 When reading textbooks, I find that within the first page, without meaning to, my mind has drifted off the material and I must re-read the material?  When creating something that I consider a challenge or reading something of intense interest to me, I go into a state of “hyper- focus” which is characterized by at least three of the following: › Remaining at the task for lengthy periods of time › Feeling very intense and irritable if disturbed by others › Feeling extremely irritable if asked to do something else › Desiring complete quiet or just quiet music while working  Procrastination is a problem (something gets boring and pushed to the side). Also may be due to having to many important things on-the-go  Always feel like should be doing (or accomplishing) more  Drift off in social situations unintentionally and miss parts of a conversation

Sarah Frostad, Kristin Singbeil and Kuldeep Basi “There are no negatives just challenges”

 Attention Deficit Disorder (also known as ADD) used to describe patterns of behaviour that appear most often in school-aged children such as: › Inattentive › Overly impulsive › Hyperactive (sometimes) › Have difficulty sitting still, attending to one thing for a long period of time, and may seem overactive

 ADD is the most frequently diagnosed behaviour disorder in North America (3% to 5% of school-aged children) but is not used as often in other countries

 Aggressive or violent behaviour › Due to feelings of failure  Withdrawal, anxiety and depression  Low self-esteem › Due to lack of positive experiences  Physical symptoms › Burying feelings may result in the form of:  Headaches  Stomach or back aches  Pain in the hands or legs

 Becoming the class clown or class bully  Avoiding or refusing to become involved in activities where he/she is unsure of success  Those with ADD have difficulty with social skills › Recognizing interpersonal boundaries  Some indications of inattentiveness and distractibility can include not paying attention to details, making careless mistakes, not following instructions carefully or completely, and losing or forgetting school work or toys

1. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 2. Undifferentiated Attention Deficit Disorder

 Fidgets, squirms or seems restless  Has difficulty remaining seated  Is easily distracted  Has difficulty awaiting turn  Blurts out answers  Has difficulty following instructions  Has difficulty sustaining attention  Shifts from one uncompleted task to another  Has difficulty playing quietly  Talks excessively  Interrupts or intrudes on others  Does not seem to listen  Often loses things necessary for tasks  Frequently engages in dangerous actions

 The frontal and pre-frontal lobes act largely as our “chief executive officer” › Orchestrating language and memory functions from other parts of the brain  These frontal centres consider where we came from, where we want to go, and how to flexibly control ourselves in order to actually execute the plan  These skills are called EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS

 Inhibition  Initiation  Self-Talk  Working memory  Foresight  Hindsight  Sense of time  Organization  Flexibility  Shifting from Agenda A to Agenda B  Separating emotion from fact  Adding emotion to fact

 Lacks the hyperactivity impulsive symptoms  The most significant characteristic is inattentiveness  Cause: may reside primarily in parietal lobe; the front lobe processes seem intact  Primary Indicators: › Low brain energy leads difficulty with attention, seems not to listen, unorganized, forgetful (short-term), careless mistakes, instructional problems  Attention Seeking: › Modest, shy, socially withdrawn, impatience, conversation issues Positive Attributes: willing to pursue areas others are afraid to try, does well if self- employed

 Attention deficit disorders interfere with the learning process because they reduce the child`s ability to pay attention  It is important to understand that ADD is not a disability in the learning process › A Learning Disability is a neurological condition that affects the child`s ability to learn

 Provide the student with a structured predictable & welcoming environment › Display rules (check for understanding) › Post daily schedules/assignments › Seat near positive role models › Academic subjects in morning › Provide regular/frequent breaks › Contact parents to report good news

 Vary the way you call on students  Reward more than you punish  Teach the child to reward themselves › Encourage positive self-talk  Encourages the child to think positively about themselves I.e. reflections!!  Encourages the child to think positively about themselves I.e. reflections!!

 Seat students near the teacher’s desk › So students will not focus on other students in front of them  Surround students with good role models › Encourage peer tutoring and cooperative/collaborative learning  Avoid transitions  Provide a stimuli-reduced study area › Encourage parents to create this type of environment at home also

 Use a variety of methods (oral, visual, written) › Use illustrations  Make instructions clear and concise › Present work at a light pace  Make sure students understand instructions before beginning the task › Have student repeat back what you have said  Have a daily assignment notebook: 1. Make sure each student correctly writes down all assignments each day 2. Sign the notebook daily to signify completion of homework assignments 3. Use the notebook for communication with parents

 Use cooperative learning groups: › Need to have clear defined structures and expectations that cooperative learning techniques provide  Monitor frequently (maintain a supportive attitude)  Modify assignments as needed › Consult with special education to determine specific strengths and weaknesses of the student  Make sure you test knowledge and not attention span  Make sure to include movement within the class › Break up instruction at least every 20 minutes to provide stimulation to the learner (brain-based learning technique)

Physicians base their diagnosis on the individual’s behavioural features in four core areas: 1. Inattentiveness 2. Distractibility 3. Impulsivity 4. Hyperactivity

 Therapy for the management of ADD consists of: › Training and education, for the parents and teachers of the child, that optimize expectations and environment to the child’s condition › Psychological therapy for the child to teach him/her self- control and self-monitoring skills › Medications to reduce the problematic behaviours  Medication is frequently the only treatment pursued

 Private tutoring which has fewer distractions › Giving the child a better chance of learning how to focus  Parents and teachers can also be taught reward/discipline approaches that provide incentives  Marriage/parental counselling and family therapy  Some claim that these therapy methods help to create a more constructive and nurturing environment that can help to reduce the behaviour problems of children diagnosed with ADD

 This approach is helpful first to allow the patient to accept the diagnosis and then to accept themselves despite their disorder  In this type of therapy, the ADD sufferers discover their destructive or self-defeating patterns of behaviour and are able to learn alternative ways to handle their emotions and cope better in day-to-day activities  Social skills therapy – another frequently used approach – helps children to learn appropriate behaviours such as sharing a toy, waiting in line, asking for help, and acting or speaking appropriately

 The most common medication prescribed is methylphenidate (Ritalin) › Between 80% and 90% of those children diagnosed with ADD have been prescribed  Stimulant drugs act in the brain by increasing levels of catecholamines, one of which is dopamine, the substance currently believed by some to be deficient in sufferers of ADD › Stimulants are known to be addictive and frequently abused › Stimulants – drugs that excite or speed up the central nervous system – are generally used for their ability to:  Increase alertness and endurance;  Keep users awake for a long period of time  Decrease appetite  Produce feelings of well-being and euphoria

 Auditory Signals › Use a timer or play a bar of music in class  Visual Signals › Raising your hand › Have students cover their paper when reading or working on problems.

1. Canadian Mental Health Association FASLink Fetal Alcohol Disorders Society: Research, Information, Support & Communications Government of Canada: Attention Deficit Disorder R/LoPBdP/BP/prb0017- e.htm#A.%20The%20Evolutiontxt R/LoPBdP/BP/prb0017- e.htm#A.%20The%20Evolutiontxt R/LoPBdP/BP/prb0017- e.htm#A.%20The%20Evolutiontxt