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Cognitive enhancement in children and adolescents: Is it in their best interests?
Author(s) -
Gaucher N,
Payot A,
Racine E
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.12409
Subject(s) - medicine , cognition , best interests , best practice , ideal (ethics) , clinical practice , medical education , psychiatry , family medicine , law , political science
Evidence suggests children and adolescents are consuming stimulants and nonstimulants in the hopes of improving academic performance through cognitive enhancement. As such, clinicians may be faced with requests to prescribe enhancers for their paediatric patients. In this article, we analyse the ethics of cognitive enhancement in paediatrics in the light of the best interests standard, a guiding principle, often used to make decisions for minors in moral, legal, social and medical contexts. Conclusion Cognitive enhancement in children and adolescents does not represent an ethical ideal that societies should strive for. Furthermore, paediatric cognitive enhancement does not meet the criteria for a minimally acceptable practice, given the health‐related risks posed by these medications and the coercive environments such a practice creates. In line with a recent policy statement by the A merican A cademy of N eurology, ethical and clinical arguments based on the best interests of paediatric patients encourage clinicians to refrain from engaging in this practice.