When doctors suggested Nelly Yankovic drug her son so he could sit still long enough to learn to read, and she noticed that 60% of the children she was teaching were taking prescription Ritalin several times a day, it struck her as "not right."
The DEA agrees. As long ago as 1996 they reported that Ritalin (methylphenidate) is "potent, addictive and abusable," and it is "over-prescribed, over-marketed and over-sold." Prescriptions increased 500% from 1990 to 1996.
Since then, the prescribed (and not prescribed) use of this psychotropic drug has only increased. While some children experience no side effects, other children taking Ritalin drop dead.
Nelly decided to do something about it. Being a physical education teacher, she knew from personal experience that conscious physical exercise can develop self-discipline and focus. What if ADD-diagnosed children, instead of taking Ritalin, were taught to correctly swim the crawl stroke?
She contacted neurologists and other experts and convinced them to conduct a study. The results of that study will soon be published in Spain. Here is a sneak preview.
Guess what? Swimming, correctly, improves academic test scores. And as you can imagine, the exercise also improves health. And course we feel more self-esteem when we are strong and have mastered a skill.
I had the great honor to meet with this mom who is making a difference, Nelly Yankovic. Here is an English translation of our conversation.
What inspired you to conduct this study? What experiences in your life compelled you to dedicate your efforts to the field of swimming and its relationship to learning?
The grand inspiration that led me to carry out this research is my son. I want my son to be (as much as possible) happy. In my opinion, swimming is a method that helps students who have difficulties learning to read and write overcome these difficulties.
Article comments
1 - Swimming
Kieren Perkins, an Australian distance swimmer, started swimming because he was too restless and his parents didn't know what else to do with him. While I am not sure if his ADD was completely cured, he did go on to do some amazing things with his swimming career.
2 - Lynette Yetter, author of the novel, Lucy Plays Panpipes for Peace
That is a wonderful example of "transforming poison into medicine." Thank you for letting us know about Kieren Perkins' swimming career.
3 - Sylvia
Is Nelly ever going to get the credit for her work in this area?
4 - Sylvia
This is incredible work from a loving mom towards her son which can also help other children the world over. Nelly started this work decfades ago. Now the fruits of her original work are being discussed in Australia, however no credit is given to the pioneer of this remarkable work that can free our children of noxious and addictive drugs.
5 - Lynette Yetter, author of 72 Money Saving Tips for the 99%
Thank you, Sylvia, for your report from Australia. Can you please post more information about these discussions of Nellie's work? Are they published anywhere? Thank you for your sincere and caring heart. I so appreciate that you took the time to post your comments.
6 - Fact
I must point out that you will find Kieren Perkins was also medicated with Ritalin as child...
7 - Lynette Yetter, author of "72 Money Saving Tips for the 99%"
Really? What reputable publication can you cite that says that? When I Googled "Keiren Perkins" and "Ritalin," nothing came up on the first page to support your assertion.
In any case, this article is not about Perkins. It is about the findings of a study conducted in Chile that showed that non-medicated ADHD diagnosed children improved their test scores soley by learning to swim the crawl stroke correctly.