Attention Deficit Disorder success stories are the subject of a Vassar College lecture, April 3

Award-winning author, international lecturer, teacher, and psychotherapist Thom Hartmann, will present a lecture titled "ADD Success Stories at Home, Work, and School" at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, in Rockefeller Hall, room 300, at Vassar College.

Hartmann's talk, sponsored by the Office of Disability and Support Services and the Counseling Service at Vassar College, is free and open to the public. It is made possible by generous support of the Steven Hirsch '71 and Susan Hirsch Fund for Students with Disabilities.

In his six books on attention deficit disorder (ADD), Hartmann has characterized attention deficit disorder as scanning or "hunter" traits, which can present a problem for children and adults living in a world taken over by "farmers." Hartmann shares ADD success stories with the audience, re-frames ADD in a way that is useful and therapeutic, and provides specific suggestions and strategies for success. He gives adults and children with attention deficit disorder an opportunity to recapture their self-esteem, understand the driving mechanisms of ADD, and take control of their lives by reinventing school, work and home life.

Over the past 20 years, Hartmann has worked with hundreds of ADD and hyperactive children and adults. In 1978, he and his wife opened the New England Salem Children's Village, a residential treatment facility which provides previously institutionalized children with a family model, non-institutional setting. Their approach to treatment usually works without drugs for children who have nearly all been in some form of drug therapy. Hartmann has taught parenting classes, helped train child-care workers, is a co-founder of the New Hampshire Group Home Association, and has worked closely with that state's governor to develop programs for children in crisis. In 1998, the New England Salem Children's Village opened the Hunter School, a residential school for children with ADD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

For additional information, contact the Office of Disability and Support Services at (845) 437-7584. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cathy Jennings at (845) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request accommodations.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2002.