'He can't function without drug'

DiCelliers with son Grant, 11, who has Asperger's syndrome and takes Ritalin to control his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Photo / Dean Purcell

In the school holidays, Grant Celliers takes a break from swallowing the Ritalin medicine that his mother, Di, says is vital for him to lead a normal life.

And Mrs Celliers, of Torbay on Auckland's North Shore, is well aware the drug can commonly cause increased heart rate and blood pressure.

But she considers these risks are far outweighed by the drug's benefits for her 11-year-old son, who has Asperger's syndrome and, like his two older brothers, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

"He's delightful, he's playing the saxophone beautifully, he's playing sport fantastically," Mrs Celliers says.

Stopping Ritalin long-term just isn't feasible for him: "He can't attend school, can't learn, can't function and go anywhere in life without the medication."

But she does withdraw the drug during school holidays because he doesn't need to concentrate so hard.

"My philosophy has always been to give him the least amount possible he needs to cope."

At first after stopping the drug Grant can't stop moving, talking and interrupting, his mother says, but he eventually settles into the quieter routine.