tonight on "nightline," chemical kids. if your child acted like this or like this. >> that hurt. >> would you put them on drugs? before you answer, we take you inside one family's struggle. rocking in 2012. it is the star-studded 40th anniversary of dick clark's new year's rockin' eve. and ryan seacrest gives us a sneak peek tonight. and wiig on top. she's exploded onto the big scene in her gross-out block buster hit "bridesmaids." tonight, we talk to kristen wiig about her very good year. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with

terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," december 29th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm bill weir. it is a startling fact. tens of thousands of preschoolers in this country are on anti-psychotic medications. and the number has doubled in the last decade. but most of these drugs in question have not been tested on children. and doctors have no idea what their affect may be on the developing brain. tonight, we meet a family faced with a profoundly difficult choice. and here is my co-anchor, cynthia mcfadden. >> reporter: for this little boy, what you're seeing is not just a mow men tear tantrum, but the stuff of every day life. >> that hurt. >> reporter: day in and day out, cole eva vold's parents, jennifer and chris, have had to cope with his thrashing, banging and screaming.

it's certainly not what they thought life would be like when they adopted him as a newborn seven years ago. >> i guess he really was fussy. he cried and needed to be held a lot and he never slept. i thought, he's a baby and maybe he's a little colicky. >> reporter: he wasn't. by two months, there were problems at day care. >> the woman says, he's high maintenance. and i said, he's an infant. what does high maintenance mean when he's a baby? >> reporter: by the time he was 2, cole was on day care number four. >> broke a picture on the wall, pulled her curtains down and just turned the whole room upside down. he would just have an all-out rage. >> reporter: this home video shows cole in one of those rages, his room stripped down to keep him from hurting jennifer and chris weren't just worried about hurting himself -- they were terrified he would hurt another child.

>> i started to cor worry. that might almost be worse for my heart, to have him injure another child or kill, by accident. >> reporter: or not by accident. >> or not. >> reporter: he's angry. >> he is. and that scares me more than anything. >> reporter: his most frequent target, his little sister, brynn. >> hands to yourself. >> reporter: his parents say cole actually tried to kill his sister with a metal shovel. >> i heard the hit. he hit her over the head with the shovel. and i walk out there, what are you doing? oh, i'm trying to kill her. >> brynn, you are a dead butt. i'll kill you so hard. >> reporter: but why? what was going on with cole? there were some clues. the couple was warned that cole could inherit bipolar disorder from his father. >> we thought, give him a good upbringing, could maybe help

that out a little bit. >> reporter: but no amount of love seemed to be helping cole. by the time he was 3 1/2, the family was in turmoil. >> hi, cole. >> reporter: cole's pediatrician says cole's behavior was getting worse. the range of kids you've seen with the kinds of issues that cole has -- where is he on the spectrum, 0 is a kid who is a regular old kid and 10 is the worst you've seen where's cole? >> he's pretty up there. he's a 9. >> reporter: he is? >> yeah. >> reporter: the doctor began by diagnosing him with adhd and a mood disorder. but there was more. >> cole, i think, because of his family history and because he really cycles, will probably end up as an adult with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. >> reporter: and the doctor had a treatment in mind. an extremely controversial treatment. when cole was only 3 1/2 years old, the doctor prescribed a to tent mix of psychiatric drugs for him, including adderall to

treat his adhd and seroquel to stabilize his mood. >> obviously, i said, heck no. my kid will never go on medicine. >> i was scared, too, because every medicine we would give him, there is always a death warning on the, what would happen. it's scary. but we really didn't have the luxury of time. we have another child in the house. >> reporter: it was a big decision for she and her husband to put 3 1/2-year-old boy on medication. big decision for you, too, to recommend it? >> huge decision. yeah. huge. back in the old days, a kid like this would probably end up in an institution. >> reporter: his condition is that acute? >> oh end ye, yes. >> reporter: but the meds didn't work. the rages continued. when cole was 6 1/2, the doctor took what many consider a radical next step. prescribing lithium for cole. the powerful anti-psychotic used

for adults with bipolar disease. >> behold. he gets better with lithium. he really -- if he has the rages now, they're much more subdued. >> reporter: that is awesome! neverthele nevertheless, the use of such drugs in very young children is highly controversial. this psychiatrist has studied the rate at which anti-psychotic drugs are being prescribed for kids. a rate that's doubled for preschoolers in the last decade. give me a sense of how many children and adolescents are taking these anti-psychotic drugs. >> i've seen estimates as low as half a million in the course of a year but there are other that suggest several million children. >> reporter: several million children? >> that's right. that's part of the concern here is that most of the time, these medications are being prescribed to children, being prescribed for things where we really haven't studied them. >> reporter: have most of these medications been tested in children? >> only a couple.

but only in very small samples. >> reporter: so, the people who are watching you right now and say, how could you put your 3 1/2-year-old, your 4 1/2-year-old, on these drugs? you say? >> for the first year, i couldn't tolerate it. >> he had his -- >> when you are giving your 3 1/2-year-old, 4-year-old kid medicine and you see the effects of it, i mean, it's haunting. when he eats his dinner and his eyes are rolled in his head. >> reporter: how are you feeling? by dinner time, cole can barely keep his eyes open. most of the side effects even for a child who may well need the medicine are obvious. this is a hard question to ask you, but if you had known then what you know now, would you have gone through with the adoption? >> 100%. >> yes. >> reporter: no question? >> no question. >> no. >> reporter: even with all the heartache? >> no. he's still the sweetest kid in the world. >> he is.

>> i wouldn't trade him for the world. >> it's funny. it's like a mask. bipolar puts a mask on him but when it comes off, he's just a sweet, loving little guy. >> reporter: you love this little boy. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> our thanks to cynthia and that family for opening up. and just ahead, "american idol" host ryan seacrest shows us where he plans to party on new year's eve. and you are invited.

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>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with bill weir. if you are over the age of 15, there's a pretty good chance that at least one of your new

year's eve involved dick clark and a televised orb dropping over the huddled masses here in times square. maybe it was the year freddy fender sang, or maybe you are of the spice girls or hootie and the blowfish generation. either way, the 40th new year's rockin' eve is on tap, and i got us a little preview from host ryan seacrest. in the beginning, the ball had a few dozen 25 watt bulbs. a bit dimmer than today's 22,000 l.e.d.s. and during dick clarg's first rockin' eve -- >> 1973. >> reporter: blood, sweat and tears was the headliner, as they set off to have a hipper version than the one over on cbs. while on saturday night, you'll get pitbull, who had a number one record this year. ♪ >> reporter: a little justin bieber and carlos santana. and at midnight, lady gaga.

♪ i was born this way >> reporter: it's stunning, to think about how much has changed over 40 years of countdowns and party favors. saturday night will bring one more precious snapshot of popular sound and fashion. each times square smooch made all the sweeter by nostalgia and tradition. >> i remember as a kid, standing in my living room and i was allowed to stay up and watch dick clark with the headset and the microphone and the big abc lo logo. >> hi, dick clark with you. >> reporter: that's right, kids. long before "american idol," there was this guy. a consummate pro with a teenager's soul. >> it's all dick clark shaking in times square. >> you would watch at home and you would feel like you are part of the party. feel like he was just talking to you. >> reporter: the man in charge is now 82 and it's been seven years since the stroke that changed his beloved broadcast. >> i want to thank you for tuning in tonight. >> reporter: how is he doing?

>> good. he's excited about this year. he gets excited every year, looks forward to this. looks forward to being on the air. >> reporter: will he make an appearance? >> he will. are you kidding? he still runs the show. >> reporter: we go see the -- >> don't press anything, don't break any crystals. it's expensive. let's go. it's pretty cool to be right under the ball that soon will be 2012. >> reporte when i saw it on tv, i thought it would be bigger. >> reporter: i thought the same about you. >> hey, so did america. >> reporter: i did mr. seacrest because most of hollywood works for him. in addition to his hosting deals with "american idol" and e, he creates shows like "keeping one the kardashians," and has a national radio presence. >> will she is a crystal-ball

themed halt? >> you know what's great with lady gaga? with some artists, you know exactly what their plan is before they go on the air. with gaga, she always wants to keep you guessing. ♪ gonna marry the night >> reporter: you're the pope of new year's, basically. you're america's nonthreatening boyfriend, you're america's sweetheart on this moment. you could probably kiss anybody at the strike of midnight that you wanted to. >> yeah. >> reporter: if you would name that one person, who would it be? >> by name? well, my girlfriend. >> reporter: who is your girlfriend? >> her game is julianne. >> reporter: how is that going? >> it's going great. >> reporter: what is your resolution for new year's? genetically create a new kardashian? >> can eltell me how to do that? but really, i want to be present in the moment and enjoy without trying to plan the next one. >> reporter: right. does that count right now? are you present now with me or -- >> right now, i'm thinking about the e news show i have to

host -- speaking of myself, should we use the same location? how is the light? >> reporter: that's why you're the modern tycoon. happy new year, brother. >> appreciate it. >> and we hope you have a fantastic party wherever you are on the big night. coming up next, her hugely successful comedy "bridesmaids" this year changed the rules for hollywood hits. so, we talk to kristen wiig.

tough to name an entertainer with a hotter career right now. not only is she a favorite of "saturday night live" writers and fans, cristing wiig is now a proven holiday hit maker the comedy she co-wrote and starred in, "bridesmaids," is up for two golden globes. so, here's out chris connelly for our series, "it was a good year for." >> reporter: few can look so demure and yet be so down and dirty funny as kristen wiig. >> well you are going to be a slut in high school. >> at least i'm popular. >> oh, okay. i know what popular means. >> reporter: this year, she got to strut those skills on the big screen. her talents brought her to this set in venice, california, last year. at last, the 37-year-old wiig is

getting the chance to be the prime mover on a film. you are the star an the co-writer. you can go over there any time -- >> i do that every day. i'll just walk through the background of a shot. just to waste time. >> reporter: her time is now. now in her seventh season on "snl," she's offered up a lot of great characters. from gilly -- >> sorry. >> reporter: to the overbearing penelope. >> happy thanksgiving, everybody. >> happy thanksgiving. happy fourth of july. probably going to see a lot of fireworks because you live outside. >> reporter: plus impressions of a.m. hosts. >> so is your boyfriend. >>. >> reporter: she's been part of the wave of female cast members who transformed "snl," busting up the boys club. >> this is some classy wlooep blooep in here. >> reporter: this year,

"bridesmaids" candid language and body function fest smashed the glass ceiling for female-driven oh no they didn't comedy. >> of course i will. >> reporter: which real life sweetness amps up the comedy in edging circumstances. her bed fest with jon hamm, for example. >> sex scene. it's gross. >> reporter: this was her first kiz kiss on film. >> i do remember asking the director, because i didn't know, like, do we really kiss, is it like a full, like, tongue and stuff? >> and he was like, no. >> reporter: that come up at all during "bridesmaids?" >> yeah. i have learned that people do kiss with their tongue in movie. you are just going to use this part, aren't you? >> reporter: i didn't know this. who does this? >> you can see it sometimes. you can see. >> reporter: "brides the maids"

even has wiig without clothes. you disrobe without being asked to do it by the director. >> yes. yes. that's how i -- that's how i do it. >> reporter: you do optional nudity. >> yeah if he asks me to do it, i would be like, no. >> reporter: a stint with the l.a.-based improv outlet the groundings led to her appearance on "snl," where she offered a behind the scenes peek. it must feel like home. >> it does. i get emotional when i think about when it lot be over. we're just having fun. >> reporter: in 2011, "bridesmakes" made her mark in the movies. big time. >> i don't need dental work. >> reporter: but there's still no sign of her waving good-bye to "snl" any time soon. >> our thanks to chris connelly. and our thanks to you for