Is school igniting a love of learning in your child or turning them off to learning? Is school helping your child discover his or her unique learning style and how to maximize performance, or diminishing your child’s sense of value and self?
In the book, Neurodiversity: Discovering the Extraordinary Gifts of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Brain Differences, author Thomas Armstrong points out that children with learning challenges also possess extraordinary gifts.
Individuals with ADD also have a great capacity for teamwork because they are able to see a bigger picture and both sides of the picture. Individuals with ADHD have what is called “a novelty gene” and their system is always looking for a new, and novel solution. In the global community, this can be a great asset. Individuals with dyslexia often have the capacity to see three-dimensionally, while individuals with autism seem to have a propensity for systems and circuits, making them great candidates for working in the computer industry.
Now I think it is important to remember that the scars of childhood be they personal or educational don’t magically disappear when we become adults. All too often when an adult hears about my ICWIB program they then secretly divulge to me how they had difficulty in school and how that negative experience made them feel they were broken or less than the other children merely because their mind did not learn in the traditional classroom manner. It is also important to note that this was not something they were referring to only in the past. They were also confessing to how those seemingly simple and harmless exchanges still haunt them and handicap them in their current daily life.
So instead of focusing only on what our children (and we) can’t do, I feel it is important to show them what they (and we) CAN do that typical linear thinkers can’t do. This is empowering rather diminishing them. When children and adults understand how their minds work, both its strengths and weaknesses—with no judgment—they can move from feeling broken to being proud of who they are and what they can share with the world. Then they can also become active contributors to their community and the world.
With this in mind, I invite you to explore some of the ICWIB art activities and videos for FREE, because they can help both you and the children in your life gain a deeper understanding of how your unique minds works and also help maximize its performance.