To think there needs to be a public inquiry into child development

[MaryMaryVeryContrary]

It really seems like we have a looming societal crisis in terms of child development and therefore the quality of the public in 10-20 years time. Experienced teachers across the board seem to be reporting an overwhelming increase in delayed, aggressive and disruptive children. I’m extremely worried about how this will impact society when they become adults - it seems (as a guess) at least a tenth of children will be incapable of work of any kind, and many more will need copious amounts of support to live any kind of responsible life.

AIBU to think we need an urgent public inquiry into this and what is going on? It seems to be the elephant in the room and anybody who tries to discuss it is shouted down.

I’m sure some of it is due to cuts in services but surely that can’t account for it all - it’s very sudden and extremely alarming.

Um...empathy, social skills, the ability to compromise and manage your emotions, the ability to be productive and show resilience through adversity, good communication skills...?

Not everyone with autism gets it though
it’s not based on a diagnosis.

True, but people's attitudes have changed. Now it's all about entitlement and what their child is entitled to, how to get it, what extremes to go to. I've met many parents who ask me to say that their child has ADHD or Autism so that they can get DLA. In reality, those children are poorly behaved because they have shit parents. This also makes it difficult for children who actually do have autism etc to get support.

Then these children grow up, in an environment where everything is all about what you can get while doing absolutely nothing, and the cycle worsens. It's not like that everywhere, granted, but in certain areas I've taught in, it absolutely is.

Then there are people who keep having children when they've been advised not to. One parent I know had a severely disabled child. They were both told that they are "genetically incompatible" and that any future children would also have severe disabilities. They were gently advised not to have any more children. So they had four more. All with severe disability, complex needs and neither parent works. Then they complain online to anyone and everyone about how disgusting the level of support for the children they chose to have is. And now their oldest is pregnant. And the cycle keeps going. I say that as a disabled person myself - of course people have the right to have as many children as they choose. I'm just not sure why a couple would choose to have five, knowing they'd all be very disabled, knowing they had no money.

It's difficult. I don't think anything will change while we have this culture of entitlement, but then the people who actually do need support would suffer. I don't know what the answer is, or even if there is one. What I do know is that behaviour, needs and teacher retention are worsening daily.

But I’m autistic and my mother was 25 when she had me, but my children are Autistic because I had them at without IVF at 35 & 39? I don’t take drugs, my children were full term, not underweight.
It’s just trying to attitude blame to people with these theories of low birth weights and IVF that doesn’t apply to everyone.

Teacher here. Yes, I do worry about this. It is due to the cuts in public services, CAHMS/ mental health, school budgets, COL crisis and covid. Don't need an inquiry.

Diagnosis alone cannot qualify their children for DLA. They must be reasonably impacted by it.

My daughter receives it because she struggles with her speech, emotional regulation and doesn't perceive danger as a peer of her age would do.

have you seen the film Idiocracy?

Mine are in the garden mowing the lawn and pegging out the laundry.

Agree totally.

This is lovely. Stay strong and appreciate the goodness you have.

Sorry, but you don't need to inform me about the ins and outs of DLA and PIP. I know exactly how they work. I'm disabled. I've been disabled for many years.

It's relatively easy to get DLA for a child. They don't even need an assessment like adults who claim PIP. There are many parents who lie and exaggerate to claim DLA. It happens.

This couldn't be more true.

It is worth saying that uk have shocking therapies for children
we always compare medical treatment etc uk Vs USA

you know that my DD in the USA wouks be entitled to weekly 2 x speech / physio / OT
for free

uk - you get if your extremely lucky
physio a 6 week block then re refer then wait again,
ot 6 times per year
SLT again pre education services some 6 week block then wait again
education SLT
6 times a year.

I say don’t worry about it. The problem will sort itself out. Autism is genetic, it has always existed, so has anxiety. Everyone will just have to learn about their disability or mental health condition, and learn how to cope in life like the generations before them have

So how are you to claim who is genuine or not, if you can simply make the bold claim that some are just lying?

So the school is setting boundaries where the children’s parents do not?

Also, children are allowed to make mistakes and have sanctions - it’s called life learning.

We are seeing lots of behaviour, Sen and children with mental health. Some older children struggling to return to the education system following lockdown, this then has an ongoing effect. Younger children coming into early years, are no longer COVID babies but we are of parents are working, juggling stressful jobs. Also seeing a rise in gentle parenting, children don't like to hear the word no.

😂😂😂😂😂
i had to go to tribunal twice
with a child who had Mutiple organ failures. Still is not entitled to mobility despite being in a chair 65 percent of her day
With Multiple machines attached.

I'm bemused by the posters talking about 2 full time working parents being a significant and recent factor causing problems.

I can only assume they came from previously middle-class parents where Mum was a SAHP at least for a while.

2 parents working full time was always the norm for the working class.

The term 'latchkey kid' I.e a DC coming home from school with no parent at home as they were both working so they let themselves in with a key that had was on a string around their neck or left outside the house was evident from the 1940s and popularised in the 70s and 80s.

Often, primary school aged kids.

My Dad was a latchkey kid at primary school in the 60s. Most of his friends were.

Dads were miners and Mums worked in factories or shops.

Kids let themselves into the house, commonly found some bread and jam for a snack then went out to play.

None of them had Mums at home wearing an apron, baking bread and helping with homework like the rose-tinted spectacle idea some MNetters seem to have of universal child rearing.

It was never, or rarely like that for the WC.

And funnily enough, those kids could all read, write, had social skills etc and left school at 15 and got jobs..

In no way is that recommended for child development or child rearing but they got jobs, lived lives, developed relationships etc.

They weren't claiming benefits, unable to work because of ND or MH 'issues' like so many of the young population today.

I'm a highly qualified educational academic with a first class undergrad degree, a PGCE, a Master's and a Doctorate, all in education. Combined with my 30 years experience actually working with children, I'm usually pretty sure of the parents that are lying about their child's issues. Plus they come to me when they haven't been able to get a medical diagnosis so that they can submit my comments as "evidence" that their child needs DLA.

Which I'm more than happy to do for the genuine ones.

I’ve been a GP for nearly 30 years. I’ve done more CAMHS referrals in the past 2-3 years than in the whole of the previous 25 years. I’m not sure this can just be attributed to greater awareness, although that is obviously a factor.

I agree with you it could well be evolutionary.

It makes sense that the digital age would select for autistic traits much more than previous generations. Autistic people can become extremely successful in the online world both professionally and socially and maybe therefore more likely to find partners and reproduce.

This spike in autism correlates with the digital revolution. Millennials like me are the first generation to be using tech in their careers and social lives in a big way, and the last 10 years is when we’ve all started having children and passing on our genes

So that I think explains the autism. And I think it is compounded by parents not interacting adequately with their children at an early age due to screens.

The mental health problem I think is also down to social isolation and social media.

Of course it has nothing to do with a lack of SAHP, screens and pandering parents therefore it must be the Governments fault.

That is great you are so educated - but with all the qualifications in the world, you are not that child's parents.