David Albert

> Dear friends --
>
> In dialoging with people about my book recently (via e-mail and at
> book
> talks and through the mail), I think I have discovered a new learning
> disability, which I am giving the name "Effective Education Deficit
> Disorder" (or EEDD), though it strongly correlates with "Attention
> Deficit Teaching Disorder" (ADTD).
>
> Both disorders (which only seem to afflict adults, who usually call
> themselves "teachers", when they are trying to interact with children
> for purposes having to do with education) can be diagnosed by the
> presence of at least 4 of the following:
>
> 1. The patient is unable to focus on the learning needs or desires of
> any individual child (or at least not for more than 3 minutes at a
> time
> -- hence the "attention deficit")
> 2. The patient is unable to interact flexibly with the learning
> timetable of any individual child. On the contrary, the patient
> expresses irritability (sometimes extreme) when children cannot or
> will
> not conform to his or her teaching timetable.
> 3. The patient suffers from a minor form of dementia or other
> "thought
> disorder" and believes that learning takes place through the
> unadulterated transfer of information from her or his own head to that
>
> of another. At its worst, this thought disorder may express itself in
>
> feelings of grandiosity regarding one's own thoughts, and a belief
> that
> little is to be gained by allowing children to express their own. It
> may also manifest itself in tone of voice.
> 4. The patient suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorders. These
> may
> take the form of requiring regimentation in arrangment of furniture,
> rigorous requirements regarding handwriting or form of address, the
> lining up of objects or other human beings in size places or
> alphabetically, a lack of regard for the personal space of others, the
>
> overly fastidious arrangement of materials on walls and bulletin
> boards,
> and a sometimes fanatical regard for the importance of what s/he
> regards
> as "neatness". The disorder may also manifest itself in repetitive
> speech. Disruption of expected spacial or chronological patterns may
> express itself symptomatically in irritability, expressions of anger,
> difficulty in focusing and other attention deficits, and, in some
> cases,
> may result in the patient choosing to self-medicate, usually with
> alcohol, tobacco, or the illicit use of prescription drugs.
> 5. The patient believes that most effective learning takes place
> within his/her own highly controlled environment, with strict grouping
>
> of human beings according to chronological age, and reduced contact
> with
> other human activity taking place outside the small indoor cubic space
>
> to which s/he is confined.
> 6. The patient has grandiose opinions regarding the importance of the
>
> activity in which s/he is engaged, regardless of the opinions of those
>
> around her/him as expressed in financial remuneration or social
> status.
>
> Treatment:
>
> EEDD and ADTD are difficult to treat effectively, especially as Stage
> 2
> and 3 of the disorder are often accompanied by denial. It is
> important
> to recognize both EEDD and ADTD as diseases, and to treat them
> accordingly. Pharmacological interventions are under development. It
>
> is recommended that the patient be removed from the environment where
> symptoms manifest themselves, preferably for the long term. Group
> therapy and self-help groups such as EA (Educators Anonymous) have
> shown
> promise. Large amounts of outdoor exposure during daytime hours are
> recommended. It is also highly recommended that exposure to children
> during recovery be highly controlled, and limited to recreational
> activities. Once symptoms are under control, patients should be
> encouraged to engage in therapeutic learning activities, preferably
> those which may have been denied to them in their own childhood.
>
> (I am very interested in hearing from people on these lists who are in
>
> recovery from EEDD and/or ADTD -- I am hoping to work on a book about
> schoolteachers or former teachers who have chosen to homeschool their
> own children -- you can find more info. on my website --
> www.skylarksings.com under "Other Projects". Thanks!)
>
> David Albert
>
> --
> Joseph Chilton Pearce calls "And the Skylark Sings with Me: Adventures
>
> in Homeschooling and Community-Based Education" "the definitive work
> on
> homeschooling." To read a sample chapter, reviewers' comments, or the
> foreword, and for ordering info., visit my website at
> http://www.skylarksings.com



--
Joseph Chilton Pearce calls "And the Skylark Sings with Me: Adventures
in Homeschooling and Community-Based Education" "the definitive work on
homeschooling." To read a sample chapter, reviewers' comments, or the
foreword, and for ordering info., visit my website at
http://www.skylarksings.com

[email protected]

This is great! I loved it. Thanks for passing it along.
Chelle the desert dweller

In a message dated 10/30/99 8:46:58 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
shantinik@... writes:

> > It
> > is recommended that the patient be removed from the environment where
> > symptoms manifest themselves, preferably for the long term. Group
> > therapy and self-help groups such as EA (Educators Anonymous) have
> > shown
> > promise. Large amounts of outdoor exposure during daytime hours are
> > recommended. It is also highly recommended that exposure to children
> > during recovery be highly controlled, and limited to recreational
> > activities. Once symptoms are under control, patients should be
> > encouraged to engage in therapeutic learning activities, preferably
> > those which may have been denied to them in their own childhood.

David Albert

You're welcome!

david

HellElena@... wrote:

> From: HellElena@...
>
> This is great! I loved it. Thanks for passing it along.
> Chelle the desert dweller
>
> In a message dated 10/30/99 8:46:58 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> shantinik@... writes:
>
> > > It
> > > is recommended that the patient be removed from the environment
> where
> > > symptoms manifest themselves, preferably for the long term.
> Group
> > > therapy and self-help groups such as EA (Educators Anonymous)
> have
> > > shown
> > > promise. Large amounts of outdoor exposure during daytime hours
> are
> > > recommended. It is also highly recommended that exposure to
> children
> > > during recovery be highly controlled, and limited to recreational
>
> > > activities. Once symptoms are under control, patients should be
> > > encouraged to engage in therapeutic learning activities,
> preferably
> > > those which may have been denied to them in their own childhood.
>
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--
Joseph Chilton Pearce calls "And the Skylark Sings with Me: Adventures
in Homeschooling and Community-Based Education" "the definitive work on
homeschooling." To read a sample chapter, reviewers' comments, or the
foreword, and for ordering info., visit my website at
http://www.skylarksings.com