10
Better Living Through Chemicals
As noted in Chapter 7, there
are some children who will not benefit substantially
from the approach described in this book until they’ve
been satisfactorily medicated. No one wants to see a
child medicated unnecessarily, so a conservative ap-
proach to medication is recommended. However, some
characteristics are well addressed by medication; namely,
hyperactivity and poor impulse control, inattention and
distractibility, irritability and obsessiveness, and having
an exceedingly short fuse. Medication does not teach a
child thinking skills, but when it’s effective, it can open
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