Say No To Drugs

Being a young, first time mother brought many challenges my way. I had to learn how to be the best parent I could be along with learning how to be his autism advocate as well. In the late 90’s the drug Ritalin had become a very popular treatment among children diagnosed with autism. Ritalin is a central nervous system stimulant. It affects chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control.

Ritalin is used to treat attention deficit disorder (ADD) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The downside to this drug (in my opinion) is that it’s a schedule 2 narcotic. That puts it in the same category as cocaine, morphine and amphetamines! Just knowing that scared me. Although I wanted my son to be able to focus, I didn’t want him to become addicted or dependent on ANY drug. A very difficult decision was placed in front of me and my choice would affect the rest of his life. I chose to say no to drugs.

This was an independent decision based on the individual, my son. We were finding ways to cope with his speech impediment through speech therapy. He was hardly ever a disciplinary problem at that time, and he was no danger physically to himself or others. Had that NOT been true, I may have had to make a different choice. One of my biggest jobs was making sure he felt that home was a safe haven. No matter what stress he had to face at school, he knew home was full of love and support for him. If something upset him, we would find ways to communicate about it through toys, drawings, acting, and even talking using the words that he knew and understood. I am by no means judging ANY parent/guardian or caretaker who has had to make that difficult decision of whether or not to medicate their child. Each of our circumstances and children are different. I am just 1 mom with 1 story in a world of millions of stories who decided to share this with you. Thanks for reading. Please feel free to post questions, comments and/or share your own experiences.