"Step right up folks! Our unproven, unsubstantiated therapy and treatment is guaranteed to cure all things bothering you about your child. That’s right for the low fee, special offer of $3,499 over the next year, we will cure bedwetting, ADHD, reading disabilities, and just plain child orneriness!!! All you have to do is plunk down your money (special 10% discount if paid in full up front) and bring your child in for treatment – twice a week over the year, and you will see results in all things child. We also have a special deal on this nutria-supplement that we offer at 60% off the retail price ($199) when you sign up for the therapy!!! This nutrio-supplement will get your child to stop bothering you at the dinner table and restaurants. It might even cure sibling rivalry! That’s right folks. Step right up!!!!!!"
It seems that every five years or so there is a hot new treatment on the market that is guaranteed to cure ADHD, dyslexia, behavior issues and other child issues of concern. I have known parents to spend thousands of dollars for an unproven therapy, only to have the child left in the same place he/she was in when the therapy started.
Many of these therapies make no common sense and have little legitimate research support. In addition they often present an indirect approach to address the problem.
Two recent articles article from Great Schools (www.greatschools.org) elaborates on this topic of unproven therapies:
http://www.greatschools.org/LD/managing/controversial-therapies.gs?content=817
http://www.greatschools.org/LD/managing/buyer-beware.gs?content=1022
Be very wary of approaches that are not a close match between your area of concern and what is being targeted in the treatment. Decide what you are targeting and find people experienced in addressing the area of concern.
I tend to think about sports metaphors when explaining this issue and advising parents. If you want to help your child with hitting a baseball, then bring him to a good baseball instructor to work on the skill. If someone told you to have the child swim for a year to become a better baseball player, would that make common sense? Of course not.
Too often approaches offered lack common sense and they are not targeting the area of concern adequately. Yet the person or business trying to sell the program will convince you to part with your money to cure everything.
Be careful before you try and cure all things child! Don’t be so quick to sign up for the cure!
Tag: Learning disabilities, reading disabilities, child behavior treatments, child therapy