Why medicate? So he can pay better attention in class? So he can pay better attention to the teachers who are mostly wasting his time and talents? Why not find alternative means of educating your son that suit his temperament.
I believe our education system is harmful and hostile to boys in general and especially ones who have "ADD." There is Khan Academy and there is your boys curiosity and then there is your own creativity. Between those three things I am sure you can arrange an alternate (better!) way of facilitating your sons education. I know this may sound like a radical idea, but felt it my duty to submit it for your consideration.
I myself did well in school, but was bored and demoralized. I would have been farther ahead in life if I could just explore on my own and educate myself on the "need or want to learn" basis. I.E. whenever I was fascinated with a subject or needed to know something to complete a project, I'd learn it.
P.S. I can relate I think I have mild ADD as well. I just don't think it's a disorder or is harmful in life.
The reason we don't have more females programmers is because they have less interest in it and less aptitude for it on average. And this will never change. For my dense readers I'd like to clarify that this doesn't mean that every man is better at programming than every woman, just like saying that men are taller than women doesn't mean every man is taller than every woman.
Back to the topic at hand - women are not as good at programming and also not as interested in it as men. If you find this sexist, don't like it, and don't want to accept it, take it up with the universe. Or to paraphrase Richard Feynman: You don't like it? Go somewhere else... to another universe, where the rules are more psychologically pleasing.
There is no hostility toward women in technology. There is no "sexism." Just the opposite men are biologically predisposed to pampering women and our field is no exception. Men willing to pamper women is the only reason why initiatives like this "charity" event are even possible!
Btw... Don't you ladies get offended that you are need of charity to make it in tech? Apparently not!
This goes for Adria Richards' employer SendGrid as well. Andria has publicly embarrassed you and put on the blacklist among many good engineers. I would never work for you or any other company that has position reserved for "developer evangelists."
By the way, let's not forget that besides Adria Richards, there is another party to be shamed and boycotted: PlayHaven.
I am pretty good at what I do and I would never ever in a million years work for them or anyone like them. Good engineers are in demand and thus in a position of some influence.
Don't take the victim mindset. Your employer needs you at least as much as you need them. Boycott PlayHaven. They need to know there are consequences. It's the only way anything is going to change.
I saw a petition to re-hire the guy who got fired. Fuck that. I know I wouldn't want that job back.
OMG I just read the comment from the real victim, the guy who got fired and he is apologizing!
DUDE what are you apologizing for? She should be apologizing (will never happen). Your employer should be apologizing as well. But YOU have done absolutely nothing wrong.
At the very least I hope your apology in insincere and you're only doing it to get another job, which is somewhat understandable.
This is absolutely insane! A man makes a private innocent joke, a woman complains, the man get fired.
Meanwhile women (and men) are free to make violent jokes about men's penises getting cutoff, hitting men in the crutch, etc. And all this on TV for millions of viewer!