Published by JohnL on 24 October 2005
in News.
Dr. Judith Guedalia of Shaare Zedek Medical Center of Jerusalem, Israel, described multiple associated problems when discussing ADHD in an article that appeared in the Jewish Press (corporate office in Brooklyn, NY, US).
One of the difficulties in diagnosing ADHD is that it is often accompanied by other problems. For example, many children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability (LD). ADHD is not, in itself, a specific learning disability, but because it can interfere with concentration and attention, ADHD can make it doubly hard for a child with LD to do well in school.
A very small proportion of people with ADHD have a rare disorder called Tourette`s Syndrome. People with Tourette`s have tics and other movements like eye blinks or facial twitches that they can`t control. Others may grimace, shrug, sniff, or bark out words. Fortunately, these behaviors can be controlled with medication (but not the same as those for ADHD).
Nearly half of all children with ADHD (mostly boys, but girls, too) have a condition called oppositional defiant disorder and may overreact, have outbursts of temper or lash out when they feel bad. Children with this combination of problems are at risk of getting in trouble at school or even with the police. They may take unsafe risks or even break laws by stealing, setting fires, destroying property or driving recklessly. It`s important that they receive help before the behaviors lead to more serious problems.
Emotional disorders and attention disorders often go hand in hand, so children with ADHD should be checked for anxiety and depression. Many children with ADHD — especially younger children and boys — experience emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression, worry, tension or uneasiness. This can affect their thinking and behavior. These can be treated, and helping children handle such painful feelings will help them cope with the effects of ADHD.
Link to the full article
Published by JohnL on 20 October 2005
in News.
Laurie Kelley, who has Learning Disabilities according to a story in the Minneapolis (MN, US) StarTribune, once struggled in school and for the first few years after high school. Now she is experienicing more success.
This fall, an outgoing and confident Kelley was voted student council president. She volunteers at a senior health-care center and plans to take child development classes at the nearby community college, hoping that a job in that field will follow. She loves working with kids, she said.
Link to the story.
Published by JohnL on 16 October 2005
in News.
The attorney for a teenage girl charged with setting a fatal fire in New York said his client has a Learnin Disability, according to a story by Kareem Fahim and John Holl in the New York Times (NY, US). The 17-year old girl is charged with starting a fire in an abandoned building where a homeless man was sleeping.
Prosecutors say that on Tuesday night, Ms. Marino, a high school junior, started a fire in an abandoned Waldbaum’s supermarket on New Dorp Lane. She knew Mr. [William B.] Lowther was sleeping inside the building, prosecutors said.
…
Mr. Fonte, Ms. Marino’s lawyer, said she had epilepsy and a learning disability, and had been receiving treatment by a neurologist and a psychologist. He said that she was taking several different medications.
We shall have to wait and see whether the Learning Disability will be part of the defense in this case.
Link Mr. Fahim and Mr. Holl’s story.
Published by JohnL on 11 October 2005
in News.
A story in the Dallas Fort Worth Star-Telegram recounts efforts by some folks to help individuals in the community understand what it is like to have a Learning Disability. They describe two simulations they use. They require that an individual
- Listen “to one person talk, while others to the side were barking at her, creating a distraction” or
- “Trace a picture of a star looking only at a mirror image.”
I am a little skeptical about the effectiveness of these simulations; they seem to be predicated on engendering some sudden insight, and the evidence for their benefits is anecdotal. However, I’m intrigued.
I’d like to create a collection of simulations. Please submit your favorites.
Link to the story.
Published by JohnL on 8 October 2005
in News.
As it has for many years, the Virginia Branch of the International Dyslexia Association has published its directory to services in Virginia (US). The directory lists services such as assessment, tutoring, counseling, employment, and many other resources.
Link to the page on the organization’s Web site where one can obtain more information about the product.
Classic LD literature
What do you think are the most important articles, chapters, or books about Learning Disabilities (LD)? If someone who did not have a background in special education for children and youths with LD were to need a reading list of materials that, over a period of time, have continued to be important, what should be on that list?
Please provide a citation to those publications that you consider parts of the classic literature in LD.
Rules (abitrary, to be sure):
I am inviting submissions for LD here. If you have some recommendations about classics in Emotional and Behavioral Disorders or teaching effectively, please see the comparable entries on EBDBlog.com or TeachEffectively.com.