Friday, September 04, 2009

Got ADHD? Get A Reward in Great Britain !

When you combine a nationalized heath service with nanny-state do-goodism and a population that is taught to litigate every time they fail to get their way, you wind up with state-sponsored stupidity like this:

Hyperactive children and those with attention-deficit disorders can now queue jump at theme parks because they cannot cope with the stress of waiting.

Children with ADHD, which was recognised as a psychiatric condition 15 years ago, are given passes in most theme parks in the UK and many abroad if they can prove that they have the condition.

Why even bother to try to help these children with their attention span, and assist them in developing patience and respect, when it is so much easier to just give in?

Andrea Bilbow, chief executive of the National Attention Deficity Disorder Information and Support Service, said that the scheme avoided tantrums.

“Children with ADHD are very impulsive and just can’t cope in a queue or when there is a delay in gratification,” she told the Times Edcuational Supplement.
“I know many primary schools let them go ahead at dinner time and it stops scenes, what’s the problem?”


What's the problem? Rewarding bad behavior is always a problem, douchebag. And even if these kids can't control themselves, what kind of message is being sent to the kids that are patiently waiting on line (for hours, sometimes) and behaving themselves properly? That they are better off being wild so as to skip to the front of the line?

More idiocy from Andrea:

Criticism of the tactic showed that teachers were ignorant of the condition, she added.

“We often see how this doesn’t work and parents then take cases to the high court.”


So teachers - who deal with these kids eight hours a day - know less than an office-bound bureaucrat. And the most important issue is not right or wrong, or even encouraging proper behavior in a civilized society, it is steering clear of lawsuits.

Morally repugnant. Is there any surprise that Britain is slipping into chaos, with radical Islamists sowing fear by day, and drunken youths wreaking havoc by night?

Nice debate in the comments among the parents, one of whom states:

....they understand that their behaviour is ultimately their responsibility and ADHD is not an excuse. When they need a quiet place, they have learned to seek it. If I don't think they are up for being queue'd, they don't go to the park. ADHD is a lifelong issue where they need to accept accountability and responsibility early on while a parent and other adults are still available to monitor.

"Accountability and Responsibility"! Sheesh, doesn't this woman know these words are tantamount to hate speech in a progressive society? Get her to a re-education facility, posthaste!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You HAVE to be kidding me. I am appalled.

Unknown said...

I cannot believe this. I worked for Disney, and I can tell you this would not go over well at all with most Disney guests. Most people wait in line properly, and take their rightful place behind those who have been waiting longer, at shows and in lines. However, there are SOME people from SOME countries who do not think these rules apply to them. They will just step right up to see Mickey Mouse, even if there are 100 people in line. They will walk right to the front of the crowd to see a show, stepping over or on those who have been waiting for an hour, completely disregarding them. That does not go over well, but they still cause a lot of problems. This idea of letting ADHD children go to the front - forget it. At Disney, you can't even go to the front of the line if you are in a wheelchair - ONLY if you are a Wish child, and they certainly deserve it because their time at the park is limited.