Advocating for Your Child with LD

Advocate: you've probably heard the term before. But what does it mean to you?

Advocating happens when you speak on behalf of someone else. You say for them what they can't say for themselves.

When you have a child who has been diagnosed with a learning disability, this is exactly what you must do for them. You must speak on their behalf. You know your child the best of anybody, and you are the best person to speak for them.

It sounds like a tall order, and it is. It is not always an easy thing to do. I know. I've been there. Even with a college degree and a special education classroom of my own, I often felt "less than" the other members of the PET (Pupil Evaluation Team), the group of teachers and administrators that we met with to determine Michele’s program. Sometimes, I felt as if I was being punished for not doing enough for my daughter, since she didn't learn the same way as the other children. Granted, it wasn't the professionals who made me feel that way, it was my own perspective. But, right or wrong, that’s the way I felt.

As a teacher of students with LD, I sat through many PET meetings in which parents sat quietly looking down at their hands, feeling painfully inadequate. They didn't feel qualified enough to realize they had anything to add to the proceedings. After all, they were sitting with people who had college degrees and years of experience and training in teaching. Many felt that, for some reason, they were to blame because their child had a learning disability. Others felt that because they had little or no college education, they weren't as smart as the teachers.

That's not true. Parents can add more to the PET meeting than anyone else.

You know your child better than anyone else. You know what works best with them. You are their parent and you know how they think. Those things qualify you to be able to speak on equal footing with anyone else in the PET. If the PET recommends that your child begin his homework right when he gets home from school, but you know that he needs a break to relax, then speak up. If he is really tired by the end of the school day, then the teachers need to know that. If they recommend that your child do homework in total silence, but you know that listening to music helps your child to shut out the rest of the world so they can concentrate better, then tell the team. All of that information helps them to work with your child in school as well. Don't be shy about letting them know what works.

Don't be afraid to stand up for your child. Sometimes, because the child's progress needs to be discussed at the PET, things can sound somewhat negative. It’s vital to ask for the good things that are going on with the child as well, and when you disagree with something a PET member says, express your feelings. Your child can't do that for himself - he needs you for you to do that for him.

Your child may not be able to tell others what they need. They may not know, themselves. Or they may not have the language to express their needs. Or, they may feel intimidated to tell adults what is going on with them even if they do know how to express themselves. It is up to you to help the PET understand the needs of your child and to speak up for him or her.

Remember, your child's education affects the rest of his life, and it’s in your hands. It is a great responsibility, there’s no doubt about it. But you know your child better than anyone else. You are your child's best advocate. You can do it!

For more up-to-date plain talk about learning disabilities, please visit us at www.LDperspectives.com.

About the author:
Sandy Gauvin is a retired educator who has seen learning disabilities from many perspectives - as the parent of a daughter with learning disabilities, as the teacher of children with learning disabilities, and as an advocate for others who have diagnosed and unrecognized learning disabilities. Sandy shares her wisdom and her resources at http://www.LDPerspectives.com
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Adult ADD Myths And Legends

BY:Tellman H. Knudson

If you have adult ADD or ADHD, you've probably heard it all, and because it was only around 30 years ago that professionals started to recognize that attention deficit doesn't always go away, you may never have been properly diagnosed. Oh, well... you still have adult ADD.

So, let's discuss some of the reasons why or why not your attention deficit came to be:

1. Hyper people are the only ones with ADD

Not true. Even if you're as calm as an azure sky, you may still have attention deficit in one form or another. Three of the subtypes are inattentive, where the slightest thing may draw your attention away from what you're trying to concentrate on; hyperactive, where you just can't seem to stay still; and a combination of both. Just because a person is fidgety and hyper doesn't necessarily mean that they're ADD or ADHD.

2. Poor parenting skills are the reason for attention deficit

Not true. Whether your parents were completely permissive and you were allowed to do anything you felt like doing or whether they were staunch disciplinarians, their parenting skills have nothing at all to do with your attention deficit. Differences in brain chemistry and physical makeup do. It's not their fault.

3. Adult ADD is a Myth

If you have adult ADD, you know better. If you had ADD or ADHD as a child, you know that you still have the disorder, though some adults are able to control the symptoms better than others.

4. Sugar causes attention deficit

Wrong again. There is no scientific correlation between a person's sugar intake and ADD or ADHD.

5. ADD has nothing to do with other conditions

In part, that's true. Certain issues, like mood and conduct disorders or learning disabilities often accompany attention deficit, but not all people with anxiety disorder, for instance, have ADD.

The fact is, if you have adult ADD, you may have learned to control it. If not, adult ADD could be making you miserable. If you suspect you have adult ADD, come to Instant ADD Success.com and take the ADD test. Then, find a counselor or other professional that can help you to deal with your symptoms. Nobody with attention deficit should have to suffer.

About Author Tellman H. Knudson :
Tellman Knudson is CEO of Overcome Everything, Inc., a certified hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner, and has ADHD himself. Go to his comprehensive site with ADD information at http://instantaddsuccess.com/ and sign up for his free weekly ADHD tips.
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Therapeutic Massage For Autistic Children

Autistic children are different. Autism can be broadly defined as a kind of brain disorder. Parents become aware that they have an autistic child when he or she is 2-3 years old. From then onwards their life becomes very challenging as they struggle to cope with their child.

Most autistic children shut themselves from the world and like to remain in a cocoon of loneliness. They hate to communicate with another adult and detest being touched. They are unable to use language properly even to express their basic needs. The child is usually unable to form sentences and may repeat a few words that he has heard. Some may be dumb Most have an extremely short attention span unable to concentrate on anything for more than two minutes. The most heartbreaking fact for parents is the child’s inability to express love in the form of kisses hugs or cuddles. Many exhibit behavioral problems by displaying fits of uncontrollable rage

At times an autistic child drives parents crazy. They usually go in for various treatments both conventional and unconventional and hope that it will bring them positive results. More often than not disappointment follows. Research has shown that massage therapy often works wonders for an autistic child. There are many kinds of massage therapies available but the parent has to learn with the help of the therapist what works for their child.

Though most autistic children hate to be touched many react positively to massage therapy. Parents should learn the correct massage techniques from a massage therapist. It is important that the massage is given in the right way to bring positive results. Before you begin the exercise, make the child look at your mouth and say the word massage slowly. By repeating it everyday your child will learn what to expect when you say the word. Massage in the form of long soothing strokes especially on the head, face and neck is very effective. Make a timetable and set aside a particular time each day for massage. Giving a massage before your child goes to sleep works wonders.

Many parents of autistic children reported that their hitherto sleepless child experienced sound sleep for a greater period of time. Parents of autistic children who have practiced massage therapy made glowing reports of their child’s progress. The attention span of most children increased substantially helping them to focus on the task they were doing. The child no longer loathed being touched and was able to bond better with his or her parents and other children. They were calmer and experienced less behavioral problems.

Another benefit from massage that few people are aware of is that it helps to remove toxins from our connective tissue and muscles which makes our child lead a healthier life. Many autistic children have lower levels of the hormone Oxytocin which induces feelings of warmth and emotional connections in our body. According to research massage helps to release Oxytocin in our body which is so necessary for autistic children. Long soothing strokes help drive away stress and make them more relaxed which help them respond in a better way to their environment. Massage therapy makes the autistic child feel that the world is a safe place and helps them relate to it in a better way.

About Author Juliet White :
Author: J. White - For more information on Therapeutic Massage visit: http://www.ifitnessgear.com/massagers Or call: 1-800-746-1191
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Symptoms of ADHD - The Top Signs Your Child May Have ADHD

By:  Austin Andrews

One of the most common questions that parents and teachers ask me 

is, “What are the symptoms of ADHD?”This is a very important question. Parents want to understand if their child has a real learning disability or not.

They are also concerned about their child being ADD/ADHD because it 

also brings up the discussion of treatment and whether or not their child needs to 

be medicated. More and more studies are coming out on the side effects 

of ADHD/ADD and parents are concerned. Medication should be avoided at all costs!

Early Symptoms of ADHD

 

Often, a child starts showing signs and symptoms of ADHD in the 

elementary school years when the symptoms are adversely affecting 

performance at school. Most medical/health professionals agree that it 

is difficult to diagnose children younger than 4 or 5 years old because 

typical behavior at this age is much more varying than that of older 

children and may often include features that are similar to ADHD 

symptoms.

DSM-IV

According to the DSM-IV (which is a guide for mental health 

professionals that lists many different mental/physical disorders and the criteria for diagnosing 

them) the key feature of ADHD is a persistent pattern of inattentive, 

hyperactive, or impulsive behavior that is more frequent and severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable stage of development.

There must also be clear evidence that the symptoms of ADHD 

interfere with the development of appropriate social, academic, or occupational 

functioning. According to professional diagnosis standards, hyperactive behavior 

may be demonstrated by fidgeting or "squirming" in one's seat, by not 

remaining seated when expected to do so, by excessive running or climbing when in 

situations where it is considered to be inappropriate.

Pre-school aged children may display this type of behavior to a much 

more marked degree when compared with same-age peers. At this age, the 

hyperactive child is constantly on the go, gets into everything, jumping and climbing 

excessively.

School-aged children may show hyperactivity in the form of having 

trouble remaining seated, getting up frequently, fidgeting with objects, 

tapping their hands, squirming in their seats, and shaking their hands, 

legs, or feet.

Impulsive Behavior will often appear as impatience, difficulty in 

delaying responses, a child who blurts out an answer in class before the 

teacher can even complete the question.

Other symptoms of ADHD include not being able to wait one's turn 

and, frequently interrupting or intruding on others objects away from 

other kids, and handing things they are not supposed to.

The DSM-IV-TR provides mental health professionals with a list of 

general behaviors that are exhibited by those with ADHD and hyperactivity.

Hyperactivity and Impulsivity are noted together below, with children 

needing to display at six of the behaviors listed below and persisting 

for at least a period of 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and 

inconsistent with developmental level.

Due to the medical nature of ADHD, only health professionals are 

qualified to determine if the behavior the child is exhibiting meets the following 

qualifications for ADHD as an official diagnosis:

--Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat.

--Often gets up from seat when remaining in seat is expected.

--Often runs about or climbs when and where it is not appropriate

--Often has trouble playing or enjoying leisure activities quietly.

--Is often "on the go" or often acts as if "driven by a motor".

--Often talks excessively.

ADHD Symptoms of Impulsivity include:

--Often blurts out answers before questions have been finished.

--Often has trouble waiting one's turn.

--Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations 

or games).

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For more information on helping your child with ADHD succeed without 

using harmful medication, visit http://adhdanswers.org/. Your child’s 

ADHD can be treated naturally!