The way we label children who do poorly in school has taken a dramatic turn, in many ways for the better, in others for the worse. In the past, children who did not perform well in school would have been labeled useless, lazy, defiant, incorrigible, or just plain stupid. They would be disciplined by being shamed, blamed, beaten, scolded, punished, ridiculed, or simply dismissed as hopeless.
Progress has been made. For the most part, we have eliminated such verbal and physical abuse. But we must still question the progress that was made when we replaced the old labels with psychiatric diagnoses that refer to children as ‘disordered’ or ‘disabled’.
Let’s not forget:
ADD stands for Attention Deficit Disorder.
SDG stands for Oppositional Defiant Disorder
LD stands for learning disability.
Even dominant traits like introversion can be labeled as “shyness disorder” and “misbehavior” as “conduct disorder.”
So what is the alternative? Pretend that a child has no problems? This is also not helpful.
What is helpful is describing a child’s learning and behavior problems in a descriptive way, such as:
- Has a short attention span
- always in movement
- He has a rebellious nature.
- Learn better by doing than by reading
I’d rather imagine a kid who “can’t sit still, class clown” as a budding Robin Williams with a unique personality rather than a hyperactive kid in need of medication.
I prefer to imagine a dyslexic child as a potential Cher, Whoopi, or Warhol developing their unique talents in their own idiosyncratic way, rather than as a doomed child.
In fact, some labels can help us understand a child’s problem. The danger, however, is that the child becomes the diagnosis. Therefore, Charles becomes an ADD child; not a child with ADD. valley becomes a child LD; not a child with a learning disability. Don’t you think that little twist makes all the difference? Think again.
Apply it to yourself. Let’s say you have trouble controlling your temper. Would you rather be labeled an “impulse control disorder” or someone who would benefit from learning anger management skills?
Or maybe you react dramatically when life presents you with the unexpected. Would you rather be labeled as having “histrionic personality disorder” or someone who would benefit from learning to cope with the unexpected?
Labeling a child with a psychiatric diagnosis should be our last resort, especially when that diagnosis easily leads to a long-term dependency on psychiatric medications that have precarious side effects. Taking a pill is easy. Alternative methods of dealing with difficult children are slower and more complex. They may require changing parenting styles, learning environments, preconceived expectations, daily routines, diet, exercise, and allowing for more physical activity.
These approaches require creativity, innovation, and patience. Too bad that in our world of rush, rush, and quick fixes, many of us find it difficult to slow down enough to restructure the way we deal with the needs of a struggling child.
©2013
