The controversy over what we should do for children with ADHD just keeps going, and going. In one corner we have researchers like L. Alan Sroufe, Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota, claiming in a widely read New York Times' op-ed called "Ritalin Gone Wrong" that in the long term, attention deficit drugs are ineffective. What's more, Dr. Sroufe says, ADHD is not even an innately structural disorder -- he argues that it is often brought on by family stresses such as domestic violence or frequent moving, or even a parent's tendency to taunt or ridicule a child who is frustrated in solving a problem. In the other corner, we have researchers from the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders. They swung back quickly, claiming that ADHD is, in fact, heritable and that medication is effective. As the experts debate, 3 million of our children are taking stimulants every day. One of them is my much younger brother, Mike.
Mike, now in his last year at UCLA, has been on and off ADHD medication since being diagnosed in elementary school, and so he has some insight into what the drugs can and can't do. Adderall does help him to focus on boring tasks, he says, but he doesn't think it increases his overall effectiveness. In fact, he thinks Ritalin or Adderall would help anyone focus. This is exactly what Dr. Sroufe says in his Op-Ed: "Stimulants generally have the same effects for all children and adults. They enhance the ability to concentrate, especially on tasks that are not inherently interesting or when one is fatigued or bored, but they don't improve broader learning abilities." Then there's the problem of the drugs' fading effectiveness over long periods, as the child develops a tolerance. And so, in this debate, I find myself in Dr. Sroufe's corner, especially since there's a better answer than drugs for children with ADHD who struggle in school.
Research shows that attention can be trained, and over the past few years, attention training video games have become increasingly popular, but not just for children with ADHD. Because there's research showing possible gains in IQ after training, parents are purchasing games even for children without attention issues and schools are implementing programs for all of their students. I was recently asked if I'd be interested in providing attention training games in my own school's classrooms. My answer was a resounding "no." I love technology as much as anyone, but ours is a Montessori school, and for attention training, Montessori students don't need computers. Montessori environments are specifically designed to train attention by providing children opportunities to practice deep concentration for long periods without disruption. According to Dr. Montessori, concentration development is "the most important single result of our whole work." This is why our preschool and elementary programs have 3-hour work cycles rather than a schedule that changes subject area every 30 to 40 minutes.
The periods of deep concentration Montessori students experience are what Dr. Mihály Csikszentmikály, refers to as "flow." In his now classic book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, he defines flow as "the mental state in which a person engaged in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity." It's a state that Dr. Csikszentmikály generally attributes to adults, but when he and his colleague Dr. Kevin Rathunde conducted a multi-year study comparing traditional school environments to Montessori environments, they found that "students achieved flow experiences more frequently in Montessori settings."
Montessori environments, however, are doing more than merely training attention. Flow in a Montessori classroom fosters a love of learning, something computerized attention training games can't do. A flow state is so pleasing, it literally makes you feel joyful, thus, the learning experience becomes associated with joy, not some video game. As Dr. Csikszentmikály writes, "Every teacher, whether they teach German or music or mathematics, is aware of how important it is for the kid to experience flow while learning because that would make them want to learn more."
The reason flow is so pleasing to the brain is that it doesn't require effort and self-control as it's a state of effortless concentration that emerges from innate curiosity or interest. Yet, a byproduct of attention trained via flow is that a person becomes more self-regulated and, thus, can put more effort into things in which they're not innately interested. And this is important since there are just some things you have to do - like memorize those math facts!
If children in conventional schools aren't experiencing flow states more regularly, what are they experiencing? My guess is that they're most likely experiencing a lot strain and pain in having to exercise a LOT of self-control and effort to sit still and pay attention to the person speaking at the front of the class all day.
Sometimes I wonder if Mike would have ever been diagnosed with ADHD if he'd attended a Montessori school. I wonder if he'd had the opportunity to experience flow on a daily basis, if his brain would have wired differently. I wonder that about him -- and about the 3 million children in this country who take attention deficit medication every day. Can we imagine a public school system where every child experiences flow and doesn't have to depend upon stimulants or even video games?
Follow Laura Flores Shaw on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lflorshaw
These children will have NO problems when entering the job market. They're also more likely to CREATE jobs than just fill them. Our biggest innovators were Montessori kids: Google guys, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia... They'll create work that is meaningful to them.
The lives of today's children are drastically different. Most spend little time with their stressed and exhausted parents who must earn dual incomes. Many children spend long hours in lower quality day cares that bombard them with noise and chaotic activities (making it impossible to pay attention to any one thing for long). They spend a large percentage of time watching DVDs or with computer games. If they have activities, they’re adult structured (soccer, ballet). In smaller families, there’s less need for children to learn to modify activities or language in order to be empathetic to different abilities or temperaments. There's less mentoring of daily practical life skills (that are rich in implicit and procedural knowledge).
Montessori classrooms offer the missing elements our developmental biology REQUIRES.
Mulit-aged classroom where older students help care for younger ones (and younger students know that the mantel of responsibility will be passed to them in time).
Freedom of movement - as children navigate the classroom carrying the items necessary for their self chosen projects.
Freedom of choice - Virginia M. Axline, founding theorist of play therapy says, “When the individual becomes aware of the part he can play in directing his own life—and when he accept s the responsibility that goes with the freedom of this inner authority—then he is better able to sight his course of action with more accuracy”(Axline 1974).
Through complete work cycles -from the inception of an idea, to gathering needed supplies, to working towards their goal, troubleshooting, clean up, and review. This helps students acquire a realistic understanding of time and resources.
For a bit of fun and self-expression of my frustration, I wrote a "tongue-in-cheek" article called "Breakthrough tablet Riskalin cures RDD (Risk Deficit Disorder)" - You can read it here -
http://www.craigblewett.com/2/post/2011/05/breakthrough-tablet-riskalin-cures-rdd-risk-deficit-disorder.html
Montessori best practice, as described in the article, is an excellent response for supporting the development of attention, concentration, and awareness in children. Because children are allowed to move freely, they have the opportunity to gain better coordination and control of their bodies. Often there are outdoor hammering, digging, and sweeping lessons (as many schools include small outdoor courtyards ) so children can put their energy to useful purposes throughout the day.
Many schools also utilize support staff or community resources to address specific learning differences. Dr. Montessori arrived at her theories in part because of her work with children who had cognitive issues. Those children needed special interventions and lessons (comparatively speaking) but their interactions with materials (that were specifically designed to impart inherent concepts) proved remarkably beneficial.
However, not all schools or all teachers receive this higher level of training. Further, because of Montessori's reputation, a higher number of parents of children with special needs might seek out M schools (meaning classrooms may be overwhelmed if they are not are prepared for this eventuality). Parents should make informed inquiries and also offer full disclosure about their children to find the best fit.
Montessori is beautifully and scientifically designed to meet the developmental needs of children. If there were more M schools receiving proper support -these things would not be issues.
We have been fortunate to experience such a Montessori school, which also offered us Parent Training. I learned how to allow 'flow" and not interrupt my child's exploration of the world to "help" her learn.
While all schools and teachers are well intentioned, I have found that the Montessori training goes deeper into understanding children, and helps me understand my children's needs better - in my case that means learning to show great respect for them as individuals and to allowing them time to learn without rushing to fix everything for them.
We have also forgotten, as a society, that attention is a skill that is learned. We are all born with an ability to attend, but that ability is greatly influenced by environment and experience. So, one must concur with professor Alan Sroufe to some degree.
However, some children do seem to carry a genetic propensity for diffused attention, i.e. they cannot sustain and direct attention for very long periods unless the subject matter is incredibly stimulating or interesting to them. As Ms. Shaw recognizes, attention can be trained. Opposing popular medical classification, these students are not brain damaged or mentally ill. Schools have may utilize a variety of programs to help students increase attention; ADHD Nanny, Play Attention, Earobics, and a variety of cognitive and behavioral exercises that vastly improve their ability to attend.
Washington has an egregious educational record. True changes will only come through grass roots efforts energized by forums like this one.
Thank you for commenting!