Magic Pills, Magic Bullets and the Latest New Thing

by Ellen Doman

Have you heard about the latest supplement that fixes autism? Have you heard about this reading program that fixes dyslexia? There is this new exercise that immediately reorganizes the brain!

Every day there are new fixes out there. With our internet access we are bombarded with new information and the latest immediate solutions. While we all wish that we could wave our magic wands and ensure a brilliant future for our children, those wands just aren’t real. Worse than that, they can be a waste of time.

NACD’s strategies are based on decades of experience with thousands of children. We do, quite simply, what works utilizing thousands of activities that are used or discarded based on their overall ability to produce good outcomes.   In addition to that we are going to do exactly what is right for your child. There is no “one size fits all” solution that provides what your child needs. Children are unique, complex, and changing. We do not assume that one approach or one product fits all children because it will not.

We do constantly seek new strategies to improve our outcomes, your outcomes. If we are going to work this hard, we want the best and fastest results possible. We will not, however, jump on the bandwagon of every new fad product or approach that is out there. We filter through new research and new technologies to find better ways to work on your child’s various areas of development. As we find what works, we pass it on to you IF it is appropriate to your child at that time.

We have learned a lot and changed a lot over the years. As a result, we have a better understanding of higher, more complex levels of thinking. We are thrilled to pass what we learn on to you. This is a journey we are making together, moving your child forward to better thinking and better learning. On this road, there is no magic and not a lot of shortcuts either. What’s there is work and progress, more work and more progress. Isn’t that what we always want as parents? We want to know what to do to help our child and see progress.

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 25 No. 6, 2012 ©NACD