Member of the Lions Club Rosie Linko
I am a Lion hear me

ROAR
©2002

Thru the Eyes of A Storm by Joey's mom

Sometimes when parents think everything is going their way; a lightening bolt hits them and the thunder rolls. You think you’re stuck in a tornado, because your world is turning round and round. And you feel like your being turned inside out, all because you find out your son or daughter has A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. You're not a bad parent, but you feel like a terrible parent because you didn't see it happening right before your very eyes. But kids don't come with a handbook, so you didn't know what to look for. The sad part about this whole situation is that the teacher, who spends a good part of the day with your child, didn't see it either. These people are professionals. Your child behaves, is quiet in class and his grades aren't bad; this doesn't mean he should be over looked. Can you imagine how it must feel to that student with a disorder? He knows the answer to most of the questions a teacher asks, but doesn't know how to respond because it wasn't asked in the right way. And what is the right way?

Education is the only way; learning how to deal with kids, who have disorders, is the only way. Some teachers don't have the education about A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. There are a lot of parents of children with disorders who have to learn and attend support groups in how to deal with these kids. Teachers should have to attend them too. It should be part of the education courses they take to become teachers. I'm sure that if it were their son or daughter, they would make the time to do it. Anybody working with kids should take the time to attend one of these meetings. They would then really take the time to look at a child, and understand why they act the way they do. A.D.D. stands for Attention Deficit Disorder and A.D.H.D. stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It doesn't mean these kids are retarded. Their brain just processes information differently. Actually, these kids have high IQs. O.D.D. stand for Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Some people see it as a flaw in their personality just because they can't handle stress the way you or I can. Their feelings are too close to the surface. Now this isn't in all children with A.D.H.D.& O.D.D. (just ours). So how do they handle it? By screaming and yelling at you! It's their way of fighting back. Let’s take for instance, the rug on the floor is green. This was an example that was given to me by the doctor. To a child with O.D.D., the rug is red. And they will argue that point with you till, out of shear mental anguish, you agree because they are going to oppose you anyway they can. They become very oppositional. But when you have a teenager it’s worse because you don't know if it's A.D.H.D., O.D.D. or just being a teenager, (or hormones). But it's the same thing over and over again, until it gets to the point where you are asking yourself the big question and deep inside you know the answer. How do I get through to this kid, when is he ever going to just keep his mouth shut and listen instead of answering back? And you know the answer is never. But you have to keep trying because you know one of these days you'll get through, eventually. Till then, the never-ending story goes on and on. You'll loose your patience and quit often too. But you’re only human, and so is he. You learn from your mistakes but it's not easy for them. Every day is a constant struggle to get through the day. In one way they have to be admired because it's a constant struggle for them. But then again where would they be if we, as parents, gave up on them? Where would they be today if we weren't so stubborn, and wanted to find out why they acted the way the do? I remember taking him to the doctors and not knowing what was wrong with him. The only thing I had to go on was that he acted odd. I never knew that there was a name for it: O.D.D. Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

You can find info on A.D.H.D., A.D.D. & L.D. But very little is said about O.D.D., and I think its time for people to open their eyes and come out of the dark ages. Find out what it is, and what we can do as parents and teachers to help these kids. Why should they suffer because of our ignorance? They need all the help we can give them if we want to see them succeed in life. If you were on a boat with someone and they fell overboard, wouldn't you throw them a lifeline? These kids are drowning in our ignorance, and its time we read up on the subject. If a child reacts to a situation a certain way, let’s find out why they are acting the way they are. I know it's hard to keep up with their different moods (what makes them act that way?). It's not you or anything you did. It’s the chemical imbalance they have. I call it a catchall phrase. If the doctor can't figure out what's wrong with you, it’s a chemical imbalance. But what caused the chemical imbalance? No one knows for sure; they think you were born with it. And it’s very hard for someone to say you'll always have it even till the day you die. It’s just one of the many different things in life you’re going to have to live with. As you get older your body will be able to compensate for it and you'll be better able to handle it. There is very little information put out on the subject of O.D.D. But with the help of a few interested people, I'm sure we can change that. If you would like to help, my e-mail address is : gramaro@aol.com Without our help, these kids will end up at the short end of the stick. Is that fair? The only situation to the problem is to talk about it to some one else who is putting upwith the same things you are. So fire up that keyboard and start talking. That's why Istarted this web page, so you would be able to talk to someone and get an answer. Don't wait until tomorrow, do it today, please! For your child's sake!What I have learned rasing an ADHD, ODD, & LD child? That will drive you absolutely crazy at times . But you have to become the child's Advocate if you want them to get the right education. The most important thing is to be able to talk to your child and encourage them in everything that they do to get along in life teach them to think before they say anything, have them understand the disorder then they can help themselves handle the anger. I still remember trying to explain to my son what he has and it wasn't easy . I sat him down and try to explain it to him that was about the hardest thing a parent can do, but the words didn't come easy. As I tried to explain it to him I came out with a understanding of what it was and how I could help people. I told him it was not his fault and not ours but the disorder that makes him act the way he does. What he has was up to him to control it, he was like a lit firecracker and it was up to him if that firecracker was going to go off. One thing that worked for me was to have him take a deep breath and count to 20 before he asks something. It helped him calm down and it help me to answer without screaming. Remember every one involve with you child has to be on the same page, and as a parent it is up to you to make sure the school, Dr, Therapist etc. are all informed. The proudest time of my life was the day he graduated. We had teachers and parents complimenting us on what a good job we did to get him so far. Today he has a good job, he likes what he does and just got a raise. So if my child can do it so can yours.

Is just the ending of a bad storm, or just the begining of one???

My name is Rosie I live in Northeastern Pa. and I'm ??yrs. old. I'm a wife mother, and grandmother, and also the founder of the JOEY Support Group. JOEY stands for Just Open Everybody's eYes to O.D.D. & Other Disabilities. It is also my son's name. So parents, if you don't feel right talking to someone, just remember I've been there and done that. So living with a kid with A.D.H.D., O.D.D. & L.D., I know where you're coming from. Yesterday's person with a learning disability/A.D.D. entered a simpler adult society. Today's person with a learning disability & A.D.D. enters a highly lingual, educated society. There are different kinds of problems and different kinds of tools that require different talents and favor different kinds of brains.

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©1996 What I have learned rasing an ADHD, ODD, & LD child? That will drive you absolutely crazy at times . But you have to become the child's Advocate if you want them to get the right education. The most important thing is to be able to talk to your child and encourage them in everything that they do to get along in life teach them to think before they say anything, have them understand the disorder then they can help themselves handle the anger. I still remember trying to explain to my son what he has and it wasn't easy . I sat him down and try to explain it to him that was about the hardest thing a parent can do, but the words didn't come easy. As I tried to explain it to him I came out with a understanding of what it was and how I could help people. I told him it was not his fault and not ours but the disorder that makes him act the way he does. What he has was up to him to control it, he was like a lit firecracker and it was up to him if that firecracker was going to go off. One thing that worked for me was to have him take a deep breath and count to 20 before he asks something. It helped him calm down and it help me to answer without screaming. Remember every one involve with you child has to be on the same page, and as a parent it is up to you to make sure the school, Dr, Therapist etc. are all informed. The proudest time of my life was the day he graduated. We had teachers and parents complimenting us on what a good job we did to get him so far. Today he has a good job, he likes what he does and just got a raise. So if my child can do it so can yours.
Behavior Supports : The issue of "problem" behavior has historically presented a challenge to educators in Pennsylvania and the nation at large. One of the greatest challenges that the educational community faces is to design and deliver systems that support children who present problem behavior in school and community settings.In order to build an ecology of effective behavioral support in schools, educators, in partnership with their local community, need to focus on the interactive relationship between student behavior and contextual factors in Pennsylvania. A comprehensive approach to behavioral support in schools is viewed as being comprised of 1) school wide systems (typically referred to as a "discipline code"), 2) setting specific systems, 3) classroom based systems, and 4) individual student systems.

Postive Behavior Support: Support teams working with children who demonstrate challenging behavior are encouraged to use the this five-step planning process in designing behavioral support plans. It is intended that the team progress through steps one through five in the order in which they are presented. Use of this planning process should be part of the student's Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) as appropriate, with the form entitled "Behavioral Support Plan (Summary Document)" attached to the IEP as an overview of the agreed-upon behavior management plan.

Instructional Strategies : Instructional strategies encompass a wide range of instructional techniques, activities, processes, procedures, and frameworks designed to help students acquire, use and retain skills, facts, concepts and principles. The implementation of instructional strategies has a profound impact in determining which methods, materials, devices, setting, resources, media and physical location will be used for instruction. Instructional strategies are perceived here as good teaching practices that can benefit all students - with disabilities and without disabilities in regular classrooms and self-contained classrooms.
Services: The Central Instructional Support Center works collaboratively with your local Intermediate Unit to meet your technical assistance and training needs. These services may include: Staff development plan development Onsite consultation Guided practice System planning sessions Small group training Large group training Curriculum: The student's IEP is developed based on his/her response to the general education curriculum. Instructional strategies are therefore selected/designed and implemented to address the students needs as they are related to the general education curriculum. As a general rule, strategies selected to address an individual student's needs that also benefit the entire class should be considered first. Next, strategies are chosen that benefit a group of students in the class based on need. Finally, strategies that only relate to the specific need of a student are selected when it is the only option that is likely to work and enable the student to be successfully included in the general education classroom. Consistent implementation of instructional strategies is more likely to occur if it is used with and benefits the entire class. The pace, level, feedback, and opportunities to practice new learning determined by the curriculum are all relevant to student success or failure and therefore have a decided impact on type of instructional strategies selected and subsequently implemented. Instructional strategies specified in the specially designed instruction section of the student's IEP or included with the annual goals and short-term objective should be considered first. It is expected that they were selected based on careful monitoring of student progress over time with adjustments made as necessary. Assessment: Assessment is a critical component that must be conducted prior to choosing and during the implementation of instructional strategies for a given student. Instructional strategies should be initially selected based on the impact they have on the student's rate of learning. Instructional assessment is the only relevant way this is determined. Once appropriate strategies are selected the students response to instruction should be monitored and adjusted as necessary.Some instructional strategies not only have the potential to increase student learning, but provide opportunities for formative assessment. Many active learning strategies, cooperative learning processes and activities, and strategies to elicit student participation serve as examples. Instruction: There are opportunities to employ a variety instructional strategies throughout the entire instructional design. They extend from the beginning of the lesson where new learning is introduced and linked to student experiences and prior learning, to best-shot instruction, to guided practice, to the end of the lesson where learning is summarized and tied to the larger topic. These strategies can include a diverse range of approaches that can serve to motivate, provide structure, and respond to individual approaches to learning and demonstration of that learning. Consultants Regional Educational Consultants are available to help support intermediate units and school districts in their efforts to train their staffs in development and implementation of instructional strategies. The consultants can be utilized to help plan staff development programs, conduct training, provide guided practice, identify locations for site visits by staff, and locate speakers and trainers within and outside of the Instructional Support System of Pennsylvania. Training/ Events: Trainings are school-based, local, and regional. The Central Instructional Support Center works collaboratively with your local Intermediate Unit to meet your district or individual building training needs. The focus of the training can be at either the elementary or secondary level. Following instructional strategy training, guided practice in the classroom is available to teachers to implement strategies addressed during the training session(s) The topic "Instructional Strategies" is a training topic that covers an array of sub-topics. The following are a sampling of topics that have been conducted for local educational agencies: Active Learning Cooperative Learning Visual Organizers Structuring Student Assignments 1 Study Skills Multiple Intelligence Accommodating Students With Disabilities and At-Risk Students in the Regular Classroom Strategies to Increase Student Participation in the Classroom Focus on Teaching and Learning in Content Classes Check our training database for events currently scheduled. The Central Instructional Support Center works collaboratively with your local Intermediate Unit to meet your training needs. Please feel free to contact us regarding your specific professional development needs.
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