Workshop on AD/HD as Part of Awareness Week

This week, 9/14-9/18, has been designated ADHD Awareness Week by the city of Norwalk, as well as by the State of Connecticut and the United States Senate.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a common neurobiological condition affection 5-8 percent of children, according to the National Resource Center on AD/HD, but affects up to half of those children who are learning disabled

Jeffry Spahr, a Norwalk parent, has been working with the Board of Education and its Curriculum committee for over a year in help to get designation for this week. He has helped to organize a workshop to educate parents about AD/HD that will take place tonight (Tuesday) from 7 to 9 pm at Columbus Magnet School.

The workshop is designed to help parents, teachers and others understand Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and its implications for school success. Participants will receive information about AD/HD behavior support for parents and instructional support for teachers.

AD/HD in children is associated with both inattentiveness and hyperactivity. Children with AD/HD predominantly inattentive type (Type I) are easily distracted and cannot follow through on instructions. Children with AD/HD predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type (Type II) have difficulty staying in their seat or waiting their turn. In both cases according to a report by Connecticut's AD/HD taskforce "if a child cannot attend to appropriate information in the classroom, sustain attention, or overcome the impulse to respond before the instructions are complete, his her education and achievement will be compromised."