ADHD What You Need to Know

July 24, 2017July 24, 2017Leave a comment

ADHD, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Distorter occurs in about 3-7% of school aged children. It effects their ability to progress social, occupational, or academically. It also must be present before the age of 7 and occur in at least to different settings. Although the name suggests inattention, many children with ADHD have long attention spans toward activities they find interesting.

What is ADHD

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Distorter is more commonly diagnosed in males than females. 30-50% of those diagnosed continue to have issues into adulthood. Common symptoms include:

Struggles to follow directions
Easily distracted
Seems to not be listening
Daydreaming
Problems processing information quickly and accurately
Problems maintaining focus
Becomes bored easily
Troubles completing and/or turning in assignments

May also include: Fidgeting, talking nonstop, impulsive, not able to sit still, difficulty doing quiet tasks, not able to wait turn, emotional, touching and playing with everything in sight

ADHD symptoms

The cause of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Distorter is unknown. It is believed to be a combination of genetics and environmental factors. Many of the genes effected seem to be connected to the dopamine neurotransmitters. Environmental factors can include alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy, lead and insecticide exposure, premature and/or low birth weight and brain injury.

ADHD what to know

If these symptoms sound like your child, talk to your pediatrician. Medication and therapy can be used as treatment.

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Neurological Differences: The Strength and Weakness

May 3, 2017Leave a comment

Neurological differences, just like any differences, are part of nature. Sometimes children are born with these neurological differences, like Tourette’s Syndrome, epilepsy, or autism, but sometimes they come later in life.

I recently came across this video from a neurologist who had a very interesting point of view, perhaps a more optimistic one. In his video, he states how neurological differences are important. He also states how there is a possible positive side effect to the difference.

It is important to look not just simply to think in terms of defects and problems, but in different ways of doing things, in different ways of functioning. -Oliver Sacks

It is important still to explore the differences. Help the brain wherever you can, but also excepting one another and realizing the power of one’s differences in truly a beautiful thing.

Some children may require various amounts of therapy and accommodations. Schooling may have to be modified, or it may be their strength. Each child, just like their brain is very unique. It is important to assess the child. Figure out what exactly they need. It is also important to help them find a strength and praise them. No one always wants to feel down and out. The brain is a mysteriously magical thing that has many capabilities. As he talked about in the video, it can compensate for so much. Sometimes children and adults need help finding the right resources to get their brains functioning on the next level, but it’s amazing what the body is capable of doing on its own.

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Social Thinking: How to Improve It

February 9, 2017February 9, 2017Leave a comment

Social thinking can be a really hard thing for people of all ages, but kids can start learning it at a young age. Here are some ideas and tips for you to get the ball rolling at home or school:

Thoughts and Feelings– Everyone has thoughts and feelings. Making children aware of their own thoughts and feelings can be a good first step. After that, try and get them to imagine what others might feel like. ‘Sarah’s crayon broke. She might be ____.’ Making them aware of them self and others makes life easier in the long haul.
Group Plan– When doing an activity, there is normally a group plan. It may be spoken or unspoken. It maybe as simple as we are all going to get the mail or play a game. Every activity has unspoken rules. If a child is having difficulty, it may be important to brainstorm the normally unspoken rules to make sure they fully understand the plan before being held accountable. Once everyone understands the group plan, then the child can be reminded to stick to it.
Body in the Group– Groups occur throughout the day. If your body is wandering, you are no longer part of the group. The child may need reminders to rejoin the group.
Thinking with the Eyes- People tend to think about what they are looking at (of course this isn’t always true for all kids), but if the child is ready for it ask them to engage visually in the social thinking of the group.
Whole body Listening– This of course includes having your body in the group and your eyes engaged, but also thinking about what the rest of your body should be doing. Probably semi-quiet hands and feet that are also pointed toward the person speaking. Body language is so important.

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Intervention for OCD obsessive-conpulssive disorder

Intervention for OCD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

January 9, 20171 Comment

Intervention for OCD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, starts with knowing the root cause. OCD stems from anxiety taking over part of a person’s life. Often this is thought of as someone with Mysophobia (a fear of germs), and them over cleaning their hands until the point that they are raw, but it can be more than just a physical routine. Anxieties can stem from anything and therefore an individual can create OCD routines of all shapes and sizes over their abnormally large fears of any daily task.

OCD effects both boys and girls equally although boys are often diagnosed earlier than girls. It has been observed in children as young as 3 years of age. Often proper diagnosis of OCD takes many years to aquire. In the U.S., approximately 3.3 million people have OCD, of which 0.3 to 1% of pediatric population and 2% of adult population. OCD is a brain disorder that may have genetic components. It also is believed to be effected by low serotonin levels and is possibly effected by strep.

Children with OCD will constantly be stuck in a state of fight or flight due to their fears. This is one of the first warning signs you can see. They might also have routines that help them cope with this behavior. When the routines are abnormal and the worry is effecting the child’s school work and friendships, it is a good time to seek a medical professionals help.

Intervention for OCD treatments normally include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT (recognize obsessive thoughts and behaviors and then use anxiety techniques)
Exposure Response Prevention, EX/RP (teaches to relearn to process fear more appropriately and then find better responses to coping with it)
Family Counseling (to provide everyone tools and knowledge to cope and understand)
School Counseling (to help in the school setting as needed)
Parent Training (to provide encouragement and tools to motivate their children to change; specific examples include: modeling, scaffolding, differential attention)
Medication (to balance serotonin)

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Dyslexia and Autism in the Work Force

August 10, 2016Leave a comment

Dyslexia and autism have a place in the work force. Although this video is a year old, I for some reason just came across it. It is a beautifully articulated answer about how people with different abilities find their individual purposes in this world. We all are created differently for different purposes. It is important to remember this and celebrate it. Individual’s with dyslexia and autism also have strengths to draw upon. Neil deGrasse Tyson answers this little girl’s question about whether or not he works with people with individuals with dyslexia fantastically.

Often times it seems people hear the term disability and hear short coming then sell the individual short. In reality however, we all have shortcomings. None of us are perfect. Also the work force is such a diverse place. It is meant for all the vast intellects, social skills, gross motor skills, doers, and problem solvers. Also many of the labels like ‘dyslexia’ and ‘autism’ are broad. The people within them fall into different categories and function on different levels, just like ‘brunettes’ or ‘swimmers.’ They are all broad labels until you know the individual it is hard to truly know the full potential or the lasting impact they can do.