There are so many children who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder these days, and at least half of these children are still in elementary. Medications seem to be the answer for most teachers and parents. Some children really need the aid of medicine, and some are just misdiagnosed because of their behavior.
It is so easy for a teacher to pick up the phone, and calls the parents to relate the message that their child has ADD. Teachers expect a certain behavior from their students, and if the students fail in a given time frame, then they make the diagnosis themselves.
My son's third grade teacher took it in her hand to call me, and suggested that my son has attention deficit. I stopped her right on the track: "I am not putting my son on any medications, period." I do not want to beat around the bushes, and above all, she was inappropriate.
Here are my reasons:
- She called 10 minutes before my son's Christmas concert, which resulted in my late arrival, and missed my son solo introduction to the concert.
- She told my son that she called me, which took away his excitement for the performance, and made him anxious about the phone call.
- My son is 8. She is a teacher. Who has ADD now? What was she thinking in calling me before the concert? What was she thinking when telling my son about our conversation?
- As an educated professional, shouldn't she pick a better time to call? Did she have to scare my son before his Christmas performance?
There is no validation for the diagnosis:
- My son is doing well in school.
- His physical, art, and music teachers' comment "a pleasure to have in class."
- He has numerous certificates/awards for his behavior to prove it.
- He was voted by other teachers and students to be in Student Council for two consecutive years.
- His citizenship awarded "kind, and polite little boy" had accumulated in our house from the same school for these past years.
- His definition on "Respect, Responsible and Dependable" was picked to put on display by the office for over a year.
- He is a Math wizard.
Looking at his general achievements, I do not think that the teacher has any rights to say that my child has attention deficit disorder. I would never put my son on medications to make my job as parents or her job as teacher easier.
I have been in my son's classroom many times. The environment for learning is very disruptive since two of the moms bring their little toddlers to class every day. They come in and out of the room like it was McDonald. There were baby bottles, stroller, and diaper bag by the entrance. It looks like a daycare more than a third grade classroom. Yet, did I say anything?
I appreciate these ladies' effort in volunteering, or working in the school, but bringing a baby who is crying, whining, running around, and making noises in school, is inappropriate.
The teacher always said: "that is ok, I don't mind" when the ladies apologized for their kids' behavior. However, she went ahead and diagnosed my son with ADD because he had a couple days off track.
Who Can Learn or Concentrate in this Environment?
Teachers should just teach. They are not doctors, or psychologist. If you are the parents and you receive a call like this, do not agree to put your child on medication. You must evaluate your child's accomplishments, and do whatever you can to help him/her develop his full potential.
Children are our future. We must protect them from wrongful diagnosis, and harmful drugs. Do not turn your child into a robot by sedate him/her.
