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December 8th, 2009 | Author: Brenda
The other day I got an email from a mom who has an ADHD child. She was frustrated by the lack of support within her community for ADD Students and their families. She asked me about training to become an ADD Coach.
I gave her some advice and several places to check into (if you’re interested in my suggestions, email me at brenda@addstudent.com) and I told her that there aren’t many coaches who work with students because it’s one of the more difficult segments to work with. I mean, you might be unhappy with your child’s progress in school, but what do they think?
Most ADD Students think that they are doing just fine and don’t need any help. The real deep down reason is that they already feel bad enough about themselves – they know they are smarter than their grades indicate – and adding an ADD Coach to the mix is just further confirmation of their feelings.
I believe that working with teens and adolescents who have ADHD to help them succeed is extremely important. You’re affecting a young person’s life for the better, and you’re making a positive impact on all of our futures. I also think that working with these kids face to face, one on one, and with a compassionate heart is the only way it should be done.
There aren’t a lot of ADD Coaches out there, fewer still who work with students, and even less who work face to face.
I think that parents are the logical group to target for making some changes around this. What do you think?
If I could put together a training program for you, as a parent, would you be interested? What would you want to know?
I’m giving it some thought, and I would love to hear your ideas, too. Let me know.
Posted in ADD Student
What is the purpose of labeling kids with ADD or ADHD? How does that make them feel? What reason would they have for getting better? When you label someone, why should they even attempt to improve? I believe we do a dis-service to kids by labeling them. Helping them is a much better choice. Parents could find “holistic” teachers, counselors, and others to help their kids instead of labeling them. The kids would probably improve in a quicker amount of time. Just my opinion…
Thanks for your comments, Rebecca. You make some good points.
Identifying ADHD in an individual is helpful in order to get them proper treatment – whether that might be medications or natural solutions. It helps the individual understand themselves better. Labeling is another matter, and one that I feel is not helpful at all. Kids who are identified as ADHD within the greater community of elementary school, for instance, get “typecast” for want of a better word. Teachers, parents, administrators, and even other kids will expect the worst from them because of it. Of course, that’s not true of everyone, but it happens often enough.
You are right that if a child or person feels bad about themselves due to such labeling, it can be difficult to motivate them or convince them that they are capable of more. At the same time, it’s important to note that someone with ADHD will always have it; the challenge is to learn to manage it in a way that disrupts your life as little as possible.
Thanks again for commenting.