Question: Do you think that NCLB (No Child Left Behind) has led to an increase in ADD/ADHD diagnosis?

I believe there is a direct correlation between the two. As teachers need to make testing goals, I think some teachers are throwing the ADD/ADHD label at some kids who do not have it. Yes, they might have some other learning disorder, but instead of actually working with the child, they give them a "label" so they don't have to be accountable for what the child makes in their standardized testing.

I started college with the major of Middle Grades Education in Math & Social Studies, but in my freshman year they passed the NCLB Act, and I changed majors. I did not want to have to "teach to the test" and watch children being pushed through school, even though they are not learning anything. I was a tutor in college and it was very disturbing of how people taking a freshman math class, did not even know the order of operations. I don't even understand how you can make it through middle/high school and not know this.

I really want to teach, but I don't think I could do it with NCLB in place. There is so much that children aren't learning. Then there's the whole issue with standardized testing in the first place, but I'm not going to go there...today. Also, there's the whole point that children should go to school year round as well.

I think sometimes all the standardized testing really masked all my ADHD, because I was good at it. My Dad taught me how the tests were set up, like if you don't know the answer, pick the longest answer, because why would the test makers take extra time to come up with a longer answer that isn't right, and when all else fails, pick C. Add that to a photographic memory, and I would easily breeze through the test making top marks. But when there was an open ended question, I could never get my thoughts together and come up with an answer that would make sense to every one besides me. (Which you have to do in college ).

*Random thought*