Sir Ken Robinson compares the current wave of ADHD diagnoses to the "plague" of tonsil removals during the mid-20th Century. He argues that while ADHD may be a real condition, it is currently being over-diagnosed to treat children underperforming among rigid, one-size-fits-all educational systems.
Sir Ken Robinson: The Element the full video.
There is certainly an epidemic of over-diagnosis, over-prescription, and more importantly, educational scapegoating going on when it comes to learning disabilities of all kinds (ADHD is sadly just a decades old buzzword that covers a certain wealthy demographic).
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't think it would be a problem if you could get a job that pays the bills without a college degree. There's so much pressure because no one wants their kids to be one of the wage slaves who lives paycheck to paycheck, unable to get ahead without a college degree.
The real problem is that intelligent parents have come to the sad realization that college (most particularly with the liberal arts) degrees are not worth the paper any are printed on...
ReplyDeleteOf course in the real world talent and intelligence is the deciding factor, counter to all of the indoctrination and political correctness funneled into the typical college puke.
As far as ADHD from the CDC website and interesting trend, not attached to wealth but insurance coverage - a little research does wonders.
"The prevalence of reported ADHD diagnosis was significantly higher among non-Hispanic, primarily English-speaking, and insured children. Moreover, prevalence rates were significantly higher for children in families in which the most highly educated adult was a high school graduate (or had completed 12 years of education), compared with children in families in which the most highly educated adult had a higher or lower level of education. ADHD diagnosis among males was reported significantly more often in families with incomes below the poverty threshold (<100%) than in families with incomes at or above the poverty threshold. Rates of reported diagnosis among females were not significantly different across the three levels of poverty. Prevalence varied substantially by state, from a low of 5.0% in Colorado to a high of 11.1% in Alabama (Figure 2)."
"The prevalence of reported ADHD diagnosis was significantly higher among non-Hispanic, primarily English-speaking, and insured children. Moreover, prevalence rates were significantly higher for children in families in which the most highly educated adult was a high school graduate (or had completed 12 years of education), compared with children in families in which the most highly educated adult had a higher or lower level of education.”
ReplyDeleteSOMA... SOMA...
"the warm, the richly coloured, the infinitely friendly world of soma-holiday. How kind, how good-looking, how delightfully amusing every one was! “ - Brave New World
The real problem is that intelligent parents have come to the sad realization that college (most particularly with the liberal arts) degrees are not worth the paper any are printed on...
ReplyDeleteI know you guys on this site think college is worthless (strangely, even some who went), but the highest paying jobs all require degrees of some kind. I don't know if you guys are bitter about having liberal arts degrees or what, but I made enough money with my degree already to have been unemployed for months without having to take any government unemployment benefits. Most people I know without a degree live paycheck to paycheck and could never do this.
Of course in the real world talent and intelligence is the deciding factor, counter to all of the indoctrination and political correctness funneled into the typical college puke.
This is all well and good in your head, but here in the actual real world, most employers have no way to gauge such intangible attributes as "talent" and "intelligence." What's more, a lot of colleges actually teach you skills (shocking, I know). I have hundreds of hours of lab experience which I wouldn't have if I wasn't a college graduate in my field. I have certifications in various basic computer skills (you don't need to go to college to get certified in various programming languages and environments, but anyone in the IT industry will tell you that you need certifications in order to get a job).
Basically, you're trying to argue in favor of an employment model that hasn't existed for well over a decade. When you were young, it's true: you didn't need a college degree to get a job that paid the bills and then some. I think the current state of things is wrong, but Americans seem to love the high growth of the working poor class in exchange for concentrating the wealth in the hands of a few entitled billion-heirs.
I really enjoyed his delivery in the video. It is funny but interesting as well. I just could not help but wonder if ADHD does exist or it is just the result of our creativity. Since the experts say that it does exist then I could not contradict them because I am not a master in the field of medicine.
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