Impulsivity is a common symptom in people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Impulsivity is simply an inability to stop and think before reaction to something. It is expressed in both actions and words. Someone with ADHD is likely to interrupt others when they’re talking, having thought of something to share without waiting to share it.

To combat this tendency toward interrupting, an article on the Bella Online website advocates on behalf of teaching active listening skills to children with ADHD:

It's important for those who live with [ADHD] to learn active listening. Active listening is the ability to focus and listen to someone who is talking without forming a response to what he or she is saying internally. ... During active listening the person listening should acknowledge he or she is hearing what the other person is saying.

Reflecting or clarifying techniques can also help improved the listening skills of a person with ADHD. These techniques require the listener to restate what they’ve heard, to ensure they understand. This type of listening and thinking can help someone with ADHD stay involved in the conversation.

Labels: communication, listening

In 2004, 60 percent of the kindergartners at Gordon Parks Elementary in Kansas City, Missouri, failed a visual-skills test. The results prompted teachers to try something new. They began regular lessons in visual skills using therapist Cheryl Steffenella.

"Parks retrains many students' listening abilities as well, through lessons pioneered by French physician Alfred Thomatis. The sessions use students' voices and modified recordings of Mozart, played through headphones, to retrain the brain."

The American Academy of Pediatrics hasn't approved the new techniques, saying that the results are not consistent. But the students at Park Elementary say they've learned better how to focus, and how to listen. Source: USA Today.

Talisman offers summer camps for kids with ADHD, Aspergers, and Autism. Visit TalismanCamps.com for more information.

Labels: listening, therapy, visual_skills