Are all these new conditions for real ? ADHD, bipolar disorder, etc. etyc.?

Question

I'm a SPED teacher with close to 20 years experience. I hate so say this but throughout all these years, I have gotten many students with different disabilities such as ADHD, bipolar, Emotional disorder, etc. etc. Every time I'm going to get a new student , I try to get prepared for what will be coming (according to previous study of records ) to my surprise and that of my teacher assistant we have never witnessed any of the diagnosed behaviors. I always tell my students the rules on the first day of school and encourage them to comply with them. ALSO, I let them know that I have a rewards program which I start on the very same day. I don't know if I should call this luck or that all these conditions are only there to make some parents feel better for not doing their work.

What I have observed, many parents can't control their children. Also , they don't want to be bother with doing homework or helping them (not all).

I have a parent who's son is starting to read , and when I told Mom to read al home with him, she got so mad and told me that her son was in Special Ed and didn't need to be push. I never got any homework from him . Same thing happens over and over.

Do these conditions really exist? what do you think?

Answer 1

I am also a special education teacher, and I first began teaching in the mid-1970s.  I do believe that there are kids who are truly ADHD and others who truly do have bi-polar and other disorders.  However, I have seen far more children who do NOT have these problems but who are labelled that way because it gives the parents an excuse for the fact that they are failing to provide their kids with structure, order, consistency, and high expectations.  I can't count how many parents have insisted to me that their child had ADHD, when in fact the child had a normal level of energy and just needed clear boundaries.

I have had exactly the same experience that you are describing.  You get student records documenting all sorts of outrageous behaviors, and often very complicated behavior plans for addressing those behaviors.  We get them in our class, clearly explain our rules and expectations, and reinforce their compliance.  And without exception, the children quickly learn some self-control.  It's not luck - it's good teaching.  

I have had many student teachers and intern teachers, and I am currently the support provider for a beginning special education teacher.  I make a point with all new teachers that a good, supportive classroom environment will make it possible for ALL students to succeed.  It's our job to teach children appropriate behaviors, just as much as it is to teach them to read, or to toilet themselves, or whatever the child's individual needs dictate.

I do try to remember that I chose to work with children who have special needs, and the parents of my students did not chose to have a child with special needs.  I have specialized training and decades of experience, and they are often struggling to come to grips with the fact that their child is not going to be "typical."  On the other hand, I have also had parents who only want to be given the "magic wand" (or the magic prescription of medication) so they don't have to do any of the hard work involved in parenting.  (And almost all of the issues parents bring to my attention have nothing to do with the fact that the child has a disability - they have to do with the fact that the parents need to be the authority and quit letting the kid run the show!)

I could go on and on;  you and I probably could share a lot of stories!  But kudos to you - you are giving your students the support they need to be successful!

Answer 2

I'm in my mid fifties and believe these do exist!  It wasn't labeled when I was in school and there wasn't a way to deal with it as there is now!  My son was diagnosed with ADHD and and after a great deal of consideration we finally tried Radilin!  It made a huge difference imediately!  it was like turning on a switch!  His attention was not easily distracted and his grades came up drasticly!  The only problem it affected his appotite!  It did help him to get a hold on controlling his attention with only two or three years of use.  I believe I had ADHD when I was in school and I am said to have what is called Bipolar disorder presently!  So yes, I think these are real conditions!

Answer 3

They do exist - they are due to a specific brain chemical imbalance - but they are also highly overdiagnosed.

Many boys who are simply kinesthetic learners are often "diagnosed" with ADHD, and sometimes even OCD, simply because they learn best by touching and moving.  It's no coincidence that a large percentage of kids who are on these drugs are boys, or that they spend their childhood drugged into oblivion.  If they were simply taught in a way that feeds their learning style (within reason, of course), they would have no problem concentrating.

With kids that are misdiagnosed, it's not that they "can't" concentrate, it's that they're either bored silly or not understanding what's presented.  Because it doesn't hold their attention for whatever reason, they do what kids naturally do - they gravitate toward whatever WILL hold their attention and cause them to learn.

I think it's also that parents are dropping their responsibility to parent and leaving it to those considered "experts".  Sorry, but I'm the expert when it comes to my son.  It's my responsibility to spend time with him, to discipline and guide him, and to set down realistic expectations for him - and to expect him to fulfill said expectations.  When he does have outside teachers, it is my job to work hand in hand with those teachers (and vice versa) to help him learn and develop.

I wish there were more teachers like you, at least in our area - and I wish there were more administrations willing to let teachers do their job.  (Less governmental interference would be nice too, lol.)  

I don't think it's luck on your part, I think it's solid teaching and classroom management.  Your students know what to expect from you up front, and you apparently work hard to challenge and teach them.  These conditions do exist, though not in the multitudes that "diagnoses" would make you think.  I can't wait for the day that we stop drugging our kids and start allowing them to learn as they should - and for the day that more teachers like you are given conditions that are conducive to staying with the profession as a career.

(My parents are teachers, and your comments remind me a lot of things that they've told me.  I grew up around teachers, and I've seen many incredible teachers driven out of their field by restrictive regulations and uncooperative administrations.  I've also had my own son, who is both kinesthetic and well above grade level, be threatened with "having to be medicated to stay in the classroom" by a teacher who shouldn't have been in the classroom to begin with.)

Answer 4

Some of each.

I worked with Special Ed. for 21 years.

I saw lots of students with real disabilities...no doubt about it. The Special Ed teachers agreed with me.

You might say, the proof of the diagnosis is if the experienced Special Ed. teachers like yourself work with the student for a week and say, "Oh, yes! That student REALLY has a disability!!" That's when I knew my diagnosis was right.

Since the new IEP system, the Special Ed teacher (RSP, usually) should have a say in the diagnosis, so that person should have some input. AT TIMES, diagnoses are made for political reasons, however, and those may be the ones you're talking about, now.