ADD/ADHD Attention Deficit Disorder

Thus spoke the keyboard of Ian Ford on Sat Nov 05 07:47:38 1994:
>Jamie
>
>You might try alt.support.attn-deficit on internet news.
I don't get that feed.. I have talked to my news service
about it.. and I am going to see what they can do about it.

> There are also
>chapters of CHADD in many US states, and I have probably got a list
>somewhere if you email me where abouts in US you are.
I'm in Canada.. but I have written CHADD.. I wrote them Wednesday.

>I'm not a clinician, but very simply ADD is a neuropsychological disorder
>caused by an imbalance in the chemicals which pass messages in the brain.
>An ADD person needs much more stimulation than their peers. Sometimes
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>this search for stimulation is expressed in hyperactive behaviour or as a
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>demand for high-rish, high intensity experiences.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You can say that again!

>The ADD Scout may well " tune out " during something which he finds
>boring or difficult, and you will notice the distracted look. This is not
>something he can help! Telling him to " pay attention! " is as useless
>and cruel as telling a kid with an eyesight problem to look more closely.
Here's the fun part... it's not a scout. It's a leader. Namely
myself. I was diagnosed this week with adult ADD (ADDult is the
name of the newsletter incidentally)

>You will need to check that ADD Scouts have understood what they have
>been told, especially safety tips etc. ... it's not that they are stupid
>( many ADD'ers are of above average intelligence ) it's just that they
>often do not hear what you are saying, because their mind is racing away
>elsewhere.
This is something I definitely identify with.... hopefully if one
of my scouts is ever diagnosed with the disorder, I can be of some
help to him.

>Give positive feedback at frquent intervals most kids like encouragement,
>but for kids with a short concentration span regular reinforcement is a
>motivator. Be prepared to break down complex tasks into easy steps and
>coach each one, then explain why these fit into the whole.
>
>A feature of ADD is that there are unexplaine gaps in a kid's knowledge,
>e.g. it is quite normal for an ADD kid to be able to solve complex algebra
>problems but write down 27+6 = 35 for example.
That's funny.. I did a mathematical ability test.. on one test
involving speed of simple calculations like addition and
multiplication I scored in the 40th percentile.. yet I excel
at calculus, scoring a 100% on my midterm and 97 on my final in
the course I did at university.

>Remember also that ADD kids have spent much of their lives living with
>criticism from adults - " shut up ! " "pay attention ! " etc. - and
>that this destroys their self esteem. A Scouter who is prepared to work
>alongside them and accept their difficulties can have a great role in helping
>them to feel better about themselves and their abilities. If they attain
>recognition through Scouting it helps to bloster their confidence and
>self-esteem in other areas too.
Until recently I had zero self esteem.. now it seems I am abundant
with it. I know the explanation for why people don't understand me.. my
mind works differently!

I have found lots of info on ADD since that post.. and there is
a pointer to the ADD home page in my home page if you're into
the WWW.

>The next one takes some sensitivity - try to talk to the Scout, say that
>you understand he has particular problems and that not everything is
>going to be easy. Offer to be available but try not to be intrusive.
Gee.. I wish I was a scout and you were my leader now.. :) It's
nice now taht I know what this is, why I am different and now
people can begin to understan my unpredictability, impulsiveness
and excentricity.

>I have given the ADD Scouts in my group permission to take time out if
>things get too much for them.
>
>
>I have three ADD Scouts in my troop, so I am learning as we go along. I
>don't claim to be an expert, but I'm glad to share experiences.
>
>Ian Ford
>ASM Troop 401 (London) BSA
>
Thanks Ian.. tell the parents of those boys some day how lucky
they are that they were diagnosed early, and they have such an
understanding leader.

>On Fri, 4 Nov 1994, Ron Berry wrote:
>
>> To:scouts-l@tcubvm.is.tcu.edu.
>> Reply-to Jamie Cashin
>>
>> JJ>Anyone know where I can get information on Attention Deficit Disorder
>> JJ>and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? I surfed the Web and
>> JJ>found a home page for ADD that I cannot access at this time and I
>> JJ>also found out about CHADD:
>>
>> There is an ADD Forum on Compuserve with a good library of files. You will
>> have to have a CompuServe Accout to get to it.
>> Good Luck.
>>
>> Ron Berry
>> ron.berry@thewheel.com
>> ~~~
>> * VbReader 2.01 #NR * A piano is a piano is a piano. Gertrude Steinway.
>>
>

Jamie

--

jamie@neweast.ca     jamie@cs.mun.ca     WWW: http://web.cs.mun.ca/~jamie/
"Be excellent to each other"       If you have no hero, are you conceited?



--

jamie@neweast.ca     jamie@cs.mun.ca     WWW: http://web.cs.mun.ca/~jamie/
"Be excellent to each other"       If you have no hero, are you conceited?




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