Too Many Diagnoses on Children: Is It Really So?

I often deal with this topic with parents, but also with teachers and with the various professionals that revolve around the health of children. In fact, we often hear that there are too many diagnoses on children. In fact, in recent years we are witnessing a boom in diagnosis. There are many evaluations that they recognize in small specific learning disabilities (DSA), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorders, and so on. But what are the reasons for this increase in diagnosis? What can we attribute to the increase in assessments that lead to a certification?

TOO MANY DIAGNOSIS ON CHILDREN: BUT WHAT IS A DIAGNOSIS?

We often hear about diagnosis. But what is it really about? Diagnosis is the result of an evaluation process, which brings certain characteristics back into a specific category. The diagnosis, therefore, is a useful tool that allows you to define a situation and allows you to share it between professionals with a common and shared language. It is therefore a "label" that allows to give a name to the specific characteristics of the child.

At the same time, however, the diagnoses allow us to frame the situation and enable us to take action to take a clear and defined path. A diagnostic framework allows you to move through scientifically validated guidelines, which allow you to orient yourself in the best way for the well-being of the child and his family.

ARE THERE REALLY TOO MANY DIAGNOSIS ON CHILDREN?

Can we really talk about having too many diagnoses on children? Can we talk about over-medicalization? The problem, in reality, in my opinion, are not too many diagnoses on children, perhaps, but what is done with them. In fact, evaluation is often the starting point, but also the point of arrival. Too often there are fragmented indications and partial services, which do not help children and their families. At this point, therefore, the certification becomes only a tool that "labels" the child, but does not activate the context to rehabilitate it or strengthen its deficit areas. The diagnosis, in this way, in my opinion, serves very little.

At the same time, however, saying that there are too many diagnoses on children can be dangerous. In fact, when something worries or arouses some suspicion, contact a professional and investigate the situation. It is essential, in fact, to do in-depth analysis. Working in advance in this sense is very important. First we move, the resources are activated first.

The professional has a very important role. In fact, families must be accompanied to understand together what and how to do it. Every intervention must be built with that child and his family. It is up to the professional not to simply make the assessment, but to support the family in activating a context capable of supporting the child's characteristics. It is not only the child who must strengthen or rehabilitate his own skills, but also the context. Therefore, the psychologist-family-school alliance becomes central and with other contexts important for the life of the child.

TOO MANY DIAGNOSIS ON CHILDREN: WE ARE NOT PASSIVE SUBJECTS

One of the major risks that worries me about the excessive medicalization of children's disorders is to convey the message that nothing can be done, because the disorder is in the child. The risk, therefore, is that of feeling powerless in the face of the situation, and reifying all the difficulties in the child. He is the only one who can do something. This is true, but to a certain extent. As parents, as teachers and as adults who revolve around the lives of children, we are responsible for the context in which they live. And, as people, we are active subjects, each with their own skills and responsibilities.

It is the competence and responsibility of the adult world, in fact, to take action to guarantee all the major and best situations. It is not about doing it yourself or waiting for the situation to improve on its own, but moving in the best way. It must be activated synergistically. The diagnosis does not say that the problem is the child's and that the context must not change. This vision, in fact, risks reifying the problem in small. The goal, however, must be to create the best conditions to promote well-being and the improvement of living conditions, of the child and his family.

TOO MANY DIAGNOSIS ON CHILDREN: CHILDREN ARE NOT SMALL ADULTS

Many times we ask ourselves what is the standard of child we refer to. What is meant by a typical-child? Perhaps, in a society where perfection is expected of everyone, we have lost sight of what childhood is and the real characteristics of children.

Despite the daily scientific discoveries, we often forget to implement their application in everyday life. Too often, in fact, we are witnessing attitudes and claims of the adult world that do not consider the development of children. Children are not miniature adults. Their biological, physiological, cognitive and emotional structure is different from the adult one. It is not possible to make requests that children cannot objectively satisfy. Children cannot be asked to do abstract work in first grade, when that part of the brain is not yet developed. Can we ask the children to sit for 4 hours, to listen to the lesson passively? Can you expect children in kindergarten to eat compound seating, without talking during lunch? Some do, but not everyone can do it, and not necessarily because they have something.

TOO MANY DIAGNOSIS ON CHILDREN: THE ROLE OF EDUCATION

To understand if a child can be diagnosed, it is important to understand if the demands of the environment are suitable and if the teaching methods, for example, are consistent with his learning style. For example, Gardner points out that there are 7 types of intelligence. The current school, in most cases, considers only two: the logical-mathematical one and the linguistic-verbal one. On the other hand, whoever develops social or bodily-kinesthetic intelligence the most, how can he achieve his goals with the tools currently available in most Italian schools?

Furthermore, another interesting aspect is that development is structured in an interconnected way with education. It is therefore necessary to ask ourselves if we are guaranteeing all the possible favorable conditions for this to happen. It is not a question of being good or bad parents, but of implementing an educational system conducive to healthy and harmonious development. For example, can a child be expected to follow the rules at school if, for example, he doesn't have one at home?

IN CONCLUSION, ARE THERE REALLY TOO MANY DIAGNOSIS ON CHILDREN?

This does not mean that everything is allowed and that all the diagnoses are useless, indeed. Diagnoses are fundamental, and this is why special attention must be paid to their writing. We must be happy that the scientific community carries out studies and research to refine diagnostic criteria and intervene early on many difficulties.

As professionals, however, we must be very careful to give meaning to the diagnosis, which alone is not enough to exhaust the child's description. It is necessary to take a picture of the situation, as a starting point to understand where to strengthen, rehabilitate, educate or re-educate. In fact, the psychologist's is a scientific work, but it cannot be separated from the relationship and the context.

Source: HLTAID002 Basic Emergency Life Support Certification