{"id":826,"date":"2009-06-11T16:42:21","date_gmt":"2009-06-11T20:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/?p=826"},"modified":"2009-06-11T16:42:21","modified_gmt":"2009-06-11T20:42:21","slug":"adhd-or-hands-on-learning-focused-toddler-becomes-attention-deficit-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/adhd-or-hands-on-learning-focused-toddler-becomes-attention-deficit-student\/","title":{"rendered":"ADHD OR HANDS-ON LEARNING? &#8220;FOCUSED&#8221; TODDLER&#8221; BECOMES &#8220;ATTENTION-DEFICIT&#8221; STUDENT?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-826 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/adhd-or-hands-on-learning-focused-toddler-becomes-attention-deficit-student\/img_1412-800x600\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/img_1412-800x600-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-828\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-828'>\n\t\t\t\tLearning to &#8220;scoop&#8221;\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/adhd-or-hands-on-learning-focused-toddler-becomes-attention-deficit-student\/img_1413-800x600\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/img_1413-800x600-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-829\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-829'>\n\t\t\t\tScooping is hard\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/adhd-or-hands-on-learning-focused-toddler-becomes-attention-deficit-student\/img_1414-800x600\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/img_1414-800x600-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-830\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-830'>\n\t\t\t\tTry Again!\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/adhd-or-hands-on-learning-focused-toddler-becomes-attention-deficit-student\/img_1415-800x600\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/img_1415-800x600-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-831\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-831'>\n\t\t\t\tScoop, carry, dump! Impossible!\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/adhd-or-hands-on-learning-focused-toddler-becomes-attention-deficit-student\/img_1416-800x600\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/img_1416-800x600-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-832\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-832'>\n\t\t\t\tOh, well. Try dumping!\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/adhd-or-hands-on-learning-focused-toddler-becomes-attention-deficit-student\/img_1417-800x600\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/img_1417-800x600-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-833\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-833'>\n\t\t\t\tHandle problem?\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>This 18-month old toddler is intent about learning. He is hard at work, figuring out every task, every piece of equipment put before him. He practices and practices until he masters a task. He comes back week after week to try again. He watches intently, trying to figure out &#8220;the trick&#8221; of doing each thing.<\/p>\n<p>This child is an active, &#8220;hands-on&#8221; learner. He learns by doing.<\/p>\n<p>Try blowing bubbles with him. While another child might clap their hands and chase the shiny bubbles, this one must &#8220;do it himself,&#8221; even if, time and again, he puts the blower into his mouth and ends up with a soapy taste. One day the wind helps him out, blowing bubbles out as he swings the wand. He is so ecstatic he almost falls out of the chair, and he repeats this magic time and again, laughing with joy: &#8220;I can do it!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Months ago, he brought pop beads to me, over and over again, watching intently: how did they come apart? How go back together? Now, he has mastered the pulling apart, but not the putting back together. He stares and stares as I perform this magic: how do you do it?<\/p>\n<p>Same with stacking blocks, placing rings on pegs, opening and closing small doors and windows, getting puzzle pieces to fit. He will practice over and over until he can do it, then move on.<\/p>\n<p>The first day of kindergarten, he might be practicing standing on his head while the other children sit in a circle and listen to a story. First day of first grade, he is over trying to figure out how the pencil sharpener works while the others sit in a circle and listen while the teacher sings songs.<\/p>\n<p>By fourth grade, when &#8220;academics&#8221; (reading and writing) thoroughly replace hands-on learning through manipulation, he will possibly be diagnosed as ADHD, &#8220;attention-deficit disorder,&#8221; and given medication so that he CAN sit still like all the other children while the teacher teaches.<\/p>\n<p>Who is the real learner here? The passive recipient of information or the active, &#8220;hands-on&#8221; learner? Why does our education system place so much more emphasis upon &#8220;passive&#8221; learning, the absorption and reporting back of information? How can we justify that academic skills\/college education will\u00a0demarcate who will succeed and who will fail in our American society? There is no &#8220;equal opportunity&#8221; here!<\/p>\n<p>Some children, some people, will never be &#8220;academically&#8221; inclined, in terms of enjoying reading literature and poetry, dealing with abstract similes and metaphors more than working with their hands. No amount of &#8220;equal opportunity&#8221; to a college education will allow them equal access to the rewards of our society, if their learning style is cut out of the curriculum starting in fourth grade, insuring their failure. Yet why can we say that their learning style, their skill set, is any less worthy of the extra funding that we give those who can make it into &#8220;college?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>We say these hands-on learners\u00a0are unmotivated, not trying hard enough, &#8220;unfocused,&#8221; unable to concentrate, while we force them to learn in OUR style, sitting still for reading and writing,\u00a0day after day.<\/p>\n<p>And, when they fail, we shunt them into low-paying jobs or, most shamefully, fill our armed forces with them, their best option for hands-on skill training, only including that they risk their lives for their &#8220;higher education.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This is not equal opportunity!! It will never be resolved by more chances to go to college. That door, the academic door, is firmly shut to them, as long as interest in reading and writing is the skill needed for getting in.<\/p>\n<p>What if they were allowed hands-on learning opportunities throughout their school years, equally to reading and writing. What if by grade 12 they\u00a0left school with skills in\u00a0electrical wiring, welding, cable laying, construction, wood working, plumbing, website design, fashion design, horticulture, emergency medicine, and all the other hands-on things they could learn in twelve years! And what if these skills led to equal-opportunity higher education and high paying jobs?<\/p>\n<p>The Career Academy model, which includes hands-on learning of specific job skills in high school learning communities, steps in this direction. Beginning in elementary school, Howard Gardner&#8217;s model of Multiple Intelligences shows how to incorporate all learning styles into education.<\/p>\n<p>There is a huge inequality if reading-and-writing, academic preference for learning style, becomes the hurdle that learners have as the only path to equal opportunity education.<\/p>\n<p>See <a title=\"Creative Edge Education at CEF website\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/isthisyou\/3a1c.php\">Creative Edge Education<\/a>, <a title=\"Creative Edge Parenting at CEF website\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/isthisyou\/3a1d.php\">Creative Edge Parenting<\/a>, and Dr. McGuire&#8217;s paper, <a title=\"&quot;Don't Fight 'Em, Join 'EM&quot; ADHD PDF\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/pdf\/2F2fDontFightThemJoinThemCommunityPlanforADHD.pdf\">&#8220;Don&#8217;t Fight Them, Join Them: Community-Wide Intervention for ADHD, School Drop Out, and Juvenile Delinquency.&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0You&#8217;ll find links to Gardner and other multi-modality models for education.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: TTE248C9A0t00; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: TTE248C9A0t00; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">Find a variety of <\/span><a title=\"Free Personality Test links at CEF website\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/freeresources\/2e.php\"><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">Personality Tests<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\"> at our Creative Edge Focusing (TM) website, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Keirsey Temperament Sorter, both of which give information about different kinds of learning style leading to differing career skills and preferences.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: TTE248C9A0t00; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: TTE248C9A0t00; font-size: small;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">CREATIVE EDGE FOCUSING(tm): \u00a0SELF-HELP SKILLS FOR HOME AND WORK<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: TTE248C9A0t00; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: TTE248C9A0t00; font-size: small;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\">Free Downloads:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div><a rel=\"attachment wp-att-153\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/?attachment_id=153\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\"><strong>Instant \u201cAhah!\u201d Mini-Manual<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/complete-focusing-instructions-manual.doc\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\"><strong>Complete Focusing Instructions Manual (17 pages)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/mini_manual_-_finished_6-7-07-for-pdf.doc\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\"><strong>\u201cAjas\u201d Instantaneos Mini-Manual<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Creative Edge Focusing (<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\"><strong>www.cefocusing.com<\/strong><\/span><\/a><strong> )<\/strong> teaches two basic self-help skills, <a title=\"Intuitive Focusing Instructions\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/coreconcepts\/1a1.php\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\">Intuitive Focusing<\/span><\/a> and <a title=\"Focused Listening instructions at CEF website\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/coreconcepts\/1a2.php\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\">Focused Listening<\/span><\/a>, which can be applied at home and at work through <a title=\"Creative Edge Pyramid described at CEF website\" href=\"http:\/\/cefocusing.com\/coreconcepts\/1a4.php\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\">The Creative Edge Focusing Pyramid<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Based upon Gendlin\u2019s Experiential Focusing (<\/strong><a onclick=\"urchinTracker ('\/outbound\/article\/www.focusing.org');\" href=\"http:\/\/www.focusing.org\/\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\"><strong>www.focusing.org<\/strong><\/span><\/a><strong> )\u00a0and Rogers\u2019 Empathic Listening,<\/strong> our website is packed with Free Resources and instructions in these basic self-help skills. Learn\u00a0how to build S<a title=\"Building Supportive Community at CEF Website\" href=\"http:\/\/cefocusing.com\/isthisyou\/3a1b.php\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">upport Groups<\/span><\/a>, <a title=\"Conscious Relationships at CEF website\" href=\"http:\/\/cefocusing.com\/isthisyou\/3a1e.php\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Conscious Relationships<\/span><\/a>, and <a title=\"Creative Edge Organizations at CEF website\" href=\"http:\/\/cefocusing.com\/isthisyou\/3a1a.php\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Creative Edge Organizations <\/span><\/a>based upon these basic skills of emotional intelligence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You can try out\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><a title=\"Focusing exercise at CEF website\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/freeresources\/2a1a.php\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\"><strong>\u201cFocusing: Find Out What Is Bothering You.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Subscribe e-newsletter and e-course\" href=\"http:\/\/cefocusing.com\/subscribe.php\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\">Click here to subscribe to\u00a0Creative Edge Focusing(TM)\u2019s \u00a0Instant \u201cAhah!\u201d e-newsletter and get the latest exercises first!!!<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Free Intuitive Focusing e-Mini-Course\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/?p=138\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\">Click here for a free Intuitive Focusing Mini-Course<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Focused Listening Mini-Course\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/?p=141\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\">Click here for a free Focused Listening Mini-Course<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<strong>See \u00a0<a title=\"Conflict Resolution Mini-Course on website\" href=\"http:\/\/cefocusing.com\/coreconcepts\/1a9.php\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\">Core Concept: Conflict Resolution<\/span><\/a><\/strong><strong>\u00a0to find a complete mini-course on Interpersonal Focusing and Conflict Resolution, including Rosenberg\u2019s Non-Violent Communication, Blanchard\u2019s \u201cOne Minute Apology,\u201d Patricia Evan\u2019s books on Verbally Abuse and Controlling Relationships, McMahon\u2019s <em>Beyond The Myth Of Dominance, <\/em>and much more.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>See\u00a0 <a title=\"Intimate Relationship Mini-Course at CEF website\" href=\"http:\/\/cefocusing.com\/coreconcepts\/1a10.php\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\">Core Concept: Intimate Relationship<\/span><\/a> to find a complete mini-course on increasing intimacy and sexuality, including the \u201cSharing Your Day\u201d exercise, Listening\/Focusing Partnerships for The Way of Relationship, untangling and equalizing desire, tantric sexuality, and much more.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\"><strong>Download complete Instant \u201cAhah!\u201d Mini-Manual, in <\/strong><a title=\"Instant Ahah! Mini Manual, English\" href=\"http:\/\/cefocusing.com\/freedownloads\/InstantAhahMin%20Manual.pdf\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\"><strong>English<\/strong><\/span><\/a><strong> and <\/strong><a title=\"Mini-Manual Ajas Instantaneos pdf\" href=\"http:\/\/cefocusing.com\/pdf\/Mini_Manual_Ajas_Instantaneos.pdf\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\"><strong>Spanish<\/strong><\/span><\/a><strong>, from CEF Website, or download from links at top of this blog.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Find links to <\/strong><a title=\"Links to Resources\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=79\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\"><strong>free articles, personality tests, multi-media\u00a0Self-Help training, Classes and workshops<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Dr. Kathy McGuire, Director\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/about\/index.php#kathy\"><span style=\"color: #0066cc;\">Dr. Kathy McGuire<\/span><\/a>, Director<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"About Creative Edge Focusing (TM)\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/about\/index.php\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\">Creative Edge Focusing (TM)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #b85b5a;\">www.cefocusing.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Active,hands-on learners are intensely interested in learning skills as toddlers. They will pay attention to the mechanics of any task, and practice, practice, practice until they can master it. How is it that this focused learner becomes labelled as ADHD, &#8220;attention-deficit,&#8221; upon reaching fourth grade? Do we really offer &#8220;equal opportunity&#8221; for education if we do not provide equal access to these &#8220;non-academic,&#8221; non-reading and -writing-oriented learners?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[117,15,116,18,4,1],"tags":[706,701,424,86,749,705,703,557,426,143,704,144],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=826"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":842,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/826\/revisions\/842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}