Lyle A child labeled This is a story, about a child who social services placed in our home in the latter part of the 1970s. Lyle was a child, labeled to be mentally, retarded and hyperactive. Lyle was 12 years old when social services removed him from his grandmother’s home and placed him with us. His grandmother was getting up in age and was unable to take care of him anymore. The psychiatrist had labeled Lyle as hyperactive -- mental retarded. Labeling a child or adults result in low self-esteem. The first day that Lyle came to live with us, he sat on the kitchen floor and rocked back and forth, he would not have anything to do with anyone else. Lyle was frightened; he just did not know or understand what was going on in his life. The doctors, had him on so much Ritalin that he could not even function. Sixty mg. of Ritalin, given three times a day to calm Lyle down. The teachers in the special education could not handle him because he was too active. After a few days of watching what was going on with Lyle and seeing the way he was, we decided to cut his medication in half. In a week’s time Lyle had begun to act different, he began to take part in activities. His energy level was better, and we found out that he was not mental retarded. The amount of Ritalin that Lyle took was slowing him down too much, but not in the eyes of his teachers. They just wanted him to sit and do absolutely nothing. Lyle had reading disability, and a speech impediment that was all that was wrong with him. When he was at home, he was no different than the other children, but when he was at school, the kids made fun of him, called him dummy or stupid, and he would fight back and be sent home. The children that were picking on Lyle did not get into any trouble. They just continued to have the right to pick on kids that were slower than they were. When children, go unpunished for this kind of behavior it is like telling them it is okay, to hurt others. Finally, we decided to try, and get some help for Lyle, there was a place called Hope Haven, and we suggested to social services to send him to that school for a while. This was the best thing that we could have ever done for him. He went to a Hope Haven for a couple of years, and returned to high school, where he graduated. The doctors had said that Lyle would never be able to take care of himself; he would never be able to drive, marry, have children, and live a normal life. Lyle married, had three beautiful children, two girls and a boy, he has four grandchildren, holds down a job, drives a car, and has proved that the doctors were wrong in every way. We are so proud of him and he is still in our life today. Lyle was talking to me one day about his son Ben, who was a little over active. Mom. He said, “I got one worse than I was, “I could not help but laugh. Ben is married now, and has a precious baby girl and is doing well. This is a short version of his life story; I would really like to write his life in full so others can see that labeling children can be so destructible, but loving them for who they are can be so rewarding. Lyle will be here for a month in July; I plan to talk to him and see how much he remembers about his family before he came to live with us Barbara Covil West 2011