Indigo Children in the Classroom

ADD Kids & Trouble-Makers May Be Smart, Troubled, Intuitive Indigos

Jul 4, 2007

There's a new kind of student in the classroom: Indigo kids. Intelligent, curious, & lacking fear or limits, they force teachers to rethink old paradigms of teaching.

In 1999 Jan Carroll and Lee Tober changed the way parents, gifted children, and teachers look at the role of “gifted” and “unusual” kids in the school system and in the future of our world. Their pioneering book, The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived! was the first to focus on the new, extraordinary kids with indigo colored auras. The needs of indigo children, in the classroom and elsewhere, differ from what we think of as the norm.

It is estimated that 60-90% of the children in today’s schools are indigo kids. This makes it even more urgent to create an environment in which these children can learn and flourish.

Fast Learners or Slow

Indigo kids may be disruptive in the classroom because they are learn at a different rate from other children. Most indigos are extremely gifted in one or more areas. Their strong sense of individuality, as well as curiosity and the desire to learn, makes it hard for them to slow their pace to match the rest of the class.

In other areas that are not their strong point, an indigo kid may struggle to keep up with the expected level for his or her age group. Some indigo kids learn to read very late because they have little patience for their own weaknesses.

Indigo Sensitivity

They are highly attuned to their environment – sounds, smells, energy and even electric currents (some have been known to “kill” watches, or break light bulbs when they walk past).

Indigo children are especially sensitive to truth and falsehood. They respond poorly to harsh criticism. If they are lied to or not respected as people, they may retreat or refuse to participate in class, work or discussions.

Indigos are aware of the feelings of the people around them, and may reach out to other kids who are having trouble. They are often the target of bullies because of their emotional sensitivity.

Indigo Children, ADD and ADHD

Because of their sensitivity, learning challenges, and disruptiveness in class, indigo children may be labelled as ADD or ADHD. Teachers are encouraged to deal with “problem” children who don’t conform by forcing parents to put them on psychoactive drugs such as Ritalin or Prozac or withdraw from school.

The challenge for parents and teachers is to find an approach to work with these kids and their unique strengths and needs, instead of by suppressing them with prescription drugs.

Needs of the Indigo in the Classroom

The key to teaching indigo children is respect. Indigo kids must be respected before they will respect and pay attention to their teacher.

Almost as importantly, indigo kids need to be challenged and to have their intelligence welcomed. They usually “check out” and become disruptive in class when they are bored, or have no outlet for creativity.

Other Alternatives to Drugs

Pharmaceutical drugs for ADD and ADHD may help some. The side effects of these drugs, however, are horrendous. They include liver problems, lack of appetite, emotional “deadness,” fatigue, chronic depression, and violent and suicidal impulses.

There are alternatives to drugs, such as changes to diet and natural treatments which are effective in helping indigo and ADHD kids to learn, communicate and improve their social and behavioral skills.

The copyright of the article Indigo Children in the Classroom in New Teacher Support is owned by Victoria Anisman-Reiner. Permission to republish Indigo Children in the Classroom in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.