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Yet my teacher said I have ADD. It was a fad at the time.
A lot of behavior can be perceived even if non-existent and a teacher can miss similar behavior in other children because the teacher already reached her conclusion and is looking for evidence to support it.
Forgive me for an admittedly geocentric post-- I have no idea what teachers are either qualified or permitted to do in the Faeroe Islands, other than, presumably, teach.
And I'm guessing by your use of the past tense, combined with the fact that you don't post like a third-grader, that whatever your teacher did, it was not within the last few years.
Certainly, identification of behavioral pathology can be problematic and subjective. That was the point behind my observation that Mrs. Smith needed to describe behaviors to Mummy, not offer a diagnosis she is not trained to make. And that's why diagnosis should be left to pediatric neurologists, and pediatric psychiatrists. (I'm not a big fan of pediatric generalists making that call, either, to be honest, and even less in favor of them doing medication management-- though they are technically allowed to do so, and many do.)
Teachers are not even close to being qualified to diagnose ANY medical condition for a child.. anyone that thinks so should see their gardner for gynecological exams..
my friends young daughter was "diagnosed" by the school district as ADHD.. she told them to stuff it and took her daughter to a QUALIFIED profesional and was later diagnosed with bi-polar disorder..
Teachers spout ADHD because they are unable to "control" their class.. If they are not able to discipline a child that acts out - the next best thing is to drug them into behaving. (teachers are not able to sit students in time out, keep them after school, assign extra classroom duties - ie.. clean the blackboard, etc..)
Forgive me for an admittedly geocentric post-- I have no idea what teachers are either qualified or permitted to do in the Faeroe Islands, other than, presumably, teach.
And I'm guessing by your use of the past tense, combined with the fact that you don't post like a third-grader, that whatever your teacher did, it was not within the last few years.
Certainly, identification of behavioral pathology can be problematic and subjective. That was the point behind my observation that Mrs. Smith needed to describe behaviors to Mummy, not offer a diagnosis she is not trained to make. And that's why diagnosis should be left to pediatric neurologists, and pediatric psychiatrists. (I'm not a big fan of pediatric generalists making that call, either, to be honest, and even less in favor of them doing medication management-- though they are technically allowed to do so, and many do.)
Anyway, they're not qualified to make a diagnosis. However, it seems odd that those most qualified to make the diagnosis have something to gain by making the diagnosis.
Anyway, they're not qualified to make a diagnosis. However, it seems odd that those most qualified to make the diagnosis have something to gain by making the diagnosis.
It isn't an area that a school has any real authority and is an issue parents need to deal with when their children are diagnosed. It belongs in the parenting section.
1. Teachers cannot dx any disorder. Those who are saying they should describe problem behaviors have it right.
2. Psychologists and psychological specialists are the ones who are trained to give tests and gather information pursuant to an ADHD dx. These professionals cannot prescribe medication, therefore those conspiracy theorists who believe it is in the professional's best interest to dx are barking up the wrong tree.
3. School psychologists cannot observe a specific child's behavior and then report to the parent without the parent's prior consent. A school psychologist can observe a whole class and then consult with the teacher regarding her classroom management.
4. Doubting the school district's conclusion is fine, but the person who scrapped the school district's testing and went elsewhere should know that if the school completed special education testing, this testing was done by a school psychologist who, if following best practices, gathered info from school records, discipline reports, teachers, parents (including an interview), observations of the child in different settings at different times of day, and lastly testing with the child. Hopefully the same procedure was used when the independent professional completed their evaluation of said child.
Yup, This is how it was done in my sons case. And you are right. The Psychologist could not prescribe meds. He has to refer me back to the Ped who then prescribed meds.
My sons teachers never said ADHD, they just mentioned symptoms they noticed and we then started seeing doctors. Like I said before, they were pointing out things we already knew. We already felt that he had ADHD.
Yet my teacher said I have ADD. It was a fad at the time.
A lot of behavior can be perceived even if non-existent and a teacher can miss similar behavior in other children because the teacher already reached her conclusion and is looking for evidence to support it.
You are confused. The teacher did not "diagnose" you as having ADD. She might have said you had it, but only a doctor can make a diagnosis so her saying that was nothing more than making a statement.
Incidentally, are you a teacher? Do you work with children with ADD? Perhaps a trained physician? I'm just a little curious as to where you get these *facts* about what teachers commonly do and do not do. I think it's not terribly representative to use only your own example (which you likely do not recall perfectly, given that you were a child), and also fail to keep in mind that it took place, what 10 or 20 years ago? I like to think that as time goes by, we gain a little more knowledge and try to avoid making mistakes that might have happened early on.
No, the title is right on target. You don't know when I was diagnosed and at that time, the teacher had more influence and could put pressure on the parents to medicate children.
Perhaps this is a language difference? I notice you are living outside the US. Perhaps you are not understanding the meaning of the word "diagnose"? At no time have teachers had the authority to "diagnose" anything, as a diagnosis can only be made by a licensed physician.
Now, I can spout of my opinions of any little thing I want as a human being. I can be that pushy person who marches into the doctor's office and informs the doctor that I'm just sure Mary needs antibiotics because I know bronchitis when I see it, but I'm not "diagnosing" anything, just spouting off what I think and making myself look not too bright. The doctor is the one with training, not me. The doctor is the one who can tell true bronchitis from a head cold.
The teacher can say what they think based on what they see. Back in the day before we all got a bit smarter, it's possible the teacher said the now un-PC and inappropriate statement of "Smedskjaer has ADD," but that does not a diagnosis make because teachers have no authority to diagnose anything. Only doctors can do that. Even then, it's up to the parent to decide what they are comfortable with in treatments and to consider the teacher's words and the doctor's diagnosis with what they are seeing at home. If the behavior isn't also occurring at home and it's just situational to school, then it's not ADD. Other factors can be changed to work on the behaviors.
Are we hopefully improving how ADD is diagnosed and treated as time goes on? I sure hope so. I mean, heck, 100 years ago if you had a mental illness, they just locked you up. Now we've gotten smarter and have better ways to deal with it. Used to be a lot of stuff was treated with blood-letting and then eventually we figured out that wasn't working either.
My point? Try not to get too hung up on the past. Human civilization is imperfect. We're learning as we go. Let go of the chip on your shoulder and move forward.
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