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Fit Learners with ADHD

Many parents can probably relate to the above speech bubbles.  Perhaps it’s even making you cringe right now just thinking about it.  You can rest easy! Countless parents come into our office wondering if we can help their child with ADHD.  Some do not like the idea of their child being on stimulant medication for ADHD.  Others come in convinced that their child was a victim of ADHD misdiagnosis.  For the record, ADHD misdiagnosis can be common, as the symptoms are similar to anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, etc.  Sometimes, parents will even come to us armed with the Vanderbilt ADHD Scoring results—asking for us to interpret the findings. At Fit Learning, we take great pride in our program and believe that through our approach, children have the potential to learn—regardless of age, academic abilities, or diagnostic labels.  While our methodology is largely blind to diagnostic labels, we recognize that these labels are very real to parents whose children have the diagnosis. When children arrive at our learning lab, we begin with an assessment.  The assessment will determine the grade level at which a child is performing.  Whether a child has ADHD or is simply behind in the curriculum, it is our mission to advance the child one full grade level in just 40 hours of instruction.  

Our Approach

During the Fit assessment, not only do we assess gaps in learning, we are the only academic program which evaluates and assesses common behaviors impeding learning.  The gaps in foundational skills, play a huge role in contributing to deficits in attention.   If a student is missing the basics, doesn’t it stand to reason he will not be as motivated to pay attention voluntarily?  After all, how motivated are you to learn and attend when the material is way past your level of understanding? Being based on the science of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), our coaches are certified in managing and mediating behaviors commonly associated with ADHD.  Our unique, fast-paced methodology ensures the student is engaged every minute of the session, whether it is through active responding, “clicker” reinforcements, or emphasis on strong attending behaviors.  For example, the common challenges facing students with ADHD include:  
  • Difficulty following directions
  • Constantly grabbing or touching objects
  • Chewing on clothing
  • Trouble initiating and completing tasks
  • Difficulty remembering directions
  • Impulsive behaviors
  • Losing focus or “spacing out”
  • Difficulty retaining learned facts.
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The results

  Within a 40-hour instructional timeframe, our students will have had several opportunities to practice and overcome the limitations associated with ADHD—including strong sitting skills, strong responding, and following multi-step directions.  Given our strong success with ADHD children, we have begun to accept the widespread belief that misdiagnosis of ADHD is a growing concern.  Depending upon the severity of the aforementioned behaviors, we also hope to rebuild some of those lost foundational skills and get your child functioning at an age-appropriate academic level. Most importantly… once the child is caught up to the class, he or she is then invigorated with a new-found confidence and passion for learning!