Four Things You Can Do to Help Your ADD Child
Four Things You Can Do to Help Your ADD Child
Four Things You Can Do to Help Your ADD Child
There may be no greater frustration for well-educated parents than watching their children struggle in school. Most parents feel powerless, so they take their children to specialists who are quick to label them with ADHD and medicate them. There are three things you need to know to help. First, ADD and ADHD represent a cluster of performance problems. ADD and ADHD are problematic and misleading terms. Aside from making children feel bad about his or herself, the terms are inaccurate. These children rarely have an attention deficit, rather they have attention inconsistency. They are easily bored by some things, and almost mesmerized by others. Second, think compensation and accommodation, not just medication. Medication can be valuable for dealing with distractibility, impulsivity, and hyperactivity (excessive energy), but it doesn't necessarily address underlying performance issues. It does, however, address one of the most important aspects of attentional dysfunction, namely mental energy control. Unfortunately, medication fails to improve how children process information and perform assignments. Third, don't think of "ADD" as a disease as much as a different way of perceiving the world. You know the costs, but there are also benefits. Among the most commonly identified people with ADD are: Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Leonardo da Vinci. Also suspected of having ADD are: Alexander Graham Bell, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Ansel Adams, Andrew Carnegie, Malcolm Forbes, Henry Ford, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mark Twain, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is important to note that all of these people exhibited inattentiveness, impulsiveness, or hyperactivity, yet none of these people believed that they were defective. Clearly, seeing and engaging the world differently can be an advantage; but only if you aren't crushed by the weight of disapproval and disappointment.
Medication is not the solution; it may not even be a solution. Medication typically deals with an aspect of attention deficit called mental energy control, specifically inconsistent alertness and effort. It does little for processing and production control problems such as: the inability to tell what is important in listening or studying, remembering instructions, doing fine detail work in school work, delaying gratification, learning from mistakes, looking ahead and considering the consequences before doing or saying things, failing to complete projects, or making frequent careless mistakes without noticing. Managing these problems requires early diagnosis and thoughtful interventionmuch of which can be accomplished by informed parents.
Parents have a few significant advantages in diagnosing and remedying problems that educators and medical professionals do not. They see their children many hours a day over long periods of time. This enables patients to be critical partners in remedying problems associated with school. They can identify patterns of behavior that indicate problems early. They know if Johnny has problems following directions, is impulsive, or never finishes projects. Unfortunately most parents lack the knowledge to identify more complex learning difficulties, but they have the capacity with a little training, background information, diligent observation, and careful note taking to become invaluable partners in the diagnosis process.
1. Figure out your child's sensory preferences. What does your child do well? Does he or she have musical ability? Do they have an interest in art, color, or have a "good eye" for fashion? Are they articulate or highly verbal? Are they imaginative and creative? These are all clues. Just keeping track of things that they do well or show an aptitude for is helpful to educators and professionals who might be called to assist you.
You may be seeing a pattern in the questions above. Children with a visual preference tend to reveal skills and aptitudes related to vision. They are your natural artists, designers, and readers. Those who have auditory preferences show aptitudes related to sound. They listen well and can repeat instructions back, like music (often words too), and tend to be talkative. Children with a preference for movement and action (such as dance and sport), or who are particularly sensitive and emotional tend to have kinesthetic preferences. The book Minds in Motion, which I published in 2009, provides information about the traits that identify people with each primary sensory preference, the strengths and weaknesses of each preference, and the communication styles of each preference.
Make notes on observed skills and aptitudes and identify primary and secondary preferences. Primary preferences provide information about how children take in information, strengths and weaknesses, and even values. For example, visual children (children with a strong visual preference) tend to like bright colors, be punctual and detail-oriented. They may, however, not be very good with at making friends or very demanding about how things should be done. Most people have a secondary preference, which they can use to either fall back on when their primary strategy doesn't work or they need to augment their strategy. For instance, a kinesthetic child with auditory capacity might prepare for a spelling test by reciting the letters of words while marching to a cadence.
The more kinesthetic you are the more challenging you will find determining your child's preferences. Not because the evidence is difficult to observe, but because it is important to be systematic. That means writing the information in one notebook while the information is fresh in your mind, and providing an adequate description of the event in terms of what you saw and heard.
2. Pay attention to subjects or topics that are difficult for the child. What within specific subjects or topics is difficult? It is important to break down areas of study into their component tasks to pinpoint specific problem areas. Do they have difficulty following directions? Are they always late for events? Do they have difficulty estimating time (they tell you that they will be finished in five minutes and you wait for twenty)? Do they have difficulty scheduling their work (they have two weeks to do it, but they start the night before)? Are they disorganized? Do they say whatever pops into their heads? Are they uncoordinated (slow to learn to walk, not very good at athletics)? Do they have difficulty finding words when they talk? Do they have difficulty writing a short essay? Do they have difficulty reading or writing? Is their handwriting difficult to read? Did they have difficulty learning multiplication tables? Not only should you note what is difficult, but also how it is difficult for the child. Reading and writing involve many steps, and a problem with any one step can render these endeavors unsuccessful.
3. Ask children what subjects in school they like and dislike, and why. Oftentimes, children don't like the subjects that either don't make sense to them or that they do not have aptitude for. Interestingly, learning exactly what people don't like about a subject can tell you a great deal about where problems in information processing or production may lie. Children cannot easily tell you what is wrong, but they can give you clues as they explain what they like or dislike. Responses like I can never take notes in class. I start a line and never finish it, and then start another and don't finish it either. By the end of the lecture, I've just got chicken scratches.
4. Lastly, work with the child as they try to do work associated with a difficult subject. Systematically watch how they approach the subject. Do they plan their work in terms of allocating their time and acquiring resources appropriately to complete the assignment? What parts of the process do they do easily and where do they get bogged down? It is important to identify tasks that they find challenging, and note what challenges or frustrates them.
If you were able to succeed in the subject, talk about your school experiences, especially if you struggled and then figure out a way to overcome obstacles. Sharing these stories work on several levels. First, they build rapport; second, the child realizes that they too can succeed and they may even think of a strategy for overcoming a problem. Parents sometimes get offended when I ask them what kinds of problems they had in school, but many learning problems have a biological root cause, so knowing their issues often gives me insights about where to look for problems.
Working through tasks with children also makes it possible to give teachers specific information about difficulties enabling to focus on specific issues. For example, just knowing that a child can't do long division is not as helpful as knowing that a particular procedure in long division is difficult for them. There are many steps in long division that need to be done correctly and in order to be successful. Your observation that the child seems not to be able to remember the order of the steps can allow the teacher to focus attention on how to enhance the child's memory of specific steps. In many circumstances once a problem is identified, parents can directly improve performance. For example, children who find it difficult to make the jump mentally from many particular examples to a general idea (known as incomplete concept formation) endure chronic misunderstanding in the school. Parents can help their children by discussing with them whatever key concepts they are currently learning in school. Parents can play critical concept games with them by listing some critical features and having the child try to name the concept.
Conclusion
Knowing that your child is primarily visual, auditory, kinesthetic or visuo-spatial can provide you with a great deal of information about potential problems and their interests in school. It can help you find the best teachers for your child and the best ways of offering assistance. Finding teachers with teaching styles that match your child's primary sensory preference can significantly improve your child's performance. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses associated with these preferences also enables parents to understand why some activities are challenging. Identifying your child's sensory preferences, their subject matter interests, and the specific tasks that they find difficult will empower you to participate effectively in your child's development. Armed with critical information about sensory preferences and how they affect school performance as well as specific information about your kids, you can play an important role in your child's academic success. Whoozit Baby Toys- Get the Right Toys for Your Child Celebrate Life, Cherish the Day – It's Your Child's 1st Birthday ADHD Alternative Treatments - Which One Is Best For Your Child? Tips And Help In Raising Children Recognizing ADHD Signs And Learning What To Do So Your Child Is Protected One Stop Shop For RC Helicopter Toys Term Life Insurance for Having Children Baby Predictions Boy Or Girl - Plan My Baby Ways To Make Your Kids Eat Every Meal! Car For Your Teens Community Services & Child Studies Foundations at Centennial College Suggestions On Child-rearing And Bsecure's Safety Solutions Child Labour