http://mobile.nytimes.com/
Thank you to one of our teachers for sending me this link,
suggesting that one of the issues that we are labeling as ADHD is actually
boredom. In many cases, it might
be. I can’t speak for all children, but
I can certainly speak for my own, two of whom were tagged to be labeled as
ADHD. For my youngest child, when I
asked the school to provide him with more challenging work, they instead
recommended that I get him tested for a learning disability. I agreed, hoping
that with the results in hand, the school would respond with the correct level
of challenge. After paying $3,000 for
testing, my husband and I went in to hear the results. The doctor explained that though our son was
in 3rd Grade at the time, he did poorly on the 2nd Grade
level questions, nearly failing out of the test. He did fine on the questions at the 3rd
Grade level. However, at the 4th
Grade level, he got every single question correct. The doctor explained that they didn’t like
these types of results, as they invalidate their testing methods. Her diagnosis: “Boredom”.
It is not a new suggestion that we may be drugging our
children to make them fit into a system that is broken. When I took the results of my son’s testing
back to the school, proof that he could thrive on more challenging work, I was
told by the Principal that it was not possible for her to alter the curriculum
for my son, due the system of “No Child Left Behind”.
The Positive Psychologists amongst us have recognized the
problem with the double-negative concept of no child left behind, which has created an entire Federal
educational system focused on the single least-performing child in the
country. Consider the alternative, “Every
Child Thrives”! The programs that we
would develop with such a mission would be entirely different from those in
place right now.
Are there children with differently functioning brains, as
this article points out? Yes! A system focused on every child thriving would
have fulfilling programs for all students.
As I discuss in the Introduction to “Meditation for ADHD: A
Family Approach”, scientists have shown that the brain changes, both
structurally and chemically, according to how it is exercised. Mindfulness exercises change the structure of
the brain.
Yes. Research has
shown that the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) of the brains of children with
ADHD is less developed than that of others. The
ACC is the part of the brain that regulates self-control, self-awareness and
self-regulation. Researchers have also
found that meditation changes that, resulting in growth of the ACC, and
improved self-regulation, self-control and awareness. It also gets the creative juices flowing
again, stimulating enthusiasm for learning, curiosity and self-love.
I don’t know that all children with ADHD are the same; indeed
to positively rephrase that, I’m certain that there is a beautiful abundance of
differently abled, creative, intelligent, inquisitive and loving children in
this world, longing to fit in, thrive and find and live their life’s
purpose. And I do know that the skills
of mindfulness practices have been proven in thousands of research studies, and
in my own children’s lives, to enable them to do just that, thrive, and enjoy
learning and life.
Now we want to see if this easy to implement meditation
program is going to do just that for families across the country. After all, “If it is going to create ease in
life, it has got to be easy”! Just follow this link, and be a part of changing our
children’s lives for the better!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mindfulness-practices-for-adhd-a-family-practice/x/8118175
