Labelling Children

Are kids with autism just badly behaved, then, stillalive?

Written by someone who makes money out of the kids, nina?
ASD isn't something they grow out of, as Jane10 explains.

When my grandson was at a childminders when he was two years old, my husband and I were regularly phoned up to pick him up as he was upsetting the babies. We later found out that it was the other way round, the babies crying made him upset, so he cried louder than the babies.
This childminder won awards for special needs!

Children with their own quirks totally function in the outside world and to stigmatise them as "autistic" is a very dangerous thing which harms them more than helps.

Durhamjen, I understand your views and the pain it causes parents. But I think those experts and professionals who are now asking......is it right to negatively label a child? As in.....are we making them believe they are different and therefore giving them a false view of themselves as in my case when I was labelled dyslexic?

I personally think those asking questions now are trying to bring in better solutions plus make better diagnoses from a badly behaved child to a child that has genuine problems.

Case in point, my sisters little boy had learning problems which were missed mostly because teachers had several very disruptive, badly behaved children in the same class at the time. These children took all the effort and energy from the teacher. Six months down the line, my nephew was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
So I think when a teacher or professional starts to ask.....which children really have a problem, where's the funding going, are the labels working, they are asking the right questions to better target the problem.

Going away from this, I personally feel labels are wrong because of my own experience which hopefully I've turned into a positive thing.

Until you have a child or grandchild with a ' need' or a reason for their behaviour you will not understand
The original poster sounds very out of touch with children if they really are a teacher they must be stuck in a time warp
As for labels, wasn't 'lazy' 'naughty' 'inattentive' 'fidgety' ' disruptive' or in Stillkicking words 'just rude' dreadful labels to have at least by naming something you have an understanding of 'why'

Bluebelle, how do you know I haven't had any first hand experience? I think the OP is spot on. She's doing the job and seeing the problem firsthand.

I think Lisalou has been a poster on gransnet for a while, so probably no need to doubt her?

I can only go from second hand experience, and say that, and perhaps it varies geographically, here it seems to be difficult or very difficult to get a "label".

Postcode lottery perhaps?

overdiagnosis in some places and under in others?

So children who have specific conditions which benefit from additional support shouldn't be 'labelled'?? For Gods sake I thought this sort of antiquated thinking had been left behind decades ago. I really am appalled! Actually I'm angry to read such stuff on GN.

The op is suggesting that too many children are labelled with ASD/ autism who may only have behavioural problems . The huge rise in these diagnosis` does make one think maybe that is the case . You only have to read the responses to the op to see how many children have been diagnosed just on a forum like this one . It maybe ` a relief` and `helpful` to families but not necessarily the child who is then stuck with that label .

F77ms, you've got it.

My grandson is pleased to have the label as it explains why he is different from his friends. He hasn't known he has autism until last term. At 14, he is relieved to know he is not just naughty. If you listen to someone who wants to learn asking why his brain doesn't work properly, you might understand better.
Children with quirks, stillalive, turn/ed into grownups with the same quirks. They are slightly more than quirks, and it's those quirks that stop the majority of them getting jobe in real life.

Sorry, jobs.

I think if we all sat around a table facing each other bringing our own perspectives, it would be far easier to communicate. It's very hard to discuss such a sensitive and difficult topic without face to face contact. Everyone has a valid point, just different ways of seeing things.

nina1959 reading through these posts I was very glad we weren't sitting around a table facing each other - I'm sure I would have shouted at some by now for talking absolute poppycock

GS1 spent a hideous year at school before they realised that he had a problem. He was taught by a very nice young man who admitted he had never met a child like him and insisted on treating him like a "normal" naughty boy. I used to dread picking him up from school because we always had to have a post mortem about what he'd done. His diagnosis of ASD has been such a relief. He has a lovely teacher who gives him space and quiet. His father now realises that he can't just be "fixed" we know he will have help when he starts secondary school which he could never cope with alone. Best of all he realises that he is different and that it's not necessarily a bad thing and he's realised that the two boys he gets on best with are also on the spectrum so he doesn't feel so isolated. It took over two years to get him "labelled" but was so worth it!

durhamjen your so right my son was releived to be told he has ASD it helped him to realizse his problems weren't of his own making.
At 25 he has never worked apart from a couple of unpaid placements. He just dosen't "fit in"

nina sorry to hear that.Most autistic people do not have a job/ cannot cope with a job.
A job comes with....baffling instructions, other people to socially talk to/ understand and is a minefield generally.
I find the ignorant comments on here about autism are sadly the probable views of an lot of people.High time they did a bit of reading up on the subject.

roses and dj it's worth saying that its likely most people with autism do find jobs its just that most are not diagnosed. Our adult service is very busy and among my group members are civil servants, secretaries, accountants, IT specialists galore, nurses, vet and many more. The NAS figure is based on a tiny study of people with ASD whose parents completed the survey which indicates that possibly their youngster has additional LD. The NAS is a commercial organisation.
Our lot include people who are married or in long term relationships and have children of their own. Every single one of them wishes their ASD was identified in childhood. If only they had been 'labelled'!!
The reason more are being identified these days is that diagnostic guidelines simply weren't around much before the 1990s and professionals were not trained to even look for ASD thus it was not picked up.

Jalima yes it is very helpful when a child who needs help is given extra help and it is right that that should happen but what on earth do you do when 4 or 5 children in each class need that same help ?

If four or five children in each class need help and have a diagnosis, that will attract a bit of funding. Some children need a TA with them most of the time, others need help with specific issues. As Jane10 said, these children were around since time began, but teachers weren't as well informed, well society wasn't as well informed. I agree with the poster earlier, who commented that labels like lazy, naughty, thick were damaging.

Its interesting that there has been a proliferation of highly specialized schools. In the past children who were different were separated out from other children so mainstream teachers didn't see them. That didn't mean they weren't around.
These new special schools often run by charities do a brilliant job. Actually the old special schools that I used to see were very good too. The politically correct push to 'normalisation' has a lot to answer for.

OK here's a post from a experienced and 'outstanding' teacher and one who's also 'Nana' to a grandson with ASD.

I really hope the OPer never has the pleasure of teaching my grandson.

I couldn't believe I was reading that OP. Even when I started teaching (and I've been retired 10 years now) we were aware that some children had specific learning difficulties. There were several in each class (of 40+) who struggled to read, or comprehend or mix, and so on. Delightful individuals who usually gave of their best but their efforts, superb though they were, were met with very little success.

Over the years, educationalist have come to indentify the various issues which lead to these children struggling, either with reading, concentration, friendships, etc. Sometimes I'm sad to say with resistance from some who ought to know better. I once worked with a teacher who couldn't understand dyslexia and refused to accept that these children were anything but 'stupid and lazy'.

But that was in the 1980s.

I remembering asking an Ed. Pysch 'are there different types of autism' and he said not The child I was asking about was diagnosed with Aspergers years later.

So yes, I've come across this attitude before in some dinasaurs teachers but not recently, thank goodness. My GS's teacher is exceptionally understanding and skilled and she describes him as 'delightful', which he is.

I'm glad to hear it Anya. You'll have noticed my blood boiling at some of the posts!

Good post Anya.Delightful counts for a lot.

It's important that we say our piece on this matter, and those of us either professionally or personally involved ( sometimes both together) are in a better position to 'say it like it is' than those just giving their own often ill formed opinions.