How the report on Tower Hamlets schools branding pupils as mentally flawed, came out today

'Teachers label too many pupils with attention deficit disorder - they're mostly just naughty'
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:47 AM on 03rd July 2008

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Teachers could be labelling too many children with a hyperactivity disorder when they are just naughty, doctors believe.

Researchers in east London found only a handful of children believed by their schools to have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder did actually have it.

Psychiatrists now want an overhaul of how teachers identify pupils with ADHD.


Classroom trouble: 3% of pupils are diagnosed with ADHD

Up to three per cent of all primary school children suffer from ADHD, with symptoms including hyperactivity, restlessness and inattention.
Teachers who suspect a child has the disorder refer them to the local mental health service. Specialists carry out observations and speak to families before making a diagnosis.

But a study of Tower Hamlets pupils found only five of the 52 referred to mental health specialists in 2007 were correctly diagnosed.
Dr Benjamin Keene from the child and adolescent mental health services team in Tower Hamlets did the research.
He said: 'We want a system where teachers phone us and we can go through their concerns so we can focus our resources.
'Naughty children may at some point present symptoms, but someone with ADHD has them at all times.'

He added: 'We are looking to foster a better relationship with teachers.'

When a child is diagnosed they are taught 'behaviour management strategies'. If that doesn’t work they can be prescribed medication, including Ritalin.

The report will be presented at the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ annual meeting tomorrow.

Dr Keene said the number of children diagnosed is increasing, possibly down to increased awareness of the disorder.