ADHD & Me

T-shirt expression:
“Some people say I have ADD, but they just don’t understand. Oh look, a chicken!”

ADHD is short for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but many shorten it to ADD especially when it refers to someone who has been diagnosed with it, but isn’t hyperactive.

One of my sons was diagnosed with ADD when he was in 4th grade. I suspected something was up when he was in 2nd grade and he began having troubles academically, especially on tests. After the initial shock of learning my son had a “disorder” I actually began to feel relieved that I could put my finger on some of the exact things that he/we were struggling with. At school he is a round peg trying to fit into a square hole.

My favorite book on the subject is “Driven to Distraction” by Hallowell and Ratey.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_0_5?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=driven+to+distraction&sprefix=drive

On pages 209-214 the authors list 100 questions to ask yourself if you feel that you or someone you know may have ADD. “The more questions that are answered yes, the more likely it is that ADD may be present.”

Here are some questions from the list of 100:

2. Do you have a family history of drug or alcohol abuse, depression, or manic-depressive illness?
3. Are you moody?
6. Do you tap your feet, fidget a lot?
9. Do you have a hard time relaxing?
14. Even if you are easily distracted, do you find that there are times when your power of concentration is laser-beam intense?
22. Do you change the radio station in your car frequently?
27. Are you always on the go, even when you don’t want to be?
28. More than most people, do you hate waiting in line?
30. Do you have a hair-trigger temper?
33. Do you feel like exploding inside when someone has trouble getting to the point?
37. Are you particularly intuitive?
44. Would you consider yourself an addictive personality?
52. Are you restless without action in your life?
53. Do you have a hard time reading a book all the way through?
66. Are you a maverick?
73. Do you work best in short spurts?
76. Do you find you often get depressed after a success?
81. Were you ever the class clown?
89. Did you have frequent ear infections as a child?
92. Are you particularly insecure?
95. Do you love to travel?
98. Do you get the gist of things very quickly?

To medicate or not to medicate, that is the question…

I’m not against medicating for ADD. But parents and students always have to weigh the advantages versus the disadvantages for making that choice. My son currently doesn’t take medication, but he has taken it in the past. When he was on ADD meds his grades did improve and he was able to focus better in school. The meds, however, gave him headaches and loss of appetite. So, we decided to stop them. His grades declined when he stopped, but his physical health improved, so that was worth the trade off for us. I’m not saying he’ll never go back on the ADD meds, but for now, this is the right decision.

Our local newspaper just ran a front page story on the rampant use of ADD medication on college campuses and the illegal selling of these drugs. See the link:

“More Students Using 'Academic Steroids' Despite Risks, Ethical Questions”:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_12655334?source=email

And a friend just also sent me this link which is also related to this story.

“A Misuser’s Guide to Adderall”
By LAWRENCE H. DILLER
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=527968

Please also check out the books listed on the right side of this blog under the heading “ADHD” – they have been helpful to me and my family.

The Right Brain Approach – A Whole New Mind

I just finished Daniel H. Pink’s book “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.” In it he talks about how the left hemisphere of the brain handles logic, sequence, literalness, and analysis. The right takes care of synthesis, emotional expression, context, and the big picture. (p. 25) He makes the case that in the future our society and our economy will increasingly become built more and more on right-directed thinking. Here’s an illustration from his book (p.50):

“When economies and societies depended on factories and mass production, left-brained thinking ruled. Then, as we moved to knowledge work, right-directed thinking took hold, though still second to left-directed thinking. As we continue to evolve, right-directed thinking is beginning to achieve social and economic parity. Left-directed thinking is still indispensable, but not sufficient. In the current age, we need a whole new mind. “(p. 50-51)

He goes on to say that you must think about what you’re doing to earn a living and ask yourself three questions:

1. Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
2. Can a computer do it faster?
3. Is what I’m offering in demand in an age of abundance?

This book was another example of why schools need to embrace the right-directed concept as much as left-directed thinking if we are really going to prepare our children for the future. With what I’ve witnessed over the past ten years in my own sons’ public schools, I’d say that left-directed teaching is much more prevalent than right-directed learning. We are a competitive, numbers-driven society, after all, so it’s no surprise the easily tested, regurgitated standards-based scholastic goals win out again and again over the artistic, subjective, performance-based objectives.

Another good read which speaks to this same point is Sir Ken Robinson’s “The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything.” You can also check out his TED lecture here: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html about how schools kill creativity in children.

I recommend “A Whole New Mind” to teachers, parents, older students and business people. Maybe it could be recommended at a staff or business meeting to spark discussion?

Electronic Textbooks

This is the time of year when my boys are asked to bring back the textbooks they have had at home all school year. Each time they brought these heavy books back and forth to school I asked them how much they actually used them. The only text books I saw them use with regularity were the math books. And, don’t get me started on math kill and drill instruction! That’s another post, but as far as textbooks are concerned, I think our governor may have come up with a brilliant idea that we should have been doing for several years now – digital textbooks.

You can read an editorial about Gov. Schwarzenegger’s electronic textbook plan here: http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_12531938?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com

The pros: it’s good for the environment, it reduces costs, it makes backpacks lighter, it uses more interactive materials in a medium kids are used to, it encourages less traditional textbook instruction. The cons: not everyone has a computer. But, pages could be printed for those students that need them, so I don’t see this as a real negative. Plus, the Kindle (an electronic reading device from Amazon) is getting lower in price and may become accessible to more students and teachers.

According to this editorial, “today California spends about $100/student a year on textbooks. That cost is rising, while the cost of the Kindle & other electronic devices is dropping. The hope is that digital products will be cheap enough to be available to everyone or at least cheap enough for school districts to buy them for those who now qualify for free lunches.”

How can we encourage this great idea? Email the governor with your support at: http://gov.ca.gov/interact Tell your friends to do the same. I just did it, it took about 15 seconds.

Guest Post from Sara Bennett

I asked Sara Bennett to write a brief description of her blog, Stop Homework. Sara has become a friend over the past two years and has helped me and continues to advise me on issues like homework, education, & parenting. Check out her blog, she's running a series of interviews this week that are worth reading. This is from Sara:

"I started my website, <www.stophomework.com> in August, 2006, right before The Case Against Homework was going to hit the bookstores. I wanted people who read the book and felt motivated to do something to have a place to turn, so they could connect with other parents and educators interested in the topic, share ideas, and seek help from me if they wanted. After a few months, I was approached by a small private foundation, which liked my ideas and offered me funding. At that point, I conceived of Stop Homework as something a little bigger than my website. I affiliated with the Alliance for Childhood, devoted more of my time to it, and was much more available to help people advocate in their own communities. The public face of Stop Homework is still my web site, but I have been a behind-the-scenes advisor to many people who have been involved in changing policy in their own communities, including parents, teachers, principals, and School Board members."

Summer Resolutions

I recently took a class called “Raising Well-Balanced Children in a Fast-Paced World” offered at Stanford by Denise Pope, Jim Lobdell, & Madeline Levine of the “Challenge Success” group. www.ChallengeSuccess.org At the end of the 5 weeks, participants were asked to come up with some resolutions for summer that were in line with their definitions of success and guiding principles established for their families as part of the course.

I decided that I should resolve to work more on my own art (I like to make cards) and music (I recently started taking piano lessons) to model having more art and music in my life for my kids and to maintain more balance in my life. Let’s see if I can stick to it…

I also decided not to schedule any activities for my kids (age 13 and 15) but to let them schedule their own activities this summer. If they find themselves bored, that’s ok, that’s part of summer.

Thankfully neither one of them has assigned summer homework, but I always try to encourage them to read for pleasure. When they were younger I used to come up with some sort of academic summer learning plan, but I’ve relaxed on that over the years. Why? Well, they hated it and would do it only to check it off their list (like most homework).

Instead I try to do equally important activities with them that we don’t often have enough time for during the school year: cooking, baking, riding bikes into town, mowing the lawn, gardening, playing games, backyard badminton, hanging out at the pool, exercising together, household chores, building things, etc.

Relax, have fun and enjoy your summer with your kids.

"Race to Nowhere" screening in San Francisco 6/11/09

I'm one of the advisors on Vicki Abeles' film "Race to Nowhere." This film examines stress on adolescents due to school, family and society. The 1st San Francisco screening of “RACE TO NOWHERE" will be Thursday, June 11, 2009 at Dolby Laboratories Theater, 100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco at 7:00 PM. Please RSVP to vicki@reellinkfilms.com
Space is limited. Visit the website to view the trailer and join the conversation http://www.reellinkfilms.com .
The trailer can also be viewed on You Tube .
Or, join the film's Facebook Group .

End of School Year Teacher Gift Ideas

As the end of the school year approaches, why not give some of your children’s teachers books or DVDs? Here's my list of suggestions:

Book & DVD ideas for teachers:

What Every Great Teacher Knows by Gibboney and Webb (for all teachers)
The Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller (for 4-8 grade teachers, especially language & social studies teachers)
Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire by Rafe Esquith (for middle school teachers)
In the Middle, by Nancy Atwell (for middle school English/history teachers)
Educating Hearts and Minds by Catherine C. Lewis (for elementary teachers)
The Mathematician’s Lament by Paul Lockhart (for ALL math teachers)
Young Children Reinvent Arithmetic by Constance Kamii (for elementary teachers)
Driven to Distraction by Hallowell & Ratey (about ADHD)
The Element by Ken Robinson (for all teachers)
The Case Against Homework by Bennett & Kalish (for all teachers)
The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn (for all teachers)
DVD: “Where Do The Children Play?” available at http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/
DVD: “No Grades + No Homework = Better Learning” available at http://www.alfiekohn.org/
DVD: “Keynote address from the Stressed Out Student Stanford conference in 2008” available at http://paloaltopta.org/news/SOS-Stressed_Out_Students/SOS_Stressed_Out_Students_DVD-order.pdf

Or, if you don’t want to give them a book or DVD, perhaps you could direct them to some informational websites, like:

Website: http://www.challengesuccess.org/
Website: http://www.stophomework.com/
Website: http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/
Webstie: http://www.alfiekohn.org/

Or, get them a magazine subscription to:
Encounter: Education for Meaning and Social Justice available at http://www.great-ideas.org/enc.htm