You may feel that your child’s mental wellness and wellbeing is really nothing to do with their school or education, and is an issue for psychological professionals (if it’s an issue at all). In truth, a school often has to step into the role of amateur psychologists. Some schools in the United States even receive extra funding from the government for every child in their care who has special needs; this can be dangerous as it sometimes means that schools may try to diagnose children with mental disorders such as autism or ADHD simply to receive extra funding.
One couple, Michael and Emily Thompson, found themselves on the receiving end of this saga when they got a call from their son’s school, inviting them to come in to speak to his class teacher. When they got there, they were told that their first grader had high functioning autism, and should be placed into a special class in the school. They were asked to sign paper for this, which they refused to do. This was – understandably – an emotional experience for them and they then took their child to see an independent and licensed psychiatrist, who conducted his own tests and then informed them that their child did not have autism. They then went back to furiously confront the teacher, and later learned that the school had a monetary incentive for diagnosing children with special needs.
If you find yourself in this position, the most important thing to remember is not to panic. Somebody at your child’s school is most certainly not equipped to make this diagnosis for your child, and so you really don’t need to be concerned if such an idea is floated. You should certainly not sign any paperwork until you have had any diagnosis confirmed by an outside authority.
