Revisiting ADD

Last week (or maybe the week before) I posted about ADD/ADHD. Little did I know it would bring on my first not-so-nice comment! Especially after considering what the anonymous poster said about the negative effects that children with ADD or ADHD have on their classmates, I decided I really wanted to become more well versed on this particular "disorder." I put the word disorder in quotes because the book I read over the weekend puts ADD in a new light. Although I disagreed with this person's opinion that students with ADD or ADHD should be medicated in order to preserve the rights of the other learners in the classroom, I felt I wanted to dig deeper into the topic because I felt like I was in a debate and I needed to be more prepared with information.

Over the weekend I read Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perspective by Thom Hartmann and I am currently reading Driven to Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. and John J. Ratey, M.D.

These books have helped me to better understand the condition called ADD and have introduced a new perspective with regards to students that I may teach who display some of the traits that are associated with ADD.

Rather than seeing a forgetful, day dreamy, disorganized, or spontaneous and overactive student in a completely negative light,  Hartmann poses the analogy of individuals with ADD or ADHD as being hunters in a farming world. He goes back in time to recall traits that were necessary for those individuals who needed to hunt for their food. Constantly scanning the environment, being quick to react, full of energy and ready to conquer their prey were all skills necessary for survival and sustenance. With the introduction of farming, a new set of skills became useful such as attention to detail, patience, focus, and duration of attention because without these skills, crops would fail, which again strikes to the farmer's core ability to survive. When agriculture and farming were introduced, these new skills were necessary and have remained the more "appropriate" skill set with reference to the schooling environment. Students are expected to pay attention for long periods of time, focus on details, have patience, tune out environmental distractions, and persevere at all costs. For individuals who gravitate towards the hunter personality type, which may actually be a transgression of specific "hunter genetics," the school environment is not accepting towards their less focused, more "aware" states of behavior.

The author points out that individuals with this "hunter" personality/genetic makeup actually have many positive traits--their strengths are simply not typically recognized as strengths in the classroom setting and are often viewed as disruptive.

• They're flexible, capable of changing strategy on a moment's notice.
• They can throw an incredible burst of energy into an activity.
• They think visually.
• They love action and thrive in active/hands on situations.
• They are very aware of their surroundings
• .They are risk takers.

As educators, we commonly recognize that there are different types of learners. Although it is difficult to cater to every single learner personality, with the increasing prevalence of ADD and ADHD, I think it is time to make some adjustments to my teaching style to reflect the distinct needs of more active learners. I will wholeheartedly admit that my first graders spent a lot of time on the carpet during instruction. That is hard for them, yet I never really took into account their need to move as often as they probably needed to move. In addition to intermittent songs and opportunities to get the wiggles out, the learning itself also needs to be more active and student centered. This is probably the number one aspect of my teaching that I would like to work to improve next year! I cannot criticize a student for zoning out if their biological nature urges them to move around, be active, and change activities/focus more frequently that my lessons are permitting.

The hunter/farmer idea really got me thinking about the fact that ADD which is labeled as a "disorder" is really no such thing. Students have been criticized and punished for something that is not within their control. If a child who is blind cannot help their lack of vision, a child with ADD cannot help the particular way in which his/her brain functions. The behaviors that accompany ADD are not intentional and there are definitely strategies teachers and parents can employ to help students who experience them.

In a section called How to Turn a Disorder Back into a Skill, the author recommends a few ways for hunters to be a bit more successful in our farming world:

• Organize your time around tasks
• Train your attention span
• Break your work responsibilities into specific "goal units"
• Create "distraction-free" zones
• Exercise Daily

As a teacher, I may not be able to alter a child's brain activity, but I can certainly help to break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. I can allow students opportunities to take breaks from work in order to move around rather than constantly staying seated. I can incorporate more movement into lessons so that students are not always expected to be sitting and behaving. I can be a better teacher for students who need something a little different from me.

I still feel as though medication is not the answer. Sometimes it might be, but there are other avenues of treatment to explore as well. This book truly supports the idea that nothing is "wrong" with students that have ADD, they are simply wired differently. I strive to be a very open minded person and teacher, therefore, to me, differences are always welcome.