Psychology

The aim of this letter is to show that it is not necessary for students with attention disorder to be assigned personal assistants. There are several reasons why I feel that such children do not require personal assistants hence should not be given.  First, by assigning personal assistants to them, one would only be increasing dependence. Instead, such students should be taught on how to improve on their deficiency and accomplish things without necessarily relying on other people.  Attention disorder is characterized by disorganization, hyperactivity, impulsiveness, inattention (Wiener, 2007). These things make students who are suffering from attention disorder to have disruptive behaviours, careless errors, fail to finish assignments among other things.

According to Ryan  Sladyk, (2005), there are many ways through which students with attention disorder can be helped without necessarily hiring personal assistants. For example, teachers can take accommodative measures to ensure that such students learn normally. Teachers through private signals can cue the student to stay at the current activity. They can also involve such students in presentations in class. Such students should get concise and clear instructions to various activities.

During note taking, teachers should encourage peer assistance to ensure that the students write notes the right way. When giving instructions, teachers should not only give them orally but they should also write them down. They should also help them to self monitor and the amount of homework given should be reduced to manageable levels. The grades requirement for such students should be reduced since attention disorders interferes with the academic achievement of students. Assignments should be given one at a time so that the students do not feel overloaded. They should as well assist the students in setting goals and they should concentrate on the short term ones. Enough time should be allowed to finish the assignments and the desks should be arranged in such a way that they are not very close to each other to avoid such students from doing mischievous things with their friends. Such students should be seated near good role models and also in quiet areas since they are easily distracted (Fitzgerald, Bellgrove,  Gill, 2007).

Another way through which attention disorders students can be helped is through enrolling them into therapeutic boarding schools. These schools deal with different disorders and they fully understand the impact of such disorders in students academic performance. This would be a good solution to the students with attention disorder since the schools are usually equipped to deal with such disorders and they help the students overcome the disorder and if it is not possible, they are taught on the best way to live fulfilled lives despite having the disorders. In most cases, the students stay in such schools for a year or less. Studies however show that even after leaving schools and resuming the normal ones, there is usually continued improved behavior (Kauffman  Landrum, 2008).

Parents can also play a big part in ensuring that their children who have attention disorder are helped. They should cooperate with teachers and communicate about what the child goes through and does. If teachers and parents worked with the common goal of making the child a better performer, they can achieve this as confirmed by Ryan  Sladyk, (2005).When attention disorder is fought in school and at home, such children are likely to improve.

Behavioral intervention is another way through which the student with attention disorder can be helped without necessarily hiring a personal assistant. Parents, guardians and teachers can learn on how to use it to encourage good behavior while discouraging bad behavior. Through raising children for doing right, they feel encouraged to continue doing it. Punishment should be avoided with such students since it increases bad behavior. Fitzgerald, Bellgrove,  Gill, (2007) claim that when such students are punished, they thrive on the attention they get from the teacher and the other students. They are therefore likely to repeat mistakes in order to get the attention.

The students who have attention disorder are very many. If all these were to be assigned personal assistants, the money required to pay them would be too much. Instead, personal assistants should be assigned to the students who have the major disabilities like cerebral palsy and autism. These children are more helpless compared to the ones with attention disorders. They therefore need personal assistants more. Finally, children with attention deficit can be helped by the use of assistive technology. There is software which can be used to read better and reduce distractibility among other things. When assistive technology is used, the pace at which the students with attention disorder learn would be higher and they would be in a position to carry out various activities better without the need for a personal assistant (Kauffman  Landrum, 2008).

In conclusion, children with attention disorders do not necessarily need personal assistants for them to function normally and achieve academically. By modifying a few things here and there and fully understanding them, the people close to them can help them overcome their problems. Schools and other educational institutions should ensure that they have adequate equipment and financial resources to make available the extra tools required to deal with special needs like attention disorder. I therefore strongly believe that children with attention disorders should not be given personal assistants in schools.