Glenbard North social worker Jeff Money and social work intern Darian Gier recently attended Alan Graham's "Positive Psychology and ADHD Coaching: Focusing on What Is Right With People" program.
"Dr. Graham discussed how, as parents and practice professionals, we need to focus on the positive attributes associated with ADHD," Money said. "It's very easy to overlook the strengths of the ADHD student and unknowingly focus on the negatives. Dr. Graham also emphasized the need to increase students' daily diet of positive emotions to help them develop closer connections with others and increase resilience, optimism and productivity."
Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appear between the ages of 3 and 6, with the average diagnosis occurring at the age of 7. Approximately 6.4 million American children between the ages of 4 and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, marking an increase of 42 percent over the past eight years.
"The presentation by Dr. Graham enlightened me on important coaching techniques for students with ADHD/ADD and useful skills to assist their parents," Gier said. "I learned there are many simple steps to inspire change by focusing on their strengths - such as their high energy and creativity - and by focusing on what has worked for the student in the past."
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