Emotional self control strategies- Learning Disabilities

Though it is difficult for a concerned parent to know what else to do, it is not productive to suggest that the child use emotional self-control strategies such as ”calm down”, ”just relax”, ”don’t get so  upset”, “take it easy”.  Though well intended, such strategies just add one more thing to the overwhelmed child’s list of tasks that they have to perform before they can actually address the substance of the homework. Children often end up using up all of their mental resources in the struggle with their own feelings to the point that they are unable to think clearly about their homework.

Case study- 9 year old - mental paralysis

Jerrod was a 9 year homework failure. As homework time would approach he would get stomach aches, headaches and would become agitated and depressed. Dutifully he and his mother would sit down at the kitchen table to do his assignments. He would stare at his book with pencil in hand oscillating between paralysis, anger and hopelessness. He would make a few stray marks stray on his paper trying to get started.  Soon his mother would try to help him by reading the problem to him. He could hear the words, but nothing she said made any sense. He just drew a blank.

When his mother would try to explain the problem, sometimes he would explode in frustrated anger, other times he would just sit and cry helplessly. At times, after crying or an angry outburst, the release of emotion would allow him to make a tiny step forward. He and his mother would spend many painful hours every evening cycling through anger, crying and tiny steps forward.

As a psychologist specializing in treating ADHD children, Jerrod and his mother’s experiences were typical of the families I see. I have developed a treatment strategy, called Computer Aided Emotional Restructuring (CAER), that works to alleviate the negative feelings children such as Jerrod experience. You can learn more about this patented treatment technology at www.caer.com.

Jerrod case study continued

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