"The Nurtured Heart Approach: Positive Parenting and Teaching Strategies to Transform Problem Behaviors" [Video Replay + Podcast #448]

2 Comments: "The Nurtured Heart Approach: Positive Parenting and Teaching Strategies to Transform Problem Behaviors" [Video Replay + Podcast #448]

1. I came on to see if others had a similar experience listening to this podcast and see the commenter above felt similarly to me. This “expert’s” opinions are ableist, based on anecdotes, and not the lived experience of ADHDers or current research on neurodiversity. Diagnosing someone as ADHD is not pathologizing them – the medical model of disability tends to pathologize. Instead, ADHD is a way for us to understand our neurobiology and make sense of our experiences in a predominantly neurotypical world. Medication isn’t a bandaid for behaviour and intensity of personality. I, quite frankly, am likely more intense and myself since being diagnosed and getting on medication. Psychotropic medication for ADHD, whether it be stimulant or other, stimulates the prefrontal cortex promoting greater executive functioning. This means we can actually be MORE ourselves because we aren’t going into burnout as much when engaging in tasks that require more self-control. I turned this podcast off after 10 mins and am disappointed this man wasn’t vetted better before coming on the show.

2. This behaviourist ableist parenting approach may suit neurotypical children. But it certainly won’t suit children with ADHD. The anecdotes provided by Howard are unhelpful. Children don’t live in video games. In the real world there are social repercussions to mistakes. There are emotional overlays to all interactions. You can’t just get bumped out of the game of life and re-enter unscathed. Children who get bumped out of classrooms or suspended or expelled for their mistakes are crushed by these rejections. This speaker is not qualified except by his limited life experiences. He spoke without reference to data or evidence or peer reviewed research. This speaker gave an anecdote about an observation of a class interaction in a library without context of what he observed. And this anecdote was presented as evidence of why we should not be kind and loving towards children who are not meeting class room expectations. I am disappointed that ADDitude gave their platform to this uninformed and unqualified speaker.