Emotional Overload of Attention
Tongue tied in an argument
Continuing to force the child to face these upsetting situations only conditions stronger and even more skill disrupting negative emotions. It is like trying to force a child’s hand into a fire. The more you force it, the more frightened he becomes of fire and the harder he learns to struggle to get away from it. If this scenario is repeated, as reading and math are, then after a while just the mention or distant sight of fire will terrify the child and make him flee. Many children are very upset at the sight of reading and develop many ways of avoiding it.
Many times in my work with these children, extinguishing these negative feelings improves their performance in math and reading several grade levels in just a few hours. And, this is not because I am teaching math and reading skills. I do not. It is because I am reducing their emotional arousal so that they can access the skills that they already have. They already knew how to perform at a higher level than they were able to demonstrate. My treatment strategy just makes it possible for them to access those skills.
