Hello Beautiful People!
As the school year rapidly approaches, I found this interview with Anne Maxwell, author of Would You Teach a Fish to Climb a Tree: A Different Take on Kids with ADD, ADHD, OCD & Autism a perfect fit for the last Q&A of the Summer Author Interview Series!
So, sit back, relax, and meet Anne Maxwell…
MM: First thing first, what made you want to write this book?
AM: I have known for so long that kids with ADD, ADHD, OCD and Autism are just different from other kids, and, I’ve always had that sense that there’s nothing “wrong” with them, per se. They’re simple different. They simply require different approaches and different treatment and different teachings than other kids do. In my experience, when they are treated as who they are, not as who they’re not, they thrive. When they are taught the way they learn, not the way some school systems say they should learn, they thrive. I have been working for over 20 years with children and parents and families of all kinds, and, I was so exited when my friends and colleagues, Gary Douglas and Dr. Dain Heer, asked me to join them on this project! The three of us have had incredible successes with these kids! It is so exciting to get this out in the world!
MM: What do you hope readers will take away with them after finishing Would You Teach a Fish to Climb a Tree: A Different Take on Kids with ADD, ADHD, OCD, and Autism?
AM: I hope that readers are inspired to view these kids from a different perspective so that they can have more ease in their lives and so that the kids can too. In the book, there are so many tools you can use and questions you can ask to create a different space with these kids, in the classroom, at home, in the community. The biggest takeaway might be the sense that so much more to these kids than what many traditional “experts” might tell you. And a sense of wonderment about what else might be possible – for them and for us!
MM: Just for fun, what books are permanently on your bookshelf?
AM: Great question! “Permanent” is a relative state of being in my life! I travel lots … typically two or more weeks each month! One book that I take with me when I travel is Being You! Changing the World by Dr. Dain Heer. When I do come home, the books I keep closest are several favorite play and family and other therapy books by Clark Moustakas, Virginia Axline, Salvadore Minuchin, MD, Dan Siegel, MD. And, fun books to read are all kinds and sorts of detective stories and mysteries, many of which I pick up in airports.
MM: Just for fun, if you were stranded on a desert island, what movies and television shows would you want to be readily available to you?
AM: Hmmm!! Another great question! Favorite TV shows tend to be the series, such as As Time Goes By, Downton Abbey, Inspector Clouseau, House of Cards (I worked for several years in Washington, DC, in national politics!). I prefer watching shows that have characters I would like to know and spend time with! As a hopeless romantic, some of my favorite movies include oldies, such as Roman Holiday and My Fair Lady. I also like Avatar, What the *?/ Bleep?, The Way Way Back, ET, The King’s Speech, All the President’s Men, Amadeus … Actually, I’m pretty easily entertained … and really not a fan of blood and gore and violence!
MM: Just for fun, if you had to describe yourself in a hashtag, what would it be?
AM: Anne Maxwell, #lovingliving #playlady #kidwhisperer … hard to come up with just one!
MM: In your opinion, what do you feel the biggest misconception about ADD, ADHD, OCD, and Autism?
AM: In my opinion, the biggest misconception about ADD, ADHD, OCD and Autism is that they are disabilities that need to be fixed and that there is something wrong with kids who function so differently. It’s huge! And it’s not true!! What if they were not wrong or ill or disabled? What if they are simply different, not right, not wrong, just different? And magical and fun and inspirational and so many other things? When kids are treated as the amazing beings they are, and not as mistakes because they don’t fit in, they show up in all kinds of really wonderful and unexpected ways!
MM: Arts Education in public schools is always the first to get cut when budgets are tight. What reasons would you give to a school board in an effort to preserve arts education programming?
AM: It’s difficult for me to fathom that Arts Education is one of the first areas in public schools to get cut when budgets are tight. So much of learning in public education involves having to come up with the “right answer” to a question or a problem and learning and regurgitating what is taught. There’s not much that is offered that affords kids being able to create from where they are or to tap into what is fun for them. One huge benefit of arts education is that it provides children with a way of being who they are, not who others think they should be. And, it also provides a non-verbal medium of self-expression. Both of those are invaluable in fostering children to be happy, active and contributing members of society.
MM: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
AM: I have been fortunate over the years and have had many great teachers! And, since you ask, right now, I’d have to say that so far, Gary Douglas, founder of Access Consciousness and co-author of Would You Teach a Fish to Climb a Tree is the greatest. From the start, he encouraged me to step beyond the road blocks I had set up for myself that were keeping me small and hidden. How did he do that? By having my back – by not judging me or acting superior to me; by never telling me what to do and instead by asking me questions that opened doors I then stepped through; by his incredible kindness and generosity and acute awareness. I am so grateful for him!
Live, Love, Learn,