It is often confusing to parent children with learning disabilities, ADHD and related disorders. One of the biggest confusions and challenges parents face is the large gap between what the children can do and what they cannot do. Often they are very smart, know a great deal, and reason well, yet cannot read or write. School teachers and family may be telling them to try harder, and they are usually trying their hearts out. They tend to work 10 times harder than everyone else does, but still they may be called lazy.

Another aspect of the confusion for parents lies in how hard it can be to distinguish between a child who can’t do something and a child who won’t do something. For parents, it can be frustrating not to be able to control a 5 or 6 – year – old or to know whether to push an adolescent or reduce expectations. In this confusion, parents tend to ask, “What is wrong with me?” rather than “What challenges is my child having to face?” Shifting this focus can be useful for parents and children. Children may seem to be having behavior problems when, in fact, they are facing difficulties in accomplishing a task.

Children tend to withdraw or act out when a task is too demanding. It can help parents to know that when children say they hate something, that usually serves as a wonderful diagnostic tool, indicating what is difficult or impossible for them. For example, when a child loves dance, art, and music but hates drama, it could be that the child has a speech / language problem. When a child hates math or reading, these are likely areas of difficulty. Conversely, what children like and want to do usually serve as indicators of their strengths.

While a diagnosis will help to some extent, the job of sorting out these issues on a day – to – day basis is no small task. On a planning level, confusion occurs because teachers, doctors, psychologists, and social workers may disagree not only on diagnosis but on the best treatments or programs for a child. This can be frustrating and anxiety – provoking for parents who have to pull all the information together and decide what to do, right or wrong. Additionally, at home and elsewhere, parents must anticipate (预料到) problems and sense when their children are tired, or frustrated, or about to explode. Parents must trust their guts (直觉) as to how long the child can last at a party, or sit in a restaurant, or be pleasant with visitors. While parents have to do this with all children, it is much more challenging with this population.

1．From the first paragraph we learn that some children can’t read or write probably because    .

       A．they are lazy and refuse to try

       B．they suffer from ADHD, and related disorders

       C．they don’t like their teachers

       D．they are as confused as their parents

2．If parents find it difficult to control a 5 or 6–year–old child, they should      .

       A．find out whether a certain task is too challenging or even impossible for their children

       B．find out what’s wrong with themselves

       C．either push them on or reduce expectations

       D．take them to hospital

3．If something is too difficult for a child, he or she is likely to          .

       A．pretend to be interested                        B．say he / she hate it

       C．turn to others for help                          D．move away and cry

4．Which can be the best title for this passage?

       A．Symptoms of ADHD                            B．Understanding children’s behavior

       C．Parents’ confusion                               D．Don’t be too strict with your children