He approaches ADD as a learning style rather than a learning disability and said that those who have it should treat it as a gift. Plog named creativity, multi-tasking abilities and quick thinking as the qualities that often propel the success of individuals with ADD.

The first phase in the Results Project, he said, is adopting his "I love my ADD!" attitude. Although many teachers force children to believe that having ADD is having a deficiency, Plog encourages adults to focus on those children's strengths.

"If we focus on our strengths and learn how to manage our weaknesses rather than only focusing on our weaknesses, we can improve both," Plog said. "If a child is making D's, they shouldn't get more attention as the A's."

Plog told the audience of one parent who constantly grounded his son, who had ADD, for making D's in school. He said that the father was finally able to help his son improve his grades when he decided to concentrate only on the A's, his strong points, and the F's, which would keep him from being promoted.

"The D's didn't matter anymore, and before long, they started going up, also. Unless every success coach is wrong, it is physically impossible for those grades not to come up when a student focuses on his strengths," Plog said.

Academic achievement, however, is sometimes hurt by the student's conduct in school. ADD children are often in trouble for talking too much, fidgeting at their desks and looking away from their teacher when he or she is speaking. Plog is familiar with all of these scenarios, as are many recognizable people he could name.

Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Walt Disney and Mike Tyson top Plog's list of successful people who have used their ADD-related gifts to create careers for themselves, and each of them was known as a troublemaker in school, he said.

What the father in Plog's story had been neglecting to notice was that his son was a very talented artist and musician who also stole the show when he was given bit parts in school plays. Plog said that parents can help their ADD children by being proud of what they do well.

"There is a big difference between getting a good education and getting good grades. The difference has to do with application," Plog said, pointing out that learning to sit still at a desk all day is highly unlikely to help an ADD student in his or her career someday.

One of Plog's main concerns about the way ADD children are handled relates to the use of prescription drugs. He said that there are nine types of ADD, six of which can be remedied with drugs like Aderol and Ritalin, but most ADD children's symptoms can be reduced in other ways.

Plog explained that most individuals with ADD fall into the remaining three categories: food-induced, metal-induced and nutrition deficit. He said that only 15 percent of ADD children would need to rely on prescription drugs for treatment.

"These kids are being overloaded with prescription drugs because doctors are treating them for the six real kinds of ADD, when 85 percent of them have one of the other kinds. The odds that they're treating the correct one are worse than Vegas odds," Plog said.

He advised that cutting back on milk, soda, white bread and sugars will help relieve some of the symptoms of a child who has food-induced ADD, while others' problems are related to something as simple as metal fillings in their teeth.

Most importantly, Plog said, parents who wish to help their children succeed should try to find the cause of the child's ADD before imposing disciplinary action. Sometimes, a change in diet will provoke behavioral changes that months of punishment could not accomplish.

The Results Project puts children on a 12-week program to determine the cause of ADD symptoms before reintroducing discipline, and it has been very successful. It was introduced in 1997 and has since been effective in five countries.

Plog speaks around the country, and Tuesday marked his second visit to Pasadena this year. His return also allowed him to see the progress of the Results Academy, the Pasadena private school that puts his teaching methods into place and works with the learning styles of ADD children.

Plog will be speaking at 7 p.m. tonight at the Christus St. John Hospital in Clear Lake. For more information on the seminar or the Results Academy, contact Results Project coordinator Tom Bray at (281) 804-9531.