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Re: Advantages of ADD in a High-Tech Career
I've been encouraged to write a little of what I know so - here goes.
I've read this thread and I haven't seen some of my thoughts expressed yet.
ADD can be mild, moderate, severe:
mild would be sitting and twirling a pencil
severe would be up out of the chair walking in circles
During high stress, ADD is harder to control. During build decisions such as weight problems during crunch week or voting the human player, one can be known to make circles or to pace back and forth - it helps the person ease their own build up of tension.
It is a relatively new field of diagnosis and continues to reveal itself through study and examination. In recent years they have diagnosed 7 distinct types of ADD. I'll give 2.
The one who jiggles. Jiggles the knee under the desk or table. Or taps the pencil.
The dreamer - if you have been called a space cadet, you may be at times. Windows can create havoc in a classroom setting for that student. The slightest breeze through the leaves and all thoughts of equations vanish. Teachers have been asked to place the dreamer close to the front of the room - where the focus is zoomed in to the board and to the teacher. It is not a punishment, it is a tool for learning. A trick that can be used in large college classes as well. The fun part is, the magic of learning or processing happens during the jiggling or the dreaming - a problem is solved or an idea hatched. It probably isn't related to the math class you are in but you've just fixed your robot.
My plumber would now be diagnosed as ADHD. He is my generation and the method of insuring success in the student was physical punishment and calling him bad. So, he knew that to succeed as an adult he would have to keep his hands busy, change his daily landscape, and stay on the move. He has raised 2 children as a single parent and they are both college graduates. His proudest achievement is that he has never hit his son and that his son was diagnosed early and received help and support.
Parents my age are realizing there is more and more help out there not only for their children but also for themselves. Meditation, medication, developing skills in focusing, time management, and organization. It is never too late.
My single rant about ADD: the current use of media as stimuli. Commercials & music videos bombard our senses. Everything is instant and focus is destroyed. F.I.R.S.T. robotics is the perfect antidote for our ADD environ. It requires structure, planning, long term goals, focus, listening, teamwork, and an end product.
Last edited by JaneYoung : 16-04-2006 at 13:18.
Reason: typos, sorry
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