Featured Article
This week our Featured Expert Cindi Erickson shares about her life with ADD.
Here is some of what she wrote:
ADD may seem like a curse to some, but it really is a tremendous 'syndrome' to have. Just think, the world is your oyster and you just can't find enough hours in a day to take it all in!
All of us have some 'imperfection' that challenges us to overcome our particular 'hurdle' and learn how to function with and in spite of our 'thorn in the flesh'. Paul said, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh..." (2 Corinthians 12:7) ADD/ADHD happens to be one of those 'invisible' thorns in the flesh.
Sure, the symptoms are very visible. We're constantly on the go, excessively daydream, and often have problems with following instructions and/or finishing work. But, the 'syndrome' itself is invisible.
My son (also a fellow ADD'er) and I often talk about what our brains 'do'. The creative ideas and thoughts that rush through our minds, the 'bunny foo-foos' that overcome us during conversations. We feel blessed to have ADD. We don't know how we would function if we didn't have the cacophony of sounds, thoughts, and yes, sometimes vocal chatter, in our brains. It must be awfully lonely to be 'normal'! Thank God I'm not!
This article can be found in detail at My Life With ADD
Featured Videos
This week I posted the video interviews that I did with Featured Expert Blair Hill, on his life with Asperger's Syndrome. He talks about how his family was diagnosed and how he has learned to cope. You can see an Part I here on my YouTube channel. Part II and III are on the inside of the site. If you want to see more go here.
General Topics Discussions
This week in the we talked about a new book that is getting ready to be released by our Featured Expert, 15 year old Jennifer Smith. The book is called Dyslexia Wonders.
We talked about what we will would be doing for the Labor Day holiday and how we can make memories for our family.
Some of us shared our excitement for McCain's choice for Vice President, Sarah Palin, and how it might affect this country if McCain is chosen for president. She is mother of 5, pro-life, and has a down syndrome baby.
I love our private community where we can feel safe to talk about things that matter without feeling like the whole world is watching us.
Come join us!
Tip of the Week
Finding a system for chores is different for every family, and with
a child who has learning disabilities, it can be difficult.
While teaching a child a new chore, we tend to be more patient than
after he's been doing it for a while. Try to keep in mind, for some
children with learning disorders, some things can seem very easy for
them for the first day, and the next day you may have to teach them
from the beginning again.
Here is a way to teach a new chore, and to keep them able to do the
chore.
List chores appropriate for age and ability. Gradually work your way
up the list.
Start with short work periods, i.e., 10-20 minutes in length.
Increase the time as his/her interest grows.
Present the task in short directions and have the child repeat them.
Compliment on the job done. Try very hard not to redo it.
If the bed is not made the way you would have done it, then he did
it the way he knew best. Turn it into a teaching lesson and say,
"I like the way you did your best to make your bed, especially how
you pulled the bed spread up and tucked it in. Another good thing to
do is to lay the pillow straight, see?"
Always be prepared to redirect the child. Never take for granted
that the child remembers, but try not to hang over him while he is
doing the responsibility.
Do not allow your child to gain control of any situation.
You are to structure the tasks. If he throws a "fit" when given
responsibilities (that are appropriate for age and ability),
then he should be told,"When you are finished you may start with
your responsibilities."
Always encourage and be positive about learning new things. Don't
become impatient if it takes him longer than you think it should
to master a new skill.
Next week watch for part two of this message on responsibilities.
Have a great week!
--Robin Dicks
To learn more about how you can help your child with learning
disorders visit: DealingWithLearningDisorders.com
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
First Day of School for 2008-2009
Well our first day of school was suppose to start at 9:00 am today.
Of course I got called into work at 6:44 am. I work for juvenile intake for my county. When there is a child in need of care or a child arrested they call me and I go into the sheriff's dept. and process the kids information, put it into the computer and then access where the child needs to be released to.
So anyway, I got called in for one teenager and while process that kid they brought me two more that I needed to process. I was there until 12:45. Not what I had planned for the day.
I had planned to be done with school by then. So we just had to be flexible and do school this afternoon. We finished at 5:45.
Usually on the first day of school I take pictures of each of the kids and we all go out to eat and have ice cream at the same restaurant each year. That didn't happen today, but we'll do those things tomorrow and just pretend it's the first day.
I think we're going to love our new curriculum. I ordered it on Tuesday around midnight and I received it on Sat. That was fast shipping.
Here's to a great year of learning and growing together as a family.
Of course I got called into work at 6:44 am. I work for juvenile intake for my county. When there is a child in need of care or a child arrested they call me and I go into the sheriff's dept. and process the kids information, put it into the computer and then access where the child needs to be released to.
So anyway, I got called in for one teenager and while process that kid they brought me two more that I needed to process. I was there until 12:45. Not what I had planned for the day.
I had planned to be done with school by then. So we just had to be flexible and do school this afternoon. We finished at 5:45.
Usually on the first day of school I take pictures of each of the kids and we all go out to eat and have ice cream at the same restaurant each year. That didn't happen today, but we'll do those things tomorrow and just pretend it's the first day.
I think we're going to love our new curriculum. I ordered it on Tuesday around midnight and I received it on Sat. That was fast shipping.
Here's to a great year of learning and growing together as a family.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Last minute change!
Well I totally, at the last minute, changed our curriculum for school this year and ordered it last night.
We've been doing My Father's World and for the last two years for Bible, Science and History. We've been studying Ancient History. My plan was to continue with what we didn't get finished last year.
But after looking more and praying about it, I decided that we need to skip to My Father's World American/US History- Reformation to 1850. My kids (the two youngest) need to learn more about each state and about the times from Columbus on. I think this will be a refreshing change. I will also be adding in some Beyond Five In A Row Unit Studies here and there.
So that was a big expense that we hadn't budget for! Now I'm hoping that it comes in the mail at lightning speed. We are starting school on Tuesday.
How's that for a change of plans?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Just rambling.
I'm getting back into the swing of things after coming home from our trip. I've been very busy on the computer putting what I learned into action. Check out my YouTube videos on the right sidebar.
We will be starting school next Tuesday, so we'll be even busier then we are now. My 16 year old started her first college class last week at the junior college right behind our house. I love that she is getting high school and college credit both for taking this class and I LOVE that someone else is teacher her writing. She's taking English Comp I. She's a reluctant writer (kind of like her mom) but I know she will do fine. I keep telling her that she will appreciate me someday for encouraging her to do this. :)
With the holiday weekend coming up we are going to have one last outing before school starts. We're will be going camping at our county lake. Each year our town does a fireworks display over the lake. It is so beautiful! We'll go a few days before, get our camping spot, and then invite friends and family out to watch the fireworks with us. It will be a wonderful way to celebrate Labor Day.
I'd love to hear what your family will be doing to celebrate the holiday? You can leave a comment below. Take care. Robin
We will be starting school next Tuesday, so we'll be even busier then we are now. My 16 year old started her first college class last week at the junior college right behind our house. I love that she is getting high school and college credit both for taking this class and I LOVE that someone else is teacher her writing. She's taking English Comp I. She's a reluctant writer (kind of like her mom) but I know she will do fine. I keep telling her that she will appreciate me someday for encouraging her to do this. :)
With the holiday weekend coming up we are going to have one last outing before school starts. We're will be going camping at our county lake. Each year our town does a fireworks display over the lake. It is so beautiful! We'll go a few days before, get our camping spot, and then invite friends and family out to watch the fireworks with us. It will be a wonderful way to celebrate Labor Day.
I'd love to hear what your family will be doing to celebrate the holiday? You can leave a comment below. Take care. Robin
Welcom to this weeks DWLD newsletter.
This weeks Featured Article is...
'The Truth About A Child's Compulsive Lying' Children lie. That is a fact most parents would attest to. They don't seem to need instruction on lying; they don't need encouragement to do so. They just do. Children exaggerate, twist the truth, hide the facts, manufacture stories, and deny the obvious.
Before we consider why children lie, it is essential to recognize that lying may be an early indicator of a more severe problem. Compulsive lying has often been indicated in the early stages of children suffering from social behaviour disorders, primarily that of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and Conduct Disorder.
Recognizing that there are "special needs", however, only allows the parent to seek more help. There are still some fundamental reasons why children lie compulsively.
1. Fear. Fear is a common motivator for lying.
2. Habit. Lying can also become a habit formed through constant practice.
3. Modelling. Lying is a commonplace behaviour, and children are subject to lies all the time.
4. Overprediction. Children also lie because they overpredict a reaction.
Consider some important issues regarding punishment and lying:
1. Punishment without loving and careful instruction is a useless tool, and one that often leads to excessiveness and abuse.
2. Seek the deeper motivation for the lie and work at the source rather than the symptom.
3. Use punishment as the last option, not the first reaction.
Above all, recognize that the purpose and desire of every parent is to encourage honesty. That is a characteristic, not just a behaviour. When all is said and done, we want our children to love the truth, not to fear it; and to hate lies, not merely the punishment that lying brings.
To see the details of this article click here
Forum News
Our “Discussion Forum” introduces many interesting topics every week.
Here we find a private place to share with others, make friends, and ask questions of the Featured Experts on the site.
This week Cheryl shared with us a site that offers free live teleseminars and audio classes dealing with helping parents of children with ADD/ADHD.
She wrote: "Although directed to ADD children I 'm sure all parents can benefit from it."
Find the site at www.addclasses.com
Several people talked about being encouraged by watching the Olympics, knowing that Michael Phelps has ADD, and seeing him succeed. I posted an article about him that was in the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/sports/olympics/10Rparent.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Oh I LOVED LOVED LOVED the last line of that article!
Most people focused on what Michael couldn't do. His mother focused on what he could do.
That's our job: get to know our child, get to know his gifts and nurture his gifts.
Come join us in the discussion forums. You can try it out for only $1.00
Tip of the Week
Here are some ways to organize your child's room so that he can become more independent.
Color code drawers and hangers in his room.
For example, red hangers for shirts, drawers with the red dot for underwear. Then make a chart so he can follow the colors and hang it on his wall. Then you can tell him "Get a pair of underwear from the red drawer, a shirt from the red hanger, and a pair of pants from the blue drawer."
Letting your child with make his own choices gives him a feeling of self confidence and shows your trust in him. Try not to be negative when his choices aren't appropriate. And be very positive and encouraging when he makes a good choice.
Put a chart with words and pictures in the bathroom for times and chores. An example would be brushing his teeth with toothpaste (be explicit) at 7:30.
Put a chart of chores and times for everybody in the kitchen or in a family area. It will help your family be more organized as well as make your child remember his responsibilities.
Learn more on how to help your child with learning difficulties at
DealingWithLearningDisorders.com
Feel free to leave comments.
Talk with you next week. Robin Dicks
'The Truth About A Child's Compulsive Lying' Children lie. That is a fact most parents would attest to. They don't seem to need instruction on lying; they don't need encouragement to do so. They just do. Children exaggerate, twist the truth, hide the facts, manufacture stories, and deny the obvious.
Before we consider why children lie, it is essential to recognize that lying may be an early indicator of a more severe problem. Compulsive lying has often been indicated in the early stages of children suffering from social behaviour disorders, primarily that of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and Conduct Disorder.
Recognizing that there are "special needs", however, only allows the parent to seek more help. There are still some fundamental reasons why children lie compulsively.
1. Fear. Fear is a common motivator for lying.
2. Habit. Lying can also become a habit formed through constant practice.
3. Modelling. Lying is a commonplace behaviour, and children are subject to lies all the time.
4. Overprediction. Children also lie because they overpredict a reaction.
Do I Punish Lying?
When we get to the "bottom line", many parents want to know if they should punish a child for lying, and if so how.Consider some important issues regarding punishment and lying:
1. Punishment without loving and careful instruction is a useless tool, and one that often leads to excessiveness and abuse.
2. Seek the deeper motivation for the lie and work at the source rather than the symptom.
3. Use punishment as the last option, not the first reaction.
Above all, recognize that the purpose and desire of every parent is to encourage honesty. That is a characteristic, not just a behaviour. When all is said and done, we want our children to love the truth, not to fear it; and to hate lies, not merely the punishment that lying brings.
To see the details of this article click here
Forum News
Our “Discussion Forum” introduces many interesting topics every week.
Here we find a private place to share with others, make friends, and ask questions of the Featured Experts on the site.
This week Cheryl shared with us a site that offers free live teleseminars and audio classes dealing with helping parents of children with ADD/ADHD.
She wrote: "Although directed to ADD children I 'm sure all parents can benefit from it."
Find the site at www.addclasses.com
Several people talked about being encouraged by watching the Olympics, knowing that Michael Phelps has ADD, and seeing him succeed. I posted an article about him that was in the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/sports/olympics/10Rparent.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Here's what Marilyn had to say.
Oh I LOVED LOVED LOVED the last line of that article!
Most people focused on what Michael couldn't do. His mother focused on what he could do.
That's our job: get to know our child, get to know his gifts and nurture his gifts.
Come join us in the discussion forums. You can try it out for only $1.00
Tip of the Week
Here are some ways to organize your child's room so that he can become more independent.
Color code drawers and hangers in his room.
For example, red hangers for shirts, drawers with the red dot for underwear. Then make a chart so he can follow the colors and hang it on his wall. Then you can tell him "Get a pair of underwear from the red drawer, a shirt from the red hanger, and a pair of pants from the blue drawer."
Letting your child with make his own choices gives him a feeling of self confidence and shows your trust in him. Try not to be negative when his choices aren't appropriate. And be very positive and encouraging when he makes a good choice.
Put a chart with words and pictures in the bathroom for times and chores. An example would be brushing his teeth with toothpaste (be explicit) at 7:30.
Put a chart of chores and times for everybody in the kitchen or in a family area. It will help your family be more organized as well as make your child remember his responsibilities.
Learn more on how to help your child with learning difficulties at
DealingWithLearningDisorders.com
Feel free to leave comments.
Talk with you next week. Robin Dicks
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Site Owner of the Year!
Congratulations to our dear Robin Dicks who won SafeGate's Site Owner of the Year!!
At our annual Entrepreneur Days conference in Atlanta this past weekend, I presented her with a beautiful crystal trophy and a check for $1000!
She deserved it! Although it's been challenging, she hasn't given up and has done a great job getting the site DealingWithLearningDisorders up and going.
She is creating a community of folks who can encourage each other to deal lovingly with their children.
Yahoo! Isn't this fun!
Rhea!
who is sooooooo proud of Robin
See the video here.
It was so thrilling to win this award! I was sooooo surprised! Thanks Rhea!
This conference was such a great learning opportunity. It is so unique to attend a conference where children are encouraged to be a part and develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
Here is a list of some of the speakers that were there at what they talked about. They were all fabulous!
*Bill Walsh - International Entrepreneur Teaches You And YOUR Family
*Don Crowther - Social Sites / Social Networking For Business and Personal
*Drew Perry - Sell Your Home on eBay; Real Estate on eBay
*Scott Schilling - Learn Stock Market Investing -- It's A Life Skill That Can Bring Dividends All Your Life
*Greg Cesar - Driving Tons Of Traffic To Your Website With Google AdWords
*Kerim Emre - eBay Online Auction Expert
*Larry Goins - Creating Your Own Ultimate Buying and Selling Real Estate machine
*Brendon Burchard - Corporate and Non-Profit Partnerships
*Mike Stewart - Marketing With Online Audio And Video
If you have children that are struggling academically, plan to go to this conference next year. Kids learn, right along with their parents, ways to become successful on the Internet. They learn how to work from home and do things most school don't teach, real world education.
Until next Tuesday. Blessings on you! Robin
At our annual Entrepreneur Days conference in Atlanta this past weekend, I presented her with a beautiful crystal trophy and a check for $1000!
She deserved it! Although it's been challenging, she hasn't given up and has done a great job getting the site DealingWithLearningDisorders up and going.
She is creating a community of folks who can encourage each other to deal lovingly with their children.
Yahoo! Isn't this fun!
Rhea!
who is sooooooo proud of Robin
See the video here.
It was so thrilling to win this award! I was sooooo surprised! Thanks Rhea!
This conference was such a great learning opportunity. It is so unique to attend a conference where children are encouraged to be a part and develop an entrepreneurial mindset.
Here is a list of some of the speakers that were there at what they talked about. They were all fabulous!
*Bill Walsh - International Entrepreneur Teaches You And YOUR Family
*Don Crowther - Social Sites / Social Networking For Business and Personal
*Drew Perry - Sell Your Home on eBay; Real Estate on eBay
*Scott Schilling - Learn Stock Market Investing -- It's A Life Skill That Can Bring Dividends All Your Life
*Greg Cesar - Driving Tons Of Traffic To Your Website With Google AdWords
*Kerim Emre - eBay Online Auction Expert
*Larry Goins - Creating Your Own Ultimate Buying and Selling Real Estate machine
*Brendon Burchard - Corporate and Non-Profit Partnerships
*Mike Stewart - Marketing With Online Audio And Video
If you have children that are struggling academically, plan to go to this conference next year. Kids learn, right along with their parents, ways to become successful on the Internet. They learn how to work from home and do things most school don't teach, real world education.
Until next Tuesday. Blessings on you! Robin
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Welcome to this weeks Dealing With Learning Disorders newsletter.
Featured Articles
This week in our "Featured Articles" section you can read about a study conducted by in the diet of children resulted in increased hyperactivity.The research shows the link between additives and behavior in the general population of children ages 3, 8 and 9.
The main outcome measure was called a global hyperactivity aggregate (GHA), and it was based on recorded behaviors and ratings of the children by teachers and parents, plus a computer test of attention for the older group.
The researchers concluded that artificial colors or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population.
To read the details of this study go to
Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: A randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial
Forum News
Our “Discussion Forum” introduces many interesting topics every week.
Here we find a private place to share with others, make friends, and ask questions of the Featured Experts on the site.
One of the topics of discussion this week was the upcoming presidential election.
Here is one comment...
Join us in the Discussion Forum to see all the details on these topics and more.
Tip of the Week
Here are some ways to help your child with learning disorders track
words, and therefore make reading easier.
1: Make a window in a piece of cardboard and have the child track
words through this window.
2: Allow the child to point to the words.
3: Underline important concepts.
4: For directionality, use green line to start on the left side and a red dot to stop on the right side.
5: Visual sensitivity may work well with yellow paper.
6: Encourage the child to memorize and recite the material.
Until next week...
Robin
To learn more about how you can help your child with learning
disorders visit:
Dealing With Learning Disorders
This week in our "Featured Articles" section you can read about a study conducted by in the diet of children resulted in increased hyperactivity.The research shows the link between additives and behavior in the general population of children ages 3, 8 and 9.
153 three-year-old and 144 eight/nine-year-old children were included in the study.
The challenge drink contained a preservative and artificial colors in a fruit juice mix. The placebo drink was just a fruit juice mix that looked and tasted the same.
The researchers delivered juice mixes to the family each week, and neither the children, the parents, or the researchers knew which was which at that time, making it a double-blind-placebo control study.The main outcome measure was called a global hyperactivity aggregate (GHA), and it was based on recorded behaviors and ratings of the children by teachers and parents, plus a computer test of attention for the older group.
The researchers concluded that artificial colors or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population.
To read the details of this study go to
Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: A randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial
Forum News
Our “Discussion Forum” introduces many interesting topics every week.
Here we find a private place to share with others, make friends, and ask questions of the Featured Experts on the site.
One of the topics of discussion this week was the upcoming presidential election.
Here is one comment...
With the election coming up we need to be aware of what each candidate's views are the issues of Americans with Disabilities.
Here are just a few things I found.
This is John McCain speaking at a New Hampshire forum when he was asked about the topic by a mother of two children with autism:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtsVUgRZ0FY&eurl=http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/2008/02/
presidential_candidates_and_sp_1.html
McCain's wife, Cindy, has a master's degree in special education from the University of Southern California
Here's Barack Obama's disability plan fact sheet.
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/DisabilityPlanFactSheet.pdf
I hope that whichever one is elected will follow through with their plans and be able to achieve their goals. Where will the money come from?
Join us in the Discussion Forum to see all the details on these topics and more.
Tip of the Week
Here are some ways to help your child with learning disorders track
words, and therefore make reading easier.
1: Make a window in a piece of cardboard and have the child track
words through this window.
2: Allow the child to point to the words.
3: Underline important concepts.
4: For directionality, use green line to start on the left side and a red dot to stop on the right side.
5: Visual sensitivity may work well with yellow paper.
6: Encourage the child to memorize and recite the material.
Until next week...
Robin
To learn more about how you can help your child with learning
disorders visit:
Dealing With Learning Disorders
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