Pogo

If I did suspect that a student's problems in school were caused by ADD, dyslexia, or some other condition that needed attention, I would feel a professional responsibility to say something to someone. I would probably alert counselors rather than going directly to the parents. If I had to go directly to the parents, I would do so cautiously. They've lived with the kid longer than I have, and, if they are unaware that there is some kind of problem, they're probably in denial. They could become very defensive, and my action might make the situation worse (even cause harm to the kid).

I wouldn't ignore it; I would, in a very gingerly and tactful manner, suggest that there may be a cause of Johnny's poor performance that needs to be detected. Then I would suggest testing and turn the matter over to the counseling staff.

I wouldn't lump together all those conditions that you list. If a student is sociopathic and a danger to others, that's a whole different ball of wax than if a student is dyslexic or has ADD. And obsessive-compulsive disorder is not in the same ballpark with "learning disabilities" or sociopathic behavior. Each type of condition needs to be handled differently. Certainly, we want to act swiftly if a student shows sociopathic symptoms that could result in an outburst of violence. On the other hand, a student who is dyslexic needs to be guided toward special tutoring that can help the student adjust this perceptual problem.

Taking all of these together, I have the same general answer. Though parents should know and something should be done, it is not wise to approach the parents without professional backup. What kind of backup this is depends on the condition and the circumstances.

Since I deal with students directly, I'll tell what I do, and perhaps this will be somewhat analagous to how I might deal with parents if I had to. With dyslexia or suspected dyslexia, I point out that, based on observation, I think it might be a cause of learning problems, always qualifying this by stating that I am not an expert in the field. Sometimes I give anecdotes of past experience, especially where special tutoring has been helpful. I earnestly encourage the student to be tested and, if necessary, to get help from a specialist in dyslexia. Many of them do.

If I think a student is sociopathic, I document the evidence for my suspicions and turn it over to the dean or the counselors. I'm not about to tell a sociopathic student, "Hey, I think you're a sociopath." Who knows what he or she might do? Indeed, I had such a student once, and he scared me. I turned the case over to the dean, who interviewed the student and said the student scared him too. The dean went to higher authorities (I don't know who they were), and the student was sent to some institution that could address the problem properly.

I don't know if I'm capable of diagnosing ADD. Without professional training, I doubt that many of us can tell a student with ADD from one who is just a cantankerous trouble-maker for the sheer hell of it. When a student exhibits "behavioral problems," I use warnings and discipline (you'd be surprised at how many students with "ADD" are suddenly "cured" by this method). If the student persists in exhibiting the symptoms, I ask an expert to call the student in.

Teachers must know psychology, but this does not make them professional psychologists who are capable of diagnosing and/or treating the wide variety of neuroses and psychoses that inhabit virtually every classroom. They need to be watchful and to refer students or parents of students to professionals who are trained to deal with these problems. Confronting parents without this kind of team backup is foolish and hazardous.
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Rich Turner (The Curmudgeon Himself)