Medicalisation of an attitude

[Pale Rider]

It's the pendulum syndrome again.

Years ago there was too little understanding of difficult children.

Now there's too much.

 

[vernon]

I don't often wander in here but tonight have been unfortunate enough to do so.

As a parent of a young man with special needs who has, and will, require support his entire life I have to say I've not read such ill-informed nonsense for a very long time. Bitch all you like about modern thinking and diagnosis but if you've no idea of the reality try thinking twice.

I had thought society was changing, sadly not it seems.

I think that you've missed the point of the posting and have failed to make one of your own.

I've worked with youngsters afflicted by a wide range of disabilities in the past thirty years. Many of them will never lead an independent life in my opinion their DLA/attendance allowance rarely meets their needs in full.

However there are youngsters on the margins of 'normality' whose parents' interests, socially or financially are served by obtaining a medical/psychiatric diagnosis which delivers money or a justification for lower attainment. Some of the manoeuvrings performed by parents are blatant funding fishing expeditions and I've witnessed repeated submissions and appeals by parents to obtain diagnoses that attract funding. I naively thought until recently that such actions were driven by parental concerns for the welfare of the child. Sadly in many instances it does not appear to be the case. I'm questioning the behavioural issues that appear to have been medicalised and were hitherto dealt with with a firm hand in schools and parents being prepared to confront their children's aberrant behaviour.