By Larissa Predy, M.A., R. Psychologist
I’ve heard many people proclaim that they cannot or should not change who they are, or that as their beliefs and values grow and shift over time, that there is something inherently wrong with this. I do not agree. Our society has us convinced that we are to know “what we want to be when we grow up” and who we are from a very young age. But it is scientifically recognized that as humans we are ever changing, dynamic organisms.Continue reading
Have you wondered what ADHD coaching could do for you?
This is a poem written by Erin Dingle, following a session with Laura Godfrey, her ADHD coach, that answers that question. Find out more about ADHD Coaching at CanLearn here.
Laura has a lock on my basement secret cells.
She turns them over at 10 AM once a week.
She spills keys while I spit up safe crack sarcasm and mock the fence of my milk teeth shaking.
She has warm green tea waiting for me.
After so much whine cellar sober living
Laura opens the windows to my shameless tall tree.
This garden rustling inside.
She points at a home that stops hiding in halfways.
“You will get there. Trust me.”
She teaches me concrete foundations.
Scaffold structures.
Basic brain housekeeping routines.
She teaches me over and over.
She understands the rip and winkle of nomad memory.
She grins as she makes me write it in my calendar immediately.
Laura gestures back at all the doors I have already opened in myself.
Over and over.
Because she understands
(as no one else has quite understood)
how much I struggle to forget this
and still remember that.
She understands the risks in a still house.
Unlike most
Laura cares for the low ceilings in my messy basement as much or more than the high glow of my curb appeal.
She tells me that many homes are built like mine.
It is Ok.
She says these kinds of cluttered homes have a magic artist charm all of their own.
It is Ok.
She says proper renovations are expensive. But these walls of aluminum tin can and foil will come down. It just takes longer than we hope it will. Always.
It is Ok.
She says every home needs different maintenance. Every home has different flaws. Every home has dent and bang different dark corners. Unless it is a show home that no one lives in and properly enjoys.
It is Ok.
Laura is my ADHD coach.
Not a Nurse. Not a Doctor.
She says she learns far more from the doing than from the training.
She says she has so much still to learn.
She listens to what I learn.
She applies it.
She respects my insights
regardless of my passionate degrees
or the wander in my wonderings.
She is more Healer
than most.
In her own building.
In waiting patiently at my doorsteps in motion.
Her hand extends through these shatter months.
She leads me into another week of consistent social engagement.
She is listening.
Like she understands this connection consistency is the most difficult and frightening room for me. But is also the space I need most.
She sees me trying to close the door to my messy basement. Shoving hard against my hide.
She tells me that is not necessary.
Lots of people have messy basements.
It is Ok.
She says she is ready to help me build new doors and landings.
Re-model self-perspective and perception through scheduled routine.
But “when and only when I feel ready”.
There is no rush.
Like Laura understands the harried of always feeling hurried hard from the inside.
I run away. I circle back. I try again.
She says there is no hurry at all.
Over and over.
She offers perfect healing touch pressure.
She never questions why I sleep in a leaking tent or cry on the front lawn or howl at his back door today instead of diligently slaving in my office.
She laughs with me.
She hugs me when I leave.
Laura is better medicine than any psych or MD or PHD.
She is Holmes on my ramshackle Home ward bound journey.
My front porch is pillar gratitude.
Rows and columns will arrive
to hold up the rest
in good time.
She brings me crayons to brighten
the other stories
while I wait.
I welcome Laura onto this porch
Every week.
In every whether or not.
Over and over.
I am thankful.
Fortunately, this pattern is my most consistent.
It is my home turf.
It is a good place to start any building.
There is only one step up into Gratitude.
From anywhere that I am.
There is a porch. There is a swing.
The screen door is already wide open.
Erin Dingle – https://digitaldingle.com/
Are you ready to connect with a professional who understands the ins and outs of ADHD? You don’t have to do this alone. Click here to find out more about ADHD Coaching at CanLearn.
Our services change the lives of our clients at home and school!
Meet Lyla and her son Ben, a grade 2 student who struggles with reading. Lyla felt helpless to deal with the academic and social frustrations she saw Ben experiencing at school. She shared her concerns with her worker at the Calgary Urban Project Society (CUPS) who connected her with CanLearn. Lyla met with a CanLearn psychologist and Ben’s school. CanLearn arranged the funding and a CanLearn psychologist so Ben could have a psycho-educational assessment. The assessment identified a severe learning disability and the ensuing report provided strategies that Lyla and the school could use to help Ben.
“I feel so relieved. I now know how my son thinks and I can help him understand better. I have been fighting for this help. I knew something was wrong right from kindergarten. It seemed that I was being blamed for not doing things with him at home – I was doing them, but he still wasn’t learning.” Lyla
“This is very helpful. We can put an Individual Program Plan in place and work on what he needs. The most helpful thing is that the report emphasizes strengths. Teachers can see difficulties, and this will help them see what he is capable of.” Ben’s Vice Principal.
In this podcast, listeners will learn about self-monitoring and how they can use self-monitoring strategies to help manage ADHD symptoms.
In this podcast, listeners will learn more about routines and how they can use them to make life less stressful for themselves and their children.
Tips are provided on how to create routines and find solutions to potential problems with using routines.
When Marah first came to Canada she was filled with hope for a better life. When her daughter Ada was born she was excited about a bright future. Ada started school and it soon became clear that she had some struggles with learning and attention. The challenges did not seem severe and Ada did not have any behavioural issues at school.
However, Marah saw her struggling every day, resulting in academic and emotional frustrations for Ada. Ada’s learning issues really came to light once she was in junior high. Wanting her daughter to have success in high school, Marah sought out the services of CanLearn.
Part of what brought Marah and Ada to CanLearn is our Financial Assistance program (FA). Marah was now a single mom and with no health benefits. She would have struggled to pay for assessment services. Marah waited for 6 months, calling regularly to see where Ada was on our waitlist.
An assessment identified Ada’s learning strengths and it also determined that a learning disability contributed to her struggles. The information received through the assessment enabled Ada to receive the accommodations and supports that she needed in high school.
Ada is now better able to understand and manage her challenges and has learned to ask for the help she needs at school. Ada is also aware that she will be able to access support and accommodations if she chooses to pursue further education after high school.
Both Marah and Ada expressed their gratitude to CanLearn for giving them hope, support and strategies to help with success at school and in life experiences still to come.
To find out more about Financial Assistance and how it can help call 403-686-9300 ext.102.
Welcome to our Attention Clinic:
For over 25 years our Clinic has been providing a multi-disciplinary approach to the treatment of ADHD. The families that come to our Clinic work with a physician and psychologists to determine the best treatment plan to cope with their attention difficulties. Clients can explore if medication is a good fit for them and develop strategies to help better manage their attention difficulties at home and at school.
You do not need a diagnosis or a doctor referral to come to our Clinic and we welcome all inquires if you feel someone in your family may need help with attention issues.
Meet Ryder… Finding the right diagnosis is key to success!
By Christmas of his grade 3 year, Ryder’s parents and teachers were very concerned about his lack
of progress in school. He had received speech, language and literacy help but continued to struggle to understand concepts, follow directions and complete work. A psycho-educational assessment did not indicate a learning disability. Both Ryder and his parents were feeling frustrated because they knew something was standing in the way of his success, so they contacted CanLearn.
Ryder and his family worked with an Attention Clinic team (pediatrician and psychologist) who diagnosed ADHD. Ryder’s parents were given strategies to support him at home around organization, routine and behaviour management. Thanks to a positive response to medication, Ryder’s focus improved and he started experiencing success at school. A year later,Ryder loves school and is doing well. He has closed the gap and is keeping up with his classmates. His hockey coach reported that he was no longer the last one to get changed before or after the game and he hasn’t lost any clothing yet this year!
Too make an appointment or find out more about Attention Clinic or call 403-686-9300 ext.102.
Attention Clinic- Solutions for All Ages:
CanLearn doesn’t just work with kids! For the past 15 years, we have also worked with adults. We are pleased to have a psychiatrist on our team who can work with our psychologists to help adults whose attention difficulties are having a negative impact on them at work, in their studies, or in their relationships.
Meet Celia…It’s never too late to get help!
At 53 Celia referred herself for an attention assessment after both her adult children were diagnosed with ADHD. All her life Celia had struggled with task completion, efficiency, organizational issues, and forgetfulness. Given the strong hereditary component of ADHD, her family encouraged her to pursue an
assessment. After a thorough assessment process, including meetings with the psychologists and physicians at CanLearn, a diagnosis of ADHD was confirmed and Celia chose to participate in a medication trial. She immediately noticed improvements in her focus, clarity of mind, task initiation, task completion, and reduced anxiety. In her own words,“I am now in a place again that feels normal and am enjoying that very much.”
Too make an appointment or find out more about Attention Clinic or call 403-686-9300 ext.102.
Nguissaly Sylla (Sally) is a learner who demonstrates how improving foundational skills can change your life.
Sally came from Senegal in 2009. When Sally arrived, she did not speak any English, making it hard to cope with the tasks of everyday life. Her husband worked long hours, so she felt lonely and isolated, and she missed her family back home. On top of this, her immigration status kept her from enrolling in courses. In 2013 the immigration issues were dealt with and the door to learning opened. Sally’s learning journey started with LINC courses, and then high school upgrading.
Like many things in life, a learning journey is never smooth. There are always bumps in the road. In Sally’s case, the bump was a Biology 10 course. The bump started resembling Mount Everest when her learning difficulties became intertwined with trying to make ends meet. It was at this point that Sally enrolled in CanLearn’s Taking Charge program.
Taking Charge aims to help adult learners develop their self-determination, attitudes, and knowledge while building their basic literacy skills. The program is delivered in small groups and individually.
Sally took part in both components of the program. Through the one-on-one support of a retired teacher, Sally was able to successfully complete her Biology 10 course. Sally also learned how to build a resume and started to look for employment. Sally has strengthened her confidence, found a job and built the skills that she needed to continue pursuing her education. She is following her dream of having a career in health care.
CanLearn was pleased to be able to honour Sally and her achievements with the 2016 PGI Learner Achievement Award.
October is ADHD Awareness Month! This is the third episode in a series that will look at ADHD myths and it will give listeners information to help them to better understand ADHD.
In this episode we look at the myth “people with ADHD are lazy”.
