Children 'wrongly diagnosed'

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http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/children-wrongly-diagnosed-20100821-139p6.html

Children 'wrongly diagnosed'

Steve Dow

August 22, 2010

DOCTORS are being pressured to diagnose children with behaviour disorders to get

them extra assistance in schools, labelling many with diseases they probably

don't have, researchers warn.

South-western and western Sydney have become hot spots for children, especially

boys, being given diagnoses of behaviour disorder and emotional disturbance. The

children are then enrolled in special schools and support classes, according to

research soon to be published by Macquarie University academics.

Macquarie University researcher Graham said three separate studies pointed

to ''pressures on paediatricians to inflate diagnoses so kids get support in

class''.

The research shows enrolments for " behaviour disorder " rose in NSW special

schools by 254 per cent between 1997 and 2007, while kids with physical, hearing

and visual disabilities fell 60 per cent over that period.

In support classes in regular NSW primary schools, emotionally disturbed

diagnoses rose 139 per cent, while in support classes in regular NSW high

schools, autism diagnoses grew by 280 per cent, emotional disturbance increased

by 348 per cent, and behaviour disorder by 585 per cent during the same period.

Behavioural disorder diagnoses sharply rose from 2002, when NSW began building

special schools for children with behavioural problems.

Children are ''being diagnosed with things they don't have'', Dr Graham, a

fellow with the Centre for Research into Social Inclusion, said. . South-western

Sydney, which accounts for 17.5 per cent of total enrolments in NSW government

schools, has 26.5 per cent of enrolments in special schools and support classes,

while western Sydney accounts for 13.7 per cent of total school enrolments but

17.8 per cent of enrolments in special schools and support classes.

Northern Sydney, with 11.5 per cent of school enrolments, has only 5.7 per cent

of children in special schools and support classes.

Australian Medical Association paediatrics spokesman Choong-Siew Yong said he

was not surprised at the disparity: parents in wealthier suburbs could afford

non-government assistance for struggling children.

Dr Yong said sometimes schools will tell parents their child's behaviour

''matches other kids with particular problems'' and recommend they take the

child to see a paediatrician to seek a diagnosis and therefore see if the child

is eligible for special education funding assistance.

But Dr Yong said only a very small number of parents come looking for a

particular diagnosis for their child and that paediatricians were ''not placed

under undue pressure''.

''I don't think people are lying and ripping off the system,'' Dr Yong said.

While parents are increasingly clamouring for greater funding for assistance,

the researchers have shown special education costs rose from 7.2 per cent in

1997 of NSW government school recurrent payments to 12.8 per cent in 2007.

NSW Teachers Federation deputy president Zadkovich said there was ''no

clear outcome'' in the debate over whether too many children are being diagnosed

or overmedicated.

''I can say unequivocally more students are presenting in Australian schools

with special education needs just because of developments in medical science,''

he said.