Have you ever thought these things about a struggling child or student? “He’s lazy!” She’s awfully impulsive and impatient!” “He’s hopelessly impossible!” I hate to admit it, but I have.
When I catch myself thinking these thoughts, I have learned to refocus on the ultimate model of flexible structuring: One who was able to see beyond the struggles, see the strengths, and recognize the potential.
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During the past decade, brain researchers have identified a set of abilities that help us manage our time, energy, resources, and talents: these skills are called executive functions (EF). The good news is that weaknesses in these executive skills can be addressed! Read on to learn more. Earlier this month (May 2012), internationally known ADHD […]
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Parents of children with attention challenges often want to know why… “Why is my four-year old son the one who always throws a tantrum when its time to leave the party?” “Why is my ten-year old son constantly in the principal’s office for being the class-clown?” “Why has my fourteen year old run away from home?” “Why […]
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“Consistent inconsistency” is one of the hallmark features of ADHD that very few people talk about. The most consistent thing about the child or adult with attention challenges is that we are inconsistent. Day-to-day, hour to hour, we can be highly unpredictable. Sometimes, if we are dealing with something that involves our passion in life, […]
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“Flexiture” is a unique combination of flexibility and structure that empowers parents and teachers to solve big and small problems faced by their children and students who struggle with poor executive functions because of ADD/ADHD, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, and related challenges.
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Flexiture is not a new a concept: God invented flexible structure when he took a little dust and a lot of creativity to form the first man and woman. In the human body, our bones form the underlying “structure,” and our muscles, cartilage and skin supply flexibility. Without the structure of our bones, we would […]
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Many of you have asked what motivated me to quit my well-paying job with great benefits to start my own private counseling practice in this economy…It’s not really what but who…Don Miller. About a year ago, I read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: it’s a great book about how many of us are not living the life (story) […]
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Now it’s up to you to apply the concepts and suggestions outlined here! As I close, I ask that you consider your impossible and impulsive children and students in a new light. Have you ever thought these things about a struggling child or student? “He’s lazy!” “She’s awfully impulsive and impatient!” “He’s hopelessly impossible!” I […]
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The child with attention difficulties benefits most from an education plan that addresses two specific needs: (1) Structuring aimed at helping her build her own internal structured approach to problem solving. (2) Flexibility of accommodations for the specific weaknesses associated with the individual child’s attention difficulties. Structuring Children with attention difficulties benefit greatly from explicit instruction […]
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Children with attention challenges often struggle with multi-faceted and multiple step learning tasks because of trouble consistently managing themselves and their resources in order to achieve goals and solve problems. The written expression challenges common to children with ADD/ADHD include: Handwriting quality is inconsistent due to quick work. Spelling errors are mostly phonetic (spell words the […]
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I’m often asked, “What is the difference between the learning difficulties seen in a child with an attention disorder and those seen in a child with a specific learning disorder like dyslexia?” This is a tough question because the learning challenges brought on by an attention disorder can often seem to be the same as […]
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