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How America made its children crazy
Asia Times Online ^ | 31 Jan 2012 | Spengler

Posted on 01/30/2012 8:26:15 PM PST by Theoria

Now we know that computers don't help children learn and that drugs don't help them concentrate, because the establishment mandarins who sold us the computers and drugs have conceded failure. In the January 29 New York Times, [1] a prominent professor of child development shows that attention-deficit-disorder drugs only harm the three million children who take them. One out of 10 American children have been diagnosed with so-called Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and most of them have been medicated. [2]

Some months ago, the Times reported that test scores lagged in school districts that invested massively in digital education. [3] It does not seem to have occurred to the mandarins that computers cause attention deficit disorder. The brain is a machine, in the enlightened secular model, and so-called brain science teaches us to tweak its functioning with pharmaceuticals, or stimulate its development through digital approximations of intelligence. The grand result of a generation's worth of brain-science application is a generation of schoolchildren who are disproportionately illiterate, innumerate, anxious, angry, and unhappy.

Professor L Alan Sroufe's debunking of ADD medication in the New York Times contains this admission:

''Back in the 1960s I, like most psychologists, believed that children with difficulty concentrating were suffering from a brain problem of genetic or otherwise inborn origin. Just as Type I diabetics need insulin to correct problems with their inborn biochemistry, these children were believed to require attention-deficit drugs to correct theirs. It turns out, however, that there is little to no evidence to support this theory.''

That is an astonishing statement: in the mainstream view of the academic psychologists, the brain is another pancreas, except that its function is to secrete thoughts as opposed to insulin. That is to say that the psychologists have a pancreas where their brains should have been.

(Excerpt) Read more at atimes.com ...


TOPICS: Education; Society
KEYWORDS: add; children; computers; editorial; education; publicschool
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1 posted on 01/30/2012 8:26:26 PM PST by Theoria
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To: Theoria

Excellent article on the sham of modern psychology and education theory.


2 posted on 01/30/2012 8:34:49 PM PST by PGR88
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To: Theoria

Except I believe in digital education. The author’s opinion is wrong on that matter.


3 posted on 01/30/2012 8:37:54 PM PST by impimp
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To: Theoria; 2Jedismom; 6amgelsmama; AAABEST; aberaussie; AccountantMom; Aggie Mama; agrace; ...

Homeschool pings, both lists.


4 posted on 01/30/2012 8:44:49 PM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: Theoria

Anyone here surprised? Anyone at all?
Didn’t think so.


5 posted on 01/30/2012 8:45:21 PM PST by Ronin (Now 15 kilograms down since August last year. Hell yeah I'm bragging!)
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To: Theoria

Welcome since 12-20-11!

20 years ago when I tried scouting in the traditions of my family it was a disaster. Most of the kids were medicated and most of the parents just wanted a place to drop them for a couple of hours. It made the parents feel good like they were doing something to encourage junior into something wholesome or something I guess. They dang sure didn’t want junior to be challenged or disciplined.

One day, my Son and I were working on some project together and both confided to each other that we didn’t enjoy scouts and that we were enjoying our time together much more without having to put up with a bunch of drugged kids.

From that day we built our shop and worked on old cars and built gadgets. We had boys and girls over all the time in the teen years and into college. They always hung out at the shop. The floor will never be clean from all the oil hemorrhages from motorcycles, trucks, cars and an airplane. It is just covered with many good memories. Some of the kids still stop by, they are grown now and many of them have children. Many of them tell us they will build a shop when the time comes.

He went through a phase, like all kids do, of undirected energy. We found him something to do and gave him a reason to do it. We also only had to get the belt out once at about age 6 when he sassed his Mother. Never happened again. It was hard but necessary. I didn’t rest well for days. We like to think we medicated the ills of childhood and the fears it creates over becoming grown up with love.

My Momma and Poppa made childhood so wonderful it is still painful to have had to leave it. We were punished for what we did wrong and loved all the time. I’m sure sometimes the loving didn’t come easy.

One of the best things my Son ever said to me was that he would never do anything to make the family ashamed of him. He has been true to his word for nearly 30 years now.

The best advice I can give to anyone these days with children is HOME SCHOOL.


6 posted on 01/30/2012 8:55:39 PM PST by Sequoyah101 (Half the people are below average.)
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To: Theoria
"The brain is a machine, in the enlightened secular model"

Actually, the "brain as machine" model is totally discredited by an avalanche of research on neuroplasticity over the last twenty or thirty years, showing the brain is a flexible, adaptive, self-correcting, responsive organ, that organizes itself, grows and changes to meet new demands, and adapts changes in functioning to changes in the environment in ways no "machine" could.

Spengler is simply wrong, as most uneducated lay people would be, and as the author who wrote the WSJ article is as well.

Current models of brain functioning are far more sophisticated than the author acknowledges, perhaps because he has been in his career comfort zone for years, doing what he has always done, and not kept up. Judicious use of medications as well as other treatments have achieved significant advances in treating problems with brain functioning, including adhd.

As far as computers are concerned, there are programs which don't help anybody, and others that are helping people recover from brain injuries, strokes, disabilities of all sorts by retraining the brain and redrawing the neurological maps of the cortex. If Spengler and the rest want a villain to pick on, they should take a look at ordinary television and its effect on cognitive development.

7 posted on 01/30/2012 8:57:24 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: hinckley buzzard
ordinary television and its effect on cognitive development.

I agree on that premise. One can simply look at the use of TV in society and the decline of Americas knowledge reference and learning.

8 posted on 01/30/2012 9:10:35 PM PST by Theoria (Rush Limbaugh: Ron Paul sounds like an Islamic terrorist)
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To: impimp

There are uses for computers in education but having kids build Shakespeare blogs or Facebook pages as described in the article aren’t among them.


9 posted on 01/30/2012 9:20:17 PM PST by RightGeek (FUBO and the donkey you rode in on)
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To: hinckley buzzard

Spengler doesn’t agree with the “enlightened secular model”. He doesn’t believe the brain is a machine.


10 posted on 01/30/2012 9:59:21 PM PST by TheMole
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To: Sequoyah101

Totally hip:

We kept our kids going into things they loved as children. Shoot, they started community theater when they were 5. Imagine encouraging dress up and imagination !! They even suckered me into it when they were teens.

Awesome memories.

The other thing we did was to insist on being on a sports team all through school - their choice. My son ended up on the bowling team his last two years (the saga of Derek was just beginning :)

And I totally agree. If I had to do it all again, HOME SCHOOLING !!!


11 posted on 01/30/2012 10:00:58 PM PST by onona (Dicky Betts is one ramblin man !)
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To: Ronin

Certainly I am NOT surprised!!! The remark that one person made was true-—the administrators are purposely trying to destroy the intelligence of their slaves. Intelligent people are hard to control.


12 posted on 01/30/2012 10:01:30 PM PST by savagesusie (Right Reason According to Nature = Just LawD)
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To: Theoria

I was working at out local childrens home a year or so ago. I was down the hall from a staff training session and I heard the topic was medication.

I’m thinking to myself, alright, maybe they’re bringing someone in that’s going to tell them they are going about things the wrong way. No more drugging the kids to control their behavior. Do your jobs and deal with them!

A kid doesn’t want to pay attention, make him want to! No beatings of course, but use ever other available means.

Not a freakin’ chance! I could hear the whole thing. It was all about the latest drug therapy and how to make sure the kids were taking the shit. I tell you I wanted to go back there and knock some heads together sumthin’ fierce!


13 posted on 01/30/2012 10:10:26 PM PST by brewguru
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To: TheMole
I guess the point I'm making is that neither does anybody else who is competent in their field. Perhaps he is setting up a straw man for some reason, accusing a whole profession of an outdated belief. If he is railing against educrats, so be it, but that only means his rant against psychology is misdirected and misplaced--most psychologists have a pretty modest opinion of the education businesss and for good reason.
14 posted on 01/30/2012 10:23:01 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: Theoria

We spanked our kids. Much cheaper and much more effective...


15 posted on 01/31/2012 1:37:11 AM PST by BobL (I don't care about his past - Newt will BRING THE FIGHT to Obama)
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To: Theoria

“Adderall and Ritalin, by the way, can’t be found in any Chinese pharmacy...”

Again, it’s because Asian parents SPANK their brats. Parents only need the drugs if they’re not up to being parents.


16 posted on 01/31/2012 1:50:24 AM PST by BobL (I don't care about his past - Newt will BRING THE FIGHT to Obama)
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To: hinckley buzzard
I think they all are overlooking a very obvious cause. Our technology in the past 40 years especially the last two decades has gotten too where it exceeds a significant number of persons abilities too even be exposed to it. Thus creating cognitive difficulties and disturbances. In short the human brain also has it's own limitations. When those limitations become over extended the brain in it's self preservation design responds.

I am very serious that if I had a child suspected of ADHD my first stop would be a medical doctor. The next stop an Audiologist. If I had an adult family member who suddenly out of the blue developed an unexplainable anxiety issue known as Panic Disorder I'd do the same thing.

The older General Practitioners understood some things that have been lost in modern medicine due too specialization in practices. Inner Ear related issues can wreak havoc on the body and mind. They are hard too prove in many cases but the clues many times lie in getting a very extensive early childhood to current medical history and some detective work asking the right questions including military service and work environments.

The treatment as far as medication goes may shock some as well. No Ritalin. Enviromental modifications in these cases are needed. For ones thing a good old fashion butt busting cures all need too stop and think about what all has changed technology wise since parents who were born in the 50's and 60's had as kids. Yea the TV could have a huge impact on some kids. Watch their behavior after a show especially one with a lot of special affects and vivid colors flashing.

17 posted on 01/31/2012 2:43:19 AM PST by cva66snipe (Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?)
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To: BobL

You likely can’t find common items such as antibiotics on a store shelf in China either. Kids are expendable there. The offical government policy is they have too many. I’d be the first too say ADD ADHD is grossly mis-diagnosed and Ritalin over prescribed. But I have enough real life self experience to understand there is an actual medical problem out there behind a lot of this.


18 posted on 01/31/2012 2:50:22 AM PST by cva66snipe (Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?)
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To: cva66snipe

I agree that the drugs can be used to mask deeper family and parenting problems. My only point is that parents who choose NOT to listen to Dr. Spock don’t need the drugs.


19 posted on 01/31/2012 3:10:43 AM PST by BobL (I don't care about his past - Newt will BRING THE FIGHT to Obama)
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To: BobL
I agree that the drugs can be used to mask deeper family and parenting problems. My only point is that parents who choose NOT to listen to Dr. Spock don’t need the drugs.

I got my tail busted if I needed it. My parents did not go by Spock and this isn't about Spock it's about a medical issue. But my parents also got me help. I was diagnosed in the mid 1960's with ADHD. But I didn't use Ritalin.

Read my post on this thread and you'll see what I am talking about The information I have does not come from any mental health associated venue nor for that matter any pharmacutical backed source.

I'm likely out of here till this evening.

20 posted on 01/31/2012 3:22:48 AM PST by cva66snipe (Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?)
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