Do you get advantages to being diagnosed ADD or ADHD?

Question

My cousin gets 50% extra time in his college tests and special accomodations and money.....does this mean that educators should err on the side of safety when deciding whether to make a positive diagnosis or not......could people be abusing this system?

Answer 1

People with ADHD (umbrella term) get accomodations, not advantages. Those with ADHD have a harder time completing the same tasks in school than their peers. The accomodations are just a way to level the playing field. Do people abuse the system? Sure they do, every system gets abused, but they are put in place for those that actually need the extra help. I would rather have a few people abuse the system and help those that need it than to not have anything in place at all.

Answer 2

educators don't make a diagnosis, they only provide appropriate services to accommodate or modify the curriculum  for a student that has been diagnosed  by a professional.

Answer 3

Every government system is eventually abused - but does that mean we should stop them? Good intended programs can be misused, but I think they are still needed.

Answer 4

Yes, the system gets abused constantly.  It is not only abused by the students but by educators.  It is much easier to diagnose a kid ADD, stick them in a special ed. class or put them on meds, than to try and deal with the child.  It also diminishes the plight of students who really have ADD and NEED those special accommodations and medications.

-S (special education teacher)

Answer 5

The accommodations you state create a win win situation for everyone.  If your cousin completes college he/she is more likely to be a taxpayer rather than a drain on the already limited resources of our nation.  Is being crippled an advantage just to park closer to the entrance of a store?  If the diagnosis is accurate then he/she deserves the extra time and the few dollars.  If not, another one beats the system.  If we sit and worry about who is getting what legitimately...we would go insane.

Answer 6

There are always going to be people who seek to abuse any system. However, there are specific criteria that must be met for someone to receive the diagnosis.

Answer 7

This really depends on the state and also the school district/university.  I know plenty of people who have been diagnosed with ADD and ADHD, and believe it or not, NONE of them receive special help with anything for the ADD/ADHD.  They just have trouble paying attention and possibly can get hyperactive.  A lot of times teachers may ask them if they have all of the assignments and ask the parents to make sure they get them all done, but there is usually medication that can get very close with correcting this.

Answer 8

You need a clinical diagnosis to get an IEP, which is likely what your cousin has and has probably had in place for awhile. It simply "levels" the playing field for your cousin. It is not an advantage for him. How you can think this is abusing the system is confusing. Read up on this and you may understand more.