While a certain level of compliance is necessary to maintain the social order, it is not a quality to be cultivated as a matter of course and without conscience, for it is not necessarily the best choice for our collective future—the classic example being the super-obedience of Nazi Germany. Studies closer to home have illustrated human beings have a frightening capacity to follow orders when given by an authority figure, even if so doing clearly harms innocent people. Compliance condones, and hence perpetuates, not only the very best, but the very worst in our world. Should we consider the possibility that those well-behaved, docile, submissive children, the "good" children, may, in fact, be an even greater threat to the ultimate wellbeing of our planet? Should there be a treatment program devised for overly compliant children? At very least, can we open our minds to perceive a broader perspective, rather than label one end of the continuum as good, the other as bad?

For surely the qualities needed, perhaps more than ever, in our world today are not those of conformity or compliance, but intelligence, courage, enthusiasm, and creativity—the very qualities that many authorities confirm children labeled ADD commonly display. These are the qualities that have driven many of the greatest leaders, artists, and inventors throughout history. These same qualities—that many of our children cannot, or refuse to, hide—are the qualities that expose them to the risk of being identified with behavioral disabilities, rather than being recognized as an expression of courage and autonomy that needs both guidance and avenues for creative expression—not suppression.

All the messiness involved in growing up—the battle of the child's will against the adult's will, the endless restless curiosity, the sudden bursts of anger, excitement, or jealousy—all this unpleasantness can now be avoided... (and controlled)—through a psychopharmaceutical cornucopia of state-of-the-art medications. —Thomas Armstrong, PhD

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