A recent opinion piece in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, entitled, “Looking Before Leaping in Diagnosing ADHD Kids”, cautions that the recently documented rise in the rate of diagnosis of ADHD in American children could have its roots in a variety of factors other than an actual increase in the prevalence of the disorder.
As we are not epidemiologists, we have no real basis for judging whether the up tick in diagnosis reflects a real rise in the incidence of the disorder or whether, as the author suggests, other factors might be the chief culprit.
Regardless, the article does illuminate a powerful reality by asking the trenchant question, “Does the school curriculum or learning environment match up to the child’s learning style or intelligence?” Howard Gardner’s theory of “multiple intelligences” is a reality we see every day at QWERTY. The author of the opinion piece reminds us that it is critical to start with the recognition that each student has unique strengths and that schools are often constrained (for a multitude of reasons) in their ability to tailor themselves to individual student abilities.
We all want students to emerge from their school experiences with a set of core competencies that enable them to interact effectively with the surrounding world. Behind all of our work with students at QWERTY is the firm belief that there is no single “right” path for acquiring the aforementioned skills. Discovering the best path for each student is our passion. Do you see your student’s strengths as being leveraged for success? How?
