Ritalin and ADHD
Question:
Will Davis methods help a child who is taking Ritalin for ADHD?
Answer:
The Davis Program is not recommended for children who are on medications to treat attention focusing problems at the time of the program.
Davis Facilitators are happy to consult with families whose children are on medication, but they usually will not provide the Davis Dyslexia Correction program to a child while on Ritalin or similar medications. Stimulant medications such as Ritalin will tend to interfere with the student’s ability to learn the control of their mind’s eye, and techniques such as dial-setting, which are a significant element of Davis methods.
Sometimes parents do elect to bring their children to Facilitators during school breaks when they can also take a Ritalin “vacation” However, the decision to interrupt medication can only be made by the parent along with the treating physician.
Many parents have children who are diagnosed as ADD or ADHD and do very well without medications after receiving either a Davis Dyslexia Correction or Davis Attention Mastery program. For example, one parent reported:
My son (age 14) was on Ritalin for years, since the first grade. He was so hyperactive that he was disruptive to the class. He initially did ok on the ritalin. The past two years he’s wanted me to let him go off the medication because he didn’t like the way he felt on it. Every time we tried school without the Ritalin, everything went down hill, so he went back on it. Getting into Davis Orientation counseling this summer was an attempt to let him get off it for good. Wow! His grades are better than they ever have been, and his LD teachers can’t believe the difference in his reading, writing, and organization. All these areas still need help, but I’m convinced that with more work in Davis methods (which we’re doing from the book without a facilitator) things will continue to get better.
(Answer by Abigail Marshall)
For more information, see:
My 6 year old ADHD boy takes 20mg Ritalin daily and after taking the morning dosage of Ritalin after 3 hours of taking it his hyperactivity returns aggressively. Should I stop him from ritalin?
Is it ok to mix ritalin with Ridon?
I am sorry but we cannot give you advice about using or discontinuing medications.
We do not use medications with Davis programs, and in most cases Davis Facilitators will not work with children taking Ritalin. However, we always advise parents to seek medical advice from their child’s physician before making any changes to medication.
Ridon is a medication generally prescribed for different mental conditions than ADHD, and has not been tested for use in children, so you may need to explore the reasons it has been prescribed for your child.
If you are considering a Davis program for your son, you should consult with a licensed facilitator first before making any decisions about medications.