Latina
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2000
- Posts
- 940
Samuari:
We already know what the problems are. But there don't seem to be any long-term solutions, other than a lot of love and patience to work through the problems. Like most of life's problems, there are no quick fixes here.
One of his two learning disorders is a chemical imbalance that causes him to stay focused on one thing that he wants, and not let go, and get more and more worked up about it. It is usually something unreasonable, like wanting to go visit grandma 150 miles away at 3 a.m., he gets more and more upset that he can't do whatever his mind has fixed on. This is sometimes called Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), but that is a misnomer, because his attention is NOT wandering, it is locked and fixated on one thing that he is determined to get. I suppose it was that way with the cigarettes he tried to shoplift, he wanted them so badly and was so focused on them that nothing else mattered, not even his dream of being on the snowboarding team. A nicotine addiction is bad enough, but put that in someone who is generally bound and determined to get whatever he wants at the moment he wants it, and that spells real trouble. Yes, there are drugs that treat ADD, we've tried several, but the side-effects (sluggishness, headaches, nausea, nosebleeds, ringing in the ears) make the "cure worse than the disease".
In a classroom, a teacher might have moved on to a new topic, but his brain will still be locked on the previous topic, processing the information, formulating questions about it, and he won't even hear the new topic, and later he might even very angrily deny that the teacher ever covered that other topic in class. What is so great about this new school is, with only 6 kids in a class, and all of them learning disabled, the teacher can pay more inividual attention, and not move on until everyone has digested the information and asked their questions. The teachers also make time after class for any additional questions or discussion that a student might have on the topic. It gives everyone time to absorb the learning in their own way and at their own speed.
His other learning problem is known as auditory processing disorder. The nerve connections between his ear and his brain somehow aren't hooked-up right, so the message that his brain receives often has no relationship to what somebody actually said. And then because of the ADD, he is more and more determined that what he heard is what you actually said, and he gets madder an madder if you try to correct this false impression. We have found two ways to work with this: put information in writing, so it is pocessed through the eyes rather than through the ears. But that is not always practical, so the second tactic, for spoken communication, is to immediately ask him to repeat back what you said. If he gets it wrong, we don't say he misunderstood, but we put it on ourselves, "well, that's not what I meant, what I really meant by that was..." He then really focuses on what you are saying because you admitted you did't communicate it correctly the first time, he is then willing to meet you halfway since you are taking the time and effort to re-express yourself, he'll WANT to be sure he understands you correctly this second time. He doesn't really like have to repeat back what you said, so he does listen more carefully now, and more and more, he IS getting it right the first time, so we are giving him the tools and the skills he will need to function in the world when he is an adult.
Still, a setback like his attempt to shoplift cigarettes is disheartening, and it is sometimes hard to focus on all the progress we HAVE made, when an incident like this crops up.
As to that 14 year old, I agree with the statement that she was irresponsible to have the kid, and her father is irresponsible to kick her out and not try to help her through her difficulties. The amount of irresponsibility might float the Queen Mary, but I think their whole family is sinking faster than the Titanic.
-- Latina
We already know what the problems are. But there don't seem to be any long-term solutions, other than a lot of love and patience to work through the problems. Like most of life's problems, there are no quick fixes here.
One of his two learning disorders is a chemical imbalance that causes him to stay focused on one thing that he wants, and not let go, and get more and more worked up about it. It is usually something unreasonable, like wanting to go visit grandma 150 miles away at 3 a.m., he gets more and more upset that he can't do whatever his mind has fixed on. This is sometimes called Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), but that is a misnomer, because his attention is NOT wandering, it is locked and fixated on one thing that he is determined to get. I suppose it was that way with the cigarettes he tried to shoplift, he wanted them so badly and was so focused on them that nothing else mattered, not even his dream of being on the snowboarding team. A nicotine addiction is bad enough, but put that in someone who is generally bound and determined to get whatever he wants at the moment he wants it, and that spells real trouble. Yes, there are drugs that treat ADD, we've tried several, but the side-effects (sluggishness, headaches, nausea, nosebleeds, ringing in the ears) make the "cure worse than the disease".
In a classroom, a teacher might have moved on to a new topic, but his brain will still be locked on the previous topic, processing the information, formulating questions about it, and he won't even hear the new topic, and later he might even very angrily deny that the teacher ever covered that other topic in class. What is so great about this new school is, with only 6 kids in a class, and all of them learning disabled, the teacher can pay more inividual attention, and not move on until everyone has digested the information and asked their questions. The teachers also make time after class for any additional questions or discussion that a student might have on the topic. It gives everyone time to absorb the learning in their own way and at their own speed.
His other learning problem is known as auditory processing disorder. The nerve connections between his ear and his brain somehow aren't hooked-up right, so the message that his brain receives often has no relationship to what somebody actually said. And then because of the ADD, he is more and more determined that what he heard is what you actually said, and he gets madder an madder if you try to correct this false impression. We have found two ways to work with this: put information in writing, so it is pocessed through the eyes rather than through the ears. But that is not always practical, so the second tactic, for spoken communication, is to immediately ask him to repeat back what you said. If he gets it wrong, we don't say he misunderstood, but we put it on ourselves, "well, that's not what I meant, what I really meant by that was..." He then really focuses on what you are saying because you admitted you did't communicate it correctly the first time, he is then willing to meet you halfway since you are taking the time and effort to re-express yourself, he'll WANT to be sure he understands you correctly this second time. He doesn't really like have to repeat back what you said, so he does listen more carefully now, and more and more, he IS getting it right the first time, so we are giving him the tools and the skills he will need to function in the world when he is an adult.
Still, a setback like his attempt to shoplift cigarettes is disheartening, and it is sometimes hard to focus on all the progress we HAVE made, when an incident like this crops up.
As to that 14 year old, I agree with the statement that she was irresponsible to have the kid, and her father is irresponsible to kick her out and not try to help her through her difficulties. The amount of irresponsibility might float the Queen Mary, but I think their whole family is sinking faster than the Titanic.
-- Latina
