SOCIALLY, INTELLECTUALLY, LABELING AMERICA'S CHILDREN

SOCIALLY, INTELLECTUALLY, LABELING AMERICA'S CHILDREN

Miss La Rosa-  Host / Commentator 

Labels and I don't go well together. This really annoys me especially when our children are being labeled as if we need to be classified in different ways. ADD, ADHD, AUTISTIC, ETC. We all know that our children’s minds are like computers and absorb everything at a very early age. Is giving them a label and applying it at an early age a good thing??  The only label I'm aware of is the “human being” label.

It really upsets me because I feel when there is much of a mental incapacity in a person’s brain then  there has to be an elevated level of capability in another area. Yet, we choose to focus on the incapability and hang on to that to label someone. There are many theories as to why in the past 25 years there has been an increase of one hundred and fifty percent on children labeled “learning disabled”. Some Doctors suggest too many preservatives in food, environmental causes, early over use of television or electronics. One out of ten children are labeled ADHD. Children are given medication as early as two years of age.

I personally believe there is an increasing amount of mislabeled children. Our society and the “medical community” is designed to look for what the problem is and not for whatever positives that may co-exist. Everyone is unique and has different challenges that they must face growing up and even as adults. Children vary in their learning styles and sometimes have difficulties coping with self control, information processing, self discipline. Also, there are children that are very attached to the parents before starting school and have difficulty adapting to a class setting. These children can be easily misdiagnosed.

 

I'm truly thankful for science and it's advancements to be able to help the ones that need it. I do think that before diagnosing a child their attention capabilities must be tested in a formal way. It seems like the easiest thing to do now a days is stamp biological and psychological labels on our children without considering the appropriate tests. Yes, please in all areas. Perhaps the weak points should not be our only focus.  It is known that big gifts sit right beside an incapability.

My son took long to walk. When people would ask, “Well why doesn't he walk”? I would answer because he talks full sentences. He did not tie his shoes till he was ten. When people would ask “Why doesn't he tie his shoes?” I chose to say “because he talks about space and science and we can't keep up with him. I was called when he was in second grade because of his extremely high SAT scores. His dad said in amazement “But he's always daydreaming as if he was in his own world” I answered “HE IS”. May seem weird to you because it's not your world, but it's his       :)    

  

Some famous people with ADHD: 

Will Smith, Robert Williams, Bill Cosby, Kirk Douglas, Jim Carey(Actors) 

Abraham Lincoln, Prince Charles, John F Kennedy(statesmen) 

 Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Ansel Adams (Artists)                     

Michael Jordan, Pete Rose, Babe Ruth, Magic Johnson (Athletes)

Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo Da Vincci, Thomas Edison(Inventors)

Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein,Galileo(Scholars) 

Walt Disney, Henry Ford, (Entrepreneurs)

Thank you for reading,

                                      

The Miss La Rosa

                          

AFTER THOUGHTS BY

Whilly Bermudez-  Host / Commentator 

Interesting and important post by Miss La Rosa this morning. I can definitely understand your feeling on this topic. My feeling is that no child or any person should be discriminated against or mistreated. However, in order to provide the right instruction for a child some form of identification must take place. I mean the truth of the matter is that were not all created equal in terms of ability, mental capacity, or intellectual level. 

I do believe that all too often children may be diagnosed improperly. So the problem solver may be taking another look at how we can improve the methods that we use to evaluate kids.

Our society's reality is that labels exist for kids, grown ups, situations, and just about anything that can be socially expressed. 

Do you have a special needs child? Please comment on your thoughts below.

Thank You,

Whilly Bermudez

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