| Experts estimate that between 4-10% of our | | | | the wipers to get rid of unnecessary |
| youth are now diagnosed as having Attention | | | | cloudiness. She is trying as hard as she can |
| Deficit Disorder. It can be frustrating and | | | | to process all of the information coming into |
| discouraging to deal with symptoms of ADD. | | | | her experience. Of course, what often happens |
| Here's the great news: there is nothing | | | | is that the conscious mind becomes |
| "wrong" with your child or with you as the | | | | overwhelmed and she may simply shut down, |
| parent; there is nothing that needs to be | | | | stop paying attention, and give up or it |
| "fixed". You and your child have ALL of the | | | | might be played out physically in the body |
| resources within you to experience success in | | | | which might be seen as anxious, aggressive or |
| school, at home and in the world. If your | | | | hyperactive behavior. |
| child is not succeeding in school or at home, | | | | |
| it simply means that she doesn't have | | | | The first step in helping your child to learn |
| effective tools for doing so. Once we teach | | | | effectively is to help her determine what her |
| her world-class skills for succeeding at home | | | | particular strategy is for learning and then |
| and in school, she will no doubt be | | | | to teach her very precise, effective |
| successful. | | | | strategies for learning information most |
| | | | effectively. A visual learning strategy is |
| A diagnosis can be helpful in giving us a | | | | the most effective strategy for learning |
| framework for understanding what the reason | | | | academic tasks like spelling words, math |
| is behind the challenging behaviors or the | | | | facts and vocabulary words; learning visually |
| poor school performance. You can understand | | | | makes learning fun, interesting and much less |
| the behavior better when you understand where | | | | time-consuming. |
| it is coming from. When you understand that | | | | |
| it's not a matter of whether or not your | | | | In order to teach a young person a visual |
| child is trying hard enough, rather that it | | | | learning strategy, she must first believe |
| is simply a matter of her not having the | | | | that she CAN learn by making pictures in her |
| tools to be successful in learning, then you | | | | mind. Often, young people who are diagnosed |
| can respond differently to it. ADD, Dyslexia | | | | as having ADD or some other "learning |
| and other learning "differences" are a way of | | | | difference" feel that they can't control |
| describing how a person's brain is wired or | | | | their own mind, but rather that their mind |
| the way in which they process information. It | | | | controls them. In order to begin to teach |
| doesn't mean that they don't process or learn | | | | effective learning strategies, we need to |
| information; it simply means that they do it | | | | begin with helping the child to see that |
| better using certain strategies or processes | | | | indeed she CAN control her own mind and the |
| than with others, as we all do. | | | | pictures that she makes in her mind. |
| | | | |
| In order to help you understand your child's | | | | The first step is to assist the child in |
| experience of the world, you need to | | | | slowing down the pictures in her own mind and |
| understand exactly what goes on in the mind | | | | slowing her body down so that she can learn |
| of a young person with ADD. Here's a way in | | | | and implement simple, effective learning |
| which you can begin to understand the | | | | strategies and begin to experience more |
| experience of a child with ADD. I want you to | | | | success at school as well as at home. In |
| imagine that you're driving in a rainstorm | | | | addition, we want to provide her with the |
| without the windshield wipers on. Pretty | | | | kind of environment that will best support |
| frustrating, isn't it? Imagine the effort it | | | | her and her particular needs; for most kids, |
| would require to keep your mind focused on | | | | and especially for kids with ADD, the |
| the road ahead just in order to keep yourself | | | | environment that is most supportive of their |
| and others feeling safe and protected. Yet, | | | | needs is one that is unconditional, |
| that is precisely what goes on in the mind of | | | | structured and consistent while providing |
| a young person with ADD. The screen simply | | | | them enough freedom to learn to negotiate the |
| becomes blurred without the ability to use | | | | world on their own. |