AD/HD

In her book The Gift of ADHD, author Lara Honos-Webb describes ADHD as not only a difference instead of a disability, she calls on us to note the strengths that ADHD brings to a child: they are more engaged with the world, they relate better to animals and other humans, and they can solve problems that cannot be solved in a normal way.

At PLC, we do not feel it is necessary to change students with ADHD into different people; we strive to help them accept themselves and take the steps necessary to use their strengths while adopting strategies to make themselves more successful in school and in life.

ORGANIZATION:

Each day at PLC begins and ends with a homeroom session lasting 15 minutes.  We help students build good habits by making sure that their notebooks and backpacks are organized, that assignments are completed or are ready to go home, and that all their belongings are accounted for.

Every student uses a daily report card to keep track of their schedules and assignments and have a way of tracking their own performance.

CONCENTRATION:

Instructions are clear, concise, and given verbally and in writing.  Students are help with copying their assignments and instructions as part of our multi-sensory approach.  Outside stimulus is minimized and students are given a structured and helpful environment to keep things calm and understood.

Students are given the chance to take expected periodic breaks from class work.  Knowing a break is coming frequently eases the frustrations a child with ADHD experiences that comes from being overwhelmed by academics and a break that includes physical activity offers "bottom-up" regulation of calmness that cannot come "top-down" (mind-to-body) in people with ADHD.

As students have the burden of organizing and concentrating eased, their academic abilities improve; as their academic abilities improve they often need fewer and shorter breaks.

Many students use Dr. Mel Levine's Concentration Cockpit to better understand and manage their attention controls.

ASSIGNMENT COMPLETION:

Most of us face a task that seems overwhelming from time to time.  When faced with the need to paint your house, for example, it's easy to feel that it is simply too much to be done.  Many of us procrastinate when faced with a huge chore like that.

A chapter in a history book or a few pages of math often look as daunting to a child with ADHD as painting our house looks to us.  Once we began to chip away peeling paint and paint a few square feet of our house, we begin to see that it is a cumulative activity that we need not complete in one day.  And as we see the new paint slowly replacing the old, we become more energized, confident, and motivated.

So it is with a child with ADHD and an academic assignment.  By using study guides and having students "chunk" assignments (that is, break them into manageable sections that can be completed in steps), PLC students learning the satisfaction of being able toi complete their work.

As ability grows, so does confidence.