-=> Regina Finan was shooting the bull with Zaynab Richmond about Re: adhd 
on 06 Sep 96  05:28:59 <=-
 -=> 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.
 RF> Learning styles depend on the child.  Some need high stimulation and
 RF> some will go bolistic with it.  My Jeremy who is ADHD is 8 years old. 
 RF> He did ok in school except for phonics and spelling and some reading. 
 RF> He also hates bookwork, but some of our assignments includes drawing a
 RF> picture and he likes that. Make sure the bookwork is short.  Try to
 RF> find bookwork that includes games and bright colored pictures.  Look
 RF> for particular times of the day that the attention span is higher and
 RF> use that time for the bookwork.  Let them have folders and stuff to
 RF> 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
 RF> If the school is working and she doesn't feel like she doesn't belong
 RF> there keep her in.  Although the educational law states that ADHD
 RF> children can be kept in a regular classroom setting and that they must
 RF> 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
 RF> Since you seem to have a computer, there are lots of phonic programs
 RF> and such out there.  Is your child a perfectionist by any chance.  I
 RF> have one like that and he refuses to do things that he feels he can't
 RF> 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
 RF> Sounds to me there mite be a possibility of dyslexia.  Take him to a
 RF> eye specialist just to be safe.  If he has it that is definetly why he
 RF> doesn't want anything to do with numbers or letters and why things are
 RF> 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...
 RF> Tell him it is not the label you want but a diagnoses so you can
 RF> understand and help better raise her.  Another alternative is to find
 RF> a different therapist.  You can also go to the family doctor. 
 RF> Although they won't do testing.  I had my two tested and they didn't
 RF> want to label them anyway. It didn't matter to me.  I know what my
 RF> kids have and since they had to admit that they had the symptoms (also
 RF> this is inherited and runs in the family) I know and thats what
 RF> counts. 
 RF> Hope things work out well.  Good Luck!
 RF> Regina
Hello, and please excuse the intrusion but as an Educator, I read the state-
ment about the child getting everything backwards, and your reply about the
possibility of the child suffering from dyslexia, which is treatable and in
most cases complete recovery is possible.  I would urge you to have the child
tested by an opthamologist....some one who is a doctor, not just an 
optomitrist
who is also a doctor, but not able to perform surgery, etc....
Please keep me posted on the child's diagnosis and progress.
Yours in Christ
James Prior, Phd Ed.
... Not tonight, dear.  I have a modem.
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