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in both the U.S. and the U.K. These articles explain just how worried Shock Therapy to Combat Anxiety and Depres-
everyone is about it, but are they looking in the right place for answers? sion.” According to Leigh Academies Trust in
Aug. 6, 2017, KSL-Salt Lake City: “Safe UT App Making Inroads De- Kent, England, there is now a device being used
spite 36 Youth Suicides So Far in 2017” and Feb. 19, 2017, Express.co.uk: to “have a positive impact on levels of anxiety,
“Children Committing Suicide Hits 14-year High.” Is it stress? Bullying? depression and sleep disorders—all symptoms
Social media? Home life? Maybe. Maybe not. of stress among its staff.” Other adults affected
Coverage of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is also by mental health disorder include university
getting a lot of press. This article, July 31, 2017, KRISTV: “ADHD Rising students. Those requiring special consideration
Steadily,” talks about a new report from the Centers for Disease Control in exams due to mental health problems have
and Prevention (CDC) estimating that 9.5 percent of children ages three risen exponentially in the past five years. July
to seventeen in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. The explo- 9, 2017, UK Independent: “Number of Univer-
sion in this disorder is once again explained by better diagnosing, and sity Students Claiming Special Circumstances
the recommended best treatment is “medication.” for Mental Health Problem ‘Soars.’” And this
Could there be a connection between soaring rates of teen suicide article explains that the number of students in
and the psychotropic drugs being prescribed for conditions like ADHD? higher education with a disability has more than
Not according to the CDC—the same agency, which based on their own tripled in ten years: Oct. 27, 2017, Independent
research, has known for more than a decade that measles, mumps, rubella Irish News (Dublin): “Increase in Students with
(MMR) vaccines contribute to autism. Watch the documentary Vaxxed a Disability in Third-Level—but No Change in
for the whole story. Funding.”
Seeing hundreds of stories about schools
ISN'T ANYONE WORRIED? dealing with increasingly disabled and behavior-
Have we obliviously surrendered to the learning problems and mental ally challenged students should make everyone
health disorders in our children? Do we no longer expect our kids to be scared about the future. “Teacher shortages,
normal? Just as with the explosion in autism, it seems no one is really kids suspended, critically ill students, kids who
worried. As Dachel says, “No one cares what is happening to our kids, can’t learn normally. It just goes on and on, and
and if you haven’t picked up on that yet, you should join Autism Speaks will only get worse if we don’t address the real
[an uncritical autism advocacy organization] and pretend that blue lights causes,” says Dachel.
matter. Our schools, especially elementary schools, are mental wards. How are we going to deal with so many stu-
We have lots of calls for awareness, policy changes, workshops, better dents who can’t function normally? What will
understanding, etc. but these things are not going to put a stop to the the adult population soon look like? Imagine
increasing numbers of injury. It seems today we expect our children to what’s coming next year…in five years…in ten
be injured. We’ve all been schooled to accept the damage, physical and years. Will we somehow learn to adjust? This
developmental. Given enough time, will the world not remember when disaster is a time bomb. Schools are battlefields.
physical restraints and seclusion rooms weren’t typical of school districts? This “new normal” should not only give pause,
Or will we remember a time when behavior coaches weren’t regular it should cause alarm…deafening alarm.
members of the staff in elementary schools?”
Dachel used to believe that the number of autistic children would
get so high that the media, doctors and health officials would have to
recognize that something was terribly wrong. That never happened. “The
rate was never a concern. A whole month of celebrations (April), an of- JOURNAL NOW AVAILABLE AS
ficial organization that is supposed to speak for autism, and a total lack A DIGITAL TALKING BOOK FOR THE
of interest on the part of officials and doctors doomed autism to forever VISUALLY IMPAIRED
be a medical curiosity we have all the time in the world to figure out.” We now have our journal converted into an
According to Dachel, the real, undeniable issue happening everywhere audio format for the visually impaired. Special
is the mental health crisis in our schools. “Try as they might, this can’t software is required for this, such as Dolphin
be filed away under better diagnosing or 'these kids have always been Easy Reader. Go to the JOURNALS tab on
here.' The clock is ticking. They’ll blame social media, stress, trauma at our home page. Starting with Fall 2011, click
home…but it can’t be dismissed.” the journal you are interested in. Please tell
others! Many thanks to Amy Adams of
And what about the mental health and wellbeing of our teachers? July ePubUSA.com for this service!
1, 2017, The Telegraph: “Stressed Teachers are Being Offered Electric
80 Wise Traditions WINTER 2017