Children with ADD and ADHD and the ability to focus

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Children with ADD and ADHD and the ability to focus

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Have you ever wondered why your kid with ADD can watch a movie for three hours or play a video game for five hours without even taking a potty break, yet apparently they don´t have the ability to pay attention? I think what it is is they don´t have the ability to pay attention to what we´d like them to pay attention to. So I think ADD is a little bit of a misnomer. What these individuals have the ability to do is to disorient or go into thought. They can experience their thought as a reality. And when they are there, they are extremely focused on what they need to focus on. I remember when I was being room mom in my son´s fourth grade class and I was asked to go over to the side with two little individuals who always had a difficult time paying attention and learning. They were in special ed and thought of a little bit as far as less than than the other kids in their educational abilities. We had gone on a field trip and I was sitting next to one of these youngsters and it was very quiet. And then all of a sudden he starts to laugh hysterically. So I ask him. I say what are you laughing at. He says well I am watching America´s Funniest Home Videos. I said well, how are you doing that. He said he was watching it in his head. I watched it last night. And I said you can just see the whole thing in your head. And he says yeah. An d I said what do you do about the commercials. And he said I just fastforward if I am not interested. So imagine. This kid can bring a television to class. How is the teacher going to compete with that? What we need to do is give these individuals tools so they can recognize when they have disoriented into that thought and know how to get back and give them tools that they have with them all the time so they can focus on things they don´t find quite as interesting.

View Angela Gonzales, MD's video on Children with ADD and ADHD and the ability to focus...

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Angela Gonzales, MD

Dyslexia & ADD Specialist

Dr. Angela L. Gonzales (Dr. Angie) is a Pediatrician, Licensed Davis Facilitator, transformational speaker, and mother of three. Currently, Dr. Angie owns and runs Renaissance Mind in Norco, CA.  Renaissance Mind is a Learning Facility where Dr. Angie uses both her Davis Facilitator License and medical expertise. Through Renaissance Mind, she is able to help clients, educators and parents learn skills and techniques that help overcome the obstacles of learning that accompany the unique thinking styles of those with Dyslexia, ADD/ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Renaissance Mind programs utilize multiple, non-pharmaceutical, techniques that are tactile, fun, and unique to each client.  The programs also include help with focusing, comprehension, math skills, reading and handwriting skills.  As a transformational and instructional speaker and educator, Dr. Angie has dedicated herself to helping others, of all ages, to find joy and peace in their lives.  Through Renaissance Mind she offers multiple educational courses and workshops that aid individuals on their path to total wellness of mind, body and soul.

Prior to running Renaissance Mind, Dr. Angie received her BA in Physiology from the University of California at San Diego and then went on to obtain a doctorate in medicine from Drew/UCLA School of Medicine.  She completed her pediatric residency at Martin Luther King Hospital and then spent an additional year as Chief Resident to aid in teaching pediatric residents. Following her medical training she worked in Downey, California as a general pediatrician for seven years.  During this time she served on multiple committees both at the clinic and hospital.  

As Dr. Angie's family grew she transitioned her time from the clinic to time with her children, trading her full time practice for part time work covering other physicians’ practices when necessary. As her youngest child’s school experience increased in difficulty, she left medicine to aid in his education. Despite her efforts at homeschooling, her son continued to have learning challenges.  It wasn’t until she found a Davis® Facilitator that her son began to have success in school. She saw the success in her son defined by increasing reading ability, appropriate coping mechanisms and improving self esteem and confidence.  Her son’s success was her inspiration to go back to work, but not as a physician, as a Davis® Facilitator. As she began her journey, providing answers for those with learning differences, she realized that the sum total of the individual was far more than just their ability to learn.  She began to work with the total individual to promote total wellness.  This led her into her other passion: helping to heal the whole person. 

Dr. Angie was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and is a product of the Los Angeles Unified School District. She currently resides in Riverside, CA with her husband of 23 years, her four children (including her nephew) and three dogs.

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