It seems that nowadays, every student has a potential learning problem.听Past听肠辞苍迟谤辞惫别谤蝉测听听has led to calls for regulatory bodies, such as NESA in NSW, to tighten the application provisions. There鈥檚 even some cynicism creeping into public discourse around the 鈥渆pidemic鈥� of learning problems amongst our children and the dangers of false diagnoses.听
We鈥檙e all familiar with the overzealous labeller 鈥� the teacher whose classes routinely defy all reasonable statistics because over half of her students are 鈥渙n the spectrum鈥�, or the parents who insist that their child is 鈥渂orderline ADHD鈥� and 鈥渁 bit OCD鈥�.听
Are diagnoses reliable?
Learning problems pose听particular challenges听as, unlike most mainstream medical conditions, the official diagnostic process relies to some extent on subjective interpretation and trial by error. Nonetheless, there听are听well-accepted clinical approaches to diagnosing and treating most learning problems.
There鈥檚 also the argument that even if a diagnosis correctly identifies an underlying problem, it could be counterproductive. Do we really want a student to carry around a special needs label through their early years of school? Are we creating unnecessary stigma and reduced expectations for them in class and within social situations?
Some educators are also concerned听that medicalising behaviour doesn鈥檛 allow for meaningful treatment. Special learning needs are lifelong. The argument goes that to medicalise first, without giving students the skills they need to manage their behaviour, will make it harder for them to navigate daily life as adults.听Below we鈥檒l discuss the fact that medication often allows children to focus and move past their learning barriers, ultimately gaining the necessary skills to develop in life.
People point to the danger of stigmatising certain behaviour when the reality is that we鈥檙e all on a spectrum of learning behaviours. What鈥檚 normal? Are we narrowing the definition of normal and creating an increasingly exclusionary model of learning and education?听An ASD diagnosis might encourage a student to self-limit. It may also encourage parents and teachers to treat a child as vulnerable, to over protect and thus give them fewer skills and resources to cope as adults.听
Lazy labels might exist, but diagnosis is still important
There鈥檚 been听particular controversy听around diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the use of medication as a therapy. The media has been听听and studies (medically qualified and otherwise) that overdiagnosis of the condition is leading to an over-prescription of Ritalin.
These arguments against over diagnosis are persuasive. But just because some students are mislabelled, doesn鈥檛 mean that听the majority of听cases don鈥檛 benefit from diagnosis and treatment.听听
Not all diagnoses lead to medication
Most interventions for special learning needs are behavioural and psychological. Some of the most successful of these are relatively minor but hugely beneficial, such as providing students who are easily distracted with noise-cancelling earphones for quiet work or giving them some one-on-one support. If students and their parents or teachers don鈥檛 understand the challenges they face, they鈥檒l never receive the support they need.听
In some cases, medication is the appropriate avenue to help a child stay calm and focus so that they can learn the skills that will in turn set them up to self-manage as they get older.听
It鈥檚 certainly important to avoid lazy labels based on small amounts of information. We鈥檙e always going to discourage teachers from progressing instantly from observation to diagnosis and parents from relying too much on Dr Google. But listen to a parent who, after a formal process of diagnosis (which often spans months and multiple specialists), now knows that their child is not alone and can learn. When diagnosis and treatment are successful, students can experience a revelation, taking them from a point of feeling stupid or broken, to understanding that they have equal abilities but just work in a slightly different way. In this case, knowledge is power.听
