In order to teach a young person a visual learning strategy, she must first believe that she CAN learn by making pictures in her mind. Often, young people who are diagnosed as having ADD or some other "learning difference" feel that they can't control their own mind, but rather that their mind controls them. In order to begin to teach effective learning strategies, we need to begin with helping the child to see that indeed she CAN control her own mind and the pictures that she makes in her mind.

The first step is to assist the child in slowing down the pictures in her own mind and slowing her body down so that she can learn and implement simple, effective learning strategies and begin to experience more success at school as well as at home. In addition, we want to provide her with the kind of environment that will best support her and her particular needs; for most kids, and especially for kids with ADD, the environment that is most supportive of their needs is one that is unconditional, structured and consistent while providing them enough freedom to learn to negotiate the world on their own.