Something has been brewing in the schoolyard for some time.
And it’s about boys.
It is estimated that boys are five times more likely to have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) than girls.
Boys are three times more likely than girls to have Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).
Boys are twice as likely to have some type of developmental disorder than the opposite sex.
Oh, boy.
The debate is controversial and the arguments varied.
You might blame it on the schools.
Some say that boys and girls should be schooled separately, as some studies show that boys learn kinesthetically and girls are more passive or attentive learners; some say that the public education system lacks structure and discipline.
The other side of this coin is that this is not progressive thinking - that it’s anti-feminist in nature and hinders socialization between the sexes; the lines are certainly blurred when it comes to the conflicting roles and responsibilities between the educator and the parent.
You might blame it on technology – from computers and Nintendos to Androids and iPods.
This includes all the dizzying video games that makes non-gamers feel like they’re having a seizure, or a heart attack.
One argument is that technology for children needs to be carefully rationed or banished altogether, as ‘little minds’ need to finish developing before we throw flashing lights and overstimulation into the mix.
The flipside is that technology is here to stay and kids need to start young if they want to keep up with their studies and pace with their peers.
I recently had someone tell me I’m stupid because I think it’s too early to buy my four-year-old an iPad Mini.
Or you may blame our modern, increasingly sedentary lifestyle.
As childhood obesity continues to rise, fitness experts and motivational speakers across the nation are educating parents on the need to get kids outside, play sports and just being active. Nutrition awareness and healthy lunch programs are hot ticket topics these days.
I don’t have the answer. But as I bounce my 11-month-old son on my hip as we walk his four-year-old sister into preschool, I am thinking about these things.
When I watch the boys so excited they’re ready to spin in circles, while the girls are just a little more hesitant, a little more self-aware, it makes me wonder.
And I will readily admit that my son is far more active and adventurous than his sister was at his age and many mothers I have spoken to would concur.
I hope this issue will start being treated a little differently by both the medical community and the school system in the years to come. It appears some restructuring is needed, whatever that may entail.
And for the record, I am in no way denying the existence or validity of ADHD, ASD or other developmental disabilities.
I’m only questioning our Western approach with respect to diagnosing children too young and I have rarely heard a good thing from friends and acquaintances prescribed Ritalin in their early years.
I don’t know if it would be more beneficial to educate the sexes separately or not. I’m uncertain of the ‘right age’ to give a child a cell phone or an iPad/Pod/whatever. I don’t know where we, as a society, should draw the line on dictating to parents what they should or should not be feeding their minions.
I do believe the active nature of boys needs to be recognized and channeled properly, rather than stifled, silenced or shunned.
Boys will be boys. But they are just as important as the girls, and we need to make sure they don’t get left behind.
