| Over the past quarter century, the
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| | readers and scholars to think, have
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| numbers of those diagnosed with ADHD
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| | always born a funereal hush. Churches and
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| (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity
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| | mosques are silent caverns, allowing
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| Disorder) has increased dramatically.
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| | individual visitors to concentrate on
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| More sophisticated diagnostic tools and
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| | their prayers. High pressure examinations
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| social acceptance of the malady may be a
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| | are conducted in total silence. Mental
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| partial explanation. However, a
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| | work, such as reading, writing, homework,
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| consideration of social changes may be a
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| | and studying is performed in a quiet
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| worthwhile exercise in trying to define
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| | corner or separate room.Most of those
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| reasons for the widespread growth of this
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| | traditions have long gone. At the dawn of
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| condition.In ancient times, say the
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| | the Twenty-first Century, we find
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| 1960s, life at home and work bore little
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| | ourselves living in an atmosphere of
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| resemblance to our current climate. There
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| | constant noise and imperative,
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| had been many early electronic advances
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| | will-not-be-ignored, stimuli. Our
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| and zeal for modernization permeated the
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| | children do their homework - trying to
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| workplace where slow computers required
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| | absorb more information than prior
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| hundreds of square feet of office space.
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| | generations could even imagine - with the
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| The invention of correcting-type tape (we
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| | television on, the ipod or CD blaring,
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| thought we'd died and gone to heaven with
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| | the cell phone ringing, and the Internet
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| that one) and the adoption of electric
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| | chat room demanding attention.When they
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| typewriters was a revolution to the
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| | are done with their homework, they play
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| hordes of clerks and secretaries who
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| | endless video games. From the simple
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| inhabited thousands of offices, taking
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| | skateboard racing of entranced
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| dictation by hand and struggling with the
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| | pre-schoolers to the dark violence of
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| vagaries of purple ink ditto and ugly
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| | adolescent contests, they spend much of
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| yellow heat-responsive thermograph
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| | their time immersed in an interactive
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| machines. At home, color spread through
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| | virtual world that is light years away
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| the vast wasteland of television and 45
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| | from the flickering images of the
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| rpm records were replaced by long playing
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| | Saturday afternoon westerns we watched
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| albums and 8 track tapes. We gloated over
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| | with awe, or the few hours of cartoons
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| AM-FM stereo radios in our cars, the
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| | and sit coms that early television
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| music drowning out the clicks of
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| | provided.Motor vehicles are no longer
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| vacuum-powered windshield wipers.We had
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| | just another means of transportation.
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| absolutely no conception of what was to
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| | They have become electronics on wheels
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| come.The advent of cassette tapes put the
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| | with boom boxes, CD players, subscriber
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| entire educational industry of shorthand
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| | radio networks, and built-in television
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| trainers out of business and a coveted
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| | monitors and DVDs.Then we wonder at the
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| skill became virtually worthless. The
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| | explosion in ADHD which results in
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| copy machine reduced the need for grunt
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| | medications for the condition being among
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| office clerks, and receptionists no
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| | the most popular prescriptions issued.We
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| longer plugged in a web of cables to
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| | are surrounded by adults and children who
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| connect callers. Word processing systems
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| | lack the capacity to concentrate on what
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| and then personal computers forever
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| | they read, what they see, and what they
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| changed the routine of typing.At home, we
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| | hear. When the brain fails to fully
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| moved from records to cassettes to CDs to
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| | attend to new information, it lacks the
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| ipods. Television wasn't just in color,
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| | ability to lay down memory traces and the
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| it was cable or dish with 100 more
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| | information quickly fades away. The
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| channels to share its wasteland. The pong
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| | result is a loss of millions for
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| and pac-man games of bars and arcades
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| | corporations who have to keep retraining,
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| moved into our living rooms in ever more
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| | keep reminding, keep lecturing their
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| advanced and sophisticated forms. We
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| | employees on data that is required for
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| dipped our toes into the Internet and
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| | their job. Customers and contracts are
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| overnight learned to surf like a pro. Not
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| | lost because forgotten information leads
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| only did the telephone lose its dial, it
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| | to poor customer service, death to any
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| became a copier, then became totally
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| | business.Personal lives are diminished
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| portable and acquired the ability to take
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| | for those who can't concentrate long
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| instant pictures, receive text messages,
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| | enough to finish tasks they started with
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| and provide games and instant worldwide
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| | such good intentions. Interpersonal
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| access.In the midst of this revolution in
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| | relationships suffer due to poor
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| electronics, processes, equipment, and
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| | communication skills and the lack of that
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| communication, was one entity that didn't
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| | personal empathy which requires one to
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| change: the human mind. The flexibility
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| | intensively focus on another human being
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| and untapped potential of our brains
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| | to really understand their feelings.While
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| allowed us to invent and implement
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| | we continue to dispense the medications
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| creations that placed demands on us for
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| | that act to filter the stimuli overload,
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| which we were ill-equipped.Our brains'
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| | and use psychological modification
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| hardwiring is virtually unchanged from
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| | techniques to mold acceptable social
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| prehistoric times. Over the centuries, we
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| | behavior, we also need to look inside our
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| have learned to cram in more and more
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| | own homes and practice preventive care.
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| information without crashing from the
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| | Let's limit our children's overexposure
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| overload. We handle the threat of
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| | to the electronic world they love. Let's
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| over-stimulation by filtering the
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| | model, and reinforce, the human need for
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| constant sensory bombardment. We acquire
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| | quiet time and introspection. Let's
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| habits and routines that allow us to
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| | encourage reading, thinking, and family
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| carry out many of our daily activities
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| | discussions instead of using electronic
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| without having to think about what we're
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| | babysitters to allow us the time to get
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| doing. When conscious thought is
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| | all that unimportant "stuff" done at the
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| required, we are most efficient when we
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| | expense of our children's future.Our
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| attend to one or two things at a time. We
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| | brains will thank us for it and our
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| concentrate on one area in order to
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| | children will have received a gift they
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| handle the action required competently
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| | will treasure throughout their
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| and immediately. We ignore irrelevant
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| | lives.Virginia Bola is a licensed
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| materials floating around us because they
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| | clinical psychologist with deep interests
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| are not our current focus.Traditionally,
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| | in Social Psychology and politics. She
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| we have sought out quiet places for our
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| | has performed therapeutic services for
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| deep thinking. Spiritual leaders have
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| | more than 20 years and has studied the
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| performed their meditations in silence,
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| | effects of cultural forces and employment
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| in caves, cloisters, deserts, and
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| | on the individual.
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| retreats. Libraries, the place for
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