Hello, This is Rick adding to the Blog. I am actually waiting for others to respond to the blog and as yet only Nicholas and myself have contributed. He assures me that blogs take time to catch on. Currently Nick "son" of Ortando & Son, Ortando.com, has taken a job teaching English in Indonesia with his wife Heather. They left 2 days ago and just arrived in Jakarta last night. As an individual with dyslexia, Nick will have certain challenges teaching English. He is well traveled, culturally astute and rational (and of course, has a lesson plan to follow) and likely will do well in the "Cram School" where he will be teaching. It is important to note that, given my bias toward recognizing my son's talents, it is reasonable to say however, his efforts... to teach... represent achievement in which some individuals with AD/HD/LD (dyslexia in particular) may not believe themselves capable.

On the Ortando.com website this is discussed. Partly the Ortando's Way approach begins with acceptance of one's self, with the brain as it is, recognizing strengths and talents, accepting deficits, and seeking support from other "tribe members" elders if you will, who reinforce and believe in the individual. Part also for success, includes mining, searching for hidden talents, or if you will, abilities and strengths usually discounted by non-AD/HD/LD people (Normals). These include, and certainly as they are part of Nicholas' repertiore of abilities, intuition, pattern recognition, reading people, anticipating the behaviors of others, and thinking out of the box. There can be one more observation about that. Having such abilities as in Ortando's Way is our claim, implies responsibility to "do right", to act in ways that are in one's enlightened self interest (John Stewart Mill) which includes benefit for those with whom the AD/HD/LD person interacts.
Indeed it is in the positive interest of the Indonesian students Nick will teach to learn from him, and in his own self interest to learn from them. This fits the definition of what is rational for human behavior (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, see Albert Ellis, REBT), and is a fundamental component of Ortando's Way.
So for the purposes of the Blog, my hope is that others may comment on whether all this makes sense... or not, and if not why not? I look forward to hearing from you, "Ortando's or Normals (even Deciderers are encoraged to comment)". Ortando

The Hunt for Champions

Hello, Ortando here. For those that have visited the website Ortando.com, there is a clarion call for individuals who experience AD/HD/LD and that are successful in their lives (whatever that means to you), to consider providing a brief accounting for the website and this blog. The "Hunt for Champions" is something that started for me when I first discovered that Nicholas was dyslexic and subsequently that I have AD/HD/LD. Books citing AD/HD/LD luminaries inclusive of Thomas Edison, Albert Einstien, Leonardo Davinci, JFK, Majic Johnson, Cher and Winston Churhill to name a few, helped us to realize that brains like ours can be exceptional, extraordinary even. That it can be a wonderful asset to have AD/HD/LD. Once understood, and knowing how to be, can result in successful living and self actualization. This blog entry is again a call for Champions out there. Those of you with AD/HD/LD (some combination thereof) to write with your (short) story. A telling if you will of your success as an "Ortando". Please include your AD/HD/LD pedigree (how you know you have a brain like us) and what you've accomplished that might inspire others who may be struggling to "know how to be". (For my "champion" story and my son Nicholas' story go to Ortando.com). I can hardly wait to hear the accounting and feel free to add "tribal advice" for others to learn how to be. Thanks, Ortando. PS remember to believe in yourself and gather those around you who do as well.

Hello, Rick Swope again, (Ortando). The subject of todays blog is belief, especailly as it pertains to AD/HD/LD individuals and their efforts to have good lives. It is my experience that one of the first orders of business in my therapy practice with AD/HD/LD clients is to find out then restructure as needed, beliefs about themselves and about their AD/HD/LD. If a person finds themselves in a therapists office, it is likely that life in some sense is not working well. Often AD/HD/LD individuals harbor beliefs about either their brains or about themselves that are counter productive toward successful living. It becomes our task to restructure that belief about themselves. For example "lazy crazy and stupid" are the three classic negative evaluations which can become beliefs for the person. If their lives for example, inclusive of parental, peer and academic influence reinforces these negativive assessments without understanding, They may be trapped with negative self assessment. Beliefs about who they are, how smart they are, how worthwhile they consider themselves is then vulnerable to lifelong unnessessary limitations. Part of the "Ortando's Way" approach is a "joining of the tribe", that they have strengths and (barriers) and that it is alright to share in common talents and abilities and to celebrate those talents. In other words to see not only the negative (beliefs) about themselves but their positive attributes which can result in a generalized positive belief about who they are. This is then reinforced as "tribe members", sharing these attributes with other AD/HD/LD individuals for reinforcement, one to another. A recounting of AD/HD/LD luminaries can help with this choice of belief shift. Reminding them that Leonardo DaVinci, Thomas Edison, JFK, Winston Churchhill, Cher and Magic Johnson experienced AD/HD/LD or some form there-of can assist their choice to change their minds in their own enlightened self interest. I am interested in the reaction of AD/HD/LD people in the blog-o-sphere about these ideas and look forward to rational and intuitive diaglogue about them.