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ADDvisor |
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For People with ADHD & Those Who Love Them |
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Cogmed Working Memory Training Outline: Everything You Want To Know About ADHD
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Return to ADDvisor, Volume 1 1999 Index Number 1, July, 1999 =========================================== In this issue: 1. Introduction - Our Mission 2. Resiliency - What helps one child succeed while another fails 3. Behavioral Inhibition - Why your child acts without thinking. ============================================== Introduction - Our Mission ============================================== Parenting an ADHD child can be a very frustrating experience. These children have a difficult time inhibiting their impulses and so continually end up in situations in which they need help. Trying to anticipate their problems and avoid catastrophes is a major goal for parents. The best defense is knowledge. Parents need to constantly be educating themselves about ADHD and current treatment options and behavioral strategies. The goal of this e-mail newsletter is to contribute to the knowledge base of parents as they guide their ADHD child through the complicated maze of their life. In order for this newsletter to reach its goal, we need your input. Let us know what issues you would like addressed; what issues you do not want to hear about; and what issues you would like to hear more about. Send your input to Alan@ADDvisor.com or Bill@ADDvisor.com =============================================== Resiliency - What helps one child succeed while another fails =============================================== Too often we see kids who seem to have nothing going for them yet they seem to grow and develop. What contributes to their success? Lewis Lipsitt, in the Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, called them ‘dandelion kids’. They grow anywhere. Patti Bortko, an educator at Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville Head Start, Violence Education and Counseling Center, lists five resiliency factors that help kids succeed: 1) the presence of a safe, strong, sane, respectful adult who cares such as a parent, relative, teacher, friend, etc.; 2) the availability of safe havens- a classroom, church, friend’s house, community center, etc.; 3) the ability to use play and any work to work out their feelings and integrate the experience; 4) the ability to escape into healthy interests and projects; and 5) the ability to learn effective coping skills. The safe, sane adult can model appropriate behavior; provide consistent age appropriate guidance and expectations; is positive in language and discipline; accepts individual differences and is encouraging and empowering. While the ideal person to provide this is a parent, sometimes a relative, friend or teacher is available to mentor a child. A safe haven is one where there is structure and stability. The environment is orderly with adequate ‘quiet’ space and privacy. There is an attitude that it is okay to make mistakes. Again the ideal safe haven is home but for some, the child must find their safe haven away from home. Children who can use play and work to work out their feelings feel encouraged to socialize with others and to draw and write about their feelings. They use a variety of mediums to express themselves and are encouraged to do so by caring adults. Providing opportunities to develop healthy interests and projects can help keep kids away from gangs and other groups who bring down a child’s self esteem. Developing hobbies and talents can help a child build confidence. Learning the coping skills necessary to live in this world can help a child to weather many a storm. Concern for others, anger management, expression of feelings, conflict resolution, problem solving, concern for others, acceptance, cooperation and negotiation are all coping skills that child need to become successful adults. Having ADHD may make the development of these coping skills a much more difficult task. By searching for resources, developing support groups , coordinating with teachers and others who are part of our children’s lives, involving our kids in after school activities, accessing appropriate treatment, we can help build our ADHD child’s resiliency. It is a ongoing task but one that reaps its rewards when we see our children successfully negotiate one life event after another. ======================================= Behavioral Inhibition - Why your child acts without thinking ======================================= Russell Barkley, one of the foremost researchers in the country regarding ADHD, has presented a new theory that describes ADHD. He states that ADHD is actually an impairment of the brain’s behavioral inhibition system. To understand this more clearly, think of the brain as having two parts: the “animal” brain-the part of the brain that is similar to animals in that it reacts to stimuli and controls the involuntary body functions such as breathing, blood flow, etc.; and the “human” brain-that part of the brain that is uniquely human in that it can think, problem solved, etc. Normally, when the body reacts to an external stimulus, a message is sent from the “animal” brain to the “human” brain where the event is evaluated and a response to the stimulus is formulated. In ADHD children, this message either never gets to the ‘human’ brain or it gets there late. In either case, the individual ‘acts before thinking’, often feeling remorse as the message is received after the response has occurred . This is why ADHD is described as a disorder of doing, not knowing. Your ADHD child may know the appropriate responses to particular situations but when at the “point of performance” (the actual event when the knowledge needs to be put to use), your child acts without thinking and behaves impulsively. Very often, immediately after such behavior, your child may say, “Oh no! I didn’t mean it.” By understanding this process, we can better tailor our interventions to help our child mange the world better.
CONTACT INFORMATION _______________________ Alan R. Graham, Ph.D. Bill Benninger, Ph.D. ADDvisor.com Voice: 1-866-ADDvisor Fax: 847-824-2386 Email: Alan@ADDvisor.com Bill@ADDvisor.com Web: www.ADDvisor.com
c) Copyright 1999 ADDvisor.com, Ltd. All rights reserved The above material may be retransmitted or distributed to whomever you wish as long as not a single word is changed, added or deleted, including the contact information. However, you may not copy it to a web site. Republication of "The ADDvisor" in paper media is encouraged and permitted by organizations and associations which serve parents of ADHD children at the national, state and/or local level as long as the issue is reprinted in its entirety without charge and includes the contact information. With advance permission, we are happy to edit an issue to fit your space requirements. Republication is also encouraged under other circumstances, however, the advance permission of Alan R. Graham and/or Bill Benninger must be obtained in the event that changes in the text are desired or republication is to be made by individuals or by organizations other than those mentioned above.
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Questions or comments? Send e mail to Alan@ADDvisor.com
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