Learning by Rote
Do children still need to learn their number bonds and tables by rote?
As an elderly person with ADHD I am feeling rather conflicted about a conversation I had with a very lively 76 year old, who still does relief teaching to Junior Primary children.
For privacy purposes I will call her Helen. She has just completed a 3 month relief posting at a private school where the majority of the grade 3 children do not have English as their mother tongue.
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- Written by: Pat Pughe-Parry
If university is not for you
What do you do if you have your heart set on your teen going to university when they finish matric, but she/he does not have good enough grades, or does not want to go to university?
I saw this anonymous post on Facebook recently and was impressed by all the thoughtful suggestions.
"My son is not doing well enough to be accepted into university. Not due to intelligence but due to laziness. (It’s not for lack of trying and parenting before anyone gets on that bandwagon!)
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- Written by: Pat Pughe-Parry
The Modern ADHD Family
In the good or bad, depending on your perspective, old days, ADHD children who disrupted the class, ran amok, couldn't sit still and didn't listen were beaten to teach them to conform and behave. Those for whom beating did not have the desired effect ended up in reform schools and frequently became drop outs, addicts and/or jail bait.
While the quiet day dreamers completely slipped through the cracks. They happily lived with their thoughts and pretended school didn't exist.
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- Written by: Dave Pughe-Parry
ADHD and the Elderly
For the past 5 years Dave and I have lived in a Senior Citizens Home which I mischievously nicknamed The Home for the Bewildered. Our residents are aged between 50 and 93 and are at different stages in their ageing journeys.
Having ADHD and having worked with ADHD families and individuals for years, we understand and recognise the parallels in the bewilderment and other ADHD traits that the Elderly exhibit.
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- Written by: Pat Pughe-Parry
ADHD and Medication
How does anyone who has - or is living alongside ADHD treat this most common neurological condition? The simplest answer is therapy with medication or without medication. But under each of these two top-tier methods are a whole series of what we might call niche treatments.
But first, let’s understand what we mean by treatment or therapy. ADHD is a complex condition. It exists on a continuum from those almost fast-asleep to the continuously hyperactive. The one common factor is that our brains are always hyperactive, usually at full speed - or close to that limit!
I have a short little video below to show you the difference of neurotransmitter behaviour in our brains compared to the other 80% of the world´s population who don’t have our condition.
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- Written by: Dave Pughe-Parry