Labelling Children

When people say 'speaking as I find' it sets my teeth on edge. What it means is 'I'll hold onto my view because that's all I know'.

Oh gosh, I've got myself in trouble alright! The analogy, Greenfinch, was to compare the growing number of diagnoses, not to compare a disease of the respiratory system with one of an individuals psychological make-up! This is my personal opinion and I will say sorry again for offending you but not for speaking as I find.

Josiebear have you actually seen how asthma is diagnosed? nothing to do with a cough at all, but to do with lung capacity measured by a peak flow meter. It's done over a period of time and it is essential. People who were not diagnosed as children had significant physical changes because of the body trying to compensate for the lack of lung capacity. Such changes are rarely seen these days.

I cannot see the analogy with asthma. I remain

Greenfinch don't let the 'rabbits' get to you.

No, Greenfinch, not at all! I hoped to cause no offence to anyone. I'm just speaking as I find on that particular case. I think the medical world find it easier to label and medicate, having worked in pharmacy for 22 years, that much is obvious in something as straightforward as asthma - record number of inhalers being given, if a child coughs!! Sorry, Greenfinch, truly.

The comment about ADHD reminded me of a course I did about it many years ago. There was the usual info about the condition and how it might manifest itself, but the most interesting thing was the things that the organiser said at the end. Children with ADHD are a problem in schools because of the way schools are run, but adults with ADHD are the entrepreneurs and pioneers of society. They start more businesses than any other group, they take chances and if they fail they try again, without them society would be poorer in many ways. If such people are medicated as is now quite common, will they continue to do this? He didn't have an answer. But I also think it shows how children who have problems in school may in fact be successful in the real world. The label helps give them the help they need to reach their true potential.

Badenkate your GS sounds identical to mine! The thing that really sent him over the edge was having a whole lot of different teachers in one year (Not the school's fault, just bad luck) he just couldn't cope with the constant changes and we had all the melt downs, panic attacks and running away from school. Now the staffing problems have settled down and he is coping much better.

Josiebear I'm sure they did exist back in the 50s and 60s. I've spent over 40 years wondering why DH was so difficult to live with. After seeing the way GS1 behaves I realise that he may never have been diagnosed but he's out there on the spectrum himself.

Interestingly DD was talking to the SENCO lady at school today and she said that the Thames Valley has the highest level of autism in the country. She said that she puts it down to the high level of IT workers in the area. DD said "But I don't work in IT" "But what do you do?" was the answer. "I'm a scientist" she said "And his father's an engineer ......"

So now we are accused of being benefit cheats.Agreed Anya,some people will never understand.

Totally agree with you Josiebear. I see people on a daily basis who are quite proud of the fact that their child has been awarded dla/pip for ADHD. These people are usually young mothers or families on income support or low wage earners. It certainly does give children and their families with real problems a bad name.

Oh how I agree with you, Lisalou, none of these disabilities existed when I was at school in the 70s and 80s - oddly enough, discipline did!!! I have a friend with two children "on the autistic spectrum", over the years they have claimed tens of thousands of pounds in benefits and travel expenses. Forty mile round journeys to school in taxis because one couldn't cope with lots of people (regular concert goer, mind you!!) and the other had " anger issues" and might hit someone on the bus!!!! Now that gives children with REAL problems a bad name and I'm sure it's not isolated!

Ankers ,my comment about acceptance referred to hope rather than reality.I share concerns for work opportunities for those with labels

I owe Ninathenana an apology I should have addressed my post to nina1959 Apologies wrong Nina ?

Glad there are at least a few people who are able to be in long term work.

[It doesnt look like Tim Burton has been formally diagnosed. Only by his wife, though that doesnt mean she is wrong]

Brilliant Grannypiper,
sadly more & more wonderful children are having to cope with lifestyles & behaviours which we as adults would struggle with. Obviously there are many children with genuine conditions & learning difficulties who have loving supportive parents, but sadly there are so many who do not !

quizqueen well said. I once had a child in my care who was a delight(for me) he had been held back which had more to do with the staff than him. He didnt want or need a sing song response to everything he done, if he was out of line or really great he got the same response, a silly baby voice from a adult.
I will call the child "T" for the purpose of this post. At the start of our friendship T and i had a chat, we spoke about what upset us in class and what made us happy, What made us laugh and what made us cross. We agreed the rules drew up the list and we both signed it and shook hands.He took a few days to understand the rules were not drawn in the sand they were set in cement. By the end of that term he was a different boy, he was reading,writing, listening but the most wonderful thing of all was the other children were no longer afraid of him and allowed him to join in their play (now that did make me cry)
T had a whole team of specialists supporting both himself and his Mother. Every day at the end of school you could see T starting to get upset and his behaviour would change when he could hear his mother waiting in the playground, he would hide and when i found him he would cling to me and refuse to go with his Mother. Many times i would open the front door of my house and find him hiding in the bushes.I would phone his Mother and she wouldnt even know he had gone . To get to my house he had to cross 2 major roads and travel half a mile. We could support and help T but we couldnt change his Mother and she was where his problems lay
Not every child with a label has a learning difficulty some just have parents who's interests lie elsewhere

Quizqueen
you make some very good points, whilst working
with various 'labeled'children there were often social or personal issues which played a big part in affecting a child's ability to concentrate or fulfill their full potential, some children have to cope with problems we as adults would struggle with! many had been moved into a new family situations, often with no room,space of their own & expected to fit in with previously unknown people, arrangements etc , sometimes happening more than once , little wonder their behaviour learning & concentration is affected

My youngest GS has recently been diagnosed as autistic. This has only been because we paid for him to be assessed privately. He is 9 years old, and until about a year ago had been coping quite well at school. He is a chatty inquisitive little boy, very interested in science, cares deeply about animals - so much in fact that he has voluntarily become vegetarian. However last year saw a distinct deterioration in his behaviour at school: meltdowns, running away, school refusal. Until in the end the head was talking about exclusion. Maybe the explanation will become clear to those of you who know anything about austism: he was in a year which had shared teaching.
What became clear from the analysis we had done was that he finds inconsistency very difficult. He needs structure and to know what is expected. Otherwise he builds up stress which eventually explodes in some way. Maybe I can illustrate it best by saying that if he is given a project - say on pyramids - to do, he will quite happily work hard on it and do a good job. However, if he is given 10 choices and asked to do one of them, it is almost impossible for him to make that choice.
Luckily, this year he has a teacher who is much more up-to-date, and is coping really well with him. He has a quiet area he can go to if he feels things are building up, and he loves going to school again. Secondary school is a worry, but we shall have to see how things go.
One last point. My DH says he understands how he feels, because he can remember having the same problem with choice when he was at school. He can remember being told to write a story which was very vaguely put, and doing a whole book of sums instead! He became a very well-respected scientist - and there lies another story, because many of the high-level scientists and mathematicians that we have know have themselves often shown clear signs of autism. Ever watched Big Bang Theory? If so, just think of Sheldon!

Tim Burton (my GS's hero)

Satoshi Tajiri

Chris Packham

Ill not I'll! !!

Well said hildajenniJ!!
So many kids fell through the net and we're stigmatised in 'remedial' classes when I was at school through lack of understanding and diagnostic tests.
Is it not easier to know how to help a child with additional needs if you already know & understand what those needs are?
Because you as a teacher 'think' the pupil is lazy and not in need of a diagnosis does not make you right.... just I'll informed and IMHO in need of some training! !!!!

Ankers, I have a friend who is definitely on the Autistic spectrum, but who held down a job in computer development for nearly 40 years. Indeed he once saved a project through his obsessive need to record data in a notebook, when the computer data was wiped. He was aware his colleagues thought him odd but was quite happy if allowed to do things in his own way. But then he didn't have a label back then, just the ability to do the job that was required.

One of my friends a lady nearly 50 has recently been diagnosed and yay labeled as being on the autistic spectrum She is delighted that at last she has an explanation for a lot of her thoughts fears and actions she is so relieved after all these years