Our kids aren’t broken. We need to stop treating every struggle like a disorder

A clinical neuropsychologist argues that ordinary setbacks are increasingly treated as signs of disorders, especially when children and parents feel pressure to excel. The author says that while diagnoses and accommodations are essential for genuine disabilities, medicalising normal struggles can deepen children’s distress.

The article illustrates this with Zach, a high-achieving student who sought testing accommodations despite scoring 34 out of 36 on ACT practice tests, because he feared the score was not enough for his preferred university. It also questions the weight placed on percentiles, noting that the 37th percentile is within the average range and that traits such as attention and anxiety are healthiest in a balanced range. The excerpt ends by describing test scores as imperfect snapshots of ability.