The process of building an abstract that is equal to the concrete. Bringing our ADHD and ADD children, here.

I watched this video of a girl training a horse. She took small steps, slowly, to build a sense of ease with the horse, moving through reactions the horse had built in relation to touch. Eventually, she was able to connect with the horse having built a steady trust.

It is no different when working with a child. To start from the beginning, focusing the child from their natural learning ability, this that builds the abstract mind, this that takes in the forms presented.

If we allow compound forms, as fairy tales, for example, that impulse ideals, making an aspect of reality huge, ignoring a practical process of a natural ability to take in the environment, in detail, to become equal to the real names of objects as the physical and their function and way of utility, then we have built an abstract within the child that is equal in understanding to the total measure of the physical world around them. Here, if they decide to work more directly with the physical, or learn a language of digits and symbols as letters that delineate objects, that allow a perspective of organization on paper, they have a fuller, and thus more substantial connection to what is essentially, the process of life, as physical beings. As such they are more stable, more productive, more self directive. Their abstract is more equal to the concrete world. Instead of judging, they have a practical common sense ability. Their abstract map is connected to reality, a direct memory.

I worked with one autistic child, who, after working together, stood and went into conditioned behaviors. He stood in his kitchen and repeated over and over these impulsed words - which is this boy defining himself as what he has learned - “ I am a good boy, I am a winner, that is what I am isn’t it mom?!” It is not that this is true or not true, bad or not bad, it is that this is a positive reinforcement repeated again and again that has been accepted by the boy as what is supposedly proper and “ right.”  It is in many ways, a way to deal with a lack of direction, perhaps to calm a child etc.. I can see where this is cute at age 12, but at 20, is this going to be cute? No. And, will  that child then become the blame for its behavior when this is what has been impulsed into the child in lieu of taking the time to walk that child into a “ touch” with practical movement in common sense of physical reality? Can we begin to understand how a building of idealisms actually separate a child from a common sense development, that is overall,  how the child begins their world - as that movement of building an abstract likeness of reality- from a starting point of pure common sense ability? Can we begin to understand how we as parents, have actually created that “ distraught horse”/child and now must walk that child back into common sense, and that this is going to take some patient time that many schools are simply not a structure to carry this out?

It is much like, as I see it at this point, that each parent is going to have to become a teacher of “ Helen Keller.”

There is a tool that is a very organized means to walking, lol, ourselves, and that child, back into practical equality with reality. It organizes vocabulary,, and moves at the speed of the natural learning ability, to build a vocabulary that is a placeholder without added positive and negative values, where the meaning of the word can be added that is practical. This is a practical process that builds a solid foundation of understanding that has a direct seeing ability enabling the child to be grounded in common sense, and as such , no longer a skittish fearful behavior, which we see so many children, in essence, reacting as.

Reading is more than just reciting words on a page, it is the child using an abstract as the mind, as their physical instruments of life, reading the world around them, to the point where they are equal in practical common sense to physical reality, and words and numbers on a page, to see the patterns and forms of what is here, either in word or form. This then creates a child that has attention grounded in reality and the behaviors to match.

A school cannot correct this in the child, this can only be done by parents. And within this, it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that the child is grounded, because an ungrounded child brings behaviors into the classroom that disrupt the group and slow down the process of learning new forms of measure taught. 

The solution, is simple and as I have said many times to children that I have taught the violin to, to begin practicing a little every day, so as not to become overwhelmed. And as a solid foundation is built, there is a building joy, in equal measure, as a common sense is developed that enables self movement, self direction and thus communication and interaction with here. And then, just as with that horse, a relationship is built that is solid, fun, interactive, grounded, stable, trustworthy.

So, the solution is here, right in front of us, we need only take the time and apply ourselves.

Building Trust, building stability.