Simply put, the etiology of ADHD is complex and can involve multiple causes. To date, all of the major ones fall in the realm of neurology and genetics (biological causation) with no evidence that social factors alone can account for the condition. However, there is some evidence that a few social factors (chronic stress, global adversity) might interact with genetic liability to the disorder to exacerbate it.
FOMO, or the fear of missing out, has become a popular term in American culture. The phrase is regularly referenced and was defined in a recent study as “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent. FOMO is characterized by the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing.”
This terrible waste of talent must stop. But how can we teach these children without sapping their souls? After all, they do need to follow some rules and routines. I don’t have all the answers, but after forty years working— and living with— creative thinkers, I offer five suggestions:
Assistive technology, as applied to students with learning disabilities, can be seen as an “equalizer;” it allows students who learn differently to manage certain tasks that they are not able to perform without that specific technology. Assistive technology tools help learning disabled students work around challenges they face in school and at home by targeting the different academic areas they are struggling with.
