School PLANit

How do you know if a teacher is good?

Liz — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:00:53 +0000

Q: How do you know if a teacher is good?

A: That has to be established while they are in college. Some colleges are sending their prospective education majors out to real classrooms their first year. That is the number-one improvement made in training teachers. They’re going out into the schools and making decisions much earlier than in the past. Getting these students out into real-world teaching environments lets them experience the profession’s day-to-day challenges. They find out if it is or isn’t for them, before they invest years in an education major. Once you have the degree, you feel like you have to stay with the profession, even if you hate it.

Tomorrow’s question: Are the tests in public schools given by licensed psychologists?

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Answers by Dr. David Grove

Dr. David Grove Ph.D., diagnosed our oldest son with ADHD, OCD and dysgraphia in 2000, and continued with his behavioral therapy until he went off to college in 2010. There are not words to express how my family feels about Dr. Grove. He took a family of quirky, obsessive, attention-lacking creative types and made us realize how normal we really are, or more accurately, how there is “no such thing as normal.” Our happiness, contentment and general healthy outlook can be attributed to his ongoing guidance and support.
Dr. Grove is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice and does not accept new patients. He also teaches college courses, works with children at a residential treatment facility, leads outpatient chemical dependency groups, and is an area school psychologist, a Head Start consultant, director of a Community Mental Health Center, and a forensic psychologist. He was selected as a finalist for the Psychologist of the Year award, honored as a Diplomat by the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and identified as an expert in Forensic Psychology. Dr. Grove also received the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Heartland Area Education Agency for his efforts to educate professionals in the area of cross-cultural counseling. This, in my mind, puts him squarely in the category of ‘expert’.

Q: Do you think our public school system stresses kids out?

Liz — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:50:32 +0000

Question 17 in a series answered by Dr. David Grove, Ph.D. More information about Dr. Grove is featured at the end of each post.

Q: Do you think our public school system stresses kids out?

A: It’s such a mixed bag. I’ve been in schools that are so well laid out and established with teachers that are so flexible with multi-modal techniques, the kids just flourish. It is such a school-by-school case. Teaching is an art as much as it is a profession. And part of it is the quality of the artist — the teacher. You can give a terrible teacher a great system and they won’t be good. The big variable is recruiting good teachers. Teachers who love what they do.

Tomorrow’s Question: How do you know if a teacher is good?

____________________________________

Dr. David Grove Ph.D., diagnosed our oldest son with ADHD, OCD and dysgraphia in 2000, and continued with his behavioral therapy until he went off to college in 2010. There are not words to express how my family feels about Dr. Grove. He took a family of quirky, obsessive, attention-lacking creative types and made us realize how normal we really are, or more accurately, how there is “no such thing as normal.” Our happiness, contentment and general healthy outlook can be attributed to his ongoing guidance and support.
Dr. Grove is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice and does not accept new patients. He also teaches college courses, works with children at a residential treatment facility, leads outpatient chemical dependency groups, and is an area school psychologist, a Head Start consultant, director of a Community Mental Health Center, and a forensic psychologist. He was selected as a finalist for the Psychologist of the Year award, honored as a Diplomat by the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and identified as an expert in Forensic Psychology. Dr. Grove also received the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Heartland Area Education Agency for his efforts to educate professionals in the area of cross-cultural counseling. This, in my mind, puts him squarely in the category of ‘expert’.

Is it really that hard for people with ADHD to manage money?

Liz — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:46:35 +0000

Special question asked by a fan. Answered by Liz.

Q: I have a brother in college who has ADHD/ADD. He’s very smart but has always had significant problems with managing money. Our parents use his ADHD like it’s a free pass for why he can’t budget and give him large sums of money frequently. This drives me crazy because I feel my parents are enabling him to be irresponsible by continuing to dole out money. Is it really that hard for people with ADHD to manage money? I just don’t buy it, there has to be some accountability, even for those with ADHD.

A: First off, ADHD should never be used for an excuse on why something ‘can’t’ be done. Those with ADHD sometimes have to find alternative ways to accomplish something, but there never is a ‘can’t’ involved. Luckily, I had a similar issue with my oldest son, so I do have a solution for your parents’ predicament — if they’re willing to listen.

Last year my oldest son was going off to college. He, like your brother, had a long history of money burning holes in his pockets — if he had any money he ran out and spent it like there was no tomorrow. His wants vs needs were one in the same (a pretty common problem for those with ADHD or OCD). We spoke with Dr. Grove and he gave us this solution, and so far it has worked flawlessly. I just wished we would have started it when he was in high school.

First off, your parents should set up a savings and checking account with your brother — meaning their names need to be on his accounts too. Your brother should be given a debit card that has access ONLY to the checking account.

Next they need to figure out what his actual expenses are for a week at a time. With our son, it was pretty simple since he lived on campus, was on the meal plan and had credit at the book store. So we just had to figure the amount of extra spending money he would need.

Any money your brother earns, any school loan overages, or any other incoming money should be put in the savings account and used towards his weekly allowance (or as we call it, his paycheck).

Your parents can either set up an automatic weekly transfer or transfer money manually through online banking. The amount should be set and non-negotiable after being agreed to. So, for example we put $100 in our son’s account every friday (just like a paycheck). If he runs out of money before the following friday, well… that’s the way life works. Obviously for emergencies we can transfer money immediately—but mostly he just has to skate through until he gets paid again.

The week at a time distribution of money works really well. Giving young adults who have poor money management skills a monthly allowance, is just too long of a period for them to plan for. Planning generally isn’t their strong suit, so by sticking with a weekly allowance they get in the habit of holding on to smaller amounts of money.

After your brother shows he can successfully manage his weekly allowance for at least 6 months (preferably a year), the time frame can be increased to every two weeks. It’s a slow process but it will teach him to manage his money over longer periods.

The biggest wild card with this plan, is that your parents have to learn to say ‘no’ if he runs out of money before his scheduled pay day. He will have to face this issue at some point in his life, everyone does. It’s just better for him to learn it now while he has no real financial obligations and while your parents have the ability to help him out if needed (I said ‘help him‘, not ‘save him‘).

If your parents continue to let him run through money without any accountability and don’t help him learn to manage his finances now, they are just delaying the inevitable. It makes more sense to have him miss a weekend concert or not have gas money in college than to miss mortgage payments and have cars repossessed in his 40′s.

I hope this helps. Best of luck!

Tomorrow: Back to the Dr. Grove interview.

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Q: After we checked out a separate set of books, we had a few people say we were “enabling” our son’s irresponsibility. What is your response to that?

Liz — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 03:46:48 +0000

Question 16 in a series answered by Dr. David Grove, Ph.D. More information about Dr. Grove is featured at the end of each post.

Q: After we checked out a separate set of books, we had a few people say we were “enabling” our son’s irresponsibility. What is your response to that?

A: If you know someone has difficulty with something and the goal is for them to learn what is being taught, this might not be the best time to teach them they need to remember their textbook. You’re setting them up for failure. Find something else to use to teach responsibility, but not grades and knowledge. If you want to teach them to remember things, use their baseball glove or the trash, but don’t use textbooks as a way to teach that, because in the process they’re not learning what they’re supposed to be learning.

Tomorrow’s Question: Do you think our public school system stresses kids out?

____________________________________

Dr. David Grove Ph.D., diagnosed our oldest son with ADHD, OCD and dysgraphia in 2000, and continued with his behavioral therapy until he went off to college in 2010. There are not words to express how my family feels about Dr. Grove. He took a family of quirky, obsessive, attention-lacking creative types and made us realize how normal we really are, or more accurately, how there is “no such thing as normal.” Our happiness, contentment and general healthy outlook can be attributed to his ongoing guidance and support.
Dr. Grove is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice and does not accept new patients. He also teaches college courses, works with children at a residential treatment facility, leads outpatient chemical dependency groups, and is an area school psychologist, a Head Start consultant, director of a Community Mental Health Center, and a forensic psychologist. He was selected as a finalist for the Psychologist of the Year award, honored as a Diplomat by the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and identified as an expert in Forensic Psychology. Dr. Grove also received the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Heartland Area Education Agency for his efforts to educate professionals in the area of cross-cultural counseling. This, in my mind, puts him squarely in the category of ‘expert’.

Q: My favorite idea you gave us was to get a separate set of textbooks to have at home. It seemed so simple, but made the biggest difference. What is your personal favorite tip for disorganized students?

Liz — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:47:03 +0000

Question 15 in a series answered by Dr. David Grove, Ph.D. More information about Dr. Grove is featured at the end of each post.

Q: My favorite idea you gave us was to get a separate set of textbooks to have at home. It seemed so simple, but made the biggest difference. What is your personal favorite tip for disorganized students?

A: I actually have two, but they’re kind of related. One is the two sets of textbooks. Most homework doesn’t get done because ordinary good kids just forgot which book to bring home or forgot to grab it when they went back to their locker at the end of the day. Two, for kids who just don’t do well with planners, have them call home and leave a message on the machine at the end of a class or half way through the day. Just a simple “Math page 24” or “Read chapter two for English.” That way, when the parents get home, they can write down the assignments and check that they are complete. (Editors note: having kids text their assignments to a parent is another option).

Tomorrow’s Question: After we checked out a separate set of books, we had a few people say we were “enabling” our son’s irresponsibility. What is your response to that?

____________________________________

Dr. David Grove Ph.D., diagnosed our oldest son with ADHD, OCD and dysgraphia in 2000, and continued with his behavioral therapy until he went off to college in 2010. There are not words to express how my family feels about Dr. Grove. He took a family of quirky, obsessive, attention-lacking creative types and made us realize how normal we really are, or more accurately, how there is “no such thing as normal.” Our happiness, contentment and general healthy outlook can be attributed to his ongoing guidance and support.
Dr. Grove is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice and does not accept new patients. He also teaches college courses, works with children at a residential treatment facility, leads outpatient chemical dependency groups, and is an area school psychologist, a Head Start consultant, director of a Community Mental Health Center, and a forensic psychologist. He was selected as a finalist for the Psychologist of the Year award, honored as a Diplomat by the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and identified as an expert in Forensic Psychology. Dr. Grove also received the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Heartland Area Education Agency for his efforts to educate professionals in the area of cross-cultural counseling. This, in my mind, puts him squarely in the category of ‘expert’.

Q: Researchers are making huge strides in understanding how the human brain works. Do you think this will and should affect how we teach our children?

Liz — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:13:36 +0000

Question 14 in a series answered by Dr. David Grove, Ph.D. More information about Dr. Grove is featured at the end of each post.

Q: Researchers are making huge strides in understanding how the human brain works. Do you think this will and should affect how we teach our children?

A: Absolutely. One thing we have found out is that multi-modal input is the most powerful teaching tool. Most schools are trying to move towards that. Watch, do, teach.

Tomorrow’s Question: My favorite idea you gave us was to get a separate set of textbooks to have at home. It seemed so simple, but made the biggest difference. What is your personal favorite tip for disorganized students?

____________________________________

Dr. David Grove Ph.D., diagnosed our oldest son with ADHD, OCD and dysgraphia in 2000, and continued with his behavioral therapy until he went off to college in 2010. There are not words to express how my family feels about Dr. Grove. He took a family of quirky, obsessive, attention-lacking creative types and made us realize how normal we really are, or more accurately, how there is “no such thing as normal.” Our happiness, contentment and general healthy outlook can be attributed to his ongoing guidance and support.
Dr. Grove is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice and does not accept new patients. He also teaches college courses, works with children at a residential treatment facility, leads outpatient chemical dependency groups, and is an area school psychologist, a Head Start consultant, director of a Community Mental Health Center, and a forensic psychologist. He was selected as a finalist for the Psychologist of the Year award, honored as a Diplomat by the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and identified as an expert in Forensic Psychology. Dr. Grove also received the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Heartland Area Education Agency for his efforts to educate professionals in the area of cross-cultural counseling. This, in my mind, puts him squarely in the category of ‘expert’.

I recently interviewed teachers about students’ organization skills. When I asked why some students weren’t turning in homework or completing assignments, one teacher responded, “The lazy ones don’t do their work, there’s nothing I can do about that.” What are your thoughts on that statement?

Liz R — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:43:09 +0000

Question 13 in a series answered by Dr. David Grove, Ph.D. More information about Dr. Grove is featured at the end of each post.

Q: I recently interviewed teachers about students’ organization skills. When I asked why some students weren’t turning in homework or completing assignments, one teacher responded, “The lazy ones don’t do their work, there’s nothing I can do about that.” What are your thoughts on that statement?

A: Hmm, to put it as mildly as I can, that is crap. Let’s look at a theory here. Theories do one of four things: They describe, explain, predict or control. The simplest theory is one that just gives something a name. So this teacher’s theory is called “laziness.” It is the simplest way to solve a problem. Call it “lazy,” period. Your work here is done. In essence, it usually ends up describing the person who has the theory. “When I don’t like doing something, I don’t do it and I call myself lazy.” That’s a projection of the teacher’s internal structure.

But the truth is, labeling doesn’t help the teacher or the student. Once you’ve classified him as lazy, then what do you do? How do you de-lazy someone? A theory that leads to some intervention — now there’s a theory you can use. So if you actually want to work with someone, you need to come up with a different theory. It could be that the child is bored. It could be that he doesn’t learn through that channel. It could be that research-based assignments are inappropriate for this person. He might spend three hours looking for the answers and never learning them because he’s tired from trying to figure out where they are — versus if he was just given the answers in the beginning, he could have been studying them.

It could be all kinds of different reasons. But labeling something is the weakest theory. When someone says a child is lazy, I ask, “What is your intended intervention for that? If that is your theory of what the problem is, how are you going to de-lazy that child?” Let’s try to think of some theories that can lead to an intervention to actually help the child.

Tomorrow’s Question: Researchers are making huge strides in understanding how the human brain works. Do you think this will and should affect how we teach our children?

____________________________________

Dr. David Grove Ph.D., diagnosed our oldest son with ADHD, OCD and dysgraphia in 2000, and continued with his behavioral therapy until he went off to college in 2010. There are not words to express how my family feels about Dr. Grove. He took a family of quirky, obsessive, attention-lacking creative types and made us realize how normal we really are, or more accurately, how there is “no such thing as normal.” Our happiness, contentment and general healthy outlook can be attributed to his ongoing guidance and support.
Dr. Grove is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice and does not accept new patients. He also teaches college courses, works with children at a residential treatment facility, leads outpatient chemical dependency groups, and is an area school psychologist, a Head Start consultant, director of a Community Mental Health Center, and a forensic psychologist. He was selected as a finalist for the Psychologist of the Year award, honored as a Diplomat by the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and identified as an expert in Forensic Psychology. Dr. Grove also received the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Heartland Area Education Agency for his efforts to educate professionals in the area of cross-cultural counseling. This, in my mind, puts him squarely in the category of ‘expert’.

Q: I hear so many parents say that giving children drugs for anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and other disorders “alters the child’s true self,” or “takes away from what makes a child special or unique.” Other parents point to the idea that Einstein had OCD or ADHD, and if he had been medicated we would have missed out on all that profound knowledge. Do ADD or anti-anxiety meds really change the personality or intelligence of a person? Are we taking geniuses away from society by medicating people with these disorders?

Liz R — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:01:31 +0000

Question 12 in a series answered by Dr. David Grove, Ph.D. More information about Dr. Grove is featured at the end of each post.

Q: I hear so many parents say that giving children drugs for anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and other disorders “alters the child’s true self,” or “takes away from what makes a child special or unique.” Other parents point to the idea that Einstein had OCD or ADHD, and if he had been medicated we would have missed out on all that profound knowledge. Do ADD or anti-anxiety meds really change the personality or intelligence of a person? Are we taking geniuses away from society by medicating people with these disorders?

A: I would have to say no. I believe the medications we use enhance an individual’s ability to use his or her intelligence in ways that are productive. Just think what Einstein could have done if he had been medicated. It wouldn’t have changed his thinking, it just would have clarified it for him.

Through clinical studies, we know there is clearly an improvement in a patient’s ability to use his or her intelligence with medication. And if using your intelligence — your cognitive ability — is important in the culture you live in, then it probably makes sense to enable people to do that. As long as the side effects of the medication don’t preclude that.

Most people can tolerate medication for anxiety, ADHD, and other learning disabilities quite well. I would say that the medications we are using enhance a person’s ability to utilize what they already have. It doesn’t make you any more of a different person — no more than if you drink a cup of coffee or if you work out to help you stay focused or calm. Unfortunately, the normal ways we use to change body chemistry, like working out and diet, don’t work for some people. So we add medication to help. It’s really no different than the changes some people get from exercise or diet changes. Every time you eat anything, you’re changing your body chemistry. Medication is essentially eating a combination of molecules that will enhance your ability to do certain things without hurting you in other areas.

Part of the problem is the massive drug scare with our culture — the notion that if you take drugs, it somehow makes you a bad or weak person. Which is not true, because you are perfectly fine except that you could contribute more to the welfare of others and live out your values better with medication.

I can use myself as an example. One of my deep values is to help people, listen to people, and work with people. So when I take medication, it allows me to do that more effectively without hurting other parts of my personality and intelligence. Back when I was digging ditches right out of high school, before I went to college — which is one of the experiences that made me want to go to college — I didn’t need ADD medication. I just needed to know how far to dig and how deep. But once I set foot in college, it became clear that I needed the medication in order to use my intelligence.

Tomorrow’s Question: I recently interviewed teachers about students’ organization skills. When I asked why some students weren’t turning in homework or completing assignments, one teacher responded, “The lazy ones don’t do their work, there’s nothing I can do about that.” What are your thoughts on that statement?

____________________________________

Dr. David Grove Ph.D., diagnosed our oldest son with ADHD, OCD and dysgraphia in 2000, and continued with his behavioral therapy until he went off to college in 2010. There are not words to express how my family feels about Dr. Grove. He took a family of quirky, obsessive, attention-lacking creative types and made us realize how normal we really are, or more accurately, how there is “no such thing as normal.” Our happiness, contentment and general healthy outlook can be attributed to his ongoing guidance and support.
Dr. Grove is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice and does not accept new patients. He also teaches college courses, works with children at a residential treatment facility, leads outpatient chemical dependency groups, and is an area school psychologist, a Head Start consultant, director of a Community Mental Health Center, and a forensic psychologist. He was selected as a finalist for the Psychologist of the Year award, honored as a Diplomat by the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and identified as an expert in Forensic Psychology. Dr. Grove also received the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Heartland Area Education Agency for his efforts to educate professionals in the area of cross-cultural counseling. This, in my mind, puts him squarely in the category of ‘expert’.

Q: What type of therapy do you use?

Liz R — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 19:52:17 +0000

Question 11 in a series answered by Dr. David Grove, Ph.D. More information about Dr. Grove is featured at the end of each post.

Q: What exactly do the tests you give show?

A: I use a mix of existential and cognitive behavior therapy. The existential part is to help each person develop the healthiest interpretation of what is happening to them and who they are. For example, when someone gets ready to give a speech and starts to feel anxiety, one person may interpret that as, “Oh my gosh, I’m lousy at this,” while another person may interpret it as, “I’m anxious, this must be really important; I hope I can stay focused.” So how you interpret how you feel determines how you react to it. The existential part is asking, “What does how you feel mean to you?” It’s how you choose to interpret a situation. You are responsible for who you are and how you react, even though you don’t have control over what happens to you.

The nuts-and-bolts part is cognitive behavioral therapy. How do you change the meaning you’ve attached to things? What is a better way to interpret a situation, and how are we going to change it? It is essentially your temperament. Some people are born with a real vigilance and notice lots of things. That can make you a nervous wreck or it can make you a very detailed person; it’s just how you manifest it.

Tomorrow’s Question: I hear so many parents say that giving children drugs for anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and other disorders “alters the child’s true self,” or “takes away from what makes a child special or unique.” Other parents point to the idea that Einstein had OCD or ADHD, and if he had been medicated we would have missed out on all that profound knowledge. Do ADD or anti-anxiety meds really change the personality or intelligence of a person? Are we taking geniuses away from society by medicating people with these disorders?

____________________________________

Dr. David Grove Ph.D., diagnosed our oldest son with ADHD, OCD and dysgraphia in 2000, and continued with his behavioral therapy until he went off to college in 2010. There are not words to express how my family feels about Dr. Grove. He took a family of quirky, obsessive, attention-lacking creative types and made us realize how normal we really are, or more accurately, how there is “no such thing as normal.” Our happiness, contentment and general healthy outlook can be attributed to his ongoing guidance and support.
Dr. Grove is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice and does not accept new patients. He also teaches college courses, works with children at a residential treatment facility, leads outpatient chemical dependency groups, and is an area school psychologist, a Head Start consultant, director of a Community Mental Health Center, and a forensic psychologist. He was selected as a finalist for the Psychologist of the Year award, honored as a Diplomat by the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and identified as an expert in Forensic Psychology. Dr. Grove also received the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Heartland Area Education Agency for his efforts to educate professionals in the area of cross-cultural counseling. This, in my mind, puts him squarely in the category of ‘expert’.

Q: What exactly do the tests you give show?

Liz R — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 14:41:25 +0000

Question nine and ten in a series answered by Dr. David Grove, Ph.D. More information about Dr. Grove is featured at the end of each post.

Q: What exactly do the tests you give show?

A: The first test I give is called a G-factor, a general intelligence level test. In order to identify a problem, let’s say a learning disability, there has to be a significant deviation of one particular skill set from your overall intellectual ability. Once I get a G-factor, that can be further analyzed for other subsets of ability and intelligence that are significantly below average. For example, if you have an IQ of 100 and all the other subsets are clustered plus or minus 5 points of 100, like 95 to 105, that is good. But if one of those subsets are an 80, you’ve got a problem.

Let’s say short-term memory comes back at 80, but your general level is 100. That is a significant difference and so it tells me that memory is going to cause you problems because you are not able to use your overall intelligence effectively, particularly for things that require short-term memory. The results are compared to an overall average, but mostly to your own intelligence factor.

Q: Do you have to be a psychologist to give these tests?

A: Yes. Only psychologists are qualified to give these tests. One thing that separates psychologists from other mental health professionals is that psychologists are trained to give standardized tests. None of the other professionals are licensed to do that.

Tomorrow’s Question: What type of therapy do you use?

____________________________________

Dr. David Grove Ph.D., diagnosed our oldest son with ADHD, OCD and dysgraphia in 2000, and continued with his behavioral therapy until he went off to college in 2010. There are not words to express how my family feels about Dr. Grove. He took a family of quirky, obsessive, attention-lacking creative types and made us realize how normal we really are, or more accurately, how there is “no such thing as normal.” Our happiness, contentment and general healthy outlook can be attributed to his ongoing guidance and support.
Dr. Grove is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice and does not accept new patients. He also teaches college courses, works with children at a residential treatment facility, leads outpatient chemical dependency groups, and is an area school psychologist, a Head Start consultant, director of a Community Mental Health Center, and a forensic psychologist. He was selected as a finalist for the Psychologist of the Year award, honored as a Diplomat by the American Board of Psychological Specialties, and identified as an expert in Forensic Psychology. Dr. Grove also received the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Heartland Area Education Agency for his efforts to educate professionals in the area of cross-cultural counseling. This, in my mind, puts him squarely in the category of ‘expert’.