What is ADD/ADHD?

Just about everybody is familiar with the term ADD/ADHD. ADD is an acronym for Attention Deficit Disorder. ADHD is an acronym for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Over the past decade or two it has gotten much attention from parents, educators, and policy makers across America.

Gone undiagnosed, a “busy” child who appears out of control can send an entire family into an uncomfortable tailspin of doubt and worry. While it is often reassuring to frazzled parents to have an actual diagnosis to their child’s symptoms, the diagnosis can raise more questions than it answers. The correct route to take as far as treatment is concerned is often mired in a mountain of contradictory information that can be difficult to sift through. It’s essential that the proper course of action be taken to eliminate the bother. These symptoms that can include:

• a quick temper
• inability to focus
• fidgety or excessive movement
• irritability
• may have difficulty following through on instructions
• is often disorganized and forgetful in daily activities
• may fail to pay attention to detail and be careless in making mistakes with homework
• is often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli
• may appear to be inattentive when spoken to directly
• probably leaves chores, homework, and other stuff undone

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10 Tips for Raising Literate Children

1. Don’t wait for the class to get to it.

2. Teach your own child to read. It is not difficult and does not actually take a lot of your time. It doesn’t require you have a college degree. All you need to know is how to read and love your child, wanting the best for him or her.

3. Set aside short and specific periods of time daily, for most children 30 minutes to an hour is ample enough time.

4. Target instruction at specific sound skills, teach your child to sound out words.

5. Combine phonic skills with a specific sight word list. You don’t need expensive tapes, CD’s, software, or expensive workbooks. Just a marker, colored pencils, pencils, paper and index cards will do.

6. Provide opportunities to practice reading according to their present level of reading.

7. Some children learn phonetics but don’t have good comprehension skills. This is easy, just talk to your child. Explain what words mean, what things are, how things work. You can increase your child’s vocabulary simply by talking to him everyday.

8. Read aloud to each other. This allows your child the fluency practice they need as well as gives them the opportunity to hear sounds, pronunciations, and patterns for fluency. Explain what words mean and allow your child to ask questions. This is your chance to give an older child practice in using a dictionary.

9. Be patient. Don’t get upset if your child doesn’t learn particular skills as fast as you think they should. Don’t judge him or her by the rate in which another child learns to read.

10. Children are different with learning styles specific to their own individual needs. As you begin to work with your child you will learn just what their particular learning styles. You will become a good judge of how your child learns. For some you child you will experience quicker successful when you add the senses. Experiment with ways to add music, touch, and color to your instruction.

These tips can be used for any child any age. It is never too late. Many adolescent youngsters will be more successful in school when these ten tips for raising literate children are followed consistently. Believe it or not, even adolescent youth require your time. What a better way to spend time with your children than reading!

Children who read at home with their families perform better in school. It is important that parents find time to read while also encouraging their children to read. If need be, parents need to insist that their children spend time reading at home. It would be helpful for families to read aloud.

It is a parents responsibility to ensure their children are active readers. The best way to do so is to be an example. Parents must show their youngsters that they value reading. Make sure plenty of books, magazines, and other reading material are available. Take your child to the library, to the bookstore, purchase a book as a gift instead of a toy or an article of clothing. Yes, these suggestions are even important for the adolescent child.

These are my favorite books and here are your instructions:

1. Click on the bottom shelf (>>) to view all 12 of my favorites.
2. Then look at either the left or right side bar of this site.
3. Click on the Amazon banner to order the book of your choice.
4. Enjoy!

“Show” your child that you are a reader. Be an example. Start today.