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Understanding Attention Deficit Disorder
Part Two
By Dr. William Sears
drawn-out instructions cause the ADD child to tune out. Rather than shouting to the child from another room, "Johnny, come to dinner," use what we call the "legs first -- mouth second" approach. Connect before you direct. Go up to the child and look him in the eye and issue his directions with eye-to-eye contact. This type of direction giving makes impressions on the inattentive child. Use reminders, word pictures or brief notes that jog the child's hazy memory and keep him from forgetting routines. Prompts, such as a certain look that reminds the about-to-mess-up child that he knows better: "Where do jackets go?" "Teeth?" as a reminder to brush his teeth. During a particularly intense day, your child may need hourly, sometimes minute-by-minute, reminders, such as "You are forgetting..." "You know what to do..." Don't nag. Put a little humor in your directives: "Dress the bed, then dress yourself." Use "when ... then" consequences. "When you finish your homework, then you can go out and play." "When your teeth are brushed, then we can begin the story."
3. Set your child up for school success. Do a site visit to the classroom. Interview the teacher. Work out learning and teaching strategies that complement your child's individual style of learning. Consider tutoring. Again, ADD is primarily a difference. Some children think, learn and act differently, therefore they need a different style of teaching. Instead of giving your child a passage to memorize, give him a part in the play where he actually acts out the character.
4. Consider neurofeedback training. This is the newest form of treatment for ADD. Neurofeedback is sort of like weight-training for the brain. If you want to build up your muscles, you go to a gym and start an exercise routine. With neurofeedback, you go to a training center and exercise the neuropathways to build up your brain so that you can concentrate better. For a child, it's like going to gymnastics or piano lessons. In neurofeedback, a computer co
Want to see more?
- If you suspect your child might have ADD, or if you want to work out an individual management plan, check out The ADD Book, by Dr. William Sears and Lynda Thompson.
- Help! My 8-year-old daughter has major behavior problems. What can I do?
- How can I work with my son's teacher to keep him from acting out at school?
- Back to part one
