Attention Deficit Disorder: What Should We Do?Written by Lisa Harp
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3.I play soothing instrumental music in background as I work with these kids. Once again, music is an avenue to access right side of brain. It calms these kids and helps them focus. I also stress to parents that they should keep these kids away from loud music that has harmful words, such as rap or heavy metal. The sensitive ADD/right-brained child should not have to compete with these lyrics and sounds to concentrate. 4.Keep these kids away from fluorescent lighting. Most schools today have fluorescent lighting, which can be a nightmare for these kids. Keep in mind that their hearing is more sensitive than most kids and that they hear different sounds. Also, hum of a computer or refrigerator can be a disaster for these kids. If your child’s school only has fluorescent lighting, then seek a different school situation and see if this helps. If you can’t do this, then have child do ear eights on a regular basis, which can help balance hearing centers of brain. 5.Try to keep student in a class with a low student to teacher ratio. A busy classroom with over 30 kids will only feed fuel of this child’s disadvantages. The noise, energy, and motion of so many bodies will be a distraction, and believe me, student with ADD will be one that stands out, usually receiving blame or punitive measures. 6.Keep a positive attitude with this student. The world seems to pick him apart, and I know he can try your soul. However, he needs someone on his team, and as a parent that would have to be you. Offer a lot of exercise. Keep him away from junk food and soda. Believe me, I know this is hard, but these are super sensitive kids, and nutrition can make a huge difference. 7.Limit television, video game, and computer time. I know how difficult this can be, but visual images and graphics are harmful to this sensitive child. I have found that almost all of ADD students I work with are content to build with Lego’s or draw. On some level they seem to crave quiet, calm activities. If provided with them, it is soon revealed what a talented, creative child you have and how a burden can be taken off of him. ADD accounts for 50% of child and teen visits to mental health clinics. Boys are 5 to 6 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADD. Simple changes can make a huge difference to these children’s lives, and it makes much more sense to make these changes than to medicate these creative children.
About the author: Lisa Harp, a teacher and educational therapist, offers a line of learning products designed to help the struggling learner in a quick, effective, affordable setting. http://www.learning-aids.com
| | The Broken ChildrenWritten by Lisa Harp
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For instance, I have great results with my students who have dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder. I have them perform whole brain integration exercises that help unite left and right sides of brain. Then, students perform visual memory and spatial exercises. If student needs auditory training, this will happen, too. When student is receiving academic instruction, this happens by working on one item at a time and always using blank paper and colored marking pens. Although this seems too simple, it is quite beneficial to a student with learning difficulties since it alleviates spatial interference. The students always learn skill, find success, and feel a lot less broken. There are so many ways to help broken children. One of my students came to me today and relayed to me that he didn’t need any more help because now he can focus and understand math, especially decimals. He stated that he had a great day at school (this was a first) and that he always thought that he had a short term memory loss because he could never remember things before. If we have means to help a child learn and succeed, is there any reason for him to feel broken? Should a child have to go through life feeling that he has a short term memory loss? No child should be broken. It’s time we started mending instead of breaking.
About the author: Lisa Harp, a teacher and educational therapist, offers a line of learning products designed to help the struggling learner in a quick, effective, and affordable setting. http://www.learning-aids.com
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