Dear Teacher

A letter from a parent of a child with ADD, placed here with permission ....

Sometimes it is great to hear from parents so we as teachers can keep things in perspective. Thank you, parent, for sharing.

Dear Teacher,

By now you have had the chance to observe and interact with my son. You might find him to be goofy, high-strung, impulsive, reactive, or just plan irritating. But, no matter what your thoughts are about my beautiful boy, please remember what you have been hired to do. I put my child in your hands to guide him, teach him, inspire him, and help him grow. You cannot do this if you don't have an understanding of how he is made. On the days you feel like you can't take another minute of him, reach out to him. When he's interrupted you over and over again, be gentle. When he can't stay in his seat another moment, send him on an errand. When he's not really getting social cues from his peers and struggling relating to them, talk to all the children without singling him out. When he can't seem to focus, touch his shoulder gently without saying a word. When he says he hates school, don't take it personally, he just hates feeling so frustrated by the world around him that he can't turn off.

And lastly, please remember that this child is the apple of someone's eye. They bring us so much joy, even with the difficulties they have to endure every single day. You could be the one teacher that could change my child’s life forever, or you could be the one that could tear down his self-esteem for years. Watch your words. Our children never forget a negative comment. Remember why you want to teach, and realize you will see more and more children like mine. They want to do good. They want to succeed. They want to please everyone. You could be that one who could make a difference forever by reaching out to my child. I truly believe that the success you find in him will carry you on for many years.

Sincerely...an ADD parent.

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Ask Amanda - About Tourette syndrome awareness

What might a strategy be in order to educate a class where there is present a boy with Tourette syndrome? Ho might we address this situation with respect to the students as well as the class? The boy has blinking as well as some verbal ticks wich at times can be distracting to his learning ability as well as the rest of the class. ... Facebook Friend

When helping build awareness about a child's disability the most important rules to adhere to are:

1. Make sure the process is controlled by the parent and/or the child.
2. Promote empathy rather than sympathy

Make sure the process is controlled by the parent/child

Talk to the parent and the child. Get their ideas. What do they want to share?

If they do not want to talk about the child's disability specifically, then you need to address the issue in general terms. I will talk more about this below. This is often the most effective approach as it decreases the chances of the child being stereotyped by their "label" or disability.

Secondly, if the child does want to talk about their disability, it should be done in the context of all students talking about themselves. This sets up an environment of respect and empathy, rather than pity and isolating the student as "different" or with nothing in common with their peers.

For example, use "get-to-know-you" games. These could include sitting in a circle and throwing a ball. The person who catches a ball has to say something about themselves. It is best to have some guidelines about what they share, and also have some rules about responding respectfully. To find out more about rules go here.

And that brings me to another point - before you do anything, you need to set up a culture of respect by establishing these class rules. You also need to model the attitudes you want, such as including the child and praising the child, relating to them in the same way you would with any other student in your classroom.

Promote empathy rather than sympathy

If you want to discuss the issue with the class, make sure you do it in a way that helps them relate to the child rather than feel sorry for or fear them.

For example, don't talk about Tourettes syndrome. Talk about the things that the children see and hear (the blinking and verbal tics). But do this indirectly. An example of how you might do this is below. You will need to adapt this according to the age of the children and so on.

The way we act and what we say is effected by a lot of different things. But one of the most important things that effects how our body moves and what we say is the messages our brain sends to our body.

It is like each person is run by electricity and the brain is the power station. The "wires" that carry the electricity to "run" our body and our speech can be effected by different things. Tiredness, being sick and sometimes just the way our bodies are made. These things may mean it is hard to turn the power on or off. It may mean that one part of our body gets too much power, while another part doesn't get enough.

If we can't turn the power off when we want to we might call out when we don't mean to, or our body might move even when we don't want it to move.

Whether you personalise it or not will depend on whether the child/parent wants this. But just remember - if your students ask you "Is that what is wrong with ...", don't avoid the issue like it is taboo or a bad thing. Just calmly and briefly answer the question (or give the child with tourettes syndrome the opportunity to respond) without making a big deal of it.

This approach will help the children understand and relate to the child, rather than trying to teach them about a "label" or a syndrome - to which they won't be able to relate. Labelling can also increase the chances of bullying.

I hope that helps. If you want to know more about the syndrome and what you can do in the classroom to support students with tourettes, you might want to visit http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/education.htm

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