Children with ADHD are far more likely to be excluded from school than those without ADHD
'Radical Postmodernists' reject the concept of there being facts or truth, they tell us science is about a "power discourse", each person's "lived experience" is more relevant than scientific knowledge. writes Dr John J Marshall.
Tom, aged 13, has barely made it to the end of the school term. He has been hyperactive all his life, impulsive, poorly organised, forgetful, easily distracted, and struggling to pay attention to his work in school.
He fidgets continuously, wanders out of the classroom and teachers have to follow him to make sure he is safe. His problems wear down his teachers and peers who increasingly reject him. He's seen as having "behaviour difficulties", but Tom has ADHD: a neurodevelopmental condition. School exclusion is a significant risk for Tom and in turn is associated with devastating lifelong impacts affecting learning, mental health, risk for imprisonment and shorter life expectancy. There is an exclusion-to-prison pipeline.
The Scottish Government gathers figures on school exclusion. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is over-represented in exclusions, but there is no data collected for ADHD. Children with ADHD are far more likely to be excluded from school than those without ADHD. But there is a more profound difficulty.
Unknown to Tom's family, they are victims of an ideological struggle that questions the very existence of his underlying problems.
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