RITALIN DEBATE TIMELY

Dear Dateline Editor,

It's difficult to imagine a more timely and important topic than the debate
about medicating kids with Ritalin or other psychoactive drugs. There's a
real danger that these children, who for the most part are involuntarily
medicated, will reach adulthood feeling "out of sorts" when clean and
sober, "Brave New World" indeed.

Dr. Carmen McGuinness, has shown quite convincingly that most, so called,
ADD and HADD children become attentive and focused when they learn to read
well, that is, learn to decipher the assorted alphabet sound symbols into
words they speak and understand. Imagine, if you will, being required to
attend a class in Chinese History where, while the lecturers are in
English, all the writing and required reading is in Chinese
hieroglyphics. Wouldn't you become restless, bored and even combative?

Gerald M. Sutliff, Emeryville, CA