Advice for Vietnamese familiy re holistic ADD

[wisecrone]

Dear community:
My Vietnamese friend has questions. She is being pushed to have her 6 year old son (with asthma) start on Ritalin. She has concerns about this. She also experiences challenges in advocating for her son; communications are more difficult because of her ESL. Also, she is not as familiar with the public schoold system as she would like. Advice/ support/ suggestions are welcome! Thanx.
Seattle area.

[Bad Mama Jama]

I would find he some info on an area holistic doctor near you because I would need several opinions before medication my child. Maybe if you list where she is, someone may know a physician there. Hope this helps somewhat.

[seoul_mama]

Sounds like she could use an advocate. Seattle has a thriving Asian American community and I'm sure a hearty vietnamese population. If anything, there is probably some center that provides services to APIs (Asian Pacific Islanders). If possible, a translator might be helpful so that she can understand fully the advice given to her from her son's provider. She is in need of a second opinion - even if taking ritalin is not contraindicated, she should NOT be PUSHED/COERCED by the clinician. If the meds are being rx by a physician/pedi, then her son should get a 2nd opinion by a clinical psychologist who specializes in child psychology and is multiculturally sensitive and knowledgeable. While getting evaluated by a psychologist, the son can simultaneously consult with a homeopath/holistically informed doctor. I belong to a nation-wide listserv for Asian American psychologists, so if you're really interested in pursuing this then feel free to pm me with more details and I'll send it off to the listserv. hth. Good luck!