>> knee.  Why can I  not be considered a reliable enough observer of a
 >> student's work habits to reach a conclusion with regards to the student's
 >> lack of ability to  complete a task or to master urges of impulsive
 >> behavior.
 DR> In the state of California, and also in the state of Alaska, teachers
 DR> may not make any sort of medical diagnosis or even suggest that certain
 DR> things (hyperactivity, mental illness) might be the problem. What we
 DR> CAN do is to lay out the observations and suggest that the parent look
 DR> into the matter. We are not medical professionals....we're educational
But this is what Bob is saying we cannot do.  We cannot recommend that
the parent "look into the matter."  We have to make contact through
another employee in the system.  Oooo, efficiency, thy name is
bureaucracy.
 DR> professionals. We can tell a parent "so-and-so has a difficult time
 DR> sitting still, s/he pops up and down all the time," etc. But we can't
 DR> say "your child might be hyperactive, s/he has a real hard time
 DR> concentrating.
What are you suggesting a teacher say when the parent asks, "What
should I do?  How can I help him/her?  Who can help figure out what is
wrong?"  If Bob is to believed, a teacher is out of line for referring
the parent to a doctor.
 DR> This point was brought home to me a few years ago, when teaching first
 DR> grade up in Alaska. I had a student (boy) who was constantly up out of
 DR> his chair, he stood up to write, he'd seemingly lose concentration, and
 DR> had a few othe
[...]
 DR> hours late. He thanked me for sending them to the doctor with Michael -
 DR> Michael had severe eye problems that they'd never noticed before.
 DR> Later, we talked, and we all came to the conclusion that one should
 DR> always check out the possibility of physical problems before assuming a
 DR> learning problem.
Read Bob's most recent message to me.  According to him, you had no
place sending those parents to the doctor.  I, on the other hand, think
you did the right thing.
Leona Payne
... "so geeky,I dont think he can get into a science fiction convention"
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