When I speak to parents about attention deficit disorder I always try to be sure they are in the know on what they can do as well as what some of the best ways to advocate for their child in the school system. Many teachers are not equipped to deal with attention deficit disorder and don’t want to deal with it. However, I don’t know that there is a classroom in the US, or worldwide for that matter that doesn’t have at least one ADHD student in the class. (Approximately 9-10% of the population has ADHD).

So, in my opinion what is key is for parents to build a strong working relationship with their child’s teacher to help them help their child navigate through their education while learning to deal with their ADHD. There are many behavioral ways of dealing with attention deficit disorder that can be easily implemented in the classroom. Additionally, medication is sometimes warranted, but I always say, exhaust every other possibility first. Then if you still need to go the medication route, do it. If your child needed eye glasses you would not ‘blink an eye’ over the decision, you would get them glasses. If your child needed a hearing aid, again, you would do it. If your child does need medication to be able to function in a classroom because every avenue has been pursued and they still can’t focus, do it.

But, medication is only one piece of the puzzle. Even with medication, behavioral interventions often still need to be in place and followed through on. So educating your child’s teacher is often imperative in helping them have a good school year. When you create a good working relationship with your child’s teacher you will have greater success in helping them understand what they need to know and do to help your child.

Here is a link to the CNN survey

The following activities work well with all kids, whether they have dyslexia, LD, ADHD, are falling through the cracks, or are gifted. I have done the activities successfully with all of them!

I have two favorite things to do to not only help my kids, but to stay motivated doing it too. The first thing is to have more frequent game nights, playing educational games – learning games like The Sentence Zone, The Comprehension Zone, or The Math Zone. When you play games with your kids, they build skills while having fun and get a lot of modeling from you too. At the same time you get to have quality family time, so it is a double win situation.

The other activity I like to do is to have an evening where I might turn the heat up a degree or two, and everyone gets dressed in ‘summer’ clothes, and we have a ‘picnic’ on the floor of the living room. Afterwards, we might tell stories to each other – what I call ‘add-on stories.’ In these stories one person starts off and then the next person adds on to the story. We keep going round and round and the story gets longer and longer. The only thing is, the kids have to pay attention and so do you, so what you add on makes sense to the story. This builds listening comprehension and memory as well as a really good time.

Hope this is helpful!

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

Hope you enjoy…
The ABCs of ADHD
December 27, 2009 by 5kidswdisabilities

The ABCs of ADHD/ADD

I’ve read the articles and books on ADHD.  I know the discipline methods, rewards and time outs, the methods of Ross Green (from The Explosive Child) and the medications that work best.  But I also know the realities of ADHD, having 2 children with ADHD and 2 with ADD.  In real life terms, the ABCs of ADHD/ADD are:

Attention! Always on alert for dangerous situations due to impulsive behaviors, such as running across streets without looking, grabbing a butcher knife to cut the end off a banana, running up the down escalator, and grabbing the dog or any other animal roughly and the dog (or other animal) retaliating by biting (or scratching.)

“Be careful!  Be careful!  Be careful” is the parent mantra.

Climbing climbing climbing:  out of the crib at age 15 months, out of the bedroom window when a teenager, on rock walls and curbstones and couches.

Don’t touch that!  Don’t do that! Don’t hit her!  Don’t pull that!  Don’t eat that! Don’t hurt it!  Don’t break it!

Exhausted parents trying their best to keep up.

Friendships are difficult.

Go!  Go!  Go! They’re always on the go!

Helpless parents, unable to control their child’s behavior, especially embarrassing in the grocery store under the staring eyes of others, judging them.

If only he’d…    If only she’d….  Parents dream for a different lifestyle.

Jumping Bean:  he goes here and there from friend to friend to friend, never staying long enough to establish a real friendship.

Kitchen walls are written on, bathroom doors have holes kicked in, curtains are ripped, bedrooms are messy.

LOVE.  Parents give unconditional love, but the behavior doesn’t change because the  ADHD remains…

MEDICATION!  MEDICATION!  MEDICATION! Alleluia when it works!!!!

Not paying attention in school so schoolwork suffers: not paying attention for homework, so it’s a nightly fight: not paying attention to other’s feelings, so no friendships are formed.

Overload happens easily and tantrums result. Keep it quiet.  Keep it simple.  Keep it under stimulated for peace.

Psychiatrists are our best friends!

Questions!  Questions from them all the time! Especially hard to escape when you are stuck riding in the car together.

Rewards for good behaviors; stickers, ice cream, Playstation, tv.

Self-esteem is low, parent  and teacher patience is limited so he’s always the troublemaker and never measures up.

Time-outs in the seat till we’re blue in the face.  All the time spent in time-outs would add up to a year in the life.

Understanding is needed from parents, family, friends and teachers; understanding is often in short supply.

Very draining on all, child and adults.

Whining, whining, whining until their parent’s ears hurt.

X-rays, CAT Scans and emergency room visits:  active behavior results in injuries.

YIKES! What has he done NOW?!?!

Zest for life would be a polite way of putting it…

|………………….

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

It is difficult to tell if you don’t understand learning disabilities well, or are just ‘dumbing down’ the material to the point it becomes confused.

Hi Trexpaddock,

I do try to make things clear and somewhat simplified – rather than speaking in technical terms.

The breakdown I was referring to between the brain and the hand is actually called finger agnosia. It is written about in the book Windows Into the ADD MIND by Dr. Daniel Amen. Finger agnosia is when a person struggles with the mechanics of writing or when you try to write your brain becomes scrambled. Common symptoms of finger agnosia include:

1. Messy handwriting
2. Trouble getting thoughts from the brain to the paper
3. Staring at writing assignments for long periods of time
4. Writing sentences that don’t make sense
5. Frequent spelling and grammatical errors
6. Many erasures and corrections
7. Timed writing assignments are particularly hard
8. Printing rather than writing in cursive.

This is very common in people with ADD and occurs in part because the person has to concentrate so hard on the actual physical act of writing that they forget or are unable to formulate what they want to write.

Suggestion for dealing with finger agnosia:

1. Print as often as possible
2. Learn to type or use a computer
3. Try out different types of pens and pencils – also different types of pencil grips
4. Break down assignments and long reports into parts (an easy way to learn how to do this is by using Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills
5. Write an outline of the assignment to help keep you on track – use graphic organizers that are in Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills
6. Write down your ideas before worrying about spelling and grammar
7. Whenever possible, dictate your answer or report first
8. Use a binder/organizer to keep your writing assignments together
9. Modify writing workload
10. Avoid timed situations; give tests orally if necessary
11. Avoid having other students grade your work

Hope this is helpful.

Don’t forget to ask a question AND get your FREE Teaching & Homework Tips!

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

http://bonnieterrylearning.com

What can you do to make your life a lot easier? Anna Weinstein from education.com contacted me earlier this week and asked if she could interview me about what parents of LD children could do to help there kids have a great start to the school year. We recorded the interview, so you can hear it here.

Here are a few of the highlights that you will hear Bonnie talking about:

At 4 min: There is a special tip regarding school supply tips to help your child be more organized.
At 6 min: How do you organize your homework area
At 7:29 min: Specific supplies that help the homework time
At 15:53 min: How much time should kids spend on homework – especially when they have dyslexia or LD?
At 17:30 min: How do you talk to teachers?
At 21:05 min: Specific things to tell the teacher to set your child up to have a great year
At 25:40 min: Can you just contact the teacher via email or does it have to be in person?
At 29:44 min: Isn’t there a system put in place already for me to meet all of my kid’s support team?
At 31:54 min: Doesn’t the teacher already know what my child needs – he was pulled out last year for services?
At 38:45 min: Why you want to have a clear understanding of what is going on with your child
At 40:00 min: Ways to keep track of your child’s assignments
At 42:40 min: Parent self care & support for parents
At 47:30 min: Evening family routine
At 51:27 min: Best way to speak with the teacher or principal

Listen to it here!

Six-year-olds who don’t pay attention well in class apparently struggle throughout their school years, and reach age 17 with lower math and reading scores than their peers, a new study shows.

The study, by researchers from UC Davis Medical School and Michigan State University, dovetails with earlier findings that show attention problems can hinder a child’s performance throughout grade school.

Still, “I was very surprised by the consistency of our finding with the pattern found at earlier ages,” said Joshua Breslau, a UC Davis internal medicine professor who studies the consequences of early psychiatric problems.

“I really thought that things would get shaken up during adolescence,” he said.

The study suggests that parents should get involved early to turn things around, said Dr. Elizabeth Miller, another of the study’s UC Davis co- authors.

“One of the challenges in pediatrics is that most of the families I care for do not show up for evaluation until months and even years have gone by,” Miller said. “Do not assume that inattention is simply ‘normal’ child behavior that is outgrown.”

The best fixes, she said, involve behavior modification in class and at home, along with medication when appropriate. Parents, the child’s doctor and the child’s teacher all should get involved, she added.

The study, being published in the June edition of the journal Pediatrics, relied on data initially gathered by Breslau’s mother in Detroit to examine the long-term effects of low birth weight in urban and suburban youngsters.

Naomi Breslau’s work involved evaluating hundreds of children with low or normal birth weights when they turned 6, 11 and 17. Because the children were assessed in labs and by their teachers at age 6, there was detailed information on how well they could sit still, pay attention and finish what they started, along with other behavioral issues. At 17, their educational achievements were assessed by standardized tests instead of grades or teacher comments.

Those factors made the data well-suited for looking at other questions, said Breslau. He added that said his mother, a Michigan State epidemiology professor, suggested the collaboration after she had read one of his earlier scholarly papers.

Making fresh findings from older, existing data is common, but “not common enough,” said Breslau. “There is much more to be learned from studies than is ever explored.”

………………………………………..

As a parent there is a lot you can do to help your child yourself. Gaining an understanding of exactly what is hindering your child with learning will help. It usually isn’t just the attention problems that are hindering their learning. More often than not their are some areas of perception that aren’t working as efficiently as they should and could that are adding to their struggles. Find out if their are any underlying problems with the LD Dyslexia parent friendly screening tool.

Hope this is helpful. Be sure to leave your comments.

Bonnie terry, M Ed., BCET

Sincerely,

Gena Smith

Gena,

I always like to start with understanding exactly what is going on…why a student is struggling and what areas are they good in. This helps me to be more patient and efficient when I’m teaching them. I want to be sure that I’m addressing all of their needs.

For instance, you work on phonics with a student and he really gets it, but is still struggling, the problem may be visual tracking, visual memory, visual closure, or any of the other areas of visual, auditory, or tactile/kinesthetic processing that were not addressed with the phonic program. So what you actually needed to do was to work on those areas. Ultimately you spent time, effort, and money and haven’t solved the problem. And, in the meantime your son gets more frustrated because learning is still hard.

Another example would be when a student has trouble remembering their multiplication tables, knowing if they have visual memory or auditory memory problems makes a difference. If the problem is one of understanding the concept of what is mathematically happening with numbers when you multiply them you would do something different to help them. Spatial awareness comes in too with the understanding that 4 x 5 is the same as 5 x 4 (They take up the same amount of space if the boxes below were all the smae size. Unfortunately the size changed when I put the tables in.)

4 x 5

5 x 4 = 20

So, when I created my products, I created them in such a way that each of them would address multiple areas of auditory, visual, and tactile kinesthetic processing sub-categories. That would ensure that I would be addressing their problematic areas, even if I didn’t know what each of their specific problematic areas was. Just using these materials would ensure that I’d be hitting the critical areas that students have problems with and at the same time teach them the specific skills they needed.

That said, no the learning pack does not include the Learning Difficulty/Disability Pre-Screening Tool and Informal Comprehensive Identification Tool. That is sold separately. It is very reasonably priced at only $37.00. Remember, taking your son to someone for testing can be anywhere from $500.00 to thousands of dollars.

I’ve listed the areas of perception that each of the products addresses.

Five Minutes to Better Reading Skills

Addresses: auditory and visual perception difficulties, specifically visual closure, visual tracking, auditory discrimination, auditory visual integration, auditory closure, and auditory memory. It is phonological, incorporating every vowel and consonant combination in the English language, with lots of review built in. It also includes a retrieval automaticity component that is critical in ensuring that children understand what they read.

Making Spelling Sense and Making Spelling Sense II

The auditory areas addressed are: auditory discrimination, auditory closure, auditory visual integration, auditory memory, and auditory visual coordination. The visual areas addressed are: visual tracking, visual closure, visual discrimination and form constancy, visual motor, and visual integration. The tactile-kinesthetic areas addressed are: laterality, directionality, spatial-temporal, and sensory motor integration.

The English language has a specific structure. There are eight spelling patterns in the language and the patterns are taught with story explanations. The process used shows students how letters come together eight different ways to make words. It takes the guess work out of spelling.

Ten Minutes to Better Study Skills

Addresses the following visual, auditory, and tactile-kinesthetic processing areas: visual memory, visual figure ground, visual closure, visual language association, visual language classification, auditory-visual coordination, auditory language association, auditory memory, laterality, spatial temporal, and sensory motor integration.

Writing and study skills it covers include: note taking, paragraph writing, essay writing, research paper writing, and letter writing. You will be able to teach your students the secrets to improving their reading comprehension as well as the secrets to improve their studying and the seven steps to take on test day to improve their test scores.

The Sentence Zone

Addresses visual motor, visual language classification, visual closure, spatial-temporal,
laterality, directionality, contact, and sensory motor areas of perception.

The Writer’s Easy Reference GuideTM is an individual resource for all students. It includes paragraph writing hints, essay writing hints, steps of the writing process, words to make your writing more interesting, common prefixes, suffixes and root words, grammatical and literary terms, how to write a bibliography with examples and much, much more. It “unlocks the code” of how to write a sentence, then a paragraph, then a better paragraph, then an essay. The guide helps all to be confident and competent writers.

The Comprehension Zone

Addresses visual memory and auditory memory too! Students read short passages of materials, identify the main idea and details, and rephrase the content in their own words. That is exactly what students do when they play the Comprehension Zone. Bonnie has created a visual/kinesthetic method for teaching kids of all ages how to read for meaning. They play for main idea, details, both, or to sequence what they have read or listened to.

The Math Zone

Addresses spatial awareness, visual form constancy, and visual motor areas of perception.

The BT Easy Math Reference GuideTM starts with addition and subtraction. Then, this 16-page guide shows step by step how to solve all elementary math calculations right up to fractions and decimals. Also covered are all those “other” math topics, such as word problems, bar and circle graph, rounding and estimating, place value, geometry, measurements, money, and averaging. You’ll learn the how, the why, and the memory tricks to help your students remember. Simple, clear examples, all in a sturdy, 3-hole-punched format you can slip into a binder. It’s a great supplement to any math program, for both parent and student.

B & D Posters are used by families as well as classrooms, typically one per classroom at the primary grade levels. The B&D Stickers come with 10 in a pack and are used with primary age children, typically placed on their desk as a reminder. Middle Grade and High School students who still have reversal difficulties love them and usually put them inside their binders as a reminder.

Hope this is helpful.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

]]> http://www.bonnieterry.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/my-son-is-8-and-has-really-struggled-with-learning-what-do-i-do-where-should-i-start/feed/ 1 http://www.bonnieterry.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/how-to-improve-reading-in-5-minutes-a-day/ http://www.bonnieterry.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/how-to-improve-reading-in-5-minutes-a-day/#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 23:01:51 +0000 bonnieterry http://www.bonnieterry.com/blog/?p=461 Can this really be done? Yes, it really just takes 5 minutes a day to improve reading skills. Research has shown that short quick sessions that last only 5 minutes does improve reading fluency tremendously.

Cecil Mercer, a researcher from the University of Florida, published his results from his study Effects of Fluency Intervention for Middle Schoolers with Specific Learning Disabilities in (2000) stating daily practice can be for as little as five or six minutes.

Here is a short video where I show you how you can improve reading fluency in just 5 minutes a day.

Substantial gains in reading fluency came from repeated oral reading of various sorts such as letters or words for five or six minutes a day. The key to the success was doing the repeated oral reading over a period of time e.g. six months to twenty-three months.

So, now view the video that shows you how you can help your children improve reading fluency in just 5 minutes a day.

Hope this was helpful.

Be sure to ask your questions by using the button under my photo to the right.

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

More on reading, writing, and math help.

If you’ve got ADD then you have to see this:

==>  http://InstantADDSuccess.com/public/232.cfm

Many are talking about it…

Some say they felt inspiration
and hope after watching it!

Others say that the two minutes
it takes to watch it was the best
two minutes they spent in a long
time and it might just help them
conquer their ADD…

Come see what everyone is talking
about…

==>  http://InstantADDSuccess.com/public/232.cfm

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET