A high school in the U.K. has granted permission to one of its students to identify as a wolf.
The child in Scotland claims to suffer from “species dysphoria,” which is when an individual is uncomfortable in their body and believes it belongs to a different species, according to the Daily Mail.
The pupil belonged to a group of “furries” and identified with the “animal persona,” the publication reported.
Teachers are reportedly trying to help guide the student by following Scottish government guidance called Getting It Right For Every Child (Girfec), and using a “wellbeing wheel” to support kids as they face challenges or encounter barriers to learning.
The wellbeing wheel is a diagram used in Girfec’s guidance that stresses the importance of helping children to “overcome inequalities” and ensure that their voices are heard in “decisions that affect their life, with support where appropriate.”
The student wolf was offered “personal support” and “more specific support” from a “wellbeing worker,” according to the publication, but council acknowledged, “There is very little specific guidance on species dysphoria.”
Because, according to clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Tommy MacKay, it’s not a thing.
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“There is no such condition in science as ‘species dysphoria,’” he told the Mail.
“It’s not surprising that we are seeing this in an age when many people want to identify as something other than they are,” he continued.
“Now we have a council which appears to accept at face value that a child identifies as a wolf, rather than being told to snap out of it and get to grips with themselves, which would be the common-sense approach.”
According to the Mail, the Scottish Government will not be issuing guidance to support people who claim to have species dysphoria.