KIDS AND MEDS IS A
COMBINATION THAT'S ON THE RISE
NATIONALLY, AND HERE IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE.
THE SHARP RISE IN CHILDREN
DIAGNOSED WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT
DISORDER IS A DRIVING FORCE, SAY
THE EXPERTS.
AND OFTEN IT'S NOT JUST ONE
PILL, IT'S THREE OR FOUR TWICE A
DAY.
AND SOME
PARENTS ARE
RESISTING MEDICATIONS AND
LOOKING FOR DIFFERENT
SOLUTIONS.
AMY COVENO UNCOVERED A SCHOOL IN
NEW HAMPSHIRE THAT'S GAINING
NATIONAL ATTENTION FOR THEIR
APPROACH TO THE
ADHD EXPLOSION.
ON A MOUNTAIN IN RUMNEY, NEW
HAMPSHIRE WHERE THERE IS ZERO
CELL
SERVICE AND THE ROAD IS
DIRT, SITS THE HUNTER SCHOOL.
THE STUDENTS HERE ARE K THROUGH
8TH
GRADE ENROLLED BY EXHAUSTED,
EXASPERATED PARENTS WHO HAVE RUN
OUT OF OPTIONS AND ARE SICK AND
TIRED OF PILLS.
I ALWAYS
THOUGHT --
BIG HAIR, LOOKS LIKE ALBERT
EINSTEIN.
BEN IS FROM CALIFORNIA.
HE'S GOING INTO 6TH GRADE, AND
IS ONE
OF THE 6 MILLION CHILDREN
IN THE UNITED STATES DIAGNOSED
WITH ADHD.
DO YOU TAKE MEDICINE?
YES.
ONLY, AND I CAN'T, AND BEING
ADHD, SO YOU'RE ALWAYS HYPER SO
WHEN YOU TRY TO GO TO BED YOU
REALLY CAN'T, SO YOU HAVE TO
TAKE A PILL FOR THAT.
PILLS ARE A WAY OF LIFE FOR
MOST
CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH
ADHD AND
STATISTICS REVEAL
CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 2 AND 3 ARE
TAKING ADHD
MEDICATIONS LIKE
ADDEROL OR RITALIN.
NEW HAMPSHIRE IS IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE PACK
WHEN IT COMES TO
ADHD
DIAGNOSISES, NEARLY ONE IN
10 LABELED
ADHD.
UP 6% SINCE 2007.
IN THE MORNING I TAKE THREE.
I
USUALLY TAKE THREE, BUT NOW I
TAKE FOUR.
AND AT NIGHT I TAKE
SIX.
I TAKE
... ZOLOFT AND ABILL
IFY.
EVERY DAY?
YES.
MOST OF THE STUDENTS LIVE
HERE.
HER
MOTHER SAYS ZOE WAS ASKED TO
LEAVE TWO SCHOOLS IN WEST
VIRGINIA AS WELL AS A BEHAVIOR
MODIFICATION
PROGRAM.
AT HOME SHE WAS REALLY
AGGRESSIVE AND VERY FRUSTRATED.
HER
PSYCHIATRIST PRESCRIBED
TWO MEDICATIONS.
STIMULANTS.
SHE HAD
TERRIBLE
HALLUCINATIONS.
THE FIRST AND SECOND
DAY, AND
WAS CRYING AND SCREAMING AND
SAYING THAT SHE'S
SEEING SPIDERS
FALLING DON ON HER HEAD.
LAURIE IS THE DIRECTOR OF
ADMISSIONS NOW, BUT
STARTED AS A
DESPERATE MOTHER WITH A SON HOO
BASS INCREASINGLY OUT OF
CONTROL.
I KNEW I SHOULD
SAY ABOUT 18
MONTHS OLD, I USED TO DESCRIBE
IT AS
THAT COULD NOT LIVE IN HIS
BODY.
BECAUSE OF TRANSIENT TICKS,
ZACH COULDN'T
USE RITALIN, BUT
HE WAS PRESCRIBED ABILIFY,
AN
ANTIPSYCHOTIC,
CLONADINE.
THEN AN
ANTIDEPRESSANT.
ZACH WAS IN THE SECOND GRADE.
WE FELT LIKE THERE WAS
ANYTHING LEFT OR BEING OFFERED
TO US
AT THAT POINT.
READ THE QUESTION.
THIS IS FIFTH GRADE
SCIENCE
CLASS AT THE HUNTER SCHOOL.
THE TOPIC, LEFT BRAIN RIGHT
BRAIN.
THREE STUDENTS, ONE
HAS AN AID,
TWO BOUNCE ON A STABILITY BALL
WHALE THEY COMPLETE
A COMPUTER
SURVEY.
LEARN HERE IS KINETIC BUT NOT
OUT OF CONTROL.
AND PARENTS, KIDS AND
TAF SAY IT
WORKS.
IT'S A PHILOSOPHY CALLED
ENERGETIC
MINEFULNESS.
VIDEO AND TELEVISION ARE ALMOST
NONEXISTENT HERE.
ENERGETIC MINDFULNESS WHICH
INVOLVES BEING AWARE OF YOUR
THOUGHTS AND YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS,
AND LIVING LIFE
FROM A POSITIVE
PLACE.
THE SCHOOL DAY ALTERNATES
BETWEEN ACADEMICS AND GROSS
MOTOR
ACTIVITY, FRESH AIR AND
MOVEMENT.
IT'S A MATTER OF TEACHING
THEM AND CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE THEY CAN
LEARN TO SELF
REGULATE, BECOME AWARE OF WHAT'S
REALLY GOING ON.
MOST HERE
ARE STILL TAKING
MEDICATIONS, BUT THE GOAL IS TO
LESSEN AND ELIMINATE PILLS OVER
TIME.
IT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE TO
SAY THAT EVERY CHILD SHOULD BE
OFF MEDICATIONS, THERE
ARE SOME
MEDICATIONS THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY
EFFECTIVE AND HELPFUL AT
DIFFERENT DOSAGES.
THE
HUNTER SCHOOL WORKS TO
ELIMINATE LABELS LIKE ADHD AND
IN INSTEAD SHIFTS
THE LENS
THROUGH WHICH THE BEHAVIOR IS
VIEWED FROM HYPER TO HIGHLY
SENSITIVE.
YOU'LL NOTICE WITH KID WITH
ADHD, AND I THINK THIS IS REALLY
FASCINATING, THEY CAN FOCUS,
IF
IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE
INTERESTED IN.
THEY CAN HYPER
FOCUS.
OUR MORE CREATIVE WHEN YOU'RE
ADHD, BUT YOU'RE LESS TO FOLLOW
INSTRUCTIONS.
BEN WANTS TO BE A SCIENTIST
AND LOVES TO READ.
BUT FOR NOW HE'S FOCUSED ON FOR
AGING.
WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SOME
LEMONADE.
BECAUSE
THESE TASTE A LOT LIKE
LEMMONS, SO YOU JUST PUT THE
SUGAR
IN.
ZACH IS NOW COMPLETELY OFF
MEDICATIONS AND ATTENDING PUBLIC
HIGH
SCHOOL.
BEN WILL GO BACK TO CALIFORNIA
AT THE END OF THE SUMMER.
AND ATTEND PUBLIC SCHOOL AS
WELL.
YOU CAN FIND A LINK TO HUNTER