Rabbi Wernick

I think we have to bear in mind that every situation is different.

There are extreme cases where students cannot function in a school (or life) without medication.

However, ADHD is over-diagnosed and medication is usually prescribed as the easy way out. After all, it is much easier to say the student has a problem & needs meds than it is to say my classes are boring, or the school system doesn’t work for every (if any) kid, or I need to become a more effective parent.

Furthermore, in the overwhelming majority of situations where medication is the best option, it should only be a short term “band aid” while the student (& teachers / parents) learn strategies to cope with their challenges. Then the student can eventually (or at least partly) wean off the medication. Otherwise, as the student grows bigger and also becomes used to the medication, the doses just get bigger and bigger and so do the side effects.