I don’t know what goes on in the tri state area (which some posters mistake for the whole jewish world) but I have been working in schools and out for almost 2 decades with children with more severe ADD/HD. They only come my way because they are not able to manage in their classroom, peer groups, home life or a combination of those. I don’t see anyone “throwing medication” at these kids for an easy fix. USUALLY, and that means the most often scenario, we have to meet with the parents several times to convince them that if they choose not to medicate then they NEED to choose a different intervention. They need to understand that the damage done to a child who is unable to control his impulses even if it results in hurting friends, who is unable to concentrate even in conversation with peers, who struggles to follow a class even with supports in place, who is repeatedly yelled at or avoided by siblings because he is “always” breaking their stuff/ruining their game/telling their secrets/unwilling tofollow game rules or lose (let alone graciously)is tremendous and *avoidable*. I am not an advocate for meds, but I have experienced the daily suffering of many many children who are in emotional pain beyond your understanding due to the failure of the parents to administer either medications OR alternative SUCCESSFUL interventions.
The ones who wave the anti med flags on kids they never met seem to have their own personal med issues that they are either secretly justifying or hiding behind.