Why so many kids can’t sit still in school today

The Washington Post ^ | 7-8-14 | Valerie Strauss

[afraidfortherepublic]

The Centers for Disease Control tells us that in recent years there has been a jump in the percentage of young people diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly known as ADHD: 7.8 percent in 2003 to 9.5 percent in 2007 and to 11 percent in 2011. The reasons for the rise are multiple, and include changes in diagnostic criteria, medication treatment and more awareness of the condition. In the following post, Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist and the founder of TimberNook, a nature-based development program designed to foster creativity and independent play outdoors in New England, suggests yet another reason more children are being diagnosed with ADHD, whether or not they really have it: the amount of time kids are forced to sit while they are in school.

A perfect stranger pours her heart out to me over the phone. She complains that her 6-year-old son is unable to sit still in the classroom. The school wants to test him for ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder). This sounds familiar, I think to myself. As a pediatric occupational therapist, I’ve noticed that this is a fairly common problem today.

The mother goes on to explain how her son comes home every day with a yellow smiley face. The rest of his class goes home with green smiley faces for good behavior. Every day this child is reminded that his behavior is unacceptable, simply because he can’t sit still for long periods of time.

The mother starts crying. “He is starting to say things like, ‘I hate myself’ and ‘I’m no good at anything.’” This young boy’s self-esteem is plummeting all because he needs to move more often.

Over the past decade, more and more children are being coded as having attention issues and possibly ADHD...

[Gen.Blather]

“Did you have recess when you were in school? Kids need recess, especially active boys.”

I did. The entire school system is a relic of nineteenth century industrialization. It was designed to teach kids to sit quietly, do a boring job and respond to bells. This was preparation for working in the new factories. What has happened to the incredibly brilliant men and women who were probably always 1-5% of the population? Research them and practically none of them went through formal schooling. Today they are dumbed down because they intimidate the other children. (A friend showed me a note from his son’s teacher which, in essence, stated, “your son needs to shut up in class as he already knows everything I have to teach and he embarrasses the other students.”) The entire concept of education needs to be rethought.

[goodwithagun]

I mentioned in a previous post that people who truly have ADHD (not those scamming for $$$) tend to have higher IQs. I think that some of history’s brightest and best today could be diagnosed with ADHD. The difference is the form of education they received, the food they ate, and the lack of access to drug pushing docs.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

How much better would kids focus if they were allowed to graduate from a course once they passed a series of tests? Would they be motivated to actually learn? Would they spend class time staring out the window, or would they focus on the task at hand? Would they feel empowered, or like numbers floating through a system?

I took ONE course like that in college, and it was my favorite course. I finished it 25% faster than a regular course, and I learned the material thoroughly.

Yes, many of these ADHD issues are biologically based, but why compound the problem with our wildly outdated and outmoded teaching method?

The idea of "seat time" and "Carnegie Units" came from Carnegie. There is no evidence that it works. Why do we perpetuate it, especially with all of the on-line learning technology available today?

[Straight Vermonter]

A friend showed me a note from his son’s teacher which, in essence, stated, “your son needs to shut up in class as he already knows everything I have to teach and he embarrasses the other students.

My middle son's fourth grade teacher called us in for a conference. He said that my son was not reading along with the class. Instead he was reading a book of his own. I asked what the class was reading and he said the book was "There's a Girl in the Boys Bathroom". I asked what my son was reading he said, "The Odyssey".

I just gave the teacher a blank stare for a minute. He finally got embarrassed and said he would assign something more appropriate for my son. Fortunate we moved the kids to Catholic schools.