This feeling of desperation is true also in teachers. We are with our children many hours of everyday. We work and sweat and pray that what we are doing is making a difference. And we too are desperate at times. We want help. We want answers. We want the newest treatments and methods. So, a few months ago when I read that a local chiropractor was going to be offering a seminar on these disorders, and would be talking about his treatment of these children, I conned my friend into going with me. We registered and I couldn't wait to listen to what he had to say. I will admit that I'm not a proponent of chiropractors. I've been to one...a few times actually. When I thought he could help me with my pain I went to him. I think I made it through four sessions before I quit. Each session he cracked my neck and made me hurt and feel weird each time he did. So I quit going. When I told my neurologist, he freaked out that he had cracked my neck and told me I can never let anyone do that to me. With my seizures, it's dangerous! So I didn't go back. So I will admit that I went into this seminar as a skeptic. He was claiming that chiropractic care could cure the very things that we struggle to work with every day in our jobs. What a miracle! A simple adjustment could wipe out Autism? A misaligned spine could be causing ADD and ADHD? Perfect! Let's see what he had to say!
So, we went to the seminar. And we were insulted only ten minutes into the seminar as he demonized teachers and the IEP process. He told this room of people that all teachers in schools care about is getting your kids a diagnosis and getting them a pill so they don't have to deal with them anymore. He made sweeping generalizations about special education staff, specifically about teachers in Central Kitsap School District. He stated that he "didn't realize that there were so many teachers in our district with medical degrees" because that's what we do - push pills at our students. I sat there dumbfounded as I listened to what he was saying. I know there are teachers that would like nothing more than a pill for some kids, but to make it sound like this is our ultimate goal? And this was just the tip of the iceberg. He bashed the medical community many times, talking about how they peddle their drugs and push their vaccines. He made generalizations about physicians and made inflammatory statements with the mere intention of causing a reaction. He talked about phony science and quickly threw statistics out with no links to the data and research that proved his data. I felt insulted as a professional, as a mom, as a person.
The thing is, he maybe had an important message. He maybe had something that could be presented as an option for our kids. But rather than simply promoting his methods and talking about how what he does works, he bashed the people that are involved with helping these kiddos to the best of their abilities. I know that there are bad seeds in every profession. I know there are some teachers that want nothing but their whole class to be medicated. And I know there are physicians who are in bed with the pharmaceutical companies that line their pockets. And maybe I'm naive in saying this, but I firmly believe that those of us that work with these children have the best intentions. We do the best we can with the knowledge that we have.
And when there is another option, maybe a better option even, then we present that option with credibility and honesty and integrity. When I first started the SuperFlex lessons as part of my therapy sessions, there were many people, parents, that weren't sure about it. How could a comic book help? How would telling a kid that I'm having weird thoughts about them work? But it does! And I can talk about SuperFlex without bashing SecondStep or any other social skills curriculum that others are using. Do I agree with everything that SecondStep teaches? No, I don't, but I choose to look at the positives of the program and how we can marry our treatment techniques to best help our students because we're all doing the best we can.
As professionals, no matter what field you are in, I feel you have an obligation to inform the clients that you work with. And as professionals, I feel it is important to inform parents and help them make informed decisions. If Adderall or Stratera or any other pill is the way they are leaning, then I will be there to support them through that. Do I have a medical degree? No. Am I the one writing the prescription for the pill? Nope! But I have twelve years of working with these kiddos. And I know that the pill sometimes is magic! And sometimes it is not. And it would have been nice to be able to say to a parent, "Maybe let's try this chiropractic thing for a bit." but after listening to his talk tonight, I have lost all respect for him as a professional. For when you have to promote your message and your technique by demeaning teachers and putting down medical professionals, the importance of your message is lost. What a shame! He could have brought another idea to the table. He could have asked to work with us to find a good solution. He could have been respectful and professional.
We all have an obligation to inform our parents of the options and allow them to form their own opinion. We all have an obligation to help our children to the best of our abilities. And had this chiropractor not spent the first portion of his chat insulting the educators that work day in and day out with these kids, we might have been willing to refer our kids to his practice. But, perhaps we can't refer because, as he so harshly pointed out, none of us have that medical degree...
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