I have seen children under 13 have over 10 diagnoses. They start with ADD/ADHD and are given drugs. When the first drug doesn't work, they add more. Then they get more diagnoses and more medications. Medications used off label that are for adults not children and the side effects of these
That's because all the effort goes into forcing ADHD and autistic (esp. children) to behave like their NT peers, in spite of overwhelming evidence showing that allowing for those differences is better for everyone involved. But inclusivity is a crime in US, so what are we even talking about. 😞
(Ah. I lost this thread) Medication on developing bodies. In my experience of interacting with children and families, these children have experienced some level of trauma in their young lives. The majority of that trauma happens as a result of chaos, abuse or neglect in their home.
My concern is that these children are being given a life altering diagnosis when their behavior is actually a rather normal response to their environment. This is seen in foster children who are trying to process the trauma in their life and are given medication because they are acting out.
These children do need help. These families need help. But when a series of established treatment protocols do not work, it's time to reassess and explore the possibility that the diagnosis is wrong and start listening to the child. In doing so, I learned that trauma drives the behavior.