Over examined: another news report link

The second investigative journalism link I came across that may be of interest examines the testing situation in UK schools. The title says it all: Tested to destruction

I can only say how bonkers all this testing is when I recall the abject stress of having to take exams at age 16! Never mind sets of exams at 7, 11, 14. Pure madness.

It's bizarre that the resources that go into all this testing are not applied to help children with learning disabilities to overcome them.

This culture (and it's not limited to England) of assessment is increasingly bizarre and pointless since the supports and resources are not inplace to support children to overcome challenge. It's all about governments having excel worksheets full of figures that do little but stress out teachers and do a signicant disservice to children.

roundup of recent TV/ documentary reports: PBS The Medicated Child

Here are some interesting and thought provoking links to television and investigative journalism reportage on various topics.

The first a PBS FRONTLINE follow up The Medicated Child provokes interesting quandaries around the diagnosis of Bi-Polar disorder in children and subsequent medicating of it. It's alarming viewing.

I'm not trying to make light of what's an intensely challenging situation for any parent but the sight of one child sat in front of a significant sized computer screen as his mum prompts him from the kitchen it's time to take his medication, followed by scenes of him wolfing down corndogs (excessive appetite is one of the side affects of the meds tho' the choice of what he's consuming clearly isn't) did make me wonder. There's more compelling viewing when the mother, who I admired immensely for the difficult decisions and situation she's facing, consults with his psychiatrist and bravely expresses her fear about her son's medication and inspite of it, still leaves his office with an increase of one of the meds.

We're not shown any of these parents being offered alternative supports or interventions other than medication. Yet as illustrated by the above example clearly they are open to suggestions and basically like any parent simply want to help their children however they can.

I realize these are serious challenges such children are facing, but it's alarming to watch mental health professionals prescribe medications willy nilly, whose efficacy and safety for children are not established. The parents are at the mercy of such professionals. Some of the research described and discussed certainly seems to have value and I'm not suggesting some complete anti-medication stance, but who could help but be alarmed at children taking 8 different medications on a daily basis.

BBC: Extra help for struggling pupils

UK News story

Ministers want all pupils to have what the better off pay for
Children who fall behind in maths or English could be offered one-to-one tuition to help get them back on track.
Struggling pupils in the later years of primary and early years of secondary school will get extra help outside school hours from qualified teachers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6235167.stm

ADHD: US and Australian news stories

This is an extract from this Australian news story:

A DRUG used to treat children for attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, has had some serious psychiatric side-effects,
a study shows.
The Federal Government's Therapeutic Goods Administration
(TGA) has been assessing the drug Strattera, which will be available widely
under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, Fairfax reports.
Strattera was the
probable cause of one child's explosive mood swings and erratic behaviour,
including an attempt to open the door of a moving car, according to the
TGA.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,20892564-5001028,00.html

You should easily be able to track down the actual study via the government department
mentioned.

Mother Says School Wants Her Son On ADD Meds

MANTECA, Calif. Sabrina Nichols says they've tried half a dozen medications
for her 9-year-old son Jacob's attention deficit disorder. Meds, she says, have
turned him into a zombie. His eyes are barely open in this years' school photo
all because she says his Manteca school has strongly recommended it.

Full story is here: http://cbs13.com/local/local_story_347231902.html