School teachers in Switzerland are facing an unexpected problem, which made them sound the alarm that it is growing on and on.
The Swiss school teachers have complained that there are more and more children in schools who are still wearing diapers.
"Kids are going to school as early as 4 years old now, so yeah, you might actually find some still in diapers," Dagmar Rosler, head of the Swiss Federation of Teachers, told the Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten.
"When 11-year-olds come to school in diapers, that's a worrying trend."
However, the age at which children start school is not the main reason; more and more older students are also dependent on diapers, and not for health reasons.
The news outlet further reported that experts believe it is important to distinguish whether it is a developmental psychological disorder or whether the person affected has never learned it.
"In any case, teachers must be sensitive to the topic and be discreet," said Rosler.
Under no circumstances should the child be put down: "Even if there are no health problems, it is absolutely necessary to talk to the parents in order to tackle the problem and hold them accountable."
Psychotherapist Felix Hof also finds it very important that the topic be addressed and that the parents are made aware of it. There are various reasons why children of primary school age still have to wear diapers: "If it is not due to a physical impairment, such behaviour can indicate neglect or an extremely stressed family situation."
