-=> Quoting Zaynab Richmond to Alinda Harrison <=-
 AH> The hardest part is trying to find her
 AH> learning style... and pinning her down to her seat for a while. I'm 
 AH> to think she may be more of a "natural learner". She doesn't take well 
o
 AH> bookwork. It won't keep her attention.
 Learning styles depend on the child.  Some need high stimulation and some
 will go bolistic with it.  My Jeremy who is ADHD is 8 years old.  He did
 ok in school except for phonics and spelling and some reading.  He also
 hates bookwork, but some of our assignments includes drawing a picture
 and he likes that. Make sure the bookwork is short.  Try to find bookwork
 that includes games and bright colored pictures.  Look for particular times
 of the day that the attention span is higher and use that time for the
 bookwork.  Let them have folders and stuff to organize and also colored
 pencils for writing sometimes help.  
 ZR> How much has your eight year old learned already?  I also have a
 ZR> seriously  difficult child, who has never been diagnosed as ADHD, but
 ZR> she was evaluated  by the school district and placed in a school for
 ZR> severely emotionally  disturbed children, which is also where the ADHD
 ZR> children are placed here.   She is a very bright child, and I had
 If the school is working and she doesn't feel like she doesn't belong there
 keep her in.  Although the educational law states that ADHD children can
 be kept in a regular classroom setting and that they must alter the child's
 environment to suite the child.
 ZR> To give an example.. Aaron doesn't know any of the letters as far as
 ZR> naming  them when he sees them, and has never said the entire alphabet
 ZR> all the way through.  He also doesn't know most of the one-digit
 ZR> numbers yet.  He has  resisted this kind of learning when it was
 ZR> offered to him, yet /on his own/ he seems to develop an interest... but
 ZR> it has to be /on his terms/.  For  instance, yesterday he created a
 Since you seem to have a computer, there are lots of phonic programs and
 such out there.  Is your child a perfectionist by any chance.  I have one
 like that and he refuses to do things that he feels he can't do.
 ZR> he did  get the order right -- he just did the whole word backwords so
 ZR> it reads:  "noolas".  I didn't tell him -- he was so pleased with this
 Sounds to me there mite be a possibility of dyslexia.  Take him to a eye
 specialist just to be safe.  If he has it that is definetly why he doesn't
 want anything to do with numbers or letters and why things are comming out
 backwards or upside down.
 ZR> I'm wondering how you got the diagnosis and medication.  My daughter
 ZR> is seven  and still has never had a diagnosis of any particular thing,
 ZR> and never has  been offered medication even when I requested it! :(  We
 ZR> are starting to see a new therapist now and he really made me feel bad
 ZR> about wanting a "label" for  my daughter's condition, but he is setting
 ZR> up some neuro-psychiatric testing  for us.  We'll see what happens...
 Tell him it is not the label you want but a diagnoses so you can understand
 and help better raise her.  Another alternative is to find a different
 therapist.  You can also go to the family doctor.  Although they won't
 do testing.  I had my two tested and they didn't want to label them anyway.
 It didn't matter to me.  I know what my kids have and since they had to
 admit that they had the symptoms (also this is inherited and runs in the
 family) I know and thats what counts.
 Hope things work out well.  Good Luck!
 Regina
... ARRRRRGGGHHH!!!! ... Tension breaker, had to be done.
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