| Experts estimate that between 4-10% of our youth | | | | conscious mind becomes overwhelmed and she may |
| are now diagnosed as having Attention Deficit | | | | simply shut down, stop paying attention, and give up or |
| Disorder. It can be frustrating and discouraging to deal | | | | it might be played out physically in the body which |
| with symptoms of ADD. Here's the great news: there | | | | might be seen as anxious, aggressive or hyperactive |
| is nothing "wrong" with your child or with you as the | | | | behavior. |
| parent; there is nothing that needs to be "fixed". You | | | | The first step in helping your child to learn effectively is |
| and your child have ALL of the resources within you | | | | to help her determine what her particular strategy is |
| to experience success in school, at home and in the | | | | for learning and then to teach her very precise, |
| world. If your child is not succeeding in school or at | | | | effective strategies for learning information most |
| home, it simply means that she doesn't have effective | | | | effectively. A visual learning strategy is the most |
| tools for doing so. Once we teach her world-class | | | | effective strategy for learning academic tasks like |
| skills for succeeding at home and in school, she will no | | | | spelling words, math facts and vocabulary words; |
| doubt be successful. | | | | learning visually makes learning fun, interesting and |
| A diagnosis can be helpful in giving us a framework for | | | | much less time-consuming. |
| understanding what the reason is behind the | | | | In order to teach a young person a visual learning |
| challenging behaviors or the poor school performance. | | | | strategy, she must first believe that she CAN learn by |
| You can understand the behavior better when you | | | | making pictures in her mind. Often, young people who |
| understand where it is coming from. When you | | | | are diagnosed as having ADD or some other "learning |
| understand that it's not a matter of whether or not | | | | difference" feel that they can't control their own mind, |
| your child is trying hard enough, rather that it is simply a | | | | but rather that their mind controls them. In order to |
| matter of her not having the tools to be successful in | | | | begin to teach effective learning strategies, we need |
| learning, then you can respond differently to it. ADD, | | | | to begin with helping the child to see that indeed she |
| Dyslexia and other learning "differences" are a way of | | | | CAN control her own mind and the pictures that she |
| describing how a person's brain is wired or the way in | | | | makes in her mind. |
| which they process information. It doesn't mean that | | | | The first step is to assist the child in slowing down the |
| they don't process or learn information; it simply means | | | | pictures in her own mind and slowing her body down |
| that they do it better using certain strategies or | | | | so that she can learn and implement simple, effective |
| processes than with others, as we all do. | | | | learning strategies and begin to experience more |
| In order to help you understand your child's experience | | | | success at school as well as at home. In addition, we |
| of the world, you need to understand exactly what | | | | want to provide her with the kind of environment that |
| goes on in the mind of a young person with ADD. | | | | will best support her and her particular needs; for most |
| Here's a way in which you can begin to understand | | | | kids, and especially for kids with ADD, the environment |
| the experience of a child with ADD. I want you to | | | | that is most supportive of their needs is one that is |
| imagine that you're driving in a rainstorm without the | | | | unconditional, structured and consistent while providing |
| windshield wipers on. Pretty frustrating, isn't it? Imagine | | | | them enough freedom to learn to negotiate the world |
| the effort it would require to keep your mind focused | | | | on their own. |
| on the road ahead just in order to keep yourself and | | | | DeAnne Joy is a speaker, trainer, coach and licensed |
| others feeling safe and protected. Yet, that is precisely | | | | therapist in Southern California. She is the founder of D. |
| what goes on in the mind of a young person with | | | | Joy Enterprises and is dedicated to teaching young |
| ADD. The screen simply becomes blurred without the | | | | people and adults world-class learning and success |
| ability to use the wipers to get rid of unnecessary | | | | strategies. For more information on how to help a child |
| cloudiness. She is trying as hard as she can to | | | | struggling with ADD or other learning challenges, |
| process all of the information coming into her | | | | contact DeAnne Joy at 661.310. |
| experience. Of course, what often happens is that the | | | | |