< =text/>_popupControl(); I completely disagree with Dr. Levine's "demystification" process, which sounds to me like it really "mystifies" something that should be pretty straightforward.
[/QUOTE]< =text/>_popupControl(); I completely disagree with Dr. Levine's "demystification" process, which sounds to me like it really "mystifies" something that should be pretty straightforward. The idea that the parents shouldn't be the ones to tell a child about adhd is, to me, ludicrous. I specifically disagree with numbers 1,5, and 12. A child's adhd should NEVER be discussed in a class setting. Why not just paint the child purple and put a target on his back?! Once kids know someone is different, they will either ostracize that child or take on a parent/teacher role which is completely inappropriate for successfully socializing an adhd child. As for praise, our kids know where they have trouble. Praising them for overcoming those problems, which are typically things other children do with ease, is vital to their motivation. They need that,"Yes! I did it!" moment. And allowing another person to tell your child what is "wrong" with them, for something other than an ear infection or the like, creates all kinds of problems for me. I don't want my child looking to other people for validation. If there is a problem, we will discuss it as a team in such a way that my child will know that his parents are in control, not some "outside professional." It just seems to strip parental control at a time when a child needs to know that his parents are in control and understand what is going on.
Quite frankly, it sounds to me like Dr. Levine has doubts about adhd as a condition and not just a behavioral issue.
bettybee, my son is 9 and has known about his adhd since 7. I explained it to him in such a way that we have never, ever had a moment of self-pity, self-denigration, or anger about adhd. If you would like to know about this conversation, I'd be more than happy to tell you all about it. Just send me a private message.
< =text/>_popupControl(); Also, my son loved the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" trilogy of books, because Percy (short for Perseus) is a modern day kid who has adhd and he's a hero AND he finds out he's Zeus's son. Pretty neat stuff.I'm not really trying to hide it from him. He knows he needs medicine. I am just waiting until he gets a little mature. For example, This past friday, he didnt take his medicine. It showed in his daily progress report. I spoke to my son and asked him what happened. He told me that since he didnt take his medicine today, that he was dumb. OH MY! I explained to him that the pill doesnt make him any smarter, he's already smart. I asked him how he feels when he doenst take the pill. He said all crazy...and when he does take his pill he said he feels cool...like he can do anything. I guess my fear with telling him is that he is gonna use it as an excuse not to be good at something. I want to educate him on the topic first...so I want to start out with a book (or books) that talk about how he feels inside without having any mention of ADHD.
I know how he is...he'll be running around telling everybody he has adhd. Like when he got a nintendo ds. He would meet new people and say "Hi. I have a DS." I can already see him now. "Hi. I take medicine everyday because I have ADHD". I'm not ashamed....i just rather people not know about my personal business. I need a little maturity in him first.
Oh Betty - I love that - my daughter is so much like that, too. She's still telling everyone how she can't have dairy (this has been going on for months) - waaay too much information! But I do think it's part of how she defines the world, kind of like in okiemom's chart - it frames a certain aspect of her life and makes everything about being her a little easier to understand and a little more OK. I think those sorts of things mean so much to them that they can't imagine others not being similarly wowed by the information!
Mine doesn't know the term ADHD yet - she's only 6. But we do talk about some of the ways she's special, like BL said - she calls it "seeing things nobody else does." And I think helps her a lot to know that she's got special needs - that some things are truly harder for her than other kids - which doesn't mean she can't do them or that she's not expected to - but just we understand that it's hard and that she is working so hard. Sometimes I need that for me, too - to be reminded "yes parenting an kid with ADHD IS hard work" not an excuse to slack off, but a recognition that you are doing something that truly requires a lot. So I think in time the term ADHD will come - as she seeks to name why it is that she has to work so hard.
To me - so many books celebrate aspects of the ADHD character without naming it - I almost think that's one of the big double standards in our society. Our reading material is probably younger than your son but we enjoy: "Olivia" (the pig) and her series, "Leo the Late Bloomer", "No, David" of course "Curious George" - I'll try to think of some more.
Hi BettyBee,Demystification
This can be done with the whole class or individually. Together you examine where breakdowns can occur. Don’t give false praise. Provide specific examples for that praise (e.g. You got 9 out of 10 right on that quiz). Students love to be compared favorably with their peers. (e.g. No one else did as well). Don’t praise a student for doing something well that others do easily. Students should not see their teachers are paragons of perfection. Share some of your breakdown points with them. When talking with an individual student about his or her breakdown points begin and end with a number – show an end to it. Never discuss more than 4 points at a time (There are 3 things that you are having problems with). Then name them (graphomotor functions, short-term memory, and expressive language). This puts a border around the difficulties and shows that their whole life isn’t wrong. Kids can’t work on something if they can’t give it a name. Induce optimism into these discussions. Make a list of the student’s most notable strengths and make a list of possible careers arising from that list. Establish an alliance, work together. It’s you and us (parents, teachers, and clinicians) against the glitch. Don’t moralize. You can start demystification as early as the 1st or 2nd grade. It’s hardest to demystify an 8th grader because they are so sure they know it all already. Invite the parents to the demystification session so that all of you will be using the same vocabulary. However, parents can not do the demystification. Repeat demystification more than once.OkiemomFirst ?: Does your child know that they have ADHD? My son will be 8 in May. I told him the medicine he takes in the morning is to help him in school, that was a good enough answer for him.
Yes, my DD knows she has ADHD, and knows she takes meds for it.
2nd ?: If your child doesnt know he has ADHD, are they any books that you recommend that will benefit my son without it saying that it's a adhd help book?
Phoebe Flowers series is about a little girl with ADHD, and the scrapes she gets into, available at Amazon, and frankly some of the most well written childrens books I have ever read.
When my child first got diagnosed, I told him he had ADHD and read some books together. He was relieved that there's a medical reason to explain the difficulties he was having.
I don't know any books that talk about ADHD issues w/o also talking about ADHD. Sorry.
First ?: Does your child know that they have ADHD? My son will be 8 in May. I told him the medicine he takes in the morning is to help him in school, that was a good enough answer for him.
2nd ?: If your child doesnt know he has ADHD, are they any books that you recommend that will benefit my son without it saying that it's a adhd help book?
My son is 7 and has been taking medicine since he was 4 1/2. He never