Ann

ADD/ADHD

I have a Master's degree in Education, many years' experience in the elementary classroom, and 11 years' experience tutoring students with a variety of learning disabilities, including ADD/ADHD. ADD/ADHD is diagnosed based on the variety of symptoms displayed. There is controversy over the cause or causes of the condition, as well as the best treatment. Because it has such a significant effect on every aspect of a child's life, including educational success and family relations, I believe it is important to support the parent in every way possible in their efforts to help their child. The first line of defense is to employ modifications to assist daily function, such as organizational aids, providing an environment free of distraction, use of positive reinforcement, and adjustments to academic assignments. If these do not prove sufficient, medication under a doctor's supervision is often the solution, eliminating many behavioral issues while enabling the child to be successful in school. However, this is not always a good choice for some families. Often there are negative side effects, or medication simply does not work. In this case, or where parents choose not to medicate their child, there is a third option. This is to employ reasonable modifications while simultaneously addressing individual symptoms through developmental techniques. An example of a developmental technique that may be helpful with ADD is ocular-motor and vision training. A variety of exercises can be employed to increase length of focus, improve horizontal tracking and peripheral vision, all of which affect reading and writing tasks. There are also exercises which will improve how the brain processes incoming sensory information, not only that which is considered academic but environmental data such as sounds, objects and movement. This is a very limited example of approaches to treating ADD/ADHD, and only the visual aspects of the condition. I am certified through the University of Texas in diagnoses and remediation of developmental skills, and have had significant success in applying these methods. Many parents have been able to reduce the dosage of their child's medication, and some have been able to eliminate it completely.

dyslexia

special needs

ADHD

English

writing

reading

grammar

proofreading

SAT reading

SAT writing

elementary (k-6th)