Hmm, what is the subject? :?

Too bad it got personal. I think we can criticize concepts and claims without censorship or censure on this thread, can't we?

Quote
kath
I think the problem is that if I use the terms ADHD, therapy or medication, you think I am using them as a disparaging term.

Such is the stigma of mental illness.

you may think that mental illness has a stigma. I say that mental illness gets used to describe behaviors stigmatized by society (often for good reason).

In response to "moderator's" question to me as to why I am interested in this thread;
My interest is personal. I'll try to keep this short.

My niece, an extremely gifted child musically, had problems at school since the first grade.
It seems she was bored and uninterested in doing her schoolwork, and was rebellious and impatient. She was fine at home, according to her parents, who felt that her teachers did not "understand" her.
Her Mother, a "new-ager", believed her to be an "Indigo child", and refused to look at any other suggestions.
Her teachers, and her Grandmother, "diagnosed" her as having ADHD, and tried to insist on medication for the child.

When her Mother was finally pressured into testing the child for mental disorders, her profile was pretty much "normal", albeit with a fairly high degree of rebelliousness apparent from her responses. She also exhibited some depression and anxiety, not surprisingly.

Her IQ tests told another story, however. She tested extremely high, in the superior range, quite close to genius. As for her comprehension of mathematics, it was far behind her age and educational level.

Apparently, no one had ever bothered to find out just how smart she really was, and her resentful claims that her school, her teachers, and the work she was forced to do were "stupid" were ignored. Most of those in authority were unwilling to look at the possibility that she may have had a point.

The end result was, she was placed in an accelerated learning program, is now studying alongside students many years her senior, and is excelling in all areas, particularly the area of mathematics, a subject she was failing previously.

Her mother still believes her to be an "indigo". At 13 years old, my niece tolerates her mother's beliefs, but thinks they are "silly", and does not agree with them. She does know how smart she is, though, and no longer hides it.
She is at present unmedicated, happy, well-adjusted, and planning for a career in science, although as she matures, her choice may well change. I'm sure the are other children like this.

So, the system worked; that's great. Your niece's teachers and the grandmother were overruled after professional testing. The fact that your niece was fine at home was a clear sign that she did not have ADHD. ADHD doesn't just turn off when a child comes home from school.

I think many of your points were well-taken, barabara, about medication. I don't think anyone here is saying that kids should be put on medication without a complete behavioral and medical analysis, and only as a last resort.

I think the indigo child movement takes it too far in the other direction being anti-medication. Some kids who truly need medication will miss out on a chance to get their thoughts and behavior under their own control. Instead, they'll be fed some delusional garbage about being misunderstood, superior, paranormal, and born to save the world.

Because of the characteristics promoted as Indigo, like feeling and acting like royalty, unresponsive to discipline, system busters or even school shooters, no wonder many people are responding to this movement with a call for medication and spankings, calling them just "spoiled brats" - not that I agree with that, but it's a typical and understandable reaction to the way the indigo child idea is being promoted.

In this article, a little boy's head is messed with by some Indigo pushers.
[www.dallasobserver.com]
I saw later on the Internet that the boy's mother was livid that the father exposed her son to these people.

I am afflicted very much with that fact, that some of you skeptically concern to this phenomenon, shutting eyes to last events. Many count indigo brakes, especially crystal, but it occurs from a wrong method of education, misunderstanding. Presently some psychiatrists can not distinguish this feature from usual frustration at all as in the majority of the countries it is conducted what notification without fail, therefore children finally spoil, make of them constant consumers of tablets. I have casually gone on your forum, and have seen this theme during which perusal I had question: whether you in your countries use chamber Kerliana for photographing aura?

Yes, you can get your aura photographed at most psychic fairs in Britain. But if you run round the hall and come back, get your picture taken again and it'll come out completely different.

Not that I'd recommend that, because they'd charge you £20 just to do it the once.
Love
Kath

i am not an expert on the "indigo" children, but i have been reading about them since last fall when i saw Akiane Kamirk and some others who supposedly are "indigo" on TV. One thing i have noticed in comments on various forums is how vehemently folks denounce the lack of discipline. The subject brings out alot of hostility. very strange.

[quote="thunderbyrd" The subject brings out alot of hostility. very strange.[/quote]

Yes, it is true. Astute observation. The indigo movement has generated much well-deserved hostility for it's touting of certain children as "superior" to the rest of civilization. Also, for their association with dubious characters (putting it mildly) like James Tyman and Neale Donald Walsch. And for trying to promote themselves with a movie to try and catch some of the success of the What the Bleep fraud. The Celestine Prophecy is the latest in the line of "cult movies". And not cult movies in the sense of Eraserhead or Pink Flamingos, but literally CULT movies! I would imagine we haven't seen the last of them, unfortunately.

I have personally met Mr. Tyman years ago and can contest that he is 100 percent pure snake oil. He was literally asked to leave the city of Chicago for fraudulent activities selling advertisments to local businesses and not delivering a product. The only difference with this fraud is he actually made millions instead of thousands. The real sick aspect of this is that now his fraud doesn't just exploit adults but is really mass child abuse.

It's a relief to finally see the hostility directed at the perpetrators rather than the victims of this canard.