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21 May 18
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Children are expected to use their attention skills to succeed with schoolwork, control behavior, and relate well to others. Some children who have difficulties with attention give up and see themselves as failures; others exhibit behavior complications that relate to their difficulties with attention.
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demystification
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13 Feb 17
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The number of children prescribed medications to manage ADHD has risen sharply in the last decade. According to estimates from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, prescription rates for Ritalin and drugs like it have risen by as much as 700 percent since the early 1990s. (Read the Congressional testimony on this study.) Critics argue that these statistics reveal an alarming trend toward "quick fixes" in place of real solutions for children's behavioral problems. Others insist that children with ADHD are finally getting the help they need.
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In people with ADHD, it appears the brain has more difficulty maintaining dopamine levels and so is less capable of keeping its focus. According to medication proponents, stimulants like Ritalin work to maintain dopamine levels.
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The long-term risk to children who take stimulant drugs to manage ADHD is unknown
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However, opponents of ADHD medications for children argue that this is one experiment that we should not be conducting. The potential risks are far too great, they say.
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While many experts consider medication a good potential treatment for ADHD-like behaviors, very few recommend it as the first or only step. They urge parents, educators, and family doctors to first rule out other causes for behavioral problems at school or at home. Far too often, problems that look like ADHD are masking other issues, including language or memory difficulties, learning disabilities, emotional disorders, or possibly hearing and vision problems. These underlying problems, many experts agree, often result in children being misdiagnosed with ADHD and prescribed medication that won't help them.
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Suggestions and Strategies
You may use the following suggestions and strategies to help children who are experiencing difficulties with attention. Many of those listed are accommodations -- they work around a child's difficulty by offering alternative approaches. Slowing the speed of a presentation for someone who is not alert is one example. Strategies -- more research-based methods -- are designed to specifically strengthen a weakness. For example, a child with attention problems might benefit from a system of cues that helps her ability to stay focused. From the strategies suggested below, select those that you and your child think might work best.
General Suggestions
Allow longer breaks. Extending the amount of time given for breaks (such as recess) can be beneficial, especially for elementary-school children.
Use different methods of instruction. Use verbal, visual, and experiential methods to enhance attention. Make frequent shifts between discussion, reading, and hands-on group activities.
Accentuate important information. Let children know when important information is about to be presented. Slow the speed of oral delivery, include pauses, and accentuate by intonation and gesture what is most important. Preview, repeat, and summarize important points.
Have children discuss the lesson. Take time during a lesson for children to talk to each other about the facts or skills they are learning, such as what strategies they are using to complete an activity.
Be a coach or a mentor. Make statements about how you schedule your daily activities and the positive benefits of such planning and scheduling. Be a check-in person with whom the child can share what he's accomplished. -
For parents who ultimately consider medication for a child, one study published in 1999 by the National Institute of Mental Health clearly shows that stimulant drugs like Ritalin can be effective for some children. However, it also noted that medication paired with strategies may be even more effective.
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27 Oct 15
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21 Aug 15
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17 Aug 15
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27 Jan 15
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12 Jun 14
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26 Nov 13
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22 Sep 12
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schedule a parent-teacher meeting to share information about the child
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Share observations
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Identify and discuss the child's strengths and interests.
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creating a drawing on a topic of interest help a child sustain attention
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Have children monitor their own alertness to topics of interest.
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Are there strategies that work both at school and at home, such as using eye contact and physical contact with a child to help sustain attention?
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Share strategies that might help children become more efficient at monitoring their attention and behavior.
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Establish a plan for ongoing discussion and problem solving. How will expectations and progress be shared?
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experienced parents, professional organizations, and support groups
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availability of professional help from pediatricians, learning specialists, school psychologists
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through open discussion with supportive adults, helps children learn to clarify and specify their differences and understand that, like everyone else, they have strengths and weaknesses
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shared sense of optimism that the child and adult are working toward a common goal,
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Eliminate any stigma
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need to work harder than others to concentrate and monitor their attention
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Help children find their strengths. Use concrete examples but avoid false praise
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se plain language to explain what aspect of attention needs to be developed or monitored.
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breakdowns with areas of attention that are intact, and explain the difference
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they can work on their weaknesses and make their strengths stronger. Point out future possibilities for success given their current strengths.
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build a sense of control over their learning by encouraging them to feel accountable for their own progress
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take frequent breaks, keep checklists, and set short-term goals.
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locate a mentor -- a favorite teacher, an adolescent, or a neighbor
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Protect from humiliation.
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Always avoid criticizing children in public and protect them from embarrassment in front of siblings and classmates.
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Strategies -- more research-based methods -- are designed to specifically strengthen a weakness. For example, a child with attention problems might benefit from a system of cues that helps her ability to stay focused.
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Use different methods of instruction. Use verbal, visual, and experiential methods to enhance attention. Make frequent shifts between discussion, reading, and hands-on group activities.
-
Take time during a lesson for children to talk to each other about the facts or skills they are learning, such as what strategies they are using to complete an activity.
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Make statements about how you schedule your daily activities and the positive benefits of such planning and scheduling. Be a check-in person with whom the child can share what he's accomplished.
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Keep track of the factors that seem to affect a child's mental energy. Help children recognize the time of day and circumstances when they are most focused.
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Write important points or directions on the board
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Have them complete a map or web of the main ideas presented in a lesson. Use graphs or graphics to draw attention to the relevancy of information
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Teach children to use strategies like imagery and elaboration to strengthen the depth of information processing. Attaching a mental image to an important piece of information, stating the reasons for its importance, and connecting the information to some prior knowledge or area of interest are all examples of memory strategies.
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oing back over newly learned information as soon as possible will enhance processing. Have children review their notes immediately after a lesson to make sure they got all the important points. Older children could tape record a class lecture, then listen to the tape after leaving class.
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self-testing strategies
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Structure time limits to monitor children's processing
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Teach children to prioritize.
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Use computer software and games
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Give children a clear sense of how a final product might look by showing examples and sharing exemplary products (such as essays or drawings)
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Do not, however, compare children's work with that of peers or siblings.
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Build in planning time.
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Require children to break down tasks into parts and write down the steps or stages.
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guidelines for self-monitoring
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use COPS (Capitalization-Organization-Punctuation-Spelling) for proofing written work
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importance of organization
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Encourage self-grading.
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Set goals and record progress.
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Provide consistent feedback
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"I like the way you elaborated in this description," or, "Asking to take a break really seemed to help you come back and focus."
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benefit from a mentor who will work with them to dissect the day, brainstorm alternative strategies, and provide recognition of progress
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06 Aug 12
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29 Jul 12
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17 Aug 11
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02 May 10
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25 Jul 09
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07 Jul 09
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Remember to ask for and share information on problems in other areas, such as language or memory, since attention deficit often masks other learning difficulties.
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Have children monitor their own alertness to topics of interest.
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Some children who have difficulties with attention give up and see themselves as failures; others exhibit behavior complications that relate to their difficulties with attention.
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demystification, which, through open discussion with supportive adults, helps children learn to clarify and specify their differences and understand that, like everyone else, they have strengths and weaknesses.
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Emphasize that no one is to blame and that you know that they often need to work harder than others to concentrate and monitor their attention
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Use plain language to explain what aspect of attention needs to be developed or monitored. Contrast breakdowns with areas of attention that are intact, and explain the difference
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Help children realize that they can improve -- they can work on their weaknesses and make their strengths stronger. Point out future possibilities for success given their current strengths.
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build a sense of control over their learning by encouraging them to feel accountable for their own progress
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Help children locate a mentor
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Use different methods of instruction.
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Preview, repeat, and summarize important points.
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Have children discuss the lesson. Take time during a lesson for children to talk to each other about the facts or skills they are learning, such as what strategies they are using to complete an activity.
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Find ways to make material less complex.
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Use technology. Devices such as calculators, tape recorders, books on tape, word processors, and software programs may be helpful to children. These devices allow children to control how much information is presented at one time and how rapidly it is presented.
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Teach and model internal standards. Teach children how to use internal dialogue, or self-talk, to delay gratification when they are working on tasks that are not particularly interesting or gratifying to them. Ask them to brainstorm about rewards that will motivate them to work during periods of low interest and excitement.
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Provide models
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Provide pathways to success. Let children who may not be able to articulate a plan draw a road map to their final product. Possibly include a fork in the road showing the path to success and the path to failure.
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Encourage self-grading. Set a standard of work quality or criteria for success for children to follow, and allow them to self-assess the quality of their work before turning it in. If the grade matches the child's appraisal, give extra points for good self-assessment.
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Eliminate incentives for frenetic pacing. Remove any positive reinforcement for finishing first. State the amount of time a task should take. This will slow down children who work too quickly and will speed up children who work too slowly.
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18 Oct 07
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