wiggly boys

Boys are hyper, right? Or at least that’s why they apparently can’t sit still and focus in the conventional classroom. An alarming number of boys are diagnosed with ADHD each year, and medicated for the condition, 2.7 million children in 2007 according to the CDC. But a recent study came out questioning the efficacy of the ADHD drugs, and showing that they don’t boost the kids’ grades, instead that the other effects of the medication may outweigh the short term benefits of being able to sit still in a classroom. Read more in the WSJ article. Family encouragement, along with other environmental factors, appear to be more significant in long-term effects paired with the medication. No surprise: drugs alone aren’t the answer. *Update* A girlfriend just gave me this great link & resource for parents going through troubled times with their kids and who are in need of intervention services. Thank you, Deb! One thing that I hear again and again from friends with older boys is that it’s just plain hard for them to sit still for long periods in the classroom. I get it now; I have a three year old boy. He is wiggly, squiggly, and very tantrum prone. I know that’s “normal” for a three year old boy, but I’m sick of the many many tantrums a day. It pains me to see him so beside himself when he can’t have his way. It pains me because I know to indulge him will set him up…