ADHD Tip – What Science Doesn’t Teach Us

When I sat down at the breakfast table this morning, I found myself staring at a book called “Chicken Soup for the Teacher’s Soul.”

Whether or not you have read this particular book – I have no doubt you are familiar with this series.  I have to tell you – it’s truly remarkable.  I’m not usually one for sentimental, inspirational books – but it was in front of me and I felt like taking a peak.

First off – the front cover is not far off:

“Stories to open the hearts and rekindle the spirits of educators.”

If you ever pick up this book – check out the story on page 10.  It goes a little something like this:

A fifth-grade boy was starting with a new teacher at a special education school.  No one liked this boy, not his peers, not his teachers, and not even the bus driver.  Apparently everyone insulted this kid, picked on this kid, and made his life miserable…  Everyone except one teacher.

One teacher decided she would give him a chance.  One teacher recognized that this boy spent a great deal of energy fighting off insults and ridicule every day.  In fact – this one teacher noticed that this must be how his day started.  So she watched…  She came to the conclusion that everything started in the morning and just built up from there.

The teacher decided she would pay a visit to the boy’s home.  He lived in the country – and would have to travel out there.  Despite her fellow teachers’ warnings, she decided to go.

When she got to the “farm,” she quickly learned that the boy was being raised by a single father.  Money was tight, they had no plumbing, no clothes washer, and very little food.

All of a sudden it made sense.

The boy who smelled funny couldn’t shower or clean his clothes.  The boy who ran down the hall and pushed his way through the cafeteria line was just hungry.

While the boy was labeled as a behavioral problem – his behavior was related to something that no one else was willing to consider.

Suddenly – it all made sense.

While science asks us to question everything, science doesn’t encourage us or teach professionals to look beyond the obvious.  And if it does encourage us to do so, we tend to take circumstances and life for granted.