There was no respect for youth
when I was young,
and now that I am old,
there is no respect for age.
I missed it coming and going.
- J.B. Priestly

Many people want to be diagnosed for possible limitations. At first it certainly seems worth it. A child who is diagnosed as having ADD, a learning disability, or other limitations receives preferential treatment, including additional time during school examinations. Their general requirements are sometimes lowered to a level with which they can receive artificially high grades.

I question whether this is a good idea.

A person who is diagnosed may be labeled for life. As a result, they may no longer believe that they can succeed as well as other children, and their label certainly doesn't offer them the incentive to try harder.

Labeled or diagnosed children do not necessarily have a lower intelligence than other children. However, they are thought to be limited in their ability to learn or to study.

Children who are diagnosed receive extra attention from a young age. They love and crave that attention, and it seems to offer additional proof that they are thriving. And, yes, the more attention that a child receives, the more the child will want to succeed. If the diagnosis helps the child receive the attention, then the child will thrive as a result.

However, this leads to an additional question.

What happens if the child is capable of achieving as much as his "normal" peers? What happens if he is capable of thinking intensively and concentrating deeply after all?

That child will be torn between two options. On the one hand, he realizes that he is not supposed to be able to concentrate long enough on a specific task to be able to succeed. He may feel that he should not be able to develop creative thoughts on his own.

On the other hand, the child does develop deep and imaginative concepts. However he is now afraid, ashamed, or embarrassed to share them with others. His highly-developed thoughts remain deep, dark secrets. He feels that sharing the thoughts will cause the authorities to remove of his special, privileged label and status.

Indeed, this child may refrain from entertaining any serious thoughts. He may strive to limit his thoughts. He will pretend to have less potential than he really has. The child likes the idea of being special - albeit in a kind of way.

What have we done? We've taken a normal, or nearly normal child, and we've removed his potential for excellence.

Is that really our goal?