ADD and racing thoughts

[azure_nightshade]

My child has ADD she has problems writing. She says when she is writing her thoughts race and cannot focus an a single thought. This is hurting her in school she is on meds for ADHD. She can write when things are not assigned. But when she is asked to write something that is assigned she gets writers block.

[SShepard]

Hello,
     We have 5 boys with ADHD and they struggle with this too.  We home school so the teacher is pretty lenient :)  I have them record their ideas on tape and then write it down later.  They can stop the tape as they write down their thoughts.  The problem makes perfect sense as our right brain is creative and our left brain organizes.  It's too hard for some kids to synchronize both sides at the same time.  So use this brainstorming session to get out your ideas on tape and then go back and make an outline.  If she has to write in class obviously this would not work.  We always start with an outline though so they can add to it as they think of new ideas. Leave lots of blank lines between thoughts so you can add to them when you have more ideas. My son even wrote a short outline when taking the writing section of the ACT.  He just jotted down the main words and then put numbers by them to organize the order he wanted to write them in.  This was his short outline for a timed writing assignment. Hope some of this helps.  Can you tell I like teaching?---sorry I am so long winded.  SShepard