It’s a construct that can help us question the myriad of behaviours that we regard as neuro-typical or neuro non-typical.

What is normal?

However, I refuse to class personality traits as conditions, and I’ve met too many children who have been labelled as being on the autistic spectrum who would be considered to be charming, charismatic extroverts if they went to a Star Trek convention, or were lecturing in a university mathematics department. Not fitting in is not a disease.

And, no, our behaviour doesn’t put us on a spectrum. That’s like saying our clothes put us on a spectrum. Appropriate behaviour, like appropriate clothing, depends on circumstances or even opinion. While we might be able to identify extreme behaviour (or eccentric clothing) that is never likely to fit in, that does not mean that everyone is on an objective scale of “fitting-in-ness”.

I think perhaps you should be a little more agnostic. Especially since these disorders are seriously a minority even in the toughest sink schools. And yes, I have worked in places every bit as bad as you so brilliantly describe.

Mostly agree with you everywhere else.

Erm…. Where did I mention rules?

It’s very handy that whatever a student has experienced, or whatever a student prefers, or whatever a student feels, that they have to follow your rules regardless of the impact of your rules upon them because the student is immoral.

I would question whether rules are always correct, teachers are always correct, or schools are always correct. I don’t think your system can cope with that, and that is why it would not work in practise.

Lily’s comment reminds me of John Dewey’s approach to education, which centers on the student’s experience and consider them at the center. While it does prioritise the student as a person, and the student’s experiences, it emphasises that teachers have the training and duty to understand which experiences are preferable for the student. So I would similarly argue that you can offer a student-centred approach WITHOUT allowing a foolish route of ‘anything goes’. And such an approach is infinitely preferable in comparision to a heavy-handed ‘nothing goes’ which consistently seems to emphasise the sins of the students.

I didn’t allow my children to eat nothing but chocolate and chips and stay up till midnight. That would have been their preference, their taste. It would have made life a lot easier for me. You can’t give in to children’s momentary childish, ill-judged, unwise whims. Adults have a responsibility to choose what best for them and if they don’t much like it from time to time, they will have to learn to deal with it.