CM Magazine: Attention-Deficit Disorder Archives

________________ CM . . . . Volume III Number 16 . . . . April 11, 1997

Attention-Deficit Disorder Archives.

URL: http://www.enteract.com/~peregrin/add/school.html

Review by Kevin W. Doyle.

Reprinted from the EdRes mailing list.

Description:

This is a very minimalist site. It has obviously been designed with the purpose of being a repository of ADD related information rather than a site to be surfed for entertainment. The site is merely a collection of information pulled from various sources and housed under one roof.

There are no graphics or sound files; it is simply black text on a grey background. A plain site, but very easy to read. There is a link to each text file on the left hand side of the page, and then up to a paragraph describing the text link contents. There is no way to return to the homepage after exploring a link except for using the back function of your browser. This makes navigation a little more inconvenient than it needs to be.

Steven J. Foust controls the site which was last updated on November 29th, 1995. The site has 21 links on it as well as the ability to send e-mail to Foust by clicking on his name.

Evaluation:

The links themselves have cryptic names which make it difficult to remember exactly what is contained in each link. You are forced to read the descriptions to the right of the page. Some of the more interesting for teachers are:

The first link is 50clac.txt. It is an article that has 50 practical tips for teachers who are dealing with an ADD child. They are well written and informative.
The 50tips.txt link is a short pamphlet from doctors Hallowell and Ratey. Their 50 tips fall under 5 categories: diagnosis, education, structure, psychotherapy and medication. The organization is good but the link does not give any information on the credentials of the authors.
8hints.txt gives 8 hints on how to design a management program for someone with ADD.
Interv.txt is yet another series of tips for classroom teachers who have to deal with an affected child.
Reithr.txt is a collection of various ADD information taken from various web sources and includes 23 tips for teachers and 21 tips for parents. It also has some very academic work on the topic of ADD.
Teach.txt is the final link which offers tips. It has 11 classroom tips from a teacher who has ADD children in her class.

Other links deal exclusively with legal issues related to ADD such as information for parents considering taking a school district to court for failing to provide appropriate education to their special needs child. Most of the legal information contained at this site is of limited use to non-Americans since they mention only American law and cite only American cases.

Perhaps the biggest surprise and best link on the site is stein.txt. It is the first draft of a book by Barbara Stein called "ADD Made Easy!" In addition to tips and strategies this well written, entertaining book is laced with concrete examples and a strong narrative which is very upbeat. It talks about how to help an ADD child cope in family situations and not just in the classroom. The entire text of the book is made available.

Since this site is not about a content area but rather a medical condition it has relevance for all teachers. ADD children are in every school and with more and more being diagnosed, it is a problem that is not going away or one that can be ignored. All educators are expected to be able to deal with an ADD child and this website is a good starting place for obtaining information. I found its many practical tips and theoretical background to be highly enlightening. A good site to go for quick information.

This website does have some shortcomings. There is too much repetition among the links and not enough cohesion. Better editing would take care of this. It also has not been updated in 14 months so anyone looking for the very latest in treatments or research would have to look elsewhere. Navigation around the site is also clumsy and there are no links to other ADD pages. This being said, the site does have a good mix of practical and theoretical information. Despite its heavy American bias it does answer many questions and covers a wide spectrum of ADD issues. The impression I am left with after reviewing this site is that it was created by someone unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the web. With the exception of the FAQs all the information was taken from books or other printed sources and merely transcribed onto the site. The site doesn't reach its full potential. The poor navigation, lack of graphics and lack of sounds means that the page does not fully exploit the medium. It doesn't detract from the valuable information but it could have been so much more.

DISCLAIMER: We do our best to verify the information in C-EDRES posts, but we do not guarantee accuracy nor agree with every opinion expressed. Please report inaccuracies to C-EDRES-request@unb.ca. For questions about this resource, please contact the site, not C-EDRES.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - APRIL 11, 1997.