Attention Disorder or Not, Children Prescribed Pills to Help in School - NYTimes.com

This is an edge case that is part of a larger problem - not just the decrease in societal investment in the future, but also the tightening of the box that defines ‘normal’.

Instead of creating a system that is aimed at welcoming a wide group of behaviours and personalities, we try to change the people to fit the system that’s currently in play.

And, as always, this disproportionately impacts those in lower income families.

Systems are supposed to be shaped to people. People are not supposed to be shaped the systems. And this is worrisome, because it sets a precedent - that only the rich can be divergent, and anyone else needs to fit into a little box, not just to make ends meet, but to be able to succeed at a basic level in public education.

It’s one thing for an individual to decide to supplement or shift or alter their neurobiology, due to illness, or a disorder that is negatively impacting them. It’s very different for it to be done because they are stuck in a system that isn’t designed for a huge number of the participants.