And don't even get me started on the autism vaccine...

This is nothing revolutionary, but sometimes I think no one else has any common sense.

Today in my Individual & Family Therapy II course, we discussed social work with children. ADHD was brought up, with its problematic diagnostic system and implications for medicated kids. The presenters mentioned that teachers are often the ones to notice the issue because they spend more time with the children, whose parents usually don't notice any misbehavior. I've heard this before, usually accompanying a discussion on how this results in overdiagnosis.

So, here is what I would like to scream at the world: Did you ever think that kids are naturally rambunctious and can't concentrate on math for an hour each day, and that perhaps some teachers just can't handle 30 children at a time so when one irritates her(him) consistently and s(he) doesn't know how to deal with it, s(he) is going to blame it on the child instead of her(his) inadequate teaching skills? And that the reason parents don't notice is because they only have to deal with that one child, and one child's hyperactivity isn't so bad when not amidst 29 others? And did you know that about half of children diagnosed with ADHD grow out of it, so maybe THAT'S JUST CALLED CHILDHOOD?

Perhaps that is too harsh on teachers who haven't chosen to have overloaded classrooms, but I have a bone to pick with them, and I don't think it's entirely unjustified.

MEDICATION IS NOT AN EASY WAY OUT. You can't just sedate Johnny because you're tired of telling him not to stand on his desk. That's what kids do.

And finally, I realize that teachers can not diagnose anything, but they can significantly pressure parents to seek medication against their better judgment, especially those in lower classes who feel uninformed and that they don't have any power in the matter.

And last last lastly, it is my understanding that ADHD is a biological condition, and therefore I fully support medication when it is actually needed. But otherwise, just be a better teacher.