<p>As an educator, I was always floored by parents who flatly refuse to accept that their child might need services of any sort. Never mind anything psychological, even suggestions for minor speech therapy- as in something that could be easily corrected if dealt with early on (and which was already attracting negative attention from little peers)- was likely to result in total denial from parents. This was in a very affluent suburb with a high level of education. There were kids on the autism spectrum who had full time classroom aides but those coded ED were tossed into the mainstream without the necessary “tools” to handle social interaction.
While I love the idea of “parenting together” and taking care to ensure that kids aren’t overlooked, I don’t know how those tactics can be successfully implemented within the framework of the system in which we now operate.</p>
<p>It can work both ways, Mezzo’sMama. We repeatedly turned to my son’s schools and asked whether he should see a specialist due to continued academic under-performance. Two school counselors, several teachers, and a district social worker who specialized in learning disorders/emotional problems all said ‘no’. Chalked up his lack of organizational and coping skills to lack of maturity, laziness, etc. Fast forward to college and he suffers a complete nervous breakdown during his freshman year. A basic test - which the schools did not recommend because it wasn’t “necessary” - showed a classic executive function disorder - although with some unusual symptoms - exacerbated by anxiety and depression. We’re now on year two of meds and counseling but progress is very slow (and sometimes he regresses.) He’s not in school, and not working. He has zero self confidence or self-steam. </p>
<p>In our case, I wish we HADN’T listened to the educators. </p>
<p>Not that I blame them. I just think that mental illness is still very difficult to understand. For parents and educators alike.</p>