened the proposition by pointing out how much he will also be enriched by it. His kids are 2, 4 and 7
If my daughter ends up having kids, I wonder if she would be open to homeschooling them given the nonsense she went through in the public school system. (Including two years of high school mostly “remote learning” because of Covid in a blue state.)
My first teaching year was during the lockdown nightmare. I cannot do the madness justice in a comment. I'm sure your daughter's experience mirrors the messes our students had to endure.
There are networks of homeschoolers out there who make homeschooling easier--as they work together in groups. Some churches also have some good schools.
My middle guy was talking about it, today, during our morning walk. He's been thinking it, for a while. He wants to be a father, someday, and he wants the best for his kids.
My middle son, when he finds that someone, plans to have his kids homeschooled.
I can't help wondering....sure, there have always been kids like the ones you describe, but I could swear it was rare. I just don't remember kids like that in the 60s. I don't remember so much fidgeting that teachers were sending kids to the nurse. There was some acting out (I, a girl, had to be taken to task for some hyperactive behaviors) but something in general is just plain wrong. Mothers generally had a lot more kids to deal with back in those days as well.
And of course, rather than acknowledge that something -- either in the environment, or in the excessive number of childhood vaccines -- may be corrupting the kids, the left leans into defending autism as a desirable identity. Why can't these people separate concern for eliminating a condition, if possible, from DISLIKING the people with the condition? This is so low IQ I can't wrap my brain around it.
Has a lot in common with "autism," doesn't it? Easy to hang on an ever broadening population for that which was mostly normal not long ago and sells chemicals. Hmmm.
We had one girl in high school that refused to speak. She would get to class and stand inches from the door waiting for the door to be opened. I remember her returning a book to the library( that was one of my nothing electives senior year) at year end and owing a fine. If you had fines you couldn’t graduate. I basically waived it off. Can’t remember if she had any reaction
Others would see her out of school with her mom chatting away. Was she weird? Absolutely. Did anyone care? Nope.
Now she’d likely have been committed
I had a friend who didn't speak much. Interestingly enough, when she was an infant, her mother left her on her grandparents' farm, where she grew up partly feral. She retained some of that into adulthood.
This girl didn’t speak at all in school. Not a word
I was quiet because I was a new kid but not silent.
I had a student who didn't speak much -- a delightful kid, though. And because I had a friend in high school who didn't speak much but made you roar with laughter when she did, I didn't mind so much that my student chose to listen.
And turned out just fine.
I don't remember many like that .... but a few boys who were class disruptors. They just weren't coddled or attention brought to them.
My brother was the "retarded" kid in our school, he spent an extra year in kindergarten and was pushed along through the years to graduation, without having mastered many of the skills required (reading and math). He had basic skills and a sunny disposition ... he didn't even realize that he was being mocked or bullied ... he just went merrily on his way. His sisters did a tremendous amount of protection and bullying back to keep him physically safe from harm. After graduation he joined the Navy .... he spent 4 years and never rose above the initial "private" status (I think they called it something else). They taught him to follow directions, orders, and has been a school bus driver for 30+ years. He excels in that framework, as long as he is not expected to make decisions or choices about the end goal or methods. He is 65 years old and expects to retire next year.
You reminded me -- my younger brother was one of those kinds of kids. He didn't learn to speak fully until he was about six, so there were concerns that he was retarded. Turns out he has a high IQ., but he also thrashed in his bed and acted out in various ways that drove us nuts.
Then as an adult with three children, he learned a trade, and uses his bordering-on-autism obsessions with numbers to win at fantasy baseball, and run a side business selling magazine ads on ebay. In some ways, he turned out to be the most successful among us, which no one in our family ever would have predicted. And for someone who doesn't read he possesses an impressive vocabulary.
In my class, his name was Ernesto. My stepfather called him "Ants in the pants". He could not stay in his seat. Ernie grew up to be a great husband and father. Hardworking guy with a good career. I saw him at a recent reunion.
I think parents were much more prone to discipline decades ago. Kids learned FAFO at home and then they got it. Therefore they brought that attitude to school and there were less disruptions. Not to say some kids actually do have adhd etc. but it’s not the amount of kids we see today!
What a great point!
And in small towns, the whole community "parented." If you did something wrong, it would beat you home. And whatever adult witnessed, that person would call out the problem immediately. Now we don't have that kind of community and parents resent anyone who calls our one of their children.
Just wait until your father gets home! 😵💫
I agree with you. I do wonder how much electronic/digital usage and the great increase babies and toddlers being raised in daycare, has on this as well as the high number of vaccinations. There is a dramatic increase in children who have tremendous impulse control challenges, profound communication deficits, and significant behavior issues. Violent behavior. I've been terrified by some things that have occurred and we had a teacher so badly injured, she didn't return. I see it first hand, between my job and my son who has Autism. He's not violent or aggressive. But, he has so many struggles. So many broken and damaged kids. It's not normal. Someone damaged my son, irreparably and I can promise you that he is aware of his differences and it's devastating. He was not born this way and I worry for his future, when I can't provide a roof for him. It's something I have to plan for, on my own.
Almost 20 years ago I read that there aren't enough places to house the truly violent autistic kids--and some are REALLY hard to manage and are physically violent when triggered. And some grow up to be big, too, so parents can't stop them. So, yes, we have a huge problem on our hands in terms of so many kids today being damaged. The data is just off the charts now.
You are very correct, about this. I was a member of an online group for parents of adult children, with autism. Some of the stories were frightening. There were mothers hiding from adult sons, in fear of their lives. They had no options, other than going to the emergency room for treatment. These women were also racked with guilt, for seeking support and protection from their own offspring.
It's unforgivable, in my opinion, that we have no place for violent individuals to live. It's also driving me out of my mind, to see students who are not violent and aggressive, forced to be in classes with students who can be scary to go to school with. Why is that okay? I've seen people justifying it, saying they get used to it or it's really not that bad, doesn't affect them.
Bologna. I see the impact. I've seen students hiding from peers and I've seen behavior completely change, when a student who should be in a different school, comes into the room. Why should these students be tormented, just because they have a disability? If I was a parent and saw what goes on in these rooms, I'd sue the school system until there was nothing left.
But, I'm unable to do anything and our hands are completely tied, legally, by the state and our district. Students are also allowed to destroy my things, with no recourse. I can spend my own time and money, pursue grants, spend thousands of hours to create and gather things, and a student can go on a rampage for 30-40 minutes and destroy things. The school won't pay for it. They didn't even provide me with what I needed to get started, just a. nearly empty trashed room filled with discarded textbooks. They won't even pay if your glasses get broken by a student. The response is that they're personal property.
Thanks Nicole. I am so sorry... I can't even...
Thank you, Louisa. It's actually been really helpful, to have these conversations. So many things make sense, now, including the way I get treated by other adults. My family is reassessing, for many reasons, including this issue.
Thanks Underdog.
While I wouldn’t discount toxic environmental or pharmaceutical reasons for behavioral changes, I also think that there was a sea-change in parenting methods during/after the 1960s.
For the past few generations, children have been permitted to behave in ways that would have brought severe consequences in the past. Recent generations of children have been louder, more disruptive, and more aggressive — because, like today’s criminals, they suffer, no consequences whatsoever for their bad behavior.
An anecdote may help. A former friend was inordinately proud of his grandson. He would regale anyone, and everyone was stories of how intelligent, how wonderful his grandson was. Note that this is someone who did such a poor job of raising his own daughter (the mother of said grandson) that she was often unwilling or unable to care for him. This meant that the grandparents spent a lot of time with the child, picking him up from school, keeping him for sometimes days or weeks at a time. Grandpa wants recounted how, when the child disagreed with what grandpa told him to do (no matter how practical and ordinary) grandpa would permit the child “negotiate“ a better deal. No, how do you think that would play out at school? And, for that matter, later in life? For that child, authority figures can be safely ignored, and your own wishes can be substituted for any rules. Sheesh, what a nightmare!
I would also suggest that working mothers aren’t available to discipline children properly. Rearing children has become secondary to working outside the home. And yes, the aversion to patriarchal authority has parents - mothers in particular- derelict in duty.
Over 20 years ago even— the woman upstairs was CARRYING her six year old because “he wants it.” Another friend breast fed FAR TOO LONG. Another mother was asking a three year old what she wanted for dinner! I almost ran over there to say: She’s eating whatever you give her!
So we have extremes on both sides— too much mothering, and not enough.
In my own experience, eating what was set in front of me lent itself to being sanguine about whatever is set down in front of me. I’m the last person in any group to demand we eat what I want.
[So Dog, how's it in your neighborhood tonight? I have a guy on the avenue three houses south of me blasting a boombox for hours. Did the 311 bit, the precinct said it corrected the problem, and I wrote back Try again. I know it's a holiday, but no one else's holidays inflict this nonsense on the rest of the world; here, it's actually worse than usual. And the music is so moronic. Don't think the Pakistanis want to hear it either.]
I wonder whether 311 truly did anything about it! When I finally broke down and called last year during the ASSAULT OF THE BLOCK PARTIES, they said they were sorry but there was nothing they could do.
Now I'm sitting here asking myself how it could be so quiet! Yes the park was humping and thumping, and I passed several HUGE SPEAKERS in setbacks around the barbecues, but shockingly enough, it's QUIET on Throop Avenue (knock wood).
I have heard fireworks though.
And it may be that they didn't give permits for block parties this year, or maybe the neighborhood is...ahem...changing...because there weren't many block parties this summer either.
Anyway, good luck getting through it. And I'm sorry you have to endure it. It truly is awful...
Finally the guy must have left. Some cars roared by thumping, but they were a passing thing. Now it's quiet.
Well, good for your neighborhood! Bring on gentrification, which is, after all, a returning of neighborhoods to the gentry who built the brownstones.
I sometimes have luck with the cops. I'm glad I don't have their job. When our next mayor takes over, noise complaints, however shakily handled now, will be a thing of the past.
Are you predicting that Mamdani will win?
I don't see why he won't with those of us who loathe him split three ways.
Lots of Sliwa signs in Queens. Mamdani signs ubiquitous in all boroughs. No Cuomo or Adams signs anywhere.
But who knows? Would love for you to contradict me. Any ray of hope welcome.
I was born in 1959, was in elementary school in the 60s and graduated high school in 1977. We had a lot more freedom as children, a lot less device/mechanical distractions, a LOT less TV and much more time running around outside. You have probably heard old people talk about how our moms would kick us out of the house during summer vacation to run around the neighborhood with other kids, not coming back home until dinner time. We weren’t really unsupervised because all the other moms in the neighborhood kept an eye out because their kids were running around, too. We even had woods to play in. A lot of us also had jobs before we were legally able because we worked in the family businesses, which were all blue collar jobs like printer, auto mechanic, etc.
Yes, I was born in 1961. This describes my childhood and adolescence.
Thank you for sharing. My youngest son is likely just like one of your students. Add into it that his formative learning years 4th-6th were during Covid and my child is much farther behind than the school would like to admit. I’m so mad at myself for not trusting my gut.
Hang in there.
Thanks.
Trusting your gut… and doing what? Pulling him from school? Genuinely curious. Mine was also in a formative phase (early high school) during Covid, and it affected both her education and her socialization. I’m still bitter about the schools having been closed for so long. Especially after reading David Zweig’s book about how it really didn’t have to be that way. But even if we had tried to homeschool her, it’s not like she would’ve been allowed to socialize with anyone at that time in this state.
Pulling him from public school and putting him in a catholic or private school.
He doesn’t know to use capital letters to start a sentence. It’s that bad which I didn’t realize because school work is all on the computer and his teachers said he’s doing fine! Uh, no, this is not ok.
Oof. Agreed. Sorry to hear it. :(
My super-Democrat friends are outraged that Trump wants to get rid of the Department of Education (est. 1979). “Our children won’t learn anymore!” they screech. Each and every one of them are as old as I am and were educated before there was a DOE. Since its inception, reading and math scores have plummeted, there is too much emphasis on psychiatric and cultural BS (math is racist, correct spelling isn’t important) and “feelings” plus all kinds of weird indoctrination (boys can be girls). Homeschooling seems to be the only way to know what your children are being taught and to track their progress because schools will not help you.
Every post I see on TwiX where Dems are trying to complain that we shouldn't get rid of the Department of Education ends up being a complete self-own. Our schools are failing BECAUSE the feds (with their Leftist ideologies) meddled in education. Everything connected to education has gotten WORSE since 1979.
My oldest son has seen to do ok, however, not nearly as well educated as I was in my opinion. I think a lot has to do with lack of reading for many kids - even the super smart ones struggle with vocab on SATs. I suspect COVID and the way my son was taught to read (not phonetically like we were and the method that has been re-instated after disastrous results). I also think since we were working parents, we weren’t as on top of it all after school. I do blame myself too.
The brutal truth is that kids are like puppies.
They need to be taken outside and run till exhausted several times a week.
Daily. Multiple times daily. Back in the day we called it recess.
🎯🎯🎯🎯
LOL, Brian. I'd say puppies need to be run down several times a DAY. Especially the more active breeds like the herders.
Based on complaints on TwiX, dogs are becoming a significant problem in cities, because people treat them like children...and fail to discipline, just as they fail to discipline children.
Most dog breeds have been bred to WORK. You take away the ability to do what they are bred to do, and it's no wonder they go nuts.
Wow! Thanks for sharing. The madness all starts these days with the Schools of Education, which were taken over sometime ago by the politically correct ideologues, the suckers for the latest faddish textbooks being pumped out, people motivated by money instead of spreading knowledge, and the malign influence of powerful teachers’ unions.
I’m a product of public education all the way through grad school and law school. Two of my adult kids had careers as public school classroom teachers, although one has become a lawyer and the other is a high school principal now training for superintendency (is that a word?). I’ve watched everything unravel in the public education sphere, with the dwindling number of honorable teachers swimming against the powerful tides of wokeness, greed, power, and the protections in place for bad teachers. It’s so sad, and it’s badly damaging the younger generations - with predictable, observable consequences for our society.
My heart is breaking Nicole Ann. Thanks for sharing. I can't even... And note that we are all tip-toeing around the issue of vaccine mental and physical damage. It has been swept under the carpet for decades and decades. By California state data, 1 in 8 boys now has autism.
The boy you described would have been institutionalized once. Or perhaps a valiant mother would have cared for him at home, and been considered a hero for it. Now parents are able to offload the responsibility to public schools and pretend they aren't institutionalizing their child, even though he's being managed by strangers for most of the day. The 'work skills' class is part of the illusion that he will somehow magically become functional someday.
Exactly, Celia. You'd be told "he's entitled to an education" and "every child can learn" and "we'll let our students surprise us". He's been there 3 years. First year, his math goal was to point to something he likes. The only thing happening with this student, is that he's getting larger and stronger and more resistant to walking the direction we need him to. He's started walking around the room and laying across people's desks while they're working-which is obviously irritating to them. He bumps into people, to interact with them, and when he grabs you it hurts. HIs fingers are hard and strong, with rough nails. He wears a helmet to protect his head, because he bangs it and gouges his face. He is never going to work. I am so sick of pretending and feeling as if we are cheating all of these kids in the process. I had one parent actually tell me it rubbed salt in her wounds to ask her what future career she saw her child having. I was legally bound to fill out the form.
Somehow, it's become normalized to expect staff to be skilled in nursing care: G-tubes, changing diapers on teens, managing diabetes, managing physical mobility needs with wheelchairs and walkers, hand feeding students, etc. I finally put the mental pieces together. I've been told both that I'm too hard on myself and that I am never satisfied. That's not the truth. The truth is that there are extraordinarily unreasonable expectations piled high on me, without adequate resources or support. I am someone who is a natural troubleshooter and I see small, easy ways we can do better.
But, I work in a world where people just focus on checkboxes. They don't want to troubleshoot or plan ahead. They definitely don't want my input and do not respect any knowledge I bring to the table. I am constantly feeling inadequate, because the expectations are insane. How do you teach work-skills to a student who is in a wheelchair and barely is able to have independent mobility of his eyes and has no independent movement of his body? I'm expected to occupy students like this, for 90 minutes, with meaningful instruction and activities (which are NOT provided for me). I can promise. you that the thousands of hours of effort matter to almost no one. I work invisibly, unless there's a criticism. I'm also treated like a babysitter, because the electives are providing planning time for the other teachers. This post and ongoing comment conversation has been very helpful.
Great article, thank you. When I read articles like this I visualize sales meetings, graphs, numbers. That's what it is all about. The sales departments of pharmaceutical companies exist to growi sales. Every person who works in sales is motivated to increase sales. Everyone, young sales people, middle managers, top level managers. Sales must increase, or, they lose money, maybe their jobs. That's it. That's the incentive. That's the motivation. That's the reality. Only our government can fight them, that's why RFK Jr must be removed. They tried so very hard to destroy him and they failed, but they're not about to give it up. He's costing them billions, and if he stays, it will only get worse, much much worse for pharmaceutical sales. The news media, the politicians working to remove him, are corrupted by this money stream. It's so simple yet so many are still blind to it. The Biggest Phony of The Week award has to go to Bernie Sanders
Bernie was it “RFK jr must resign “ or some such? NYT comments weeping and wailing about having difficulty getting their 100th Covid vaccine. Most normal people have vaccine fatigue. My own doctor says most of his patients are just mentally “done” with Covid. But then, Times readers are not normal people.
Well said, Pamela!
Heh heh heh! Not the kind of "disrupters" the Dems were counting on. 🤣
Amen and God bless you, Adrian Gaty!
We have to control children. Control. Isn’t that the game the elites are playing? They want to control everything and everyone. From thoughts and speech, to the lightbulbs you can buy, to the type of stove you use, to the physical activity of children. It’s so 1984.
I stand in awe this morning of our Dr. Gaty - and thank you, again, dear Celia.
It takes courage to stand against the machine - of the leftist conformists who run the medical associations and their allies in Big Pharma, which puts profits over health and safety. always. Wasn't it one of Hillary's vile minions who said they wanted a docile and compliant populace - easy to control and manipulate? Not only do they use drugs to make students conform, but they won't hesitate to bludgeon into conformity anyone who dares oppose their dreadful dogma. Human history and liberty has never advanced under a dreary and mediocre conformity and servile obeisance. Today our medical profession has never been held in lower regard. Why? The legions of drones who will not, or cannot, think out of the box and question orthodoxy. Bleeding, disbelief in pathogens, and electrocution were once the norm. Oppose them and ostracism was your reward. This was, of course, writ large during the Covid orgy of stupidity and cowardice. Physicians such as Dr. Gaty should be praised and heralded. We need more Dr. Gatys. And doctors Malone, Makary, Battacharya and the like. Doctors with hearts, minds and souls who are unafraid to speak truth against the leftist automatons and corporatist rent seekers who profess to represent "the science." Yes, those just like the grasping, demented dwarf who insisted "oy yam da soi-yence" while committing crimes against humanity worthy of Mengele.
I so agree Bruce. "They" went too far though, and now the truth is emerging. "They" have harmed too many people--and that goes for all these industries that are out of control.
A really interesting essay.
About 35 years ago, they started really pushing ADHD -- I was pregnant with my eldest and can remember reading articles about in the US Parenting magazine that my mother sent me on subscription. It was supposed to be a short term thing which would help with focus etc. but people were supposed to outgrow it.
I dread to think what would have happened to Winston Churchill or the Duke of Wellington if they had been given various chemical coshes.
So often these people seem to want a label, rather than accepting that personalities do vary and sometimes children really need to exercise. I know my lot were all better behaved when they walked to and from school. It is the decompression which can get lost.
I also know if my children had too much screen time, they had to decompress. It is hard for young children to concentrate for a long time like.
Computers and scrolling is a fairly solitary activity. It is hard for children to interact with their parent/caregiver if the parent/caregiver is otherwise occupied.
Today, in the Telegraph there was a good article about how the US is falling behind China in terms of literacy and numeracy. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/f0f313701932c7ae
And tomorrow sees the closing submissions in the Peggie case. This is a good article on NHS groupthink. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/sandy-peggie-transgender-row-bdxlls20z or
https://archive.ph/mHqAW
Our oldest son had ADHD from birth. (When his younger brother was born, I finally had confirmation of my instincts that our oldest had never been 'normal.') As he became a toddler, his hyperactivity became more and more obvious, and I was well aware that if nothing changed, we were going to be pressured to give him meds when he started school.
I had started studying homeopathy, and had already seen it work--it put a rapid end to the weird demonic-possession-like tantrums he would have upon waking from his nap every day. (And when I say 'put a rapid end,' I don't mean to the individual tantrums, although it did do that; after the second dose, there were no more of those tantrums ever again.) So I decided to seek out formal homeopathic care to try to 'fix' the ADHD before he reached school age.
Although the ADHD never resolved fully, it did improve enough that we were never pressured to medicate him. When he was eleven, a counselor did suggest a trial of Adderall, and our son wanted to give it a try, so I grudgingly allowed it. But it had no visible effects on his behavior, so we quit after a couple of months.
Thank you for your excellent article, Adrian!
As a teacher and a parent of kids with ADHD and ADD, I have to say that there ARE kids who truly benefit from medication. Their ability to do their school work goes up exponentially; their stress level, anxiety, and frustration decreases exponentially. They don't make as many poor choices because their impulsivity decreases. Their self-esteem increases as their ability to focus and meet academic goals increases. They are so much happier when they are successful in school and their frustration and anxiety are decreased. Other kids respond to them better, too.
I can also say that my mother was ADHD, and I can only imagine how much better and less stressful her life would have been if there had been meds for her in the 1950s. She would have been much more successful in her career and her life--better choices because she would have been less impulsive and much less anxious. The family would also have benefitted from a mother who wasn't filled with overwhelming anxiety and manically exercising.
I feel so bad for all those boys in my 4th-6th grade classes who were always sent to the principal (and are now CEOs or in jail!). Definitely, a few of them would have had a much better school experience (and life experience) had there been ADHD meds for them.
My mother had ADHD, both my kids have ADHD, their dad has ADHD. When I had a conversation with the kids psychiatrist, he said, "gee, you spend a LOT of your day doing work-arounds. Do you want to try ritalin?" It occurred to me that my house was filled with sticky notes, there are notepads all over (I can't remember anything unless I write it down), I have trouble processing a lot of verbal information at once, and I can't remember what I thought about 3 seconds ago. Oh, I need to go into the kitchen to get a pen. When I get to the kitchen, I don't know why I'm there. I had to study 3x longer and harder than all my high school and college classmates because my mind wanders when I read. All of these issues caused a lot of anxiety.
SO.... I tried ritalin. What a difference! I had no idea I was actually smart and competent! What a difference this med would have made to my school experience, my career, my marriage, and my parenting. While big pharma may be bent on creating lifelong customers, some of us truly benefit from ADHD meds.
Please don't discount the effects that chemicals in our environment and our foods may have on kids. It's entirely possible that there are more kids with ADHD as our population increases and chemical exposure increases. Not as many kids as big pharma would like, but definitely more than in 1950.
Glad to hear the success stories! A reminder that nothing is ever one size fits all in any direction. The problem is when the greedy aholes want to get everyone on these drugs instead of relying on individual fully informed consent and longtime doctor/patient diagnosis and discretion.
Uh oh. Manically exercising. Guilty as charged! I hate sitting around and feel awful if I don’t get at least 45 minutes good exercise a day, plus weights and life activities, such as gardening and taking care of my horse. Still leaves time for reading and JIP-most days, anyway.
I think you're good, Pamela!
At 70-years-old, Mom would play 2 hours of tennis and then run 6 miles. Daily. Even with a broken tailbone! Then she'd often spend the rest of the day shopping at the mall!
Ditto but that’s not maniacally. My kids would never say my exercising impacted my parenting.
I was hoping there would be some personal experience anecdotes in the comments. My 24 yo son is on Adderall and I have so many conflicting emotions about it. I do think it helps him but also, he’s on legal meth. He didn’t start as a child though, it was when he was in college that he was “diagnosed.” Mmmk. Isn’t it a wonder drug for all college students?
I really, really didn't want to put my son on meds (he was 9). I tried homeopathic stuff and diet, but it didn't help. I finally put him on strattera (non-stimulant) it made a huge difference in his life!
That said, it's trendy for college kids to take the stimulants because it increases their energy and focus. These are mostly the people who don't need them. When you don't need the meds, they work like meth. If you DO need them, they calm you down and work like they're supposed to. That's the difference.
They actually get sold to other kids in college for the 'meth' effects.
My question Litr8r, is what was the root cause of the family generational ADHD? You describe well how the drugs help manage it, but... The whole area of "genetics" hasn't provided answers--despite tons of money being spent in that direction. And industries have tried to use that explanation so as to NOT have to look at other causes--which are right out there blinking like red lights. But this story is a very old story in the willful blindness of "modernity" business. Also, some of the damage from chemicals, etc., CAN be passed on to a fetus. Bet you don't read that in MSMedia though, but it has been used in law suits against things like pesticides, etc.
Excellent question. It seems doubtful that my mom's parents had ADD or ADHD. Something must have changed in the environment during the 1950s (or so) that triggers it in some people, maybe? Something in vaccinations? GMO seeds and foods? Food dyes? More sugar added to foods?
Do you have some ideas?
Well, what you are listing is a start. But it would have to be funded. Let's see what RFK does in terms of funding. He does get the problem I think.
Roger McFillin has a podcast addressing his concerns about ADHD. He’s a psych doc too who is very countercultural on the subject.
Thanks for your comment! I was so against medicating my youngest son who was diagnosed with ADHD at nine years old after we paid to have a neuro-psych evaluation done. He’s now 11 and on medication on school days only- a low dose of Vyvanse. The success you describe in the beginning of your comment was our experience with him. He even told his teacher “look how much I am getting done”. He was adopted from foster care as an infant and was drug addicted at birth and had a rough first couple of years while the system played games with his permanency. We have worked hard to build his resilience and to overcome the damage from his early life but his impulsivity and lack of an attention span was only helped with medication. Anyway, I still hate that he’s on meds but I also see how it clearly helps him.
There ARE success stories. My best friend's mom made all her kids take ritalin at one point or another. For her, the main benefit was that it allowed her to learn to read an analog clock (she had never succeeded at that, despite being highly intelligent). She didn't end up continuing to take it (probably because it didn't 'fix' her the way her mom wanted her 'fixed'), but it did actually do something useful for her.
Adrian Gaty is a national treasure. Thank you for publishing him.
In the mid-2000s, my daughter’s best friend, a happy, vibrant middle schooler, took a line drive to her head in a softball game. She developed epilepsy as a result and was medicated. A few years later, she swallowed a bunch of staples. Then she figured out pills were more effective. Her mother said that her child had could see the world without herself in it, and that it was okay. My daughter’s friend was hospitalized regularly throughout high school. By her senior year in college, she figured out the correct dosage and finished herself off. I cannot help but wonder what effect those early drugs, given at the onset of puberty, did to her developing mind.
Fast forward a decade. The same daughter had a student in her second grade class whom she caught self-medicating. Mom put the vial of her ADHD meds in her backpack and told her take a pill when she felt she needed it. A seven-year-old addict.
Keep up your crusade, Dr. Gaty!
That's so sad!
Oh my. This essay had me enraged the whole time. And maybe others reading this will have asked the same question as me; what are these children eating? Did anyone start there to diagnose these children? I have changed my diet over the past two years to keto and what a difference it made. This is what Secretary Kennedy needs to address. It’s what I voted for. I know that this is a complex situation but starting with the basics should be the way to go.
Yes, thank you! Kids’ brains are starving and in need of some real nutrition. My wife volunteers a lot in our elementary school lunch room, and it isn’t just the lunches provided by the school that make me sad. Quite often the lunches packed by the parents are worse. Uncrustables, crackers, fruit pouches, juice boxes, and some Oreos for “dessert”. “My kid won’t eat anything else”. Please. 🙄
My daughter’s first grade teacher sent home a flyer about snacks. It asked that we please follow the county policy and provide “healthier” options. Some examples: Goldfish crackers, 100 calorie packs, pretzels, Teddy Grahams, and animal crackers. None of that is food.
And we wonder why kids can’t sit still or concentrate. It’s so sad.
Right, Alan, all those snacks you list spike sugar highs.
We had REAL food when I was in elementary school, prepared in the kitchen by REAL lunch-ladies. By the time my kids were in school, it was all sent from central kitchens to be reheated, and all what we would consider 'junk food.'
Adrian, thank you for confirming what most of us thought. The pharma/industrial complex corrupted medical profession, teachers and our government.
RFK, Jr. is trying to get us healthy. We have an opportunity to make a correction. We have to continue to vote correctly starting in ‘26!
Add in that most docs now work in businesses and are not free to actually practice good medicine. It's do what you are told or lose your job.
A virtue signaling niece who lives in Minnesota posted today: “I wish for you what you wish for trans kids.” My response would be “I wish for them healthy minds and bodies, whole and free from mutilating surgeries and life destroying drugs.” That’s not the answer she’s looking for.
It's interesting how sure they are that non-Leftists want to *kill* trans people (and gay people, and brown people, and...) or put them in camps. It's as if they can't imagine any other way of people dealing with those who disagree with them.
And that turns out to be a projection, since they themselves have expressed that they want to do *exactly that* to non-Leftists.
Celia, you nailed it, perfectly.