The Elephant In The Room

    Ok, so here is the elephant in the room...when talking about disabilities such as ADD/ADHD...."Well, Johnny can't focus, he tries and tried. He must have ADHD"  And the medicating soon begins in many cases.  Here is the golden question that, when I ask it, I have yet to get an affirmative response. "Well, has anyone TAUGHT him HOW to focus?"   "No?  Hmmmmmm"   Now understand, I am not saying there is never an organic reason for having focus issues.  What I am saying is that, shouldn't there be an attempt to train the person HOW to control their mind before they are labeled and medicated?

   Often, when a workshops and presentations about such things, there is usually a list of famous people in history who we THINK had ADHD, or which ever other label.  Now, think about it for a second.  They had this challenge, and yet were highly successful.  How? Well, here is another "elephant in the room" theory... They were successful because they had NO LABEL!  They were just who they were, period.  No stamp of disability, no label providing limitations, and frankly, no medication.

   I know this views will ruffle some feathers.  In my coaching, however, I need to look at it from this point of view. I can't look at a label, as a limitation.  I have to see it as, "This is how the child is. Now, how can I help them get to a different result?"  How can we expect people to focus, or be socially capable, or successful in school for that matter, if they are not first TAUGHT?