Woman accused of child abuse; gave Adderall to son, 6, as experiment
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/pal...,6964945.story
A West Boca woman is facing a child abuse charge after deputies say she emailed her 6-year-old's teacher to say she'd given the boy Adderall as an experiment, and asked for updates on any behavior changes.
Adderall is a drug often used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or A.D.H.D., which is characterized by hyperactivity and difficulty paying attention. The medication requires a prescription.
"I tried something today," 39-year-old Heather McAuliffe wrote to the teacher early Wednesday, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrest report. "I gave [my son] 5 milligrams of my Adderall just to see if there is a noticeable difference. He does not know because I crushed it up in his yogurt."
She continued her message by asking the teacher, whose name was not included in the report, to email her later with information on any changes in the child, and ended with a thank you. The boy is in first grade at an undisclosed school.
On Thursday, investigators spoke with McAuliffe, who lives in the 22000 block of Palms Way west of Boca Raton. She told them she gave her son the Adderall in hopes of helping him. She was arrested and booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
Deputies wrote in McAuliffe's arrest report that her decision to give her 6-year-old son a controlled drug without a prescription could have caused him physical injury, violating state child abuse laws.
She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and released hours later on $3,000 bail, jail records show. McAuliffe declined to comment when reached by phone Friday.
Palm Beach County School District spokesman Owen Torres said teachers are required by state law to report any indication of child abuse. The boy's teacher "did the right thing" by putting the matter in authorities' hands, he said.
"I don't know what the circumstances are, but if the kid was not prescribed this, obviously the teacher had a right to notify proper authorities to do an investigation," Torres said.
