--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 222 ATTENTION DEF. Ref: D5X00005Date: 05/27/96 From: JERRY SCHWARTZ Time: 06:06pm \/To: SUZANNE STEWART (Read 2 times) Subj: In Tears On May 25 19:40 96, Suzanne Stewart of 1:253/120 wrote to Jerry Schwartz: SS> Hi Jerry I am afriad I don't know enough about the med to say you are SS> right SS> or wrong. But the doctor has asked me to learn more about it for when it SS> does SS> come time to put him on it. She says four years old is too young for SS> him.... SS> So tell me what you know about Ritalin... Ritalin is the drug of choice for treating AD(H)D, because it works for many people and it has few (and well-studied) side effects. It takes effect quickly (in less than an hour), and passes from the body within hours. Dosage is independent of age or weight, something that not many people realize. When it works, the change can be dramatic but is not always so. In some people, there is a "rebound" effect when the medication wears off as though the suppressed hyperactivity were saved up. In some people, the drug interferes with sleep if taken in the evening. (My son sleeps like a log regardless.) Some people lose interest in food when they are on the medication, but as soon as it wears off they get hungry again. (My son eats like a wolf regardless.) AD(H)D varies from person to person, and so do reactions to Ritalin. Jerry Schwartz --- MsgedSQB 3.30.01 * Origin: Write by Night (1:142/928) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 222 ATTENTION DEF. Ref: D5X00006Date: 05/27/96 From: JERRY SCHWARTZ Time: 06:20pm \/To: ALL (Read 2 times) Subj: ADHD History Our local paper ("The Hartford Courant") had two long articles about ADHD in the magazine section 5/26/96; it was rather interesting, and fairly well balanced. One thing that it did is go into the history of the condition, going back to the turn of the century. The article is on the web at http://www.courant.com/news/adhdmain.htm Don't be put off by the first line or two about "defect of moral control"; the term was not used the way it might be today, but rather meant a lack of self-restraint. Jerry Schwartz --- MsgedSQB 3.30.01 * Origin: Write by Night (1:142/928) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 222 ATTENTION DEF. Ref: D5X00007Date: 05/27/96 From: JERRY SCHWARTZ Time: 06:47pm \/To: REGINA FINAN (Read 2 times) Subj: ADD GENE On May 24 08:19 96, Regina Finan of 1:2410/534 wrote to Jerry Schwartz: RF> Yes, you wish your child didn't have this affliction. But you can deal RF> with it positively. You can turn that handicap into growth and love. RF> Other teenager don't have that. They go to school, live their lives part RF> most of time without parents attention. Jerry does your son possibly ave RF> ODD? I had a daughter who couldn't tell the difference from reality and No, I don't think ODD is the answer; it may be OCD, if I had to take a guess. Jerry Schwartz --- MsgedSQB 3.30.01 * Origin: Write by Night (1:142/928) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 222 ATTENTION DEF. Ref: D5X00008Date: 05/27/96 From: JERRY SCHWARTZ Time: 07:49pm \/To: JUDY PINEDA (Read 2 times) Subj: ADHD and UADD kids On May 24 20:49 96, Judy Pineda of 1:115/552 wrote to All: JP> best I can and not give up. My girl has learned to write lists when JP> things are important to her and she is so helpful. Both children take JP> 10mg of Ritalin twice a day and when summer comes they are going to go JP> without the drugs as long as they can. When school starts, so will the I believe that many of my son's social problems stem from his behavior when he is not on his medications, or rather that if he had been put on medication earlier he would have formed better patterns of social interaction. Many of the same behaviors that interfere with his school work also interfere with his conversation style and "works and plays well with others" skills. This became more apparent as he got older, because the other kids his aged moved on to more mature ways of interacting. At the age of 15, he gets along much better with 8 year olds than with his peers. It isn't clear what the advantage is of going without the medication. Just a thought. Jerry Schwartz --- MsgedSQB 3.30.01 * Origin: Write by Night (1:142/928) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 222 ATTENTION DEF. Ref: D5X00009Date: 05/27/96 From: SUZANNE STEWART Time: 10:12pm \/To: LINDA HEIR (Read 2 times) Subj: Pycnogenol RE: Pycnogenol BY: Linda Heir to All on Fri May 17 1996 05:00 pm > Anyone out there heard of using Pcynogenol for treating ADD? Would love > to hear about its effectiveness! Thanks > > Hi Linda I have a friend whos grandson is on it and she says it works better than the ridalin ever did. Her grandson is almost controllable now nd they actually have company in now...good stuff so far. Suzanne --- GEcho 1.00 * Origin: SAM'S CORNER BBS [705] 740-9024 (1:253/120) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 222 ATTENTION DEF. Ref: D5X00010Date: 05/26/96 From: JACKIE RAMIREZ Time: 12:03am \/To: ALL (Read 2 times) Subj: Hey!! Just wanted to say hello to everyone.. I'm new to this board but Winker said it was real cool... Lets see...I 29 and live in Mayfield.. Just had my first son and he is 6 months old and growing like a weed. It seems so hard to keep up with these boards. ANd the kid and work but I am trying....HEHEHE... I really enjoy posting so LET'S TALK... --- Thunder Palace BBS * Origin: Thunder Palace (502)898-4139 (1:2275/25) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 222 ATTENTION DEF. Ref: D5X00011Date: 05/27/96 From: JOHN PUMMILL Time: 07:36pm \/To: KIANNE HAYWARD (Read 2 times) Subj: IEP Hell KH> hey...thanks for writing me back...well do you have a KH> disorder or do you work with people with disorders...I plan I have a child with ADHD. KH> to work with special education children of the hearing KH> impaired, i really can't wait, it is so exciting to me.... KH> well just wanted to say hey ... interesting career choice, I wish you all the patience in the world. --- FMail 0.94 * Origin: The Pit... Have You Dropped In Lately ?? (601)393-0512 (1:123/30) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 222 ATTENTION DEF. Ref: D5X00012Date: 05/24/96 From: KAREN LONG Time: 03:18am \/To: ALL (Read 2 times) Subj: TEST Test Message...Please respond if this reaches you. Thanks, Karen ... BULLFIGHTER: 1 little man against a 1/2ton of pissed off POT ROAST! ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 --- TriToss (tm) Professional 10.0 - #246 * Origin: The Other Side * Massillon, OH * 330-832-0565 (1:2216/78.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 222 ATTENTION DEF. Ref: D5X00013Date: 05/19/96 From: KAREN LONG Time: 01:42am \/To: AUDRA MCMASTER (Read 2 times) Subj: [1/2] Re: school >>> Part 1 of 2... Audra Mcmaster spoke eliquantly about "school" to Regina Finan! 05-14-96 22:02 Hi Audra! RF> I hope that helps you. You would think that the school RF> system would take into consideration that you are working to solve the RF> problem. Maybe you should talk to you friend about getting a speaker RF> to address the teachers and principle of these kinds of problems and RF> how they could help them? AM> I have no choice but to stay here at this school. I am a home owner AM> and I can't just up and move. I can't afford to go to private schools. AM> I pay for these people to teach my son and that is what they are going AM> to do one way or another. I'm not just fighting them for mine. I don't AM> want to see another child done this way because they are ignorant on AM> how to cope with ADHD. I've been reading thru the messages in the echo, and happened to come to yours...I am in the same situation! My son is 9 years old, he's been on ritalin since he was 4. We've lived thru hell when he was in first and second grade. His teacher expected perfection from him, and would punish him for everything. He was ostracized, critcized, humiliated, called names, ridiculed, and treated horribly. In second grade, I probably spent more time in the principal's office trying to deal with my son's teacher and trying to educate than anything else that entire year. She would send home the most assinine notes..."Ryan had a great day...he spent 15 minutes walking around looking for a pencil"... ASK ME IF I CARE!!! If that was the worst thing that he did that whole day...He had a great day! She had decided along with the principal to start what they call a "passbook". In this passbook, she would right a comment about Ryan everyday, and he was to bring it home and we were to sign it. If Ryan forgot to bring it home, he got punished the next day at school. I argued an argued AND argued about this...His teacher REFUSED to give him the passbook when she was done with it. I'm sure everyone here is well aware that one of the classical symptoms of ADHD is forgetfulness...unable to complete more than one command, action or routine at any one time. She said it was HIS responsibility to remember to bring it home. For 4 months my son came home crying, saying how stupid he was, that he didn't want to go to school, that he hated school, that he never got to play because his teacher always made him stay in because of the passbook. It took me 4 months before I got any action, and that didn't happen until I demanded the passbook be stopped. When this happened, then I got a response from the principal saying _I_ was being uncooperative! Can you believe it!!! I quite plainly and firmly told him that it didn't matter how many times they made Ryan stay in at recess and work, he still was going to forget that passbook. I told him that they are punishing my son for things that he is unable to control...that it is NOT his fault that he has a chemical imbalance, and that I thought the way they were treating him was deplorable. Well...he had a talk with the teacher, and of course she was pissed, but she said she would do it (she had NO choice) but if _WE_ forgot to sign it and send it back, then Ryan was going to pay dearly for it. Now, at the time this was all going on, I had 3 wisdom teeth, and being a diabetic, I was down for two weeks...dry socket...all that fun stuff...on pain killers...and we didn't get it signed one day...and she had a fit...Ryan got punished... BUT, she FORGOT to give it to Ryan 5 times in a two week period, but all HER excuses were to be acceptable. I find that schools in general simply DON'T want to learn how to deal with it. They get into this profession, and then want to teach nothing but perfectly well behaved students. My son forgets his homework, and he forgets to turn it in, when he remembers to bring it home. They will not remind him to bring his homework home, and they will not remind him to turn it in...they just punish him. He's not a bad kid, he loses concentration and has to be reminded to get back on task, and he is extremely forgetful...even in the simplest of terms. To this day he still cannot remember to flush the toilet when he's done in the bathroom... Yes it is irritating, but all we can do is remind him, AND remind our- selves that his biggest characteristic is his forgetfulness! He's a wonderful child, loving, caring, (most of the time) polite, but he is also VERY VERY HYPER! This child could mow the grass with his own teeth sometimes!!!! Schools and teachers need to learn that just because a child is hyper, compulsive, and forgetful, doesn't mean they aren't bright, wonderful children who need the same praises, love, care and education as a non ADHD child! (whew...did I over do it here!!) Reading thru this, I remembered several other points about the school that just irritate me to no end...They will NOT call Ryan to the office if he forgot to go at 12n and get his pill. They said "We have 367 children in this school...and 17 of them are on medication. We simply do not have the time to call ANY student down here if they forget to come to the office to take their meds. It is THEIR responsibility to remember..." Don't ya just love it??? But into 1pm, the school will call, or I'll get some note (this was lst an 2nd grade), saying how disruptive Ryan was, was uncooperative, argumentative...etc. Calling the teacher and asking if he got his pill...she would tell me no, that isn't her repsonsibility. The school will not take responsibility to make sure my son has the same chance at learning as everyone else, but if WE put his pills in a bottle not dated for the right month, you better believe that damned nurse has me on the phone talking about "the law" and all that other crap. They're more concerned with a dated bottle than they are about even making sure he gets his medication. >>> Continued to next message... ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 --- TriToss (tm) Professional 10.0 - (Unregistered) * Origin: The Other Side * Massillon, OH * 330-832-0565 (1:2216/78.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 222 ATTENTION DEF. Ref: D5X00014Date: 05/19/96 From: KAREN LONG Time: 01:46am \/To: AUDRA MCMASTER (Read 2 times) Subj: [2/2] Re: school >>> Part 2 of 2... I think one of the worst things that ever happened to my son in first grade was when he had the chicken pox. He missed seven days of school, and when he returned on the following Monday, they only had 4 days of school that week due to Good Friday/Easter. I sent a note saying if he had any makeup work to do, to send it home with him, and we would work on it during the week. She sent home with him 30 pages of makeup work to do and 10 pages of homework to do on Monday. Tuesday he brought home another 10 pages of homework, and Wednesday he brought home another 10 pages of homework. My first grader had 60 pages of homework to get completed by Thursday morning. It was aweful and my heart bleed for my child. He did homework for 6 hours everynight after school, and he still didn't get it done by Thursday. Thursday came, and they had an Easter Party and the entire school was to watch some Disney cartoon movie in the gymnasium. Ryan didn't get to go, and he didn't get to go out side for recess. Then, when they had the Easter Party, instead of him getting an Easter Basket like the rest of the kids, he got two jelly beans, telling him "You didn't get all your homework done..." He came home in tears saying, "Mom, I've never cried at school, but I did today..." and he proceeded to tell me what happened. My heart broke for him, and I too, cried. Now last year, in one month, he was given 132 pages of homework. I began keeping a record, and again, found ourselves in the principals office. I asked her why she was giving them so much homework, and she proceeded to tell me that most of it was classroom work that he didn't get done. She stated, "they have a choice, either do their work or play, and Ryan chooses to play rather than do his work." I was immediately upset, and told her "No...Not in this family, and NOT with him...YOU DON'T GIVE HIM THAT CHOICE..." I turned to Ryan and very nicely told him that he HAD to do his classroom work first, then he could play on the computer, color, play with the lego's or whatever he wanted to do. She said it was their responsibility to make the right decision and Ryan never made the right decision. Could you just scream??? From that day one, Ryan got ALL is classroom work done, and got all A's on all his homework!!! However, for every good thing he did...she made sure that she knocked him down to the ground again with something else. When report card time came out...He got an A in spelling, but she game him S- in his Study Habits underneath his spelling grade. Then she proceeds to give him like 5 checkmarks on the back for uses time wisely, neat area, etc, etc...I called the principal about this, he calls me back and tells me that she had several reasons for doing that...the major one was she told him that Ryan wasn't coming to class in the morning on time, that he was out wandering the halls for an hour before deciding to come to class. I hit the roof and told him she was full of S***! I reminded him there were hall monitors and no one ever saw Ryan in the halls...and when Ryan heard what she said, he got extremely upset, and began crying. My son didn't miss one day of school last year, and he was never tardy once. She was a pathelogical liar...making threats and then denying them...etc. The bad part about all this is this tenure crap. Because of tenure, she is free to do as she pleases, and the school cannot dismiss her for undesirable conduct or for any other reason. The only reason she could have been dismissed is if she murdered someone, or made sexual advances to a child. Pathetic is all I can say. My son was coming home and telling me things that were going on in his teachers marriage...YES...SHE WAS TELLING THEM ABOUT HER AND HER HUSBANDS FIGHTS... Can you believe it???? She's still there at his school...still teaching, and I'm sure, picking on some other poor child. Anyhow, I sympathize with anyone who has or is dealing with anything of this nature with the school their child attends! Well...I've rambled on long enough and it's time for ER!!! Best wishes, Karen :) ... I just need enough coffee to tide me over 'till I need more. ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 --- TriToss (tm) Professional 10.0 - (Unregistered) * Origin: The Other Side * Massillon, OH * 330-832-0565 (1:2216/78.0)