Teachers Labeling Students: Too Many Disorders and Syndromes?

Last updated on January 11, 2025

There are people I consider mental health hypochondriacs. They read a list of symptoms or personality traits and self-diagnose themselves with everything from attention deficits to autism disorders. If there’s a way to excuse a lack of success, self-control, organization, healthy relationships, and general contentment, these people will find it in a book or on a Web site. Worse, we have parents and teachers labeling students in ways that might end up doing real harm to future generations.

I understand some adults self-diagnose and might be accurate, but school teachers and parents are not often mental health experts. Children should be properly diagnosed and supported, not labeled on hunches after a few Google searches.

Expert diagnoses help people. Teachers and other parents telling a parent that a child has ADD/ADHD or is “on the spectrum” concerns me.

I’ll offer the standard disclaimer: I do believe there are disorders and conditions affecting a lot of students. I also admit that some might be more common than in the past — might be, but not necessarily are.

What qualifies me to say this? Aren’t I being a hypocrite if I’m accepting the label of autistic and writing about my experiences? Blunt answer: I was seriously injured during birth. I do not doubt my medical history is being overlaid with current trends in psychology.

However, let’s be honest. There are too many children being treated with psychopharmacology instead of good parenting and classroom management. I wasn’t on medications in elementary school, wasn’t seeing a psychologist, and wasn’t pampered by my parents. Now, the parents of students are also on medications. They view medicating as a normal, acceptable way to deal with life.

I fear that normal has become a disorder. Boys squirming in plastic chairs after 40 minutes? Must be hyperactivity! A girl who likes to sit and read for hours? Could be introversion from ADHD with OCD tendencies! Mood swings and foot tapping? Maybe it’s Asperger’s Syndrome. Anger management issues? Clearly that’s a disability we need to treat, not punish or address through other means.

In some classes I’ve visited, a third of the students are on medications — and those are “normal” classes, not special education. I worry that parents went doctor shopping based on the advice of a teacher, another parent, or an Internet search. It seems unlikely that a third of students in a suburban school would need medication throughout the day.

Let’s hope we aren’t numbing creativity or teaching our children they aren’t responsible for their own actions. I wish I knew how we can separate genuine disabilities from our desire to subdue every flaw in our children.

If you suspect a child has a problem, the child should see a specialist. Labels change lives, especially in school settings.