By Gayle A. North
“The symptoms of ADD seem to be caused by a lack of control of the processing of the mind which results in symptoms at in many levels of being.”
- Dr. Don Blackerby, author of “Rediscover the Joy of learning” and developer of the Rediscover the Joy of Learning program for correcting learning disorders.
School has started again and students, parents, and teachers are focused upon the learning process. Attention Deficit Disorder seems to be at epidemic proportions today and we all experience some of the symptoms of ADD. During my training in the Rediscover the Joy of Learning , an NLP based approach to dealing with learning difficulties, I gained a better understanding of the pain and suffering that children and adults with ADD experience. All neuro-logical levels are effected by this condition:
Environmental Level -- The person with ADD symptoms can do just fine in some environments and not in others. Without outside distractions they can better stay focused and accomplish tasks. Put them in a school or busy family setting, however, and they will start displaying many of the behavioral symptoms. In fact, in many instances, the environment is the trigger for the behavioral symptoms.
Many of the treatments or interventions that are attempted are at this level. Students are seated away from other students to reduce distractions in the classroom, or are sent to special rooms that are more quiet. At home they will be isolated in their rooms and told to study there without radio or TV. Many with ADD symptoms attempt to overly organize their environment in order to control the chaos they experience internally.
Beliefs and Values Level -- Most students with ADD symptoms believe that they cannot control their mind or that their mind controls them. They, therefore, are not fully responsible for what they do. They also develop limiting beliefs about the value of school and learning and these beliefs begin to color their behaviors in school. They may eventually decide that school is dumb or boring, or at least a waste of time.
Identity Level -- many individuals who suffer from ADD symptoms over a long time develop limiting beliefs about themselves which shows up in their self-image, or self esteem. They believe that they are defective or weird. They may devalue themselves and think that they are worthless or that nobody really likes them or accepts them. They also believe that they are totally discounted and not understood for who they REALLY are. Some rebel and fight back while others become apathetic and withdraw from school and/or society.
Spiritual/Greater Systems Level -- Some may begin to blame God for creating them differently. Some blame society or schools or family for not being able to help them. They feel as though they have been let down because nobody has been able to help them overcome a malady that they did not ask for. The can begin to feel like an outcast from society. They sometimes strike out at society, families, schools, God or religions (and feel justified. At this stage, anti-social behaviors can develop even further resulting in taking non-prescription drugs or activities with gangs, etc., as a way to fit in somewhere and/or feel good about themselves or to feel peaceful for a little while.
We now realize that the results of the effect of ADD and similar learning challenges causes major ramifications throughout the individual and creates far greater problems than previously thought. The challenge is to teach these students in the first and second grades to control their mind and slow down the images and thoughts so that they can effectively focus on a task and to teach them learning strategies that work for them so they can keep up with their grade level. It is easiest to correct learning strategies, motivation strategies and help students improve the control of their thinking at the fourth grade level or earlier. It is never too late, however, and adults of any age can adopt effective learning strategies to do well on tests, etc.
Gayle North offers Personal Coaching for Positive Change using recently developed empowerment technologies that dramatically cut the time it takes to adopt a more joyous self image, improve health, heal negative emotions, improve performance in school, sports, relationships, etc. Visit www.gaylenorth.com for other articles. Call the Positive Change Institute in Bigfork, MT. (406) 837-1214 to speak with her about workshops or individual coaching in person or by phone.