Attention deficit disorder - ADD - affects about ten percent of the child population. Children suffering from the disorder look just like everyone else, and are expected to function as their classmates do, even though at times they experience painful difficulties - in learning, behavior, or both. This stressful situation creates an emotional overload which chips at their ability to cope with school demands and further aggravates their behavioral symptoms. Tragically, a large number of children with ADD, overwhelmed by their challenges, simply give up. In fact, about 98% of teenagers who drop out of the system fall into the category of ADD.

But there is an alternative! An understanding of the disorder, an awareness of its symptoms and the application of a few basic educational tools can immeasurably improve the ability of these children to cope with their challenge.

After hearing about these difficulties from both angles - the struggling of the children and their parents and the frustration of the educational staff - Ezer Mizion's Advocacy Unit resolved to take on the challenge of dealing with this topic. Ezer Mizion invited principals and Rebbes from across the country to a brief, two-session seminar, featuring outstanding professionals in the field and conveying important information on the subject of ADD. The stated goal of the workshop was to enrich the knowledge of the educational staff and enhance their ability to deal with the subject of ADD.

The response far exceeded Ezer Mizion's expectations. About 400 of the top educational talents in the country - principals and rebbes - attended the first session and over 300 were at the second.

At the first session, Eli Heiman, head of the Pediatric Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation department in the Asaf Harofeh Hospital, introduced the topic of ADD and discussed how it could be identified, focusing on telltale signs that should rouse the rebbe's suspicion that the child might be suffering from the disorder. Developing the topic from a professional standpoint, Dr. Heiman gave his listeners tools to help them understand what the meaning of ADD is for the child, giving them information they could apply in relating to their students.

Rabbi Mordechai Rothman, psychologist, spoke about the emotional ramifications of the disorder. First, he vividly described what the child suffering from ADD experiences on an emotional level - his feelings, the risks, the difficulties. Then, he too suggested tools for identifying the problem and techniques by which the rebbe can offer the child the help he needs.

The second session opened with a riveting talk given by Dr. Nathan Watemberg, an expert in pediatric neurology and epilepsy and head of the Child Development Institute and Pediatric Neurology Unit in the Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba. Dr. Watemberg discussed signs of the disorder and various types of expression within the disorder. He then conveyed different treatment approaches, providing the rebbes with practical techniques to apply them in the classroom.

The second speaker of the evening, Rabbi Menachem Ingber, psychologist, helped the rebbes feel on a tangible level what the disorder is and how it affects the child, and offered suggestions especially relevant to them in their role as teachers.

Perhaps the most resounding effect emerged from the words of Rabbi Chananya Chollak, International Chairman of Ezer Mizion, who opened the workshop with a powerful message about the rebbe's awesome responsibility to be alert to signs of difficulty and act accordingly. If the problem goes unnoticed, or if no one bothers to give over vital information to the necessary parties and relate to the child as the chllenge requires, the child may eventually drop out of the system. The rebbe has the responsibility and capability to prevent such an eventuality and to give each child the maximum chance to succeed. All he needs is to be informed and aware - and to care.

Feedback from the ADD workshop was overwhelmingly positive, and it was perceived as a tremendous breakthrough in dealing with this problem in a constructive manner. More such workshops are planned and support groups are being organized to help the educational staff apply the important principles they learned.