Labeling Every Child ADHD
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September 27th, 2008
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Steve Olson has a great post up about ADHD which you should check out. He's basically echoing some of my own thoughts. While there are ADHD cases, many parents are just desperately seeking an explanation to their poor parenting. It's a way out of being held accountable, a word most parents have forgotten today. Having a child diagnosed ADHD is a sure way of not being blamed for anything ever again.
The fact is children often don't have ADHD even though parents might want to believe so. Bad behavior by children must be an illness, right? It couldn't be the endless hours spent at work and not with the child. It couldn't be the lack of discipline, rules, and routines in the household. It couldn't be the lack of interest and the thousands of mind numbingly dumb parenting decisions taken. It must be ADHD. Right.
Joe Smith, I notice was doodling on a text book. 'Come on Joe. That's enough of that. Get on with your work please.'
I was new to teaching and trying to be firm but fair. The next minute, Joe grabbed his neighbour's pencil case and threw it across the floor. When I remonstrated him he told me to 'f*** off'.
At the end of the lesson I asked him to stay behind. Demanding an apology, I told him I'd be phoning home as well as reporting his behaviour to the head.
Joe simply shrugged. 'It's not my fault. I'm ill. I've got ADHD. I can't help it.'
I sometimes think of my daughter having ADHD because of her hyper activity. I'm sure I have her diagnosed with some disease if I wanted to. But I know it's my hard work as a father which will determine how she turns out. She will rock the world, I know it. If she doesn't it's still fine. I won't blame it on ADHD or anything else, I'll blame it on my parenting. It's a scary thought for many to take accountability for their parenting. Personally, I find it the only way to focus and get things done.
Labeling poor behavior ADHD, relieving the child of consequences for his actions, teaches tyranny not freedom. It creates high chair tyrants who demand everything and contribute nothing.
I’m not saying there aren’t hard cases. Maybe your child is one of them. I’m not talking about you. But IMHO ADHD is clearly over diagnosed. In the UK, It’s gone from 2,000 in 1991 to 400,000 today. Clearly many schools and parents are using ADHD to absolve them from confronting and correcting damaging behavior.
Take a look at what Steve has to say about ADHD and while you're there, browse around the site of this very wise man. Also read Steve's recommended article about bad behavior, ADHD, and drugs.
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I totally agree. I know at least one of my girls (if not all of them) could probably be labeled as ADHD IF the school pushed the issue. Thankfully, the school they go to isn’t one that pushes for that (unlike others in the area). My nephew was diagnosed at three. As a former preschool teacher, I can’t even begin to fathom how you diagnose a three year old with ADHD. Three year olds (and even older – 4, 5, 6) are untapped bundles of energy. They are made to be active, curious and mischievous. Its how they work. But to label a three year old as ADHD because he’s full of energy?
I think most of it stems from the schools (as they seem to be the one’s who push for a diagnosis). If you have a child labeled as ADHD, they usually get treated with medicine. When medicated, they behave calmer and are thus, less distracting to the class. And thus, make your job, as a teacher, much easier!
Anyway, enough rambling – but just my thoughts!
AD,
Thanks for the mention. In the US/UK ADHD and ADD are diagnosed and medicated for very simple problems. A friend’s son ended up in psychotropic because he was forgetting his homework! Yes that’s all it was. Drugs to help you remember your homework. Someone tell me this hasn’t gone too far.
This is a huge problem in Anglo/American countries. I think you guys in Northern Europe do better than us. I’ve also read that the Germans and the Austrians hardly medicate their children at all.
Thanks again…
I totally agree with you. We see this happen quite a bit in our part of the world, the latest buzzword to explain away all manner of ills.
Medication for behavioural problems seems like such a dangerous road to go down.
Thank you for this article. I am currently battling my son’s school on this issue and they keep on wanting to label him. They want us to do the test, which after much persistance I finally agreed, only to prove them wrong. What angers me more is that they keep on trying to say (in front of him too) that he has the ADHD. I am sick of hearing this. I have been upfront with them on this that even if he does have it there will be NO medicine involved. I just don’t even want him to think that he is being labeled that.
I have seen this dignoses way too much here in America. The schools, I feel, are increasing the dignoses of students. More funding comes to them the more students they have with problems or that are on medication.