Maybe It’s Not the Child—Maybe It’s the System
When diagnosis becomes shorthand for “you don’t fit here”
We’re overdiagnosing kids for reacting to a world that would overwhelm most adults with three therapy degrees.
TL;DR
➕ This is Part 2 of a 2-part blog (📖 Catch Part 1 here)
➕ We often mistake difference for dysfunction
➕ Schools are built for order, not biology
➕ Gender, emotion, and behavior are often medicalized when they threaten cultural norms
➕ The endocannabinoid system (ECS) reminds us: everything is connected
The Hidden Curriculum: What Kids Learn About Health and Identity
Kids don’t just learn their ABCs.
They learn what kinds of bodies are allowed.
Before they can write their names, most kids already know if they’re “too loud,” “too shy,” “too dramatic,” or “not normal.” It’s subtle. It’s consistent. And it’s everywhere—from the teacher’s tone to the cartoon sidekick who exists to be “fixed.”
They don’t have the words yet. But they absorb the rules.
We think we’re teaching behavior. What we’re really teaching is conformity.
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