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ADHD and ADD
today are almost always classified as a defect or a kind of fault in
your child's mind that will make him, well, handicapped for the rest of
his life. For those people that believe that ADD is some kind of
defect, it definitely is not. I am a high school student with ADHD, the
worst diagnosable disorder for the category "attention deficit". It
almost literally slaps a label upon my forehead that says, "Hyperactive
and Unfocused." Though through my personal studies of psychology, i
have actually reasoned out several reasons why ADD and ADHD occurs and
what triggers it. ADD is partly a deficit of chemicals in the brain
that restricts thought and attention, and the other is psychological. I
have dominated the chemical imbalance in my brain by using Adderol, but
my symptoms still occur, regardless of the medication. I have
discovered the reason why ADD happens just by reading this website.
Simply enough, ADD sufferers are actually gifted.
The gift that is given to them is high intelligence and
creativity, not to mention an emotional drive to be what they want to
be, and accomplish seemingly impossible tasks, as proved by inventor
Thomas Edison. Using this as food for thought, why do you see children
with ADHD and ADD spend so much time on games and watching tv if they
have short attention spans? The answer is simple: they simply are
interested in watching good shows on tv and playing fun games; things
that they are interested in. Interest is a huge factor in reviving the
attention span of students with ADD, and determining how much interest
the student has, determines how much attention will be paid to that
subject. If a student has an interest in dinosaurs, and you just happen
to teach a lesson involving dinosaurs, the student will be extremely
attentive and provide you with more than enough knowledge on dinosaurs.
Though, if a teacher is teaching in a monotone voice speaking about
king Tut's reign in Egypt, and asking ADD students to take notes, its
not going to happen. Not in a million years. If you are a teacher who
speaks in a monotone voice and just wonder why your students eyes are
glazing over, now you know why. My choir teacher, Mrs. Christine Bass
(one of the U.S.'s top-ranking choir teachers), makes our classes
the highlight of our day. There is nothing more interesting than a
teacher who is alive, moving, and very friendly. Teachers who stand
still and look dead tend to be the teachers who cause the most boredom
in class. Mrs. Bass keeps our attention by giving us compliments when
we do bad, encouragement when we do bad, and a good laugh every once in
a while. She pokes fun at us all the time and she really is energetic
all the time.
Be creative.
if your class is doing spelling lessons, and if you find that your
class could do better on spelling quizzes, try this idea my old 2nd
grade teacher tried: If every child in your class gets 100% (yes, 100%
for everyone), host a donut party in your classroom. Nearly every
student you have will be studying hard to get the donut party. I mean,
every week, sacrificing maybe less than 8 dollars to get your
students to do good in spelling (and love you more), not
to mention the donuts you get to enjoy yourself. Nearly every week that
we had spelling quizzes, we'd all pass with 100%'s and get the sweet
goodness of those donuts. If you have trouble thinking of ideas, try
putting yourself in the perspective of your students. You'll listen to
yourself speak and teach and you'll realize some ways to make your
lessons more interesting. I believe there is no problem with giving
your students set goals to achieve to win a food party or something of
the sort.
ADD students
are very intelligent and incredibly creative. Give an ADD student a
short story to write, on anything, and the student will write you a
book. Tell an ADD student to construct a creature out of play-doh and
the student will make you a sculpture. It may not seem like those ADD
students are smart or even that creative, but ADD sufferers have hidden
talents and skills that the normal person does not. Being labeled as
ADD does not mean the person is stupid, but perhaps more literally,
"not interested". Perhaps ADD is a mechanism for intelligent people to
"shut off" their minds when taught factual knowledge or anything that
requires no thought or creativity. People with ADD mostly are very
intelligent and creative, and their strong point is independent
activities and open-ended thinking. I have found myself writing 8 pages
over the limit of 3 pages on a creative essay, finding alternate routes
to math equations, and reading many books on psychology, my personal
interest. If a child with ADD has a specific interest that requires
them to think and to use their brain, hone that skill. ADD is a gift of
intelligence and creativity that should not be looked down upon, but
looked up upon as a blessing. Keeping an ADD child away from its
dreams is like stopping a speeding train with your bare hands.
Disciplining
a child with ADD is a tough matter. From 6th grade to 10th grade, I've
been yelled and hollered at, insulted, embarrassed, and being grounded
for years at a time without anything at all to do, but homework. And
through all my misery, I had still failed my subjects. Disciplining a
child with ADD will not solve any problems if the discipline goes too
far. During my years of being grounded, it was apparent to me that my
punishment was only elevating my problems with schoolwork, because
there was no reward for finishing my homework, and even if it was
attempted that i only fail anyway because i lacked encouragement.
During my punishment, i was not allowed to do something that all ADHD
children need: exercise and a place to run around. I eventually became
depressed, feeling like there was no solution to my problems, and
basically being miserable. I became so depressed at one point that i
spent time sitting in the corner of my bedroom crying and laying on the
floor staring up into the ceiling. On the last day of school of
freshman year, my friends and I went to an arcade to play games, and
when i was there, i was stressed out about how well my report card
looked, and i hyperventilated, went into a nervous breakdown, and
passed out. It was no longer punishment to me, but just cruelty.
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