LP> She further added that to do was to make a
 LP> diagnosis which would create liability for the district to pay for the
 LP> child's treatment.  I argued with her on the basis that a) I am not a
 LP> doctor & thus am not offering a medical diagnosis
 BM>  True but attention deficit and hyperactivity _are_ medical diagnoses
 BM>  that can only be made by an MD.  I don't doubt that you've probably
 BM>  seen many ADD/ADHD kids and are very capable of identifying them it's
 BM>  just not any teacher's place to tell a parent that in _those_ words.
LP>I don't agree with your logic.
I don't think Bob is just running logic by you; I think he
is stating the prevailing medical (and legal) point of view.
I may be wrong about that, but I know that Bob is actively
involved in this area....
LP>I do not profess to be a medical doctor, therefore any opinion I offer 
LP>as to a child's possible condition can be only that:  opinion.  What 
LP>this woman was saying to me was that I cannot say the words "hyperactive," 
LP>"short attention span," or "you should take the child to be assessed."
But you can certainly say the same thing in other ways... 
You ARE allowed to list the symptoms you observe and their
results, for example, you are just not allowed to jump to
the next level (a diagnosis).... I think this is silly also,
and LOGICALLY, you're right; I doubt, however, that logic 
enters into this....               ;-)
LP>Incidentally, once these kids are taking medication, the doctors are
LP>quite happy to send 'round questionnaires asking me to rate the child's
LP>behavior & describe symptoms.  So, how have I suddenly become qualified?
You've always been qualified as an OBSERVER, just not as a
diagnostician; that's Bob's point... Have you run this past
the school lawyer(s)?  Might be worth bringing up to the
union, etc for clarification....
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