Reaction to the "Cutting Edge" Programme
The Cape Times on July 22, 2003
This article was originally published on page 3 of
The Cape Times on July 22, 2003
Need for Ritalin and parental response to behaviour
London - Hundreds of thousands of children prescribed the anti-hyperactivity drug Ritalin may simply be victims of lax parenting, new evidence suggests.
The work of a British expert has cast doubt on the existence of such conditions as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and will fuel controversy over the spiralling use of Ritalin.
Behavioural expert Warwick Dyer claims parents need to take the initiative with their children's "disorders" and move away from the chemical cosh of prescription drugs.
In a remarkable breakthrough he has developed a programme that focuses on the way parents behave towards their children - and has claimed a 100 percent success rate in five years.
'Parenting is not a democracy'
Incredibly, he does not see the child involved and has only one face-to-face consultation with the parents. The rest of his work is limited to a daily telephone briefing with the parents on how to treat their child.
Dyer's theory is based on simple ideas such as a rigid system of sanctions for bad behaviour and rewards for good behaviour, with an insistence on politeness towards parents - and a demand that mothers and fathers control their tempers as well.
"I'm open-minded about whether ADD exists, but what is certainly clear is that a lot of symptoms ascribed to such disorders are easily confused with basic behavioural problems that don't need to be treated with a drug," Dyer said.
"Parenting is not a democracy. You need to give your child what they want - love and attention - but on your terms, not theirs."
One in 10 children is diagnosed with ADD or the related Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
'The problem is that a lot of parents simply are being given inadequate or incorrect advice'
Ritalin is an amphetamine with a potency similar to cocaine. Prescription in Britain has soared one hundredfold in 10 years.
In 1990, only 3 000 children were on the drug. Today, 345 000 are taking it, costing the National Health Service more than £3-million (about R36-million) a year. The drug is being given to children as young as 18 months.
Now a growing lobby of parents, doctors and other experts is questioning whether ADD or ADHD exist.
Dyer was a primary school teacher in the East End of London before he set up the Behaviour Change Consultancy. He sees around 30 families a year and claims his techniques work with everyone, from the youngest children to teenagers.
"In the past 40 years, parents have begun talking to their children more, but they have forgotten how to use consequences effectively. Children are instinctively artful and will try to put themselves in control. I put the parents back in control."
This article was originally published on page 3 of The Cape Times on July 22, 2003
Behaviour Change Consultancy 24 Rochdale, Harold Road, London, SE19 3TF |
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