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Hi Frederic

Don Blackerby NLP In Education A Magnificent Opportunity as had some very good results working with ADD- and he has a good DVD set which would be worth checking out-

J

Cheers Jay, consider it checked out, thanks for the link.

Hi frederic,

I have worked (as a teacher) with numerous ADD labelled kids and I am not convinced it has clearly defined and measurable qualities for the labelling (and installing the associated limiting belief that come with it) a child as having ADD is all that worthwhile.

It was reassuring for me to hear that Richard Bandler agrees with me (see how I pretended to know him to make my post more credible- we do share similar opinions on this but I am sure he came up with his own and never copied me!) mentioning that kids who cannot focus for 10 minutes on a task that they dont want to do can sit for hours with military like attention on their XBOX or Playstation.

I lifted this from the link Jay posted

HYPERACTIVITY--They can't stay still. They are constantly moving and fidgeting. They are under chairs or tables or climbing over furniture.
IMPULSIVENESS--They move or change directions very quickly. They will be doing one thing and then suddenly start doing something else. They "act before they think!"
DISTRACTIBILITY--They can't stay focused on one thought or task. They will be doing a task and the smallest noise interrupts them.
LACK OF ORGANIZATION--They cannot do the more complex tasks which require them to organize the larger task into a series of steps. Somebody has to tell or show them how to do each step.
FORGETFULNESS--They forget instructions. They forget to do things or tasks they have been told to do. They will start to do something and forget what they were supposed to do.
PROCRASTINATION--They have trouble starting and completing tasks or assignments. They are constantly putting off doing things. They can't seem to "get started."

The list implies that 'they cannot' or 'are unable to..' and is full of contradictions.

Frederic, I am sure you know that already but what helped me with ADHD / ADD kids is to treat the kid and not the 'illness'. If you learn about ADD just remember that none of it was written with your friends girl in mind.

I have never had sustained exposure to a child (and now adult) with ADD, in fact, I have never before met an adult who has maintained their label into adult life.

You wrote

and I wonder how much of those problems stem from issues that are not related to ADD at all.

Fascinating topic Frederic, please keep us updated as to this young ladies progress and observations you have.

Thanks

Matt

Hi Matt


Thanks for your valuable insight; I had come to the same assumption, which is all they are at the moment. I did a mind body connection workshop on the weekend and after speaking to the presenter he had the same notions as we do. He went further to say by the time they become an adult they generally grow out of ADD.

I think that the first step I will take is to sit down with her and find out what is actually going on for her and discover what she wants to achieve. I have a few ideas where to begin and will keep you posted.

This is a brilliant opportunity for two way learning.

Have a great day

Frederic

Frederic, I spotted this in the news this morning and thought of you.

Here is the link to the full article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7630926.stm) but I have pasted the content below.

Parents need lessons in how to cope with their children's unruly behaviour, new guidelines on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) say.



The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) says drugs such as Ritalin should be avoided - and must not be given to the under-fives.

Teachers would also benefit from training to recognise and help children with this condition, it adds.

Any primary school class is likely to have a child with ADHD, experts say.

Most of the estimated 365,000 children in Britain with ADHD receive no treatment at all.


But of those who do, most - about 37,000 - are prescribed stimulants like Ritalin (methylphenidate).

Children with ADHD have extreme difficulty sitting still, learning or concentrating.
At school they may find it hard to keep friends and suffer from bullying because of their behaviour. Looking after affected children can be exhausting for parents.
Parenting classes
The guidelines, which cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland, say parent training and education programmes should be offered as a first-line treatment for ADHD, both for pre-school and school age children.




The programmes teach parents how to create a structured home environment, encourage attentiveness and concentration, and manage misbehaviour better.

Drugs remain a first option for children over five and young people with severe ADHD, say the guidelines, but only as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes psychological and behavioural interventions.

Dr Tim Kendall, a consultant psychiatrist from Sheffield who is joint director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health and helped draw up the guidelines, said: "There is an over-reliance on medicines.


"Quite commonly, people tend to revert to offering methylphenidate or atomoxetene. When they do that it's not always because there's a good balance of risk and benefits. It's because the child has got what appears to be ADHD and that's what's available. Its easier to prescribe a drug when other options like parent training programmes are not available."

Dr Kendall said it was important to diagnose ADHD correctly, rather than label all bad behaviour as ADHD. The symptoms of ADHD persist in all settings - both at school and at home - and cause real impairment.
Andrea Bilbow, chief executive of the ADHD charity ADDISS, welcomed the NICE recommendations but questioned how helpful the parent training programmes would be to parents.

"Parenting programmes are extremely important, but they need to be specific for ADHD.
"The ones that NICE are recommending were designed for the parents of children with conduct disorder, which is completely different from ADHD," she said.
ADHD symptoms:

Easily distracted
Restlessness
Difficulty remaining seated when required
Difficulty awaiting turn in group situations
Difficulty following instructions
Difficulty in playing quietly
Often shift from one incomplete activity to another
Often interrupts others
Often engages in physically dangerous activities without considering the consequences

Thanks Matt

I had a chat with her the other night. Great learning experience for both of us, we did establish that she had a tick in all the boxes for the ADD symptoms and this was confirmed by a psychiatrist, mmmmm I wonder. Also that its sounds and not pictures that overwhelm her, she has an aversion to exercises relating to her past ADD experiences and belief blocks with the future.

I shared a few ideas, exercises and articles with her that explained that people do grow out of ADD, and she immediately shutdown and became defensive. So there are some very strong beliefs at play.

She is very quick and picked up on some sneaky presupositions and embedded commands, though it may have been a result of being out of rapport, not to sure on that one. I did manage to anchor that this was a two way learning experience for both of us and that the more I learn from her the better that we will be able to resolve your ADD issues.

So I think I need to approach it from the perspective that she has ADD, build some more trust that there might be a solution, lead her out by experimenting with options she is comfortable with. Like anchoring and moving forward from there.

I do have a few ideas of some possible secondary gains, even if these are only ideas made from obsevations and yet to be confirmed. The first being to ask her what she thinks would work.

Have a great day

Frederic