My Beef About Shared Assumptions

It’s picky of me, I know; but I am frequently bothered by some shared assumptions about children’s behavior. When I was a young school psychologist, the labels “ADD” and “ADHD” had not yet been “invented”.  We called those antsy kids “figity”; and if they were not only restless but seemed to reside in their own separate world, we didn’t say they were somewhere on the Autistic Spectrum. Admittedly, we had other labels, such as “neurologically impaired” or “perceptually impaired” and three levels of retardation, depending on IQ score cut-offs. But most of us who worked with children weren’t convinced of the immutable accuracy of any such terms. They were useful for placing children in special classes or providing extra outside help. Although less so than now, there was some urgency about pigeon-holing departures from expected behavior, maybe just because we are a “categorizing” species. But many of us had not subscribed to the universal benefits of labeling children’s behavior.  I honestly believe that we tried to make sense of odd behavior, in the light of a particular child’s physical, cognitive, educational, cultural, environmental history and present circumstances. And we made recommendations based on what we had learned about available resources as well as the nature of these particular children’s needs.

O.K., it was not the good old days; but it was a time when skilled professionals and investigators could allow the facts from their observations, to take the lead in deciding what, if anything, was wrong as well as what to do about it.  Psychodiagnosticians who went by “a book”, slotting kids into convenient lists and labels were not the most respected professionals. The most sought after professionals were those who could observe, describe, even partly explain odd behavior and then consider the available options before making specific recommendations.  I am hoping that this modus operandi will return again under newly designed educational and health plans. Here’s hoping that’s not just wishful thinking.

Comments

[Fiona Ingram]

Hi there, I read with great interest your comments about ADD, ADHD. I'd like to share some info with readers about dealing with it. Maybe my old-fashioned methods are all wrong, but I live in South Africa, where the indigenous population struggle greatly (even now) with poverty, poor education, and poor nutrition. My housekeeper's daughter came to live with me after her desperate mother begged me to help. I am a children's author so for me, reading was the best way to improve grades and concentration. I refused to accept that there was anything 'wrong' with Mabel, who at eleven, was a charming child, but with low self esteem after failing twice, and she could not concentrate. I changed her diet radically, including Omega 3 oils, eliminating 'empty' carbs, and started working with her, focusing her attention on what interested her. Now she is an A student (at 16 - a long haul up!) and doing well. I think diet, discipline and loving attention can heal much of the ADD ADHD problem. Of course, if there is a physical problem that needs medication, it's the parents' decision, but I think anatural approach can work wonders.