There are several people close to me who are afflicted with psychological difficulties, and I now know first-hand how crippling they can be. Because of how personal it's become in my life, I tackle these issues with a greater sincerity and ambition to understand and help. Again, I'm embarrassed that that's what it took for me to come around, but I'm here now. I find this list incredibly valuable, not just for my teaching future, but for my everyday life.
To expand upon Sara's continuum idea, I wonder if afflictions such as Asperger's or autism are along the same continuum with ADHD. Looking at the tips listed in the reading, I feel like many of them would be helpful to those individuals as well. Something to consider if any of us are even in the position of working with students with Asperger's or autism.
In reading the tips for ADD and ADHD I think that they are good not just for those with issues but are just good in general with kids. I do think the disorders are real, however I think we need to be careful not to jump to conclusions with children or too quick to label them. I like that this article has some good solid ideas, one of them being to ask the kid what works best for them in learning. So often adults are running around trying to come up with solutions when the kid has it the whole time. I also wonder how much a good physical education class could help these kids. It seems that we have eliminated so much in a kids day, p.e., art, music where a kid could have the opportunity to thrive.
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