A focus is being put on raising awareness this month.
October is Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Month.
Rebecca Halliday runs Riverbend Community School in Moncton, New Brunswick.
It’s a facility that focuses on kids with, as Halliday describes it, differently-wired brains.
She says the key is educating yourself.
“It is different in every student. I think one of the biggest misconceptions that we deal with everyday is thinking that a lot of this is in their control and if they just tried harder, they would be better.”
“I think it is really meeting that challenge of accepting where they are at and work with the things they do, that make it challenging to be around them. It doesn’t mean it is going to be easy, but our job as an adult and parent, is figuring out how to work with some of the ADHD and Dyslexia symptoms we see everyday.”
It’s Dyslexia and ADHD awareness month! What better way to kick it off than with our first episode of #TruthBombTuesday Season 2 at Riverbend! Please share! Spread awareness.
Posted by Rebecca Halliday on Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Halliday says, “This group of individuals, kids with learning disabilities and ADHD and are so misunderstood. That is why I wanted to raise awareness. These kids have sensory issues, so when there is too much noise, sometimes feelings of fabrics and clothing drive them nuts and they can’t explain it. As a result, they have poor behaviour and they are just crawling out of their skin because the volume of something is too loud and they can’t even think about reading. ADHDers cannot sit still, and they have to move and they have to fidget. Telling them to sit in their seat, is not helpful. For Dyslexic kids, it is not as visible. You don’t see them struggling right in front of you, but they still are.”
She says they are able to achieve, and are smart, but their behaviour is often something they can’t understand themselves.
“They know they have it, but they have no clue what it means, so they feel like they’re stupid, they feel like they are poorly behaved kids. I am a firm believer that the way their brain is wired does not allow them to often regulate those behaviours.”
She says we need to celebrate these kids everyday, and focus on the positive.
“Systems and procedures in your home and in your classroom that are so predictable and so consistent. Consistency, if you can show them that you can maintain these things, then they feel safe. When they don’t have these things, they feel that they can’t regulate. Try and understand these kids for who they are,” Halliday says.