Attention Deficit Disorder: What Should We Do?Written by Lisa Harp
It is estimated that there are over 2.5 million people who are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. The majority of these are boys. As a mother of a boy and a teacher, I have seen first hand evidence of this, and I have to ask why we, as a nation, are content to medicate these beautiful, brilliant children instead of questioning methods of teaching and choosing alternative educational settings for them. Wouldn't it be easier to reform our educational system than to come up with money for new drugs, doctor visits, psychologist visits, IEP meetings, at risk intervention programs, and yes, even prison terms? And yet, even with all of previously mentioned strategies, academic success for these children is not met. True, there are many instances where medication is a gift for a child and makes a remarkable difference for him. However, most parents who have placed their children on Ritalin have cited that it doesn't seem to help and negative consequences outweigh whatever gains noted. In addition, in a report just released, researchers have found a link to use of Ritalin and cancer. These are serious side effects and consequences. ADD is a relatively new player on field of learning disorders. Just as labeling this as a disorder causes child to wonder what is wrong with him. In addition, there is no blood test or definitive measure of diagnosis for this disorder. A child is diagnosed with having ADD through use of a subjective checklists. If a teacher wants a student diagnosed as having ADD, it is really quite easy to accomplish, especially if a parent is unsure of what to do. At any given time, most people would exhibit symptoms of ADD. However, they don’t need a strong medication to keep them from showing these symptoms. I find it interesting as I work with ADD students how they can learn to focus with some simple changes in their learning environment. Following are some easy solutions and suggestions for working with a student labeled with ADD. Keep in mind that our goal when working with these children is to help them succeed, both in school and in life. 1.I always teach visual and auditory memory skills. After working with so many of these students, I have found that they are generally weak in these areas. Simple exercises will help their sensory processing. I personally feel that a lot of their behaviors are a result of not having necessary “Velcro” to hold images and sounds in their brains. 2.I use a lot of color with these kids. When I model a skill, I use blank paper and a colored marker. When I have them do work, I always have them use color. They can tune in to color - it holds their interest, and I feel that a great deal of ADD children are really right-brained, and color is a way to access right side of brain. When I have them do work, I have them use an erasable colored pencil.
| | The Broken ChildrenWritten by Lisa Harp
Every day broken children come to my office to be fixed. They are beautiful and bright, but definitely broken. Academically, they are broken for sure, but almost always they are broken spiritually as well. I start mending them in slow process that we know it takes to make dyslexia, ADD, and learning disabilities go away. Sometimes that’s easy part. What is often left, even after reading, math, and spelling scores are raised, is a child who still suffers from a poor self-esteem and is spiritually broken. Yet, these are lucky ones because their parents have sought help and found it. A majority of others face world spiritually and academically broken. The negative effects of learning problems need to be addressed by all of us, as our educational system is still doing an extremely poor job of dealing with it. If a student is at risk at school, as millions are, then he is tested for placement in special education. If he qualifies, he is then placed in a special education program. This is a label he will carry throughout his life, even though he may be quite intelligent. The label is this: “I am dumb. I go to “special classes” because I am not smart enough to stay with normal kids.” If a student doesn’t qualify for special education, he is expected to carry a full class load of work and his grades usually reflect poorly. Often, he is retained. No wonder these children are broken. We are breaking our children daily and it’s rare child who gets adequate help. Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic training must take place to treat learning disabilities. The brain must become connected to body to work efficiently. Visual and auditory memory skills must be taught as well as spatial and perceptual skills. If “normal” way of teaching these children isn’t working, then an alternative method must be found and used.
|