Write to your newspaper

Sample letter to the editor or opinion piece

Please copy, cut and paste this sample letter onto your own computer to use

This is a sample only. Please alter the letter to express your own concerns. A somewhat consistent message asking the ministry and boards to recognize ADHD as a legitimate disorder that effects a child's learning would be helpful. Please see “Current School Situation” if you need more information on this.

Letters to your local newspaper have a good chance of being published if they are well written, to the point and address an issue that affects your community. For reasons of space, even brief letters may be edited for length, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get as much space as you hoped for. If your letter is published, could you please e-mail a copy to heidi.bernhardt@caddac.ca

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Dear Editor:

Each year, we are anxious and frightened on how we’ll try to navigate through an education system that doesn’t recognize my child’s ADHD as a disorder. And it is a neurological disorder that is medically-recognized, and that requires treatment.

And each year, we are frustrated at the stigma associated with a chronic lack of awareness of ADHD, and lack of support and resources for a disorder that affects thousands of children.

Our Ministry of Education, as well as school communities, needs to know that ADHD is not a behavior issue, that it can’t be “cured” by changing diet, that it’s not a result of poor parenting, and that the kids who suffer from it aren’t bad kids. And they need to know that I am not unnecessarily “drugging” my child.

They need to know it’s a genuine medical condition, that many kids with ADHD are very bright, that it affects up to 12 per cent of school children, that it’s stressful for parents and hard to deal with for kids. They need to know that children and adolescents with untreated ADHD are at greater risk for things like poor self-esteem and substance abuse, and they are at greater risk of dropping out of school.

Most importantly, they need to act. The Ministry of Education needs to give these kids a helping hand by recognizing their disorder and providing the support and resources needed. It is the right of all children to be able to access education in a way that will allow them to succeed and reach their potential.

Sincerely,

--insert your name here--