ADHD (with or without hyperactivity) and Attention Deficit Disorder ADD

Attention Deficit means a weakness in the ability to pay attention.  It can be as simple as the child not knowing how.

You don’t teach a child to swim by throwing him off the boat and yelling, “SWIM!” Well, neither should you expect a child with ADHD to learn how to pay attention by telling him to focus.  Children need to learn how to swim.  Many children need to learn how to pay attention.  At Accomplished Learning Centre we don’t teach swimming but we do teach attention skills.

ADD and ADHD are symptomatic diseases.  Often, the only thing doctors do to diagnose these diseases is to try medications.  Psychologists might diagnose them by having parents and teachers complete a symptoms checklist.  However it is diagnosed, the condition is not corrected.  (Click here for a list of frequently misdiagnosed causes of symptoms.)

At Accomplished Learning Centre we use a cognitive assessment. In other words, we want a clearer understanding of why the child can’t pay attention.  Poor listening skills, auditory processing deficits, weak memory, slow processing speed, language disorders, and reading deficits are frequent causes.  After all, they can all cause a child to be unable to understand what the teacher is talking about.  It is impossible for a child to pay attention if he can’t follow the teacher’s lesson.  No one could.

Cognitive skills are very trainable but first they must be identified through testing.  Our assessment enables us to identify the root cause of the symptoms.  Then we can correct it.  Yes, the symptoms magically fall away.

Attention is a Trainable Skill

At Accomplished Learning Centre we use specialized programs to train children with ADHD, ADD, or attention weaknesses in:

  • selective attention (stay on task when distraction is present),
  • divided attention (attend to and handle two or more tasks at one time), and
  • sustained attention (stay on task for a long time).

With these skills intact the ADHD/ADD child can pay attention, learn what is being taught, and even become genuinely interested in the subject.

Which program is best for your child? Every child is unique. Our assessment and parent consultation (only $250) will determine the best fit for your kid.

Assessment and Parent Consultation

Our 45-minute assessment tests your child’s deficits and strengths.  During the assessment the facilitator monitors your child’s personality and how he or she responds to the tasks at hand.  An anxious child will need a different program than one who is easy going.

A few days later the parents will return for a 90-minute meeting to go over the assessment results, review psycho-eds or other assessments that have already been done, discuss the child’s school challenges and personal issues, and determine availability and costs.

Phone 604.539.1386 or go to Assessments.