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MUSIC legend will.i.am has hit out at the “pill-pushing” parents of kids with ADHD saying his own hyperactivity has helped make him who he is today.

The Voice coach has criticised those who choose to give children with the condition what he passionately believes are “potential destroying” drugs.

Speaking exclusively to Event magazine, he said he’s now relieved his mother never made him take Ritalin – the drug commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

He said: “It’s not the kids who are the problem, it’s the lazy parents and lazy teachers who want kids to take Ritalin.

“You don’t need medication, you need patience with kids who have ADHD. It’s destroying so much potential and no one gives a damn.”

He believes his ADHD gave him the creativity needed to make it in the world of showbiz.

“I was fine because I had a patient mother and some patient teachers,” he reveals, “but it makes me furious that you get a kid who has this creative energy, who is powering off the walls and people can’t be bothered to deal with energy.

“ADHD was never my problem. I thought of it as a gift because it gave me an ability to join dots.

“What’s wrong with our society is that we want to pull everything back, stop people thinking out of the box and make everyone the same. I’ve never wanted to be the same as anyone else.”

He adds: “My mum couldn’t have afforded Ritalin because we had no money, but she also wasn’t afraid to say: ‘No. Leave my kid be.’

“We need to deal with this issue because it is getting out of hand. It’s destroying so much potential and no one gives a damn.”

Are kids starting school too early?

The youngest children in the classroom are more likely than their older classmates to receive medication for ADHD (Attention Deficit Hpyeractivity Disorder), a Perth study has found.

The results raised major concerns over the fact that children are being misdiagnosed with the psychiatric disorder and medicated for what could simply be age-related immaturity. Read more HERE> ADHD or are kids starting school too young?

Read more: 14 signs your daughter may have ADHD

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  • Many of us can overcome our symptoms if they are not pushed into our faces in the first place.

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  • Some kids really struggle to learn when hyperactive so I think a small dose would be okay so they can calm down a bit to actually listen and learn.

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  • I agree to an extent. Some parents insist their kids are hyperactive and need medicating, when they are just normal active kids. They are the lazy ones. But some kids genuinely need it. It takes a good caring gp to take the time to correctly diagnose

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  • I’m glad Will.i.am. had such patient, loving mum and that no medication worked out so well for him and released the creative energy he has got.
    No medication might certainly be good for some kids, but other kids really might need it !

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  • I fought for so long to not medicate my child. Until it was pointed out to me that i was making his life harder because he can’t concentrate.
    He is now doing his 2nd year of kindy & hes doing so well & is so confident now

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  • I was once in the same boat, thinking that giving these pills was just an easy way out… guess what? Now my stepson is on Ritalin. Why did I change my point of view?
    Because after 3 years of my son struggling to pay attention at school and countless hours spent at home and at school trying to help him with his work he was told that he may need to repeat because he was so far behind. We had tutors, we had a wonderful teacher who tried so hard, we had reward charts, punishments, arguments.. you name it.
    Then we went and saw a paediatrician and he got some Ritalin.
    He has excelled in school because he can now concentrate for more than 2 seconds.
    I agree some people just go with whatever but there are some parents who aren’t lazy and have actually tried it all before resorting to pills.

    Reply

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