I recently received an email from our electric company offering an “Energy Efficiency Kit.” Obviously, everyone is concerned about saving energy! However, we rarely think about conserving *brain* energy.

Just like every appliance in your home, however, your brain is an electrical organ. So, let’s talk about some ways you can give your brain –and your students’ brains- a “five star” energy rating.

Dr. Russell Barkley, a Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University (SUNY Upstate) shared what he calls “7 Keys to Executive Function.” In other words…

7 KEYS TO MAXIMIZE BRAIN POWER!

Conserve brain energy! Follow these guidelines to get your own Five-Star rating for Brain Energy Efficiency.

1. Externalize important information at key points of performance. In other words, “Get it out of your head!” For example, take notes. Make lists. Record tasks in a planner or calendar. Write reminders on post-it notes. For students, we first need to teach them the importance of writing things down so they don’t waste valuable brain energy holding information in memory. Then, we need to teach them efficient systems for writing these things down. (See #7.)

2. Externalize time periods related to tasks and deadlines. Conserve valuable brain energy by NOT letting your brain manage time. Instead, write down deadlines. Use electronic reminders. Set a timer while working on a project, doing homework, or trying to get your family out of the house. (The #1 reason for crazy mornings is that only one person is managing the time…you! Let a timer assume that responsibility! It will make you less of a nag, too!)

3. Break up lengthy tasks into many small steps. As adults, we know the benefits of breaking large tasks into small steps. Students, however, need support with this. Teachers can break large projects into smaller sections, each with individual due dates. Parents can facilitate this process with nightly homework, challenging students to finish small chunks of work at a time. Then, take a Brain Break (see #6).

4. Externalize sources of motivation. Some people believe all motivation should come “from within.” I agree with that notion…in an ideal world. In the real world, however, we all appreciate some outside motivation. Perhaps it’s extra media time, an extra Brain Break, a special sticker, or points towards a fun outing with mom or dad. Two weeks ago, I trudged through a major project only by promising myself a trip to my local creperie. (Shh! Don’t tell anyone. You’re not supposed to bribe yourself with food!)

5. Externalize mental problem-solving. Get it out of your head! (Oh wait, I said that already.) For adults, this means…make “pro and con” lists. Draw maps and diagrams of information you know. I created a chart for parents called “How to Make Decisions for Your Child” that is designed for this sole purpose…getting important facts and feelings on paper and OUT OF YOUR HEAD.

For students, this means they should write down facts. Draw diagrams. Put information on index cards and rearrange them into a logical order.

For students with ADHD, dyslexia, or any working memory challenges, this may also mean that math fact fluency may never happen. Dr. Barkley said, “Fluency is impossible.” Instead, use marbles, number lines, or (gasp!)…calculators. “Fluency” is a biological impossibility for students with these challenges. Dr. Barkley made the point that if a child was missing a leg, we would encourage him to use a prosthetic leg. Calculators, marbles, and number lines are “prostheses” for an ADHD and/or dyslexic brain.

6. Replenish the “brain’s” fuel tank. When your computer gets sluggish, what do you do? You shut it down…then immediately restart it. Under normal circumstances, it doesn’t take long for your computer to return to normal. The same is true for your brain! Here is a list of some quick tips for replenishing the brain’s power supply:

- Encourage positive emotions and rewards.

- Use positive self-talk.

- Take frequent breaks. Elementary students need a three-minute break every ten minutes! Easier said than done, but this is the optimal ratio for maximizing brain power. Some great three-minute breaks include: movement, deep breathing, visualization…or simply pausing from a high-concentration task (unless the child is in “flow” and high concentration is comfortable at that specific time).

- Exercise. Aerobic activity, of any duration, not only replenishes the fuel tank, it expands its capacity!

- Visualize goals. Use imagery, or real pictures, as a source of relaxation and motivation.

- Sip on lemonade. The brain needs glucose to operate at full capacity. Sipping (not gulping) on lemonade or a sports drink is a great source of glucose. (This recommendation comes directly from Dr. Barkley. If you are not a fan of sugar, don’t yell at me! “Everything in moderation.”)

- Use music. Baroque music is great to promote concentration. Hip-hop music can be used to inspire energy at transition points. Likewise, “spa music” can be used to inspire calm reflection and relaxation…depending on specific times and transitions.

7. Repeat to the point of “automaticity.” Turning tasks into efficient systems allows them to become “second nature.” When something becomes “second nature,” brain scans show that the entire frontal lobe of the brain goes dark!

In other words, as soon as something becomes automatic, it requires less than 50% of the brain power that it did before!

Can you guess what helps students reach automaticity? Yes, that’s right…study skills! Not just *any* set of study skills. Most strategies that typically fall under the umbrella of “study skills” are extremely complicated and time-consuming. SOAR Study Skills, however, is a system specifically developed to maximize efficiency.

Our strategies have always been built on our three criteria for “student-friendlines;” they are effective, efficient, and apply across content areas so students know when to use them. If SOAR was an appliance, it would definitely receive a 5-Star Energy Efficient Rating!

Start conserving brain energy today with our tools for developing automaticity in school:

SOAR School Success Kit for Families

ADHD School Success Kit for Families

SOAR Study Skills Classroom Curriculum

SOAR Study Skills Programs for Tutors

Sincerely,

-Susan Kruger

(Google+)

There is a scene in the Disney movie, “Beauty and the Beast,” where Belle’s father is desperately trying to save her. She’s being held prisoner by the Beast, so her father begs people in town to help rescue her.

At first, the townspeople lead him on, letting him think they will help. But, in truth, they don’t believe him.  They call him a “crazy lunatic” and literally throw him out into the bitter cold.  He lands on his face, scooping snow with his mouth, and wails in hopeless desperation, “Will no one help me?”

That scene describes my life for 18 months. My son was being held “prisoner” by ADHD.  The problem was that people either did not believe the severity of the struggles I was describing, or thought they were a result of poor parenting.

We were both prisoners to overwhelming ignorance over ADHD.

Mark had classic – and highly frustrating – symptoms of ADHD. He was very hyper and always on the move.  His was very distracted, rarely engaged in anything in school, and couldn’t process verbal instructions if his life depended on it.  All of these symptoms made parenting crazy-frustrating and maddening…beyond words!  But the worst part, by far, were the mood swings.

Mark developed manic and debilitating mood swings, beginning consistently in kindergarten.  There was no telling when they would hit.  Any little thing could trigger a two-hour melt-down.

These meltdowns wreaked havoc for our family! It was impossible to get to school – or anywhere – on time.  Many evenings – and vacations – were destroyed by Mark’s outbursts.

And, forget homework! His reading teachers thought I was a horrible, lazy parent when I sent several assignments back with a note attached.  “Mark had a massive melt-down last night.  I couldn’t get him to do his homework.  I’m still trying to get medical help, but I’m on a three-month waiting list…”

The situation was made worse by the fact that Mark was a calm, quiet child in school. The “Mark” that his teachers and principal saw was very different than the Mark that could explode at home.  I can’t blame any of them for being perplexed over my descriptions of his behavior.   To them, he seemed like an angel.

Mark doting on his new baby cousin! He’s a loving soul, but ADHD was holding him hostage, causing debilitating melt-downs…even when visiting his favorite people!

Mark IS an angel! He’s a lovely soul who loves to please people. But, two things were very clear to my husband and me…

First, his behavior was *not* a ploy to get attention and manipulate us. That did not fit his personality and many of his melt-downs occurred during fun things he wanted to do.  Why would he sabotage his own fun time on purpose?

Secondly, we believed he was experiencing some sort of chemical reaction within his body. The moods were incredibly manic, as if he was possessed.  His eyes would go blank and he lost all capacity to be rational.  It’s hard to explain to others, but we knew our son had no capacity to control himself.

One day we took a 1.5-hour road trip to visit Mark’s favorite people: Uncle Greg, Aunt Mandy, and “baby Katie.”  Katie was a brand-new newborn at the time and Mark was over-the-moon to be her big cousin!

But, those 90 minutes were the longest of my life! Mark was a crying, inconsolable, and moody mess. He wailed many times, “I wish I was never even born!” which is a horrible – and scary – thing to hear from your child.  For a brief, 5-minute window, however, he did manage to laugh very heartily over a crane on the side of the road. It was very manic and very concerning!

When we finally reached the restaurant to meet my family, I sat next to my brother Greg, put my head on the table, and cried! I had been trying to get help for Mark for months.  I was sent from doctor to doctor, waiting list to waiting list.  Meanwhile, our concerns were either dismissed, or were thought to be caused by a “crazy, lunatic” mother.

Soon after that road trip, right in the midst of my desperate scramble to get medical help, I was also thrown out in the cold, just like Belle’s father.  I’ve written about this the infamous meeting with Mark’s principal a few times. The detailed story is here: https://studyskills.com/educators/other/today-is-my-redemption-day/.

In short, the principal was concerned that Mark’s reading scores had not improved in six months and that Mark had missed a lot of school. He knew about our medical concerns and all of our appointments; I had CCed him on every email to teachers throughout the year.  But, he hadn’t seen any sign of Mark’s distress at school.

Since the outbursts were only happening at home, he told me, it was a parenting problem. He reached across the table, wagged his finger in my face, and scolded me. “YOU are holding your son back.  His MOTHER is holding him back!”  He then concluded the meeting by threating to take us to court for “educational neglect,” which is child abuse in the court system.

He challenged my integrity as a professional and as a parent. It was a bully move, abusing his position of authority.  In my head, I knew that he was the problem, not me.  But, it was still a very painful accusation.  By the time I left his office, I was crying so hard, I was hyperventilating.

It wasn’t just the principal’s obnoxious behavior that pushed me over the edge. It was that I felt duped.  I thought he was our “educational partner” and was expecting the meeting to be much more pro-active and team-oriented.

It was also the fact that I had been killing myself to get help for Mark; worrying myself sick, straining over all sorts of “rule-out “diets, and sacrificing sleep to work late at night, since my daytime hours were filled with his doctor appointments, medical tests, and child care during his frequent “sick days.”

And, I was also upset over the fact that I was running out of options.

Mark had already been diagnosed with ADHD, but the delay was over how to treat him.  His blood sugar levels indicated that we should consult with a pediatric endocrinologist, another three-month wait.  The endocrinologist said we had better check in with a pediatric cardiologist, another two-month wait. When every day is hell, waiting 90 days, then being told you have to wait another 60 days, then another 90 days… is very difficult and disheartening.

We soon learned not to tell any doctors or educators about the mood swings. As soon as we did, the attention would turn towards us and the quality of our parenting.

My husband and I aren’t perfect parents, by any means, but we are as prepared as any parents can possibly be! We have both been trained in “Love and Logic” and each have years of experience honing our behavior-management skills in the classroom. Nonetheless, I’m here to tell you…logic does not prevail in a child with special needs!

Starting Treatment

So, instead of talking about the mood swings, we only discussed the more “appropriate” symptoms of ADHD.  When we finally got the green light to begin treatment, we had already spent months trying various diets, ruling out food allergies and all of the other things that some people believe cause ADHD.  We had tried everything and now, we were hoping medication would help.

Medication did help!  But, it took several months of testing before we found the right medication and dosage. We agreed that medication would not be tolerated if it turned Mark into a drone; we would only support medication if it allowed Mark to be more, “Mark.”  When we finally found the right treatment, angels hovered over our house and sang a glorious chorus!

We noticed stark improvements overnight.  But, within only a few weeks the mood swings were reduced by 80%. We also worked with a counselor and within a couple of months, the mood swings were gone altogether. We had our Mark back!

Mark still had struggles with dyslexia, but he was excelling in his new school! (We pulled him from the previous school, immediately following the threat of child abuse charges.) He was now more cooperative over making healthy food choices and happy to get involved in sports and other healthy, physical activities.

I’ve since learned that his mood swings were caused by serious anxiety. The anxiety was fueled by two factors.  First, he was on sensory overload in his previous school; too many bodies, too much noise, and too much commotion for him to effectively cope.  Second, I eventually discovered he had been treated poorly by two teachers and the principal.  Just days before the infamous meeting, I witnessed an incident while volunteering for Mark’s class.

Anxiety, it turns out, is a “kissing cousin” of ADHD; the biology of ADHD and anxiety are nearly identical. I never realized how debilitating anxiety can be, but it explains why Mark was not having outbursts at school; he was riddled with fear!  At home, where he was more comfortable, fear did not suppress his anxiety. Without fear to “cork” it, the cycle of anxiety spun through his brain like thread in a sewing machine on full throttle!

It has now been 14 months since Mark’s treatment took hold and I’m happy to report that he’s a happy eight year-old, thriving in school, and thrilled that we are able to help other children benefit from the challenges he experienced.

I could not be more happy for him, but one question has haunted me since we encountered our first road-block, two-and-a-half years ago….

If This Is Happening to Us, What Do Other Parents Do?

We had every resource at our disposal. I am a professional educator on a national platform.  My husband is a nationally board-certified teacher and was a highly respected teacher in the same school district as my son.  In fact, he won a teaching award from our county two nights after the principal’s attack.

My mother is a physician who consistently supported our concerns, encouraged me to keep fighting, and assured me that I wasn’t crazy.  With my husband’s health benefits, we had unlimited access to healthcare.  In theory, we had everything we needed to push forward.  Yet, we were met with unimaginable roadblocks on the path towards healing.

Over and over again, I would say to my husband, “I am using every ounce of my professional energy to help Mark. Every step of the way, I’ve had a ‘plan B.’ If something doesn’t work, I’m on to the next thing.  I don’t know when we’ll find an answer, but I know how to keep fighting.  What do parents do who don’t have our training or our resources?”  I still shudder to think about it.

Throughout the whole ordeal, I had this great sense that I was supposed to be learning from it. It was like I had two personalities; one was the worried, anxious, sleep-less mom.  The other was the quiet observer, soaking up every morsel of information and every emotion, knowing that God was testing me for a reason.

It is hard to describe how both personalities could co-exist in my heart; that I could experience such intense pain (picture Belle’s father, lying face down, in the cold snow), yet have such a strong conviction that it was all happening for a good reason.

I’ve already seen our trials come to a positive fruition in at least a dozen close friends and family who have directly benefited from lessons we learned. Just this morning, a friend sent a Facebook message, asking for information to help her ADHD son.   It’s becoming a daily occurrence, just within my personal network.

Last week, ADDitude Magazine invited me to sit on their Expert Panel and host a webchat about school-related ADHD issues. Over 200 questions came in so fast and furious, that I couldn’t possibly read them all during the one-hour webinar.  I finally read through all of them this weekend, while riding in the car with my family.

After reading only a few dozen questions, I put my head back in angst for these parents and vented to my husband, “These questions are just heart-breaking; there is so much pain here! So many people don’t understand ADHD and are fighting the stigma, children are accused of being lazy, parents aren’t able to get help and think they are crazy…this is just awful!”

Suddenly, Mark piped in from the backseat, “Yeah, but Mom, you did such a good job of getting me through all of this terrible stuff; you can help them, too!”

Wow! There is nothing like an endorsement from your child, especially after walking through the storms we’ve shared together. He knows this has been my goal, all along.  But, I sure do love how he tries to cheer his mama up!

Moving Forward

Tomorrow, I’m flying off to San Francisco for the largest ADHD conference of the year, hosted by CHADD. I’m bringing along information on the ADHD Circuit, a model I developed to help people better understand ADHD. I’m hoping I can find a way to get it into people’s hands.

Dozens of people have already told me that this model has “changed their life” and “finally” helped them understand ADHD. It is 100% scientifically accurate.  The question is, will people who’ve dedicated decades of their life to researching and understanding ADHD be willing to embrace this viewpoint?

I’m about to find out! I’m not speaking, since the call for speakers closed months ago, long before I had gathered enough research or tested my model thoroughly.  I am not buying a booth since I am not planning to sell anything.  So, I will quietly talk to people and see what happens.   Wish me luck…for the sake of all the children and adults who are fighting this seriously misunderstood condition.  ADHD can be a great asset, once people understand it and learn how to harness it.

Of course, I’m also going to learn as much as I possibly can, and hope to pass good information along to you. In the meantime, you can see an introduction to the ADHD Circuit model in a video on this page:

www.StudySkills.com/adhd.

You can also request a scorecard, which will help you target specific struggles in school and identify strategies to flip those challenges into “success.”

Until next week…

-Susan Kruger

(Google+)

Being Convinced of What We “Know”

I always knew that exercise was good for my brain, the same way I knew that flossing was good for my teeth. But it wasn’t until I was 33 and saw an x-ray of my teeth that I saw exactly why my dentist kept nagging me about flossing; all of my cavities are in between my teeth.  From the moment I saw that x-ray, I became a religious flosser.

I had a similar, “religious” experience over exercise recently. It came from a book called Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, by John J. Ratey, M.D.  The book is packed with such clear and convincing evidence for the power of exercise over the brain that I immediately started getting up earlier every morning…to get me and my kids moving before school.

We took this picture on one our morning walk’s last week. My three year-old is the one who noticed our “giant” shadows on the street. I think this might be one of my favorite “family” pictures!

This is a major commitment for me; I’m the world’s Worst Morning Person! But Dr. Ratey managed to reach into my brain and flip a switch, just like my dental x-ray switched the flip for flossing.  And, just like my grandma’s brain did when saw an  x-ray of her lungs filled with cancer; she immediately lost the desire to touch another cigarette and ultimately won her battle over lung cancer.

Sometimes, information is so powerful that it inspires us to make an instantaneous commitment to change our behavior!

Dr. Ratey pulled together hundreds of scientific studies. Each one clearly supports the positive effects of exercise on the brain! He specifically addressed the impact on learning, mood, depression, anxiety, ADHD, addiction, hormonal changes in women, and aging.

He described the chemicals that our brains manufacture when we elevate our heart rate. The details provided plenty of convincing information for my brain to “flip the switch.” For example, my brain learned:

- About the seeming magical effects of these chemicals. Dr. Ratey referred to one chemical, in particular, as “Miracle-Gro” for the brain.  Why wouldn’t my brain want “Miracle-Gro?”

- That these magic chemicals help me learn more, faster.

- That these chemicals will keep me happy… and how they work.

- That exercise can enhance the benefits of medication; in many cases, it can replace medication.

- Most impressively, that physical exercise is the only known way to balance the chemicals inside of itself.

I knew of these benefits before. But, there is something powerful about discovering how it all works that made my commitment to daily exercise instantaneous.  Granted, it’s only been a few weeks. I’m sure I’ll miss many days in the future, but I know the commitment is permanent because I felt this same switch before over flossing.

How It Has Worked for the Kids

For the last few weeks, we’ve taken the kids out for morning walks, before school. As we move, we can see them become happier and less reserved.  We will challenge them to race to a mailbox or to the end of our driveway, and they take off running.  By the time they reach their destination, they are smiling from ear to ear.

The 30-minute drive to school has never been more peaceful, but that’s hardly the biggest improvement we’ve seen.

My eight-year-old son had battled serious anxiety with ADHD. He is often in a funk when we arrive at school, groggy from the morning and anxious about the upcoming transition to school.  As we exercise, however, we can almost see that funk lift from his shoulders.  Walking transforms his demeanor.  As a result, he has been perfectly content -and even happy- when we part ways each morning.

Late last week, his teacher stopped me in the hall to say that he’s been noticeably more social, content, and much more proactive about doing his work. (She had him last year, too.) It’s only the third week of school, but it definitely looks like he’s seeing benefits from the exercise.

My three-year-old daughter had major separation anxiety. She’s been going to “school” since she was an infant, but she’s always been clinging.  We took her to visit the school a few days before the official “first day,” and she clung to me the whole time.

On the first day of school, we went for a walk. I noticed she became less clingy and more active the more she walked.  By the time we arrived at school she didn’t hesitate at all when I left her.  Day two and day three were the same.

On day four, it was raining outside. So, we stayed indoors.  The kids bounced on a mattress we had lowered to the floor.  They played music and ramped themselves up!  I didn’t measure their heart rates, but I’m sure they were pumping harder from this workout than they did after our walks on the previous days.  By the time we left the house, my daughter was ready to take over the world!

The separation at school that day was a piece of cake. When we entered the school building, *she* grabbed my hand and pulled me towards her classroom.  (Usually, it’s the other way around!)  She led the way and entered her classroom with an unmistakable aura of confidence!  All four adults in the room noticed.  One teacher said, “Wow, Mom, what did you put in her Wheaties this morning?”

“Exercise,” I said.  The collective looks on their faces were priceless. Of course, I explained our new morning routine.  There was no denying the effect exercise had on her that day.

My Plan for the School Year

Dr. Ratey’s book focused exclusively on adults. His “optimal” recommendation for adults was 30-40 minutes of aerobic activity, four-seven days per week.  However, he shared many results from studies showing benefits from only a fraction of that time.

Since I didn’t want to fail at this initiative before we get it off the ground, I decided to start small. So, I settled on doing anything to get their heart rates up in the morning, even if it only for five minutes.  Ultimately I think 15 minutes will be an ideal compromise with our morning routine.

We play upbeat music as they get dressed and eat their breakfast.  This helps transition them from morning grogginess to physical activity. So far, we’ve had zero complaints and nothing but happy, more cooperative children.

Take the Challenge

I owe Dr. Ratey a huge debt of gratitude for his dedication in compiling, reviewing, analyzing, synthesizing, and organizing those hundreds of studies into his book!  He has flooded my brain with evidence, and flipped a permanent switch that inspired a major commitment from me.  My family has never had a better “first month of school” and I’m thrilled!

Do yourself and your family a favor…challenge yourself to do 5 minutes of aerobic activity every morning this week. Report back to me and let me know how it went.  I look forward to hearing from you!

-Susan Kruger

(Google+)

“He’s just not working to his to potential!”

OR

“She just needs to try harder.”

…something is very wrong!

(Obviously, if you are a teacher and feel inclined to say these words…keep reading.)

I have developed a simple model for understanding the biology of ADHD. I shared this model for the first time on Vicky and Jen's popular parenting show, "What Really Matters." When you understand what is *really* going on in an ADHD brain, you can do so much to improve your coping strategies!en let me share this model for this first time, on their popular parenting show!

I have come to learn that these words are major red flags! No human being ever wants to avoid reaching his or her potential.  It is simply NOT human nature to NOT try very hard.

Watch a toddler explore their world and you will see evidence that we are born with a natural desire to learn, explore, and improve. As human beings, we have a natural desire to try just about anything…until we learn the concept of “failure.”

What looks like “not working to potential” and a “lack of effort” is very often the sign of a biological problem in the brain. Most commonly, ADHD and/or a learning disability.  (Learning disabilities are very common in people with ADHD…and there is a very solid biological reason for this.)

As a long-time study skills specialist, I’ve worked with hundreds of students who have ADHD. I have close friends and family members with ADHD, so I’ve always been very knowledgeable about this condition, but I didn’t fully understand the biology of it.  When I discovered I have ADHD, shortly after my son was diagnosed, I was stunned!  All these years I thought study skills fixed my “stupid.”  Now I realize that study skills helped me navigated around ADHD.

Vicky and Jen, of the popular parenting program, “What Really Matters,” recently shared their microphone with me as I shared important information about ADHD and the family.

Over the last year, I have developed a model that explains ADHD in a way no one has ever talked about. Yet, this model allows you to finally understand what is happening in an ADHD brain.

The information is accurate, based entirely on neuro-science, but it won’t bore you. Instead, it will enlighten every parent, teacher, and student who has ever battled ADHD.  It also provides a biological explanation for why study skills were so effective in helping me overcome my ADHD challenges.

Be sure to listen if…

- You, a spouse, or a child are dealing with ADHD.

- You’ve suspected ADHD in yourself, your spouse, or you child, but aren’t really sure.

- You are a teacher or administrator.

I promise you…you’ve never heard anything like this before! You can find the show here: http://vickyandjen.com/podcast_274.html.

To see how study skills work to build a detour around ADHD, check out: www.studyskills.com/adhd.

Enjoy!

Susan Kruger

I am sharing this particular article for a few reasons:

1. ADHD is very hereditary; most families with an ADHD child will have an ADHD parent.  It is extremely common for parents to discover ADHD in themselves, along with their children.  There are many good things that can come from these discoveries; this story is a great example!

2. Like the mother and daughter in this article, learning about my own ADHD helped me see that I do all of the same irritating things that my son does.  It was a humbling discovery, but a helpful one!

3. This story illustrates a very, very important point about the correlation between undiagnosed/untreated ADHD and substance abuse.  As Danielle, the teenage daughter, explained, “Knowing that there wasn’t something wrong with me also helped me stop using drugs and alcohol…”  Her experience is far from unique!

I would like to explore the topic of ADHD and substance about more in the future.  Meanwhile, enjoy reading about Danielle and Kimberly. I hope you will find inspiration in their story: http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/923.html.

-Susan Kruger

(Google+)

To share The ADHD Circuit^® with a friend, invite them to join the series at this webpage: Invitation to Join My Winter Email Series: The ADHD Circuit^®

Previous ADHD Circuit^® articles can be found here:

Article 1 – The ADHD Circuit^®: Article 1: The ADHD Circuit^®

Article 2 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 2): My Personal Journey Through The ADHD Circuit^®. . .for a Cup of Milk!

Article 3 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 3): ADHD Is Not an Excuse!

Article 4 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 4): Is it Creativity…or ADHD?

Article 5 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 5): How to Avoid the “Tasmanian Devil Tailspin” of School Work

Article 6 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 6): A Simple Learning Solution Hiding in Plain Sight

Article 7 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 7): “EVERYTHING Is Wrong With My Kid!”

Article 8 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 8): Improving Social Skills

Dear Joe,

You have a great question!  First, I am a big proponent of teaching communication/interpersonal skills to ALL children/students, not just students with ADHD.  I wish “Dale Carnegie”-style courses were taught in schools because interpersonal skills are golden for everybody!

Unfortunately, however, parents are in a tight bind trying to teach these skills on an individual basis because: 1) Children don’t have the patience to learn these skills from us, and 2) we often don’t have the patience it requires to repeat lessons like this over-and-over-and-over…

Therefore, if your child needs help building social skills, I would highly recommend working with a counselor!  As you may know from previous articles, ADHD was definitely impacting my son’s emotions and relationships.  We started working with a counselor at the beginning of the school year and are seeing very significant gains.  I was very skeptical because my son seemed so far beyond logic that I wasn’t sure he would respond to counseling.

However, we noticed improvements right away; baby steps, but forward progress, nonetheless.  For example, he still had meltdowns, but when I would ask him “What would Michelle (counselor) want you to do right now?” the meltdown would not escalate.  When he had a problem on the playground, Michelle helped him talk through it. After two months (eight sessions), the meltdowns were happening about once every two weeks, instead of daily.  After four months, they are almost non-existent.

At Christmastime, I received feedback from over a dozen relatives about him:  ”Mark seems happier.”  “He actually looked me in the eye.”  “He didn’t run away from me.” “I used to think Mark didn’t like me, but we got along great today.”  No one knew about our struggles, they were simply sharing their observations. I was actually was more shocked to learn about the behaviors they had noticed in Mark over the previous few years than the progress they had observed most recently.  But, at least they were reporting positive things!

For the record, as a parent, I am the Polite Police!  I have always insisted that he say “thank you,” that he look people in the eye, etc.  However, he wasn’t internalizing the importance of those skills until he heard them from someone else. It goes to show you that parents’ hands are often tied on this topic!

If you think that counseling is worth a try, ask your pediatrician for counselor recommendations and/or locations that hold classes for students on interpersonal skills.  Shop around until you find someone you feel comfortable with.  Trust your instinct on this!

Also, I can share a specific list of topics that the counselor has been addressing with Mark:

-How to name specific feelings,
-How to identify specific things that bother him than rather than getting mad at “everything,”
-How to understand his peers’ perspectives and feelings,
-How to cope with upsetting feelings,
-How to manage anxiety,
-How to be polite, and
-Why it is important to be polite.

As I already said, every child should learn specific skills and strategies like these for managing feelings and relationships.  Children with ADHD may have a more magnified and urgent need to learn them at a young age, but this training will give them a great advantage and serve them for life!

I appreciate Joe’s question and welcome all responses and questions.  Hopefully, our experience provides some optimism for other families.  It seems that the skills Mark is learning are making a wise young man out of him.  It is a wonderful thing to observe!

-Susan Kruger

(Google+)

To share The ADHD Circuit^® with a friend, invite them to join the series at this webpage: Invitation to Join My Winter Email Series: The ADHD Circuit^®

Previous ADHD Circuit^® articles can be found here:

Article 1 – The ADHD Circuit^®: Article 1: The ADHD Circuit^®

Article 2 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 2): My Personal Journey Through The ADHD Circuit^®. . .for a Cup of Milk!

Article 3 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 3): ADHD Is Not an Excuse!

Article 4 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 4): Is it Creativity…or ADHD?

Article 5 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 5): How to Avoid the “Tasmanian Devil Tailspin” of School Work

Article 6 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 6): A Simple Learning Solution Hiding in Plain Sight

Article 7 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 7): “EVERYTHING Is Wrong With My Kid!”

At the same time, I am trying hard not to learn too much.  I think that the fact that I don’t have the patience to follow and comprehend some of the super-medical/technical reports I am finding is an advantage.  It keeps my questions and understanding grounded towards my purpose, which is to understand what I need to understand to help myself, my son, and many others who simply want to improve their everyday life.

Jean, an ADHD Circuit subscriber, sent a gracious note to our office last week. She wrote, “I love this clear explanation of a simple task like the 23 steps to getting Mark a cup of milk. I am going to use this article to help my son better understand his own ADHD.  The psychologist can’t do what Susan does well.”

Of course, I’m flattered and grateful for Jean’s comment, but in this case, the psychologist has a disadvantage…she knows too much!  She has spent many years and thousands of dollars on her education.  She has immersed herself into psychology and the brain and memorized every last 10-syallable medical word about every part and function of the brain.

This is good stuff in many situations.  But, it becomes a challenge when you have to explain it to a young student who doesn’t have the first clue what is going on inside his body.   All he wants to do is stop feeling unsuccessful and get a handle on his life.

I certainly don’t mean to insult or devalue the years and years of detailed study into the biology of the brain.  I hope it goes without saying that every person who has devoted themselves to a greater discovery and understanding of the brain has my utmost respect!  Anything I present in The ADHD Circuit ultimately comes from their hard work.  But, intentional ignorance is bliss.  At least for the moment.

In that spirit, I will share another observation that keeps resurfacing.  Please understand this is merely an observation and verbal “I wonder” moment.  Many people who have ADHD have “comorbid” conditions like: auditory processing disorder, sensory disorder, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, learning disabilities, Tourette’s syndrome, and more.   It appears that medical diagnoses are focused on labeling symptoms rather than “causes.”

I realize this is likely because we first identify symptoms and often do not understand what causes them for many years.  But, it seems likely to me that the same root cause of ADHD – inefficient neuron connections – could explain the root cause of an auditory processing disorder, other sensory disorders, anxiety, etc.

Of course, I know there are finite details that differentiate each of these conditions from each other, but this awareness can provide some comfort in realizing that there are not 10 things wrong with your kid…or you.  Maybe just one thing…with ten different implications.  Perhaps if you can improve that one thing, you can see improvement in all areas.

Why Is This Important?

I spent the better part of eighteen months trying to identify my son’s challenges so we could get him proper help. We heard and/or considered a dozen different “labels” as possible explanations for his challenges.   Each label was a distraction.  Fortunately, my husband and I were able to stick to our guns (based 49% on continued research and 51% on parental intuition) and pressed for all of our healthcare providers to address ADHD first.  We felt certain that we needed to address ADHD before anything else would be valuable.  So far, that has proven to be the case.

Last week, I spoke with a long-time friend for the first time in almost a year.  She was exasperated over challenges with one of her children.  She listed several different diagnoses she had received for him, all in the same family of conditions I just listed.  “Practically everything is wrong with him!” she said in a totally deflated tone.

She is clearly overwhelmed and feeling very distraught.  “Perhaps there is one underlying cause that is contributing to all of his challenges,” I suggested.  That seemed to give her a new perspective.  Hopefully, that perspective can make the process less daunting.

In Conclusion

We are programmed to complicate our lives and it can be a real challenge to keep things simple.  When thinking about ADHD and the variety of “comorbid” conditions that often go along with it (or vice versa), it makes sense that all of these conditions would be caused by inefficient and/or ineffective electrical connections since the brain is nothing but one giant web of neurons.

Of course, we owe it ourselves, our children, and healthcare providers to dig deeper to better communicate and treat all symptoms.  But, understanding that having many symptoms does not necessarily mean “many things wrong” can really help you – and your child -  become less overwhelmed!
 

-Susan Kruger

(Google+)

To share The ADHD Circuit^® with a friend, invite them to join the series at this webpage: Invitation to Join My Winter Email Series: The ADHD Circuit^®

Previous ADHD Circuit^® articles can be found here:

Article 1 – The ADHD Circuit^®: Article 1: The ADHD Circuit^®

Article 2 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 2): My Personal Journey Through The ADHD Circuit^®. . .for a Cup of Milk!

Article 3 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 3): ADHD Is Not an Excuse!

Article 4 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 4): Is it Creativity…or ADHD?

Article 5 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 5): How to Avoid the “Tasmanian Devil Tailspin” of School Work

Article 6 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 6): A Simple Learning Solution Hiding in Plain Sight

Mom took me to an eye doctor. “Everything’s fine,” he said.

But, I kept complaining.

After another year, Mom took me to another ophthalmologist. “Everything’s fine,” he said.

My mom is a physician and was hand-picking the top doctors from her large hospital. We had no reason to question their conclusions. I just thought I was crazy. But, that didn’t stop me from complaining.

Finally, Mom took to me to yet another eye doctor. “Everything’s fine,” she said. “But, since she is complaining about glare, let’s try a pair of glasses with tinted lenses.”

They worked great and instantly stopped the glare! But, there was one significant problem.

The glasses had GIANT lenses with a dark rose tint. I was already a shy and self-conscious eighth-grader; there was no way I was wearing those babies outside of the house! For a while, I used them to read at home. Otherwise, I continued to suffer.

Over time, I developed a couple coping mechanisms: One was to do my homework in extremely dim light (which I still prefer). The second, and most effective, was simply to avoid reading my textbooks. That did not serve my grades very well (until I learned study skills), but my eyes were grateful.

FAST-FORWARD TWENTY-FIVE YEARS…

Last year, I was in the midst of total chaos trying to get help for my son. I suspected he had dyslexia, but wanted to rule out vision issues first. So, we visited an eye doctor in our new hometown. As we talked, the doctor was excited to introduce me to a woman named Karen.  Karen is a counselor specializing in education issues and was renting another office in the same complex.  He gave her a call.

Karen came in to meet us while the doctor did a thorough vision exam on my son. “Everything looks great,” he concluded. “From what I can tell, his eyes can process everything just fine. However, I can’t tell what the brain is doing with the information it receives from the eyes.”

Karen quietly asked, “Have you had him screened for Visual Stress Syndrome?”

I WASN’T CRAZY, AFTER ALL!

Karen explained that Visual Stress Syndrome causes a variety of challenges for people when they read. People with VSS complain that text appears to be moving, blurry, uneven, or flowing with “rivers of white.” Due to the physical discomfort and erratic neurological signals, some students exhibit significant behavior problems because of VSS.

“Rivers of white” is a perfect description of my challenges. This was the first time that someone else described my experience!

WHAT IS VISUAL STRESS SYNDROME?

Like ADHD, dyslexia, and many other learning disabilities, VSS is a neurological condition. It is not an “eye” condition.

Imagine holding a prism in sunlight and seeing all the colors of the rainbow refracting from it. This is exactly how the eyes processes light; they break light into colors and send neuron signals to the visual cortex in the back of the brain.

Researchers believe that people with VSS have optical receptors that are hyper-sensitive to certain colors of light. When the hyper-sensitive receptors are triggered, they send a surplus of electrical signals, creating an erratic pattern of activity in the brain. Maps of brain-wave activity seem to confirm this theory. (See image.)

VSS IS MORE COMMON THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE!

90% of students with learning challenges have VSS. Yes, that’s right…90%!

Dr. Laura Weisel, a neuro and cognitive psychologist, collected data from over 4500 students with a wide variety of learning challenges; 90% of these students tested positive for VSS.

BUT, THE TREATMENT IS SO, SO SIMPLE.

When I was in middle school, my eye doctor didn’t know about VSS, but she was on to something when she prescribed tinted lenses. Recommended treatments for VSS include:

1. Glasses with tinted lenses. (I wonder if sunglasses would work. Hmm…)

-OR-

2. Colored overlays/transparencies to place over reading material. (Change the background color on monitors when reading a computer screen.)

and

Colored paper for writing. Since you can’t very well write on a paper with a color overlay, try colored paper.  The colored paper will reduce the overload of sensory input caused by white paper.  This, in turn, will reduce the discomfort of writing that is so common with struggling learners.

NOTE: My son recently started working with an occupational therapist to address his extreme discomfort with writing.  The first thing the therapist did was test him for Visual Stress Syndrome and emphasized the importance of colored paper. She determined his best color is “blue,” so we will be attempting to have some notebooks and special papers made from blue paper.

The good news, however, is that we won’t have to do this forever. According to Ms. Debbie, our therapist, kids often need this accommodation for about one year.  As she explained, this time allows the “visual, vestibular, tactile, and proprioceptive systems of the body” time to learn how to work in sync with one another for writing.  After about a year, the brain becomes better able to handle the additional visual input and becomes less sensitive to the glare from white paper. “You’ll just know when he doesn’t need it anymore,” Ms. Debbie explained.  “He’ll look much more comfortable and relaxed…like he just took a deep breath and has settled into to a comfortable position for writing.  When he reaches that point, you probably won’t need the color paper any longer.”

I didn’t think to ask Ms. Debbie if a person could “outgrow” their need for colored transparencies, but I have a suspicion that they will always be helpful. Speaking for myself, after learning study skills and learning how to read “strategically” during my first year of college, my dependence on the visual cueing system of reading went down dramatically.  As a result, reading became *significantly* more comfortable for me.  However, since Karen introduced me to color overlays, I have found that my eyes do not get nearly as tired when I read.  So, I can function just fine without the overlay, but I am much more comfortable with it.

Color overlays and paper are the cheapest and fasted way to correct VSS. Color sensitivity varies by individual, so each person will need to test the color overlay that works best for them. In some cases, a combination of two colors will be optimal. The only way to know for sure is to try them. (Colored overlays are available at: http://irlen.com/index.php?s=overlays and http://www.howtolearn.com/products/i-read-i-succeed.)

HOW DO YOU DIAGNOSE VSS?

The treatment for VSS is so simple and inexpensive, I recommend that you self-diagnose by trying colored overlays to see if they make a difference. Formal diagnosis, however, is available in some areas. (See http://irlen.com/index.php?s=findclinic or www.powerpath.com.)

OH, WHAT A DIFFERENCE!

Karen gave me a set of overlays. Mark and I experimented and discovered our preferred colors. As I already mentioned, they clearly make reading more comfortable for me! As for Mark, he prefers Eye Lighters. Eye Lighters are clear, tinted rulers that help him track his place in the text. They serve the same purpose as an overlay, but are more appropriate for a young second-grader.  He still struggles with dyslexia, but knowing about VSS has been helpful.  I suspect it will a major difference with his comfort in handwriting, too!

My neighbor and her daughter both struggled with severe reading disabilities. Learning about VSS has been miraculous for them…their struggles have nearly vanished with color overlays!

CONCLUSION

90% of students with learning challenges have Visual Stress Syndrome. It commonly exists with other neurological conditions, but may exist alone. VSS causes symptoms that look like other neurological conditions. Therefore, if your child has any learning difficulty, you should screen for VSS by trying the colored overlays or consulting a professional.
—

Thank you to Karen Smigelski, MA, LPC, CAADC of Willow’s Edge Counseling for sharing her knowledge and resources regarding VSS.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• VSS should always be considered before testing for ADHD. Visual attention tests are a common tool used in diagnosing ADHD. Therefore, VSS could cause false positives for ADHD. If color overlays have been found to work effectively for a student, the overlay(s) should be used during the ADHD testing.

• Always get a thorough vision and hearing evaluation for any child who is suspected of having a learning disability. Dr. Weisel specifically suggests asking your ophthalmologist to test binocularity. Binocularity describes how well your eyes coordinate with one another. 50% students with learning challenges have binocularity problems.

Dr. Weisel has also surveyed professionals testing for learning disabilities and asked if they ever checked to see if the individuals they evaluate can see or hear. None of them do. They all assume that the individuals can see and hear just fine. This was my experience. I paid a lot of money to have my son tested for a learning disability, but I was never asked if he had hearing or vision evaluations. I scheduled those on my own.

• Fluorescent lights are a major culprit! If possible, classrooms should offer alternative lighting. Dr. Weisel suggests another alternative; in one section of the classroom, keep the lights bright. In another section of the classroom, remove one of the fluorescent tubes. In a third section of the classroom, remove two tubes. In the final section, remove three tubes. “Students will naturally gravitate to the area where they can best learn,” she says.  (Taken from Learning Disabilities Study Shows Complex Issues Behind Learners’ Struggles, KET ALQ, April 2008.)

• VSS is beginning to emerge as a suspect in causing migraine headaches. If you or someone you know suffers from migraines, this would be an interesting topic to research in the next few months/years.

• The best color for overlays may not be the best color for lenses. Colored overlays change the reflection of light. Colored lenses, however, work by changing the color of the light as it enters the eye directly. This difference is subtle, but quite significant. For this reason, you must test the best lens color independently from your preferred color of overlays. (The same considerations apply to background color on a computer monitor.)

• To change the background color of your monitor on a PC, right-click on the desktop and selecting “Preferences.” From there, select “Window Color and Appearance” and test background colors from the drop-down menu. (Sorry, I don’t have instructions for a Mac.)

• More information about Visual Stress Syndrome (aka Irlen Syndrome) is available at: http://irlen.com/index.php?s=index and http://www.powerpath.com/vss.html.

-Susan Kruger

(Google+)

To share The ADHD Circuit^® with a friend, invite them to join the series at this webpage: Invitation to Join My Winter Email Series: The ADHD Circuit^®

Previous ADHD Circuit^® articles can be found here:

Article 1 – The ADHD Circuit^®: Article 1: The ADHD Circuit^®

Article 2 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 2): My Personal Journey Through The ADHD Circuit^®. . .for a Cup of Milk!

Article 3 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 3): ADHD Is Not an Excuse!

Article 4 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 4): Is it Creativity…or ADHD?

Article 5 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 5): How to Avoid the “Tasmanian Devil Tailspin” of School Work

People with ADHD often describe a similar sensation of spinning around in circles.  This how students feel with nearly every task related to school: organizing and managing papers, assignments, time and due dates, reading textbooks, taking notes, studying for tests and even, taking tests.

The brain is pretty overwhelmed as it tackles these tasks.  When it finally manages to “get started,” the frontal lobe sends a neuron signal, hoping to find a receptor.  The other sections of the brain respond haphazardly, like wave at baseball game that is *trying *to get started.

Some sections of the brain receive the signal.  Other don’t. The sections that do, stand up one-by-one, check it out, but can’t make sense of it. One by one, they sit back down.  The signal is literally left hanging.  Nothing will connect.

So, the frontal lobe tries again. The same, sporadic pattern follows and repeats.  Again and again. It’s no wonder a person with ADHD feels like they are spinning in circles; this is quite literally what the neurons in their brain are doing!

How to Avoid the “Tasmanian Devil Tailspin” of School Work

In order to manage school work efficiently and effectively, the brain needs a recognized pathway. This is true for EVERYONE, but people with ADHD are particularly susceptible to The Tailspin.  People with ADHD also need those pathways to have as few intervals (or “lights in the ADHD Circuit”) as possible to reduce the impact of “power outages” when neuron circuits fail to connect.

How Do You Establish a Pathway?

With study skills!  Big surprise, eh? GOOD study skills will establish a pathway for common learning and organizing tasks.  The key is to establish clear, efficient, and effective pathways so the brain has a crystal-clear map to follow.

Which Map Would You Prefer?

Imagine you have arrived at Auckland International Airport.  You will be staying at the Cosy Kiwi Bed & Breakfast.  You have secured your rental car and are about to exit the airport.  Which map would you prefer?

Obviously, Map A, with clear, defined pathways is going to be easiest to read while you are managing an unfamiliar rental car, in a brand new city, in a totally foreign country.  Map B would work, but is not nearly as efficient.

By definition, both of these pictures are maps.  But, for the specific goal of reaching Cosy Kiwi, they are not created equal.  Same goes for study skills.

Not All Study Skills Are Created Equal

Most study skills you will find on the internet are either:

-Not time-efficient.

-Not effective.

-or-

-Both.

Most of them are, in fact, “study skills,” but they look a lot like Map B; a meandering, jumbled, and confusing mess of pathways.  GOOD study skills should be like Map A that has a clear starting point and has marked a very clear, efficient path.

For example, I just pulled one of the dozens of study skills books I own off my shelf. In this book, one of the units is titled “Graphic Organizers and Charts.”  Hmm…Okay…So what?

The starting point is not clear.  Students do not look at this know when to *use* graphic organizers and charts.  They need a starting point that matches situations in which they find themselves, such as “How to Read a Textbook,” or “How to Study for a Test.”

When I am standing at the Aukland Airport and want to get to Cozy Kiwi, I can clearly find the Aukland Airport on Map A.  With the other map, I have to hunt, search, and squint to find the Aukland Airport.

Students do the same thing; they can learn about a graphic organizer, but they scratch their heads wondering how they are supposed to use it.  There is nothing wrong with graphic organizers, but a much more effective title would be, “How to Read Textbooks Using Graphic Organizers.”

Speaking of reading textbooks…this same book needs 67 pages to teach the process of reading textbooks.  I know for a fact that a *very effective* method for reading textbooks can be described in four pages…probably even less!  Which leads to the next point…

Study skills should be efficient! Map B is NOT efficient.  It illustrates, in a jumbled and hard-to-read way, every single route you can use to get to Cozy Kiwi…and every other destination in Aukland.  On the other hand, Map A illustrates the most efficient route.  Once again, which map would you rather use?

Study Skills and The ADHD Circuit^®

Over the last 15-20 years, I have read countless articles and books about best-practices for managing schoolwork with ADHD.  To be honest, all of these “best practices” have been pretty vague, but I have always been able to nod and say, “SOAR^® does this.” And, “Yup, SOAR^® does that.” However, I didn’t understand recently, why SOAR^® was so ADHD-friendly.

The ADHD Circuit^® clearly illustrates that the fewer steps we have in any given task (circuit), the less likely someone with ADHD is to have a neuron circuit break.  It is a biological and mathematical fact that there is an inverse relationship between the number of steps involved in learning/organizing tasks and the level of success students with ADHD will achieve with them; the fewer steps, the greater the chances of success.

Of course, I did not understand this concept when I was first teaching study skills in college, but I *sensed* it.  I discovered that the more I could hone in on the specific objective and eliminate seemingly inconsequential steps, the easier a task was and the less stressed I felt.  I clearly preferred the path of least resistance! (I have yet to meet any student -or human- who doesn’t.)

So, I pruned the study skills and organizational strategies I was learning and using; I pared them down as much as possible so I could save time and feel less stressed.  I now understand that there was a biological reason why that pruning was so important.

To give you an example, Let’s take a look at the difference between the “traditional” method for organizing papers and the SOAR^® Binder system.  On the chart below, I have honed in on ONE very specific sliver of time when a student is doing homework.  In this instance, the student has completed his homework and needs to put it away:

If you assigned each of these steps to lights on The ADHD Circuit^®, you would see that number of intervals between steps (neuron connections) is dramatically reduced with the SOAR^® Binder.  As a matter of fact, the SOAR^® Binder has 60% fewer steps than the traditional method.  When you account for the compounded problem of traditional systems having 14-18x more supplies, the SOAR^® Binder is literally 1000% more efficient!

The ADHD Brain Circuit Needs Pathways

When we were in college, we noticed foot paths were always being forged across the grass in various places around campus; students were naturally forging the shortest paths to reach their destinations.  When were returned to school each fall, last year’s foot paths were now freshly-poured cement sidewalks. The university paved the newly forged foot paths EVERY summer, without fail.  (We wondered how long it would be before the university was fully covered in concrete, but I digress…)

Brains do the same thing…for repetitive tasks, they follow the same neuron pathways over and over again until those paths become rigid, like a cement sidewalk.  This explains why Mom, on the days she would drive us to school, would always forget to turn left on Silvery Lane; her neuron pathway was hard-coded to stay straight on Cherry Hill, heading towards her office.  (I hope that makes you feel better, Mom!)

People with ADHD are especially susceptible to rigid pathways, for better or worse.  (The “worse” part explains why people with ADHD can get “hyper-focused,” but that’s a topic for another article on another day.)  In the realm of managing learning and organizing tasks, people with ADHD can take advantage of these natural tendencies and create rigid pathways, intentionally, with study skills.  Effective and efficient study skills.

Conclusion

Students, especially students with ADHD, don’t need to continue chasing their tail in vain!  *Good* study skills stop the spinning by mapping out clear, efficient, and effective pathways in the brain.  At the start, the efficiency of these pathways reduce the impact of severed neuron connections.   Over time, those pathways become less susceptible to broken neuron connections as they become hard-coded in the brain.  Study skills are one of the most powerful set of tools for ALL students, but they can especially help students with ADHD thrive!

-Susan Kruger

(Google+)

To share The ADHD Circuit^® with a friend, invite them to join the series at this webpage: Invitation to Join My Winter Email Series: The ADHD Circuit^®

Previous ADHD Circuit^® articles can be found here:

Article 1 – The ADHD Circuit^®: Article 1: The ADHD Circuit^®

Article 2 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 2): My Personal Journey Through The ADHD Circuit^®. . .for a Cup of Milk!

Article 3 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 3): ADHD Is Not an Excuse!

Article 4 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 4): Is it Creativity…or ADHD?

The two lists of characteristics overlapped by 95%!

Some of the characteristics listed for ADHD were synonyms for creativity, but with negative connotations. For example, someone with ADHD may have been described as “impulsive,” while a creative person would be described as “spontaneous.”

For better or worse, ADHD and creativity seem to go hand-in-glove! The biology of ADHD may be the key to understanding why it is so closely linked to creativity. First, however, let’s establish a clear definition of “creativity.”

The Fundamental Nature of Creativity

Creativity is the ability to solve problems. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I’m not just talking about “creative” solutions to problems. ALL expressions of creativity are, at their most fundamental level, about solving a problem.

When an artist creates a beautiful painting on canvas, he’s solving a problem. Maybe he simply had an inspiration to create or a desire to express himself.

Problem: Desire to create or express himself.
Solution: Paint.

Or, perhaps he hopes to sell it. After all, the Sistine Chapel started as a “gig” for Michaelangelo.

Problem: He needs money.
Solution: Paint for someone else.

By definition, a problem is only a problem when a solution is not readily obvious. A problem is, obviously, solved when matched with a solution.

So, what does this have to do with the biology of ADHD?

Creativity & the ADHD Circuit^®

As described earlier in the ADHD Circuit^®, people with ADHD do not have enough chemicals in their brain to make neuron connections efficiently. The front part of the brain sorts out commands and sends signals to other parts of the brain to execute them. In ADHD, however, some of those signals are not received; due to insufficient chemicals, those circuits are “cut” before the reach their destination.

The front part of the brain will also send out questions and scan the other parts of the brain to retrieve answers. Typically, we think of this process as “memory recall.” What is 3×3? The front part of your brain just used neuron connections to reach back into your memory. Hopefully, it recalled the answer, “9.”

When solving a problem, the front part of the brain scans for answers. There are many different areas of the brain to scan; there are billions and billions of neuron networks that the brain must sift and scan through to determine a viable solution.

Based on what we know about neuron circuits, I propose that a “non-ADHD” brain may have more rigid pathways for searching for answers; it is more likely to stick with worn paths (otherwise known as “in the box” solutions) because those are most efficient. The non-ADHD brain has more of these “worn paths” because it executes neuron connections more efficiently on a regular basis.

On the other hand, an ADHD brain is a little more lax. It does not have as many worn paths. It’s process for scanning the brain is kinda hit-or-miss. That’s not to say that is ineffective, by any means! It simply means that an ADHD brain is biologically more likely to find unexpected connections (a.k.a. “solutions”) faster and more efficiently than a non-ADHD brain.

Why Is Creativity Perceived to Be “Positive” and ADHD “Negative”?

Timing!

It is largely speculated that Albert Einstein had ADHD. It also well known that he was not fond of school and did not get along with many of his teachers. But, he went on to make a very significant contribution to the field of physics. This seems like a conflict. But, it’s all about timing.

Einstein did not have the patience to sit still and merely answer questions. In fact, he actively denounced “rote education.” Instead, he was driven to think of his own problems (with his “wandering” neuron circuits) and search for solutions to them.

The skills and creativity of people with ADHD are not accessed effectively in a classroom. ADHD does not afford students the patience to sit in a classroom and answer other people’s questions. (Not many of us do, but people with ADHD have less tolerance.)

This impatience leads to disruptions and disturbances. These disturbances cause conflict with a teacher who has specific objectives mandated by her: school district, regional district, state department of education, and federal education department. She simply can’t manage ADHD disruptions amongst all of the other expectations on her plate!

Einstein had to wait until he could find environments that made better use of his inquiries and curiosity before his “ADHD” was recognized for what it is…creativity!

It’s all about the timing!

Conclusion

Of course, school should not stifle creativity. Little by little, the education system will have to change to keep up with the demands of the 21st century. In the meantime, we have to teach students with ADHD how to channel their creativity and function in school; this is important not only to survive in school, but to survive in life!

No matter what profession they choose, students will need to learn how to manage “executive function” tasks like learning, organizing, and managing time for the rest of their life! Next week, we’ll take a look at how simple this can be.

-Susan Kruger

(Google+)

To share The ADHD Circuit^® with a friend, invite them to join the series at this webpage: Invitation to Join My Winter Email Series: The ADHD Circuit^®

Previous ADHD Circuit^® articles can be found here:

Article 1 – The ADHD Circuit^®: Article 1: The ADHD Circuit^®

Article 2 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 2): My Personal Journey Through The ADHD Circuit^®. . .for a Cup of Milk!

Article 3 – The ADHD Circuit^® (Article 3): ADHD Is Not an Excuse!