What have we heard?

What does Mr. G have to say about all this?

The Vicious Cycle:
When a child with ADD feels intense pressure, either from not having their homework done, not understanding an assignment, or losing any sense of control, they begin to shutdown. This does not mean they goes to sleep, it simply means they process and understand less and less. This means that as they experience little success in school, and should be pulling himself up by the bootstraps, he is doing worse and worse, understanding less and less. This "shutting down" is not within your child's control. It is simply a learning characteristic of ADD children. Unless this cycle is broken, and the child begins to feel a sense of control, the downward spiral will continue.

Some additional information:
First of all, it is important to note that MOST teachers are not ADD, in fact most are very organized, linear-thinking individuals. With the amount of paperwork that it takes to be a teacher, most would-be teachers, that could relate to your child, leave the classroom in search of positions that fit their personality. Jobs that do not take the incredible amount of time-management and organization that teaching takes. Writing, sales, graphic arts, almost anything accept teaching. Therefore, many teachers may have a very difficult time relating to your child. Hence the "If Johnny would just get himself organized..." or "He could be a straight A student if he would just work up to his potential..." comments. Do you really think Johnny wouldn't work up to his potential IF he could? I'll tell you the answer: of course he would! Unfortunately for the classroom, the organized, linear-thinking individuals are the one that have the hardest time understanding individuals that learn different from themselves.

"If he would just apply himself." He is incapable of applying himself the way the this teacher might expect.

The second thing to remember: Many ADD children are extremely sharp, and many are identified for Talented and Gifted programs. Many others should be identified, but the ADD Learning Style can get in the way.

As you read advice about ADD, it's repeated over and over, "Help him get organized!" How? You don't go to school with him. The teachers are so overloaded and overworked that they have a hard time giving him the attention he needs.

Problem:

Entrepreneurs that have created these organizational systems see ADD children as a wonderful market, and say, "We'll throw our product on the internet or in a magazine, get these ADD children organized AND make a lot of money!" As those of you that have bought these "Homework Organizers" know, they don't work. They promise the world, but let's take a look at them, realistically. So, your child has a hard time organizing the assignments given to him, well the "Homework Organizer" will organize those, and while we're at it, we'll micro-organize all aspects of his projects, then we'll have him ask teachers to sign off on all projects, then we'll have him chart his progress, then we'll have him collect names of other students, then we'll have him...these are professionally organized people. The do not understand the way an ADD child's mind works or how to accommodate for different learning styles! I believe many times these products are well intended, but the results speak for themselves.

You get the picture. How in the world does it make sense to take a child who cannot organize his daily work and give him a fancy folder and have him organize more and more? It just doesn't make sense!

It would be like taking your car's instrument panel and putting gauges for everything the car does, until it looks like a cockpit of a 747! It would simply overwhelm the driver.

Fine, but where does that leave my child...I'm willing to help him in any way possible, I just don't know how...

Here's what Macro Organizers has done. Instead of expecting a student to conform to the majority of educators who are in the pursuit of "organizing" their students, giving them micro-organizing tools that are simply ineffective and developmentally inappropriate we have thrown all that out the window.

Let's start from square one. Think outside the box. That's what your student does naturally. Let's figure out what is important. Let's figure out what it takes to help your student get through school. Let's take this and throw everything else away. Let's help them get macro-organized. Focus on the important stuff. The rest will take care of itself.

The MAC, which is short for macro-organizer, includes just what is needed for success in the classroom. No extra charts, facts, etc. It is also very complete, including everything that is needed for success.