Over exposure to prescription drugs has an affect on academic and health outcomes for many children in the United States.

As a former (CASA) Court Appointed Advocate for Abused and Neglected Children and as a previous foster care parent and in having cared for children in the foster care program that are mentally challenged in many capacities, due to sexual abuse, neglect, and many other factors, I have witnessed the distribution of medicines that seem over indulgent and too worrisome to ignore. The many organizations that provide an array of social and mental health services and special education programs for troubled children and their families, may be treating their needs much like a business that thrives on profits for the benefit of those they may be more interested in something other than the welfare of raising children of the state.

Although there are many successful, legitimate and extremely excellent programs, there are those that are not. Those programs in question may seem to want to improve the adjustment and achievement of children and youth with challenging behaviors through effective programs, they may desire to develop innovative programming through education, research and measurements, they may desire to improve a system of care, but, to the contrary, thousands of dollars may be exchanged and most of it may not going to the foster care parent or the children that they are paid to care for.


The Affect That Drugs Have On Our Children

In a world where many children live in environments where natural development is delayed, there are also emotional, and significant disruptive behavior problems that are due to growth development because of drugs, environmental factor and more. There are many articles about drugs and the youth that are on line, one in particular can be found on http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p20-550.pdf. According to the (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003), youths in the U.S. represent 26% of the population and account for 50% of victims of violent acts. Research shows that regular exposure to violence is associated with psychological difficulties, language and development skills associated with poor education and juvenile justice problems. Exposure of community violence is also a factor surrounding family problems, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, suicide attempts, economic pressure, drop -out rates and gang activity.

I will be the first to admit that with the number of psychiatric disorders, (ADHD), Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, Hyperactivity, Anxiety, Psychosis and more, there is reason for many medications, but in light of the effects on individual, cultural, economic and traumatic experiences as it pertains to child development, there has to be another way, a better way than medicating our children to the extent that we do.

As a society at large, we seem to have a pill for everything. I don't recall my mother taking any medications for such things as menopause, knee pain, etc. They were obviously tough and they dealt with it. I worry about the many affects that medicating our children can have, later in their lives, mentally and physically. Hopefully over medicating our children will not lead to later drug use. The consumption of drugs on any level can be a habitual thing, just as the consumption of sugar, coffee, etc.
Organizations That Help

Several organizations are in place to reduce the effects of exposure to violence, health concerns and the use of prescribed drugs; they include Human Services, U.S. Department of Education, and Community Development Agencies and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There are many organizations that aid in helping children with special needs in foster care programs through out the United states. The is The Kennedy Krieger Institute, Feed the children, Save The Children and The John Hopkins Children Center that aid in the health and welfare of children. There is a definite urgency because of the social indicators, such as education, income and employment status and the number of heightened awareness of the incarcerations amongst children aging out of foster care programs. There are also health related issues associate with HIV and victims of child abuse, drug use and neglect.



Exposure to Certain Environments Can Perpetuate Violence & Drug Use

Although I believe that exposure to certain environments that perpetuate violence, neglect and drug use, affects many of our youth, another argument could be that there are some personal strengths and positive attributes. In referencing youths who have experienced such violence by way of physical and mental health risks, careful thinking and planning, leadership, determination and perseverance are some of the evident qualities that many organizations have put in place through out the United States to help our young. One need only ask the question, “Can violence, neglect and drug use, whether prescribed on not, occur in the community and the youth not be exposed to it?”

Although this is not normally the case, there are experiences of structured home environments where the youths cannot associate, outside of school activities. Many years ago, when I was very young, I remember witnessing, in my neighborhood, a school teacher who chose to isolate her son from the other children around him; she did this by sending him clear across town to a private school and allowed him to socialize with only those individuals that attended that same school. He lived in the midst of a violent community but had no association. He is a very successful lawyer today. Another question would be, “Can a youth develop a positive self-appointed role within a dysfunctional environment where relationships and events may occur?” Many youths who are classified as victims rather than who are identified as being in need of services, may be a more positive aspect of exposure to violence, drug use and neglect, in a given community. I had a friend once that took on the role of the parent to her younger siblings because her mother was on drugs and never in the home. She cooked for her younger sisters and brothers and made sure they were in school, each day, on time. She developed an optimal sense of identity and well being in order to keep her family together.

There are several recommendations for addressing the effects of family and community. According to a journal written by Dexter R. Voisin of the University of Chicago entitled: (The Effects of family and Community Violence Exposure Among Youth: Recommendations For Practice and Policy), those recommendations are to Increase Public Awareness, Improve Detection and Intervention, Increase Provision of Evidence-Based Intervention, Youth Exposure to Violence, Locate Mental Health Service and Enhance Coordination Services and Collaborations.


There Are Consequences That Are Both Positive and Negative

There is a passage taken from (Teaching Social Skills to Youth) by Tom Dowd, M.A., and Jeff Tierney, M. Ed. that sums up my issue. “As human beings we live in social groups. We learn that there are consequences that are both positive and negative that are attached to how we interact with others and how we choose to respond in social situations. The lessons learned at each stage in child development should become tools used to meet the demands of subsequent stages of life but somehow are not”

In closing, although there are many contributing factors in the exposure in over medicating our children, the negative factors largely out weigh the positive. We must continue to study and develop ideas and create programs to rid ourselves of the many problematic events that promote and continue to add to the over exposure, especially when it comes to prescription medication and the overwhelming violence around our country, that affect our children.