I'd first like to thank bandit for his assessment of this situation and am going to address some of his questions and proposals below.
Perhaps it's not the kids who have a disorder.
Quite true it can be environmental factors such as food choices and external stressors that can cause a kid to act the way he/she does. Parents or teachers may not be aware of what the child is going through that is causing the behavior. Behavior is a learned thing, one is not just "born" the way they become. One of the first things as a parent or educator with the children is to step back and analyze the influences in the childs life.
Kids respond different to different educational approaches. Thats why some kids do really well in our public schools, but some kids just do not.
This way of thinking (that not all child is the same) is very new in the school systems. Many more public and private school systems are beginning to remedy the "box" that they've been trying to stuff children in for years into new ways of thinking. Many elementary schools are progressing more towards the thought of combined group classes instead of deliniating grades. Unfortunately for the school systems, the United States Government is putting more constraints on teachers to teach the material in order for kids to regurgitate the information back on a piece of paper.
Currently there are "tests" that children must pass in order to move on to the next grade. All of this is done to "standardize" classrooms and make sure all the children are "learning" what they are supposed to without giving the teacher room for creative thinking in how to teach a concept. A special needs student, or one who just doesn't "get" a concept tends to slip through the cracks of the school system and is then "labeled."
So whats a parent to do? What are the alternatives?
There are several alternatives available to parents and students. Unfortunately many parents are quick to put a label on things and accept that there is only one answer to a problem. Its what they've been taught. When something doesnt fit in the "box" it doesnt belong.
Unless the child suffers from a legitimate organic disorder, it is the parents who need to change the way they do things.
Yes, I agree, there are some children out there with legitimate disorders and those do need to be addressed, whether it be with some form of medicine or modification to a program.
One thing parents do not seem to look into when considering any options is the diet of their children. Many foods contain sugar and other additives that can cause a child to have an adverse reaction. This is not to say that food is a complete determining cause, but it can be a factor.
Other factors can include things like bullies, test anxiety, social anxiety, and other external factors that children experience when they hit that awkward stage of "adolescence".
Adolescence should not be looked upon as a thing to be "fixed" or as a condition, but a normal part of growing and developing oneself into a fully functional human being. I recently viewed the documentary on Tranquility Bay and WWASPS and was absolutely truely appalled at what those children have gone through. It shows in their survivors who speak out against TB. I wonder how many are silenced through fear. It only strengthens my resolve to educate and inform.
