Sensory Integration: Attention

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2012年9月7日星期五

What Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

ADHD, what is it exactly? Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a developmental disorder usually causing inattention, distractibility, impulsivity, and hyperactivity in children starting before the age of seven. ADHD is a chronic disorder that occurs in 3-5% of children worldwide.

The controversy surrounding ADHD has been around since the 70's. Some people don't even believe that ADHD is an actual disorder; others believe it has a genetic or physiological basis. Even more controversy surrounds the treatment for ADHD. Treatments include behavior modifications, life-style changes, counseling and stimulant medication.

Now a days anytime a child is hyper parents think it is ADHD. Between 2-16% of kids in school are diagnosed with ADHD and given medication for this disorder. Many kids however are usually misdiagnosed. Many symptoms of ADHD can be attributed to other disorders, many of which can accompany ADHD. Because such combinations of disorders appear together, this can complicate diagnosis. There are five behavioral symptoms that have been attributed to ADHD, but are actually not symptoms of ADHD directly. Many of these symptoms are misdiagnosed as ADHD when in actuality they are their own disorder and should be treated as such. The five problems are Anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior, learning disabilities, and sensory integration disorder.

1. Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by feelings of worry, apprehension, and fear. Anxiety can be triggered by a person, a place, or even by a feeling. The stimulus can even be unidentifiable outwardly to other people. It's harder to diagnose kids that have anxiety largely due to the fact that kids articulate their feelings much less than adults do. Kids with anxiety usually appear preoccupied or zoned out. This is due to their internal thoughts of worry. Kids with anxiety don't know how to handle or express their anxiety and perceive their threats as uncontrollable and unavoidable.

2. Depression is a mood disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness that can result in an aversion to activity. Depression can impair thinking skills, memory, cognitive flexibility, and attention. People who suffer from depression usually seem out of it. They have trouble focusing, become irritable, and have a lack of interest or initiation. Depression has no one single cause. Family history, pessimistic personality, trauma and stress, physical conditions, and other psychological disorders can all be associated with depression. For others depression had not specific trigger or cause. Since children have more difficulty expressing their emotions, it's important to determine depression in children through the evaluation of the child's behavior in several contexts.

3. Disruptive Behavior is where a child will not settle down and becomes troublesome or disorderly. Especially in a school setting this can become a problem where the disruptive student doesn't allow the other students to learn. In some cases kids can be disruptive intentionally, to show off, be funny or look cool. However children that have disruptive behaviors usually feel frustrated and are rebelling against authority to bring attention upon them. These types of kids have not developed adequate self-control, which causes them to act out and ultimately cause distractions for other classmates.

4. Learning disabilities is a classification of disorders where a person has difficulty learning. These disorders have affected the brain's ability to receive and process information therefore making it terribly difficult for the person to learn. Because we do not know what causes this problem within the brain learning disabilities are impossible to cure. However, there are other ways to get around learning disabilities. Intervention and support are the most important options available to someone who have a learning disability. Learning disabilities in children can cause inattentiveness, disruptive behavior, anxiety and depression. There are many learning disabilities such as reading, writing, math disorders, visual perception, auditory processing, nonverbal, dyslexia etc.

5. Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) is a neurological disorder where the person is unable to coordinate sensory information as it comes through the senses. When present in a child, the child may appear inattentive or quite the opposite as hyperactive. This is caused by the child being oversensitive or under sensitive to the sensory stimuli surrounding him/her. A child with a sensory integration disorder may be distressed by loud noises, bright lights, rough textures, or smells; or conversely, may need to handle things, hang upside-down, or shout boisterously.

As you can tell from the descriptions of the each of these disorders, many of the symptoms are the same or very similar. Many of these disorders accompany each other and therefore the person may be dealing with several different disorders at the same time. Because many of these disorders are now affecting children as well its important to evaluate and diagnose properly. This way we can properly treat for the correct disorder and stop over-medicating of our children, which can cause them harm in their future.

http://www.universalhealthinfo.com
http://www.universalhealthinfo.com/ADHD.html

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2012年6月24日星期日

Dealing With Attention Deficit Disorders

Attention deficit disorders are associated with neurotic hyperactivity, the acronym for the disorder name is "ADHD." As the name suggests, the person with this kind of affection has episodes characterized by mental haziness, fidgeting and impulsiveness. Because these behavioral patterns are normal but infrequent manifestations in human beings, it becomes difficult to diagnose a patient as an attention deficit patient. There are no clear-cut percentages or counts to determine the boundary line between normal and pathological attention deficiency. The symptoms may appear in three ways, prevalently inattentive, prevalently hyperactive, or, inattentive and hyperactive in equal intensity.

Inattentive symptoms include:

1. Distraction, forgetfulness, overlooking details and fidgety-ness

2. Great difficulty in focusing attention

3. Getting bored easily with emotionally monotonous tasks

4. Unable to organize one's self or the activity on hand

5. Tendency to lose items

6. Tendency to ignore what others are saying

7. Daydreaming

8. Slow movements

9. Unable to process information fast

10. Inability to follow instructions

Hyperactive symptoms include:

1. Restlessness

2. Continuous chattering

3. Jumping about and touching and playing with things

4. Unable to remain still

5. Impatience and impulsiveness

6. Irresponsible actions or speech

7. Difficulty waiting for one's turn in a game or in a queue

Attention deficit and hyperactive disease has been attributed to many causes. The first is evolutionary. This hypothesis claims that this disorder is really a hand-me-down from the pre-agricultural, hunters of past ages. It suggests that during those times, the symptoms of attention deficit disorder, may have been essential for survival. It further claims that this pattern of behavior may actually be beneficial to a society.

Another possible cause is the exposure of the fetus to alcohol, nicotine and lead. Also implicated in this respect are complications and abnormalities during child birth. Nicotine produces hypoxia in fetuses and has been tagged as one of the factors increasing the chances of acquiring attention deficit disorder.

Substances used for coloring food are also suspected to encourage attention deficit disorders. Some artificial food colors; sunset yellow FCF (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122), allura red (E129), tartrazine (E102) and ponceau 4R (E124), and the preservative sodium benzoate have been linked to attention deficit disease. While many countries have not banned the use of food colors, some countries may require manufacturers to inform the public of the presence of suspected culprit colors in their products. In the USA food labels may contain text like: "Contains FD&C Red #40." This suggests that the effects of food dyes may influence the person's capacity for sensory integration, resulting in the various manifestations that simulate the symptoms of this disease

Child violence and child abuse are also known to produce behavioral patterns in children similar to attention deficit affliction.

The beneficial effects of stimulant drugs on ADHD patients has produced the theory that these people have a high arousal threshold. This directly causes the lack of attention and dreaminess states. In turn, to cope with this under-stimulation from the surroundings, the patients resort to intense movement, talkativeness, emotional behavior and fidgety-ness.

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2012年6月21日星期四

5 Steps You Can Take This Summer To Help Improve Your Child's Attention And Behavior Without Drugs

A Summer Home Guide To Help Get Your Child Ready To Succeed in School From Day One!

Summer Program

Getting ready for school next year begins this summer. This vacation break is the perfect time to help your child with attention and behavior problems. In just a few weeks, you can begin to find and fix the underlying causes of the most common attention and behavior problems I find in my practice instead of using drugs to cover the symptoms. This approach has helped thousands of children I have treated at my center. The goal of this article is to give you the information that can start you down the road to help your child succeed in school and in life.

DRUGS COVER UP SYMPTOMS

It may surprise you to learn that drugs rarely cure anything. Drugs can cover up symptoms while the body heals itself and that is often how it works. I am not saying that all drugs are bad and that we shouldn't use drugs, but I do think it's important for the public to understand that a doctor's training emphasizes, almost exclusively, the use of drugs. Sometimes this use is appropriate, but it is always important to understand the limits and risks of using drugs. I learned the hard way. I went to medical school at the age of 39 to save my daughter after doctors made her ill with psychiatric drugs for bladder infections.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is officially a psychiatric label. When children are diagnosed with ADHD, they are considered to have a psychiatric disorder. The signs and symptoms of ADHD listed in The Psychiatric Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM IV) are completely subjective. ADHD cannot be tested with an objective method such as a blood test.

A RIGHT TO DRUG-FREE EDUCATION

Parents should have the right to decide if they want their child drugged or not. Here are the facts:

1. There is no objective way to diagnose ADHD.

2. The drugs used to "treat" ADHD can cause heart problems and worsening behaviors.

3. The drugs do not help all of the symptoms.

4. There are no long-term studies on the safety or efficacy of the drugs.

5. Many of the drugs used have never been tested on children.

In this article I will discuss how to help identify the most common underlying health and educational causes of the ADHD symptoms I find in my practice and discuss the non-drug techniques and methods I have found to be most effective in treating them.

PROBLEM ONE: LOW BLOOD SUGAR

Low blood sugar actually can occur from eating too much sugar. When someone has low blood sugar, their body releases adrenaline to raise the blood sugar back to normal. This adrenaline can then cause changes in behavior, concentration and focus. Yes, sugar does affect behavior. Sugar affects children even more then it does adults

Even if the child is sitting comfortably in the classroom, trying to pay attention, an adrenaline release can have a profound effect. Studies have shown that if your heart is beating fast, you cannot concentrate or focus. The child can become agitated. Any little thing can now trigger the child to act angrily or even aggressively. Such behavior is not conscious. The child does not choose to act that way. It is a physiological reaction.

The second way to have a low blood sugar is to not eat often enough or to eat carbohydrates instead of proteins. Proteins are meats, eggs, cheese, and nuts. To protect a child from having a low blood sugar response, I have them remove all sugar and artificial sweeteners and begin a diet eating frequent protein to help keep the blood sugar stabilized. In my practice I do a thorough evaluation of the child's diet.

Approach: Consider removing all sugar and artificial sweeteners from your child's diet and add frequent small protein snacks.

PROBLEM TWO: DIET

Consider that perhaps ADHD doesn't actually stand for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder but really means A Demand for a Healthy Diet. Many children's diets are shameful. Sweetened cereals are still the most popular breakfast item. The FDA's minimum nutritional requirements are based on the amount of nutrients needed to prevent diseases such as rickets, scurvy and pellagra. They do not take into account the modern day problems and symptoms that may be caused by nutritional deficiencies. In conventional medicine, these deficiencies are treated with drugs to cover up the symptoms. Most physicians are not looking for nutritional deficiencies as the underlying cause of health problems.

Looking for the underlying cause of a problem will often lead to a nutritional solution since nutrition affects every way the body works. The body cannot function properly without the right nutrients. It is basic biochemistry taught in medical school that specific nutrients are needed in our body to make the biochemical processes work properly. You might not feel sick without these nutrients, but you may not actually be well either. Your body must compensate and work harder if you don't get the nutrients your body needs to maintain health.

There are literally hundreds of articles in the medical literature showing a correlation between certain nutritional deficiencies and many different health problems, from heart attacks to cancer. Nutritional deficiencies can also affect how we feel, act and think.

Even when we eat more nutritious foods, I do not believe that we can get enough of the nutrients we need from our diets. Not only are most foods laden with sugar and artificial ingredients, many have chemicals added to lengthen their shelf life. Animals are fed antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals before they are slaughtered and fruits and vegetables are sprayed with pesticides while they are growing. All of these things can affect the quality of the foods we eat as well as add unhealthy toxins to our biological systems.

In light of the many problems and concerns with the American diet, I believe that supplementing nutrients can help to make our children healthier, and, as I've seen in my practice, the supplements can make a major difference in how they feel and act. That's why I recommend supplements for all my patients. I have had children in my practice do nothing more than take supplements and improve significantly.

Approach: Use organic foods whenever possible. Find out what deficiencies your child might have and ask your child's healthcare professional for nutritional supplements recommendations.

PROBLEM THREE: ALLERGIES AND SENSITIVITIES

Allergies do affect how we think, feel and act. Conventional allergists have told me and many of my patients this is not so. They were taught that allergies do not affect behavior or learning. The medical literature says otherwise. The report says the "coincidence of the pollen season, with the timing of examinations, discriminates unfairly against children suffering from allergies. It further asserts that unless the children's allergies can be effectively treated, they should not be expected to maintain the same rate of learning as their normal peers and that it would be fair and/or wise to postpone examinations until the pollen season has passed."

Of course, the recommendations from this report are not being implemented in schools. Instead, these children are being placed on amphetamine-like drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall for what could be an undiagnosed and untreated allergy. I see this all the time in my practice. I find that children who have been on these drugs or whose parents have been pressured to put their child on one of these drugs actually have allergies that caused the learning and behavior symptoms.

The number one food reaction I find in my patients with behavior and learning problems is from cow's milk. Many of these children will improve to some degree when milk is removed from their diet. Milk is not the only source of calcium. We can obtain calcium from many different sources including salmon, broccoli, calcium fortified fruit juices, soy and rice milk, and supplementation.

Approach: Consider finding and removing or treating at all offending foods.

PROBLEM FOUR: CHEMICAL SENSITIVITIES

Many chemical fragrances are made from petroleum chemicals. We spray these substances in the air, heat them up in our electrical outlets, and apply them to our bodies through soaps, creams and perfumes. Can you imagine going to the gas station, squeezing the nozzle, filling your cupped hand with gasoline and splashing it all over your body or spraying it in your home? That is what you might be doing when you use some of these products. No wonder our children do not feel well. People with asthma can start wheezing when they are exposed to fragrances. I always recommend that my patients never wear or use fragrances. Even if it doesn't bother them, it could cause a serious health problem for someone with asthma or other breathing problems. These fragrances can also cause headaches which can certainly have a negative affect on how your child learns in class.

Smoke

I will not see a child at my center if a parent smokes. The parent should never smoke in any of the air space the child uses, even when the child is not in the space at the time. That means never smoke in the car if the child is ever a passenger in that car and never smoke in the house. This also means to never allow anyone else to smoke in those spaces or around your child. I cannot emphasize this enough. Smoke is a very serious toxin and it causes as many health risks for the non-smoker as for the smoker. This was true for one mother who smoked. When I allergy tested her child for tobacco smoke, his behavior changed dramatically. That mom never picked up another cigarette after seeing what a major negative effect it had on her child's behavior. Smoking outside is not the answer either. New studies have found that the toxic chemicals from smoking outside are still on the hair, skin and clothing and when the smoker enters the home, the effects on those in the home are almost as severe as if the person was smoking in the home.

There are many chemicals in our environment with new ones being added all the time. We are just beginning to understand the affect these chemicals have on our environment and on our bodies. I see health problems resulting from chemical exposure everyday. These are not the acute exposures that send people to the emergency room but the chronic ones that cause a multitude of baffling symptoms such as behavior and learning problems, headaches, tiredness, muscle and joint pain and other chronic problems.

Approach: Consider remove all chemicals from your home. Go green for your child.

PROBLEM FIVE: LEARNING DIFFERENCES

It is often assumed that all students by the age of five or six have completed the development of skills needed to be successful in school. However this skill development is not automatic and does not occur magically by a certain age. Some students are not prepared for learning in a structured classroom situation and this can affect their entire educational careers. Many programs are available to help children develop visual and auditory learning skills. "Vision Therapy" is available through developmental optometrists and auditory processing programs enhance the ability to listen. Sensory Integration works to strengthen the sensory skills. I have developed a home program based on these established developmental activities that can be done at home.

Approach: Help you child develop learning skills needed in school.

To help you decide if your child has learning differences that can be helped by one of these programs, review the following checklist:

Learning Problems Checklist

A "Yes" Answer to any of these questions may indicate that a child has learning differences and may need help to retrain their auditory, visual and sensory-motor skills.

My child has difficulty remembering left from right. Y or N

My child does not understand how the directions of North and South on a map relate to the world. Y or N

My child is not very coordinated or good at sports. Y or N

My child has difficulty throwing a ball into an intended receptacle, such as a basketball into the goal or a paper wad into the garbage can. Y or N

My child has trouble jumping rope. Y or N

My child does not seem to hear me when I call, but his/her hearing is fine. Y or N

My child seems to wiggle and move all the time and is unable to sit still. Y or N

My child touches everything of interest. Y or N

My child seems to get confused when asked to follow simple directions. Y or N

My child has trouble with handwriting. Y or N

My child is forgetful, unorganized and sometimes confused over what is expected of him/her. Y or N

My child has difficulty remembering more than one verbal request at a time. Y or N

My child describes things using "tactile" words, such as, "That doesn't feel good." and

"You hurt my feelings." Y or N

My child is sensitive about how things feel - complains that clothing is too scratchy,

or stiff and hurts. Y or N

My child has difficulty understanding cause and effect - does not seem to understand simple consequences to specific actions. Y or N

Other Helpful Learning Tips:

Tactile learners can hold something while studying

Listen to classical music with earphones while studying

Make a check list to remind the student of all classes/homework/books to take home

If handwriting is erratic test for handwriting changes before and after eating specific foods.

Keep blood sugar levels even-provide protein snacks and/or meals every two hours.

Practice right and left

Find successes outside the class room, music, art, acting etc.

Find something your child does well and make it part of the first impression with the teacher.

Dr. Mary Ann Block is an international expert on the treatment of attention and behavior problems without drugs and author of the top-selling books, No More ADHD, No More Ritalin, No More Antibiotics: Treating Ear and Respiratory Infections The Natural Way, Breaking Free From ADHD Home Program, The Learn-How-To-Learn Program, The ABC's of Raising Great Kids and Just Because You're Depressed Doesn't Mean You Have Depression. Dr. Block is founder and Medical Director of The Block Center in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, an international clinic for adults and children with chronic health problems.

A tireless advocate for children, Dr. Block has been traveling the country speaking to parent and professional groups and at legislative hearings on the dangers of the psychiatric drugging of our children. Dr. Block has been featured on the CBS news show, 48 Hours, MSNBC's Scarborough Country, and The Montel Williams Show, and interviewed on CNN News, NBC`s Home Page, Fox Network News, The Today Show in New York, The Joni show on Daystar, Your Health with Dr. Becker and is a medical contributor on Trinity Broadcast Network as well as such magazines as Newsweek, Better Homes and Gardens and radio and newspapers across the country.

For More Information on Dr. Block visit http://blockcenter.com

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2012年6月19日星期二

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Avoiding the Problem of Medicating a Developing Brain

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) appeared first in the 1980 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychological Association. Today ADD means different things to different professionals, depending upon their field, their level of experience and medical knowledge, and their cultural beliefs about how children should act.

Parents are often surprised to learn that there is no particular medical or neurological abnormality present in individuals diagnosed with attention deficit. Instead, the diagnosis depends upon subjective assessments by parents, teachers, or professionals with little or no understanding of the neuroscience of learning and behavior.

In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a consensus statement in 1999 warning that the causes and treatments of ADD are only speculative. In a very real sense, the diagnosis itself is only speculative.

In spite of this, individuals and even very young children who are given a diagnosis of ADD are typically given a prescription for an amphetamine, usually methylphenidate. This amphetamine is very similar to cocaine in terms of its effects on the brain (see Volkow et al, 1995); both drugs compete for the same binding sites on brain cells, both are taken up into the same areas of the brain, and both produce similar psychological effects. Perhaps the major differences are that methylphenidate remains in the brain much longer and the psychological expectations associated with the drug are much different.

Both methylphenidate and cocaine affect the brain by increasing levels of dopamine in the frontal lobes, an area responsible for motor planning, learning, problem solving, impulse control, memory, attention, language, analytical thinking and social behavior, and the striatum, an area responsible for processing and integrating sensory information.

Increased levels of dopamine make the brain feel powerful and happy and can produce addictive behaviors and responses. Elevated levels of dopamine also alter other neurochemicals and affect control muscle movements, sleep/wake cycles, hunger and satiety, arousal, heart rate, blood pressure, and stress responses.

If these altered levels of neurochemicals persist for too long (e.g. several weeks), the brain begins to try to bring the levels back to normal. If a neurochemical has been elevated for too long, the brain will begin to shut down some of the receptors for that neurochemical and will begin to kill off some of the transporters that move the neurochemical through the brain. We call this effect "downregulation."

After about three weeks it is possible to see these architectural changes with the electron microscope; after about four months the changes are significant. Four months on methlyphenidate, for example, will result in the loss of about 75% of the dopamine transporters and 20% of the dopamine receptors in the striatum (Vles et al, 2003). The striatum is an area of the brain critical for sensory processing, learning and memory.

Downregulation can have significant effects on the developing brain long after the drug has been withdrawn. Early exposure to methylphenidate, for example, has been linked to decreased interest in sex, food, emotional experiences, and novelty, and an increase in anxiety and stress levels in adolescence and adulthood (Bolanos, et al, 2003).

Of course, the brain can also "upregulate" by growing more transporters or receptors or making the remaining receptorsor more sensitive. However, upregulatio takes time.

It is dangerous to abruptly stop taking a medication after downregulation has occurred, so following a weaning schedule is recommended. The speed at which an individual is weaned from a drug like methylpheidate is based on the length of time they have been taking the medication and the dosage that they were receiving. A physician familiar with the neurological properties of the drug should be consulted before attempting to wean someone off such a drug.

Regardless of the problems associated with medications used to "treat" attention deficit, the question remains as to why a child is having problems paying attention. There are a host of metabolic, immunological, neurolgoical sensory and psychological causes of inattention including: metabolic disorders, allergies, toxins, sleep disorders, vitamin or fatty-acid deficiencies, thyroid disorders, diabetes, depression, boredom intolerance, high intelligence, high creativity, frontal lobe dysfunction, auditory or vestibular processing disorders, and learning disabilities.

Correctly identifying the underlying cause of inattention can help parents and medical professionals avoid the problems of exposing a developing brain to medications that alter neurochemicals, produce downregulation or create long-term side effects that may be far more serious than inattention.

The author, Michelle L. MacAlpine, Ph.D., is a cognitive developmental neuroscientist specializing in the assessment and treatment of sensory processing disorders, attention deficit, and developmental, academic and cognitive delays.

More information can be found at http://www.braintraining.com

ARTICLE REFERENCES
Volkow ND, Ding YS, Fowler JS, Wang GJ, Logan J, Gatley JS, Dewey S, Ashby C, Liebermann J, Hitzemann R, et al. 1995 "Is methylphenidate like cocaine? Studies on their pharmacokinetics and distribution in the human brain." Arch Gen Psychiatry. 52(6):456-63.

Vles JS, Feron FJ, Hendriksen JG, Jolles J, van Kroonenburgh MJ, Weber WE. 2003 "Methylphenidate down-regulates the dopamine receptor and transporter system in children with attention deficit hyperkinetic disorder (ADHD)." Neuropediatrics. Apr;34(2):77-80.

Bolanos CA, Barrot M, Berton O, Wallace-Black D, Nestler EJ. 2003."Methylphenidate treatment during pre- and periadolescence alters behavioral responses to emotional stimuli at adulthood." Biol Psychiatry. 54(12):1317-29

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2012年5月11日星期五

Non-Medication Options For Addressing (ADD) Attention Deficit Disorder And (ADHD)

Though the degree and severity of symptoms vary from person to person, physicians typically look for indicators of inattentiveness, impulsively, and hyperactivity in children. Parents and teachers may notice off task behavior, inattentiveness, disorganization, fidgetiness, impulsiveness, poor penmanship, failure to complete assignments, difficulty following multiple step directions in their children. Also the child may exhibit frustration or short temperedness. These challenges may impact individuals in all areas of life.

Children desire to please both their families and teachers but they are often unable to control the behaviors that may appear as noncompliance and require continuous redirection. Persons with ADD/ ADHD have been described as having brain activity that moves quickly with multiple thoughts in more varied direction than they can focus upon. Often, children unconsciously move their bodies in an attempt to match the pace of their thoughts.

Sensory integration dysfunction (over sensitivity with 1 or more of the 5 senses), food and environmental allergies, and vision problems are often associated with ADD/ADHD. The lack of structure and consistency may also increase symptoms. Excessive rigidity of movement in the class without movement breaks or supports can increase behavior challenges.

Foods that are highly processed with artificial ingredients, colors, and dyes, burden the body and fog the brain, and can amply increase the symptoms. Food sensitivities to wheat, gluten, dairy, and vitamin deficiency can also impact focus and attention.

Supportive Aids to reduce the impact of symptoms in school:

Children can be provided with checklists for routine activities to support independence and task completion, organizational binders for school, color code information by categories, highlight key information, use graphic organizers for note taking, alternate note taking options or response options that could include audio or video recording information.

Strategies to Improve Focus:

Deep breathing, meditation, "location of focus", and allergy elimination techniques are holistic non-medication ways to support children with ADD/ADHD:

Deep breathing can slow down and quiet the body and mind. This is great for children who may have difficulty sleeping. Meditation can also be incorporated before lengthy tasks. Though the child's mind may wander, practicing this daily technique will assist the child with the awareness of drifting attention.

These tools can be used just a few minutes multiple times a day. For children who are unable to sit and meditate, it can be done standing, lying down or walking. If this is done walking, place the focus on the lower half of the body and the placement of the feet. No special position or stance is necessary. Just a comfortable posture that works for the child can be used. The pacing can be set to the needs of the child but they should be thoughtful, deliberate, and conscious.

Doing a quick location activity can be done in the class or home within minutes to increase attention prior to lengthy assignments or tasks that require sustained engagement.

"A location" is done with by pointing and verbally identifying objects in the physical setting using the statement " I see a ... book, picture, phone, clock, ...) Continue with 10 items or until there is an apparent calmness or increased focus. This helps bring the child to a conscious presence.

Allergy elimination techniques assist the body of removing and reducing food and environmental burdens that create dis-ease in the body that may cause attention and focus dysfunction.

Addressing the Pressure to Medicate:

The school staff is well aware that they should not offer medical advice when they are not qualified to do so. It may be presented as recommendations to seek medical advice and that medications may assist the child to be more compliant in school.

As a family, succumbing to pressure by school staff to medicate your child can be minimized by redirecting the attention to the current interventions that are being used and letting school personnel know what you as a family are also doing as well. Reassure school personnel that your child's academic and social success is a family priority but be firm if medication is not an option for your family.

As medications are not a cure all and require ongoing monitoring for continued success and side effects, a family may choose to include medication in their intervention protocol. It is highly recommended that medication be considered only after other approaches with less long term detriment have been found ineffective.

Connecting with Other Families:

(CHADD) Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder is the national ADD organization with local chapters around the nation. There are local support groups in many major areas to assist families to connect with community resources. Getting your child involved in athlete activities or other community structured activities can support a positive self image.

Families may connect with supportive, attentive, and respectful medical and holistic professionals that welcome feedback and support your family's desires for your child. Continue to search and ask others for referrals until you find someone who you feel has your interest and concerns as a priority.

Children want to please, so creating or supporting opportunities for success will go a long way to reinforce intervention efforts. Set expectations within reach of your child's functioning level even when they may not be comparable to that of his or her age or someone else's abilities.

Patricia F. Glenn, Ed, S., is the President and Founder of Practice in Motion Training Institute, Inc. in Atlanta, GA. Practice in Motion's primary goal is to empower and equip families to better care for children with special needs. However its staff is trained in many therapeutic disciplines to serve all children from preschool through young adulthood. For more information about Practice in Motion Training Institute, its programs and services, visit http://www.practiceinmotion.com or email practiceinmotion@gmail.com.

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2012年3月13日星期二

Identifying Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the Classroom: Eight Things Teachers Should

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the phrase that is used to describe children who have significant problems with high levels of distractibility or inattention, impulsiveness, and often with excessive motor activity levels. There may be deficits in attention and impulse control without hyperactivity being present. In fact, recent studies indicate that as many as 40% of the ADD kids may not be hyperactive. Research shows that there are several things happening in the brain of the ADHD child which causes the disorder. The main problem is that certain parts of the Central Nervous System are under-stimulated, while others may be over-stimulated. In some hyperactive kids there is also an uneven flow of blood in the brain, with some parts of the brain getting too much blood flow, and other centers not getting as much. Certain medications, or other forms of treatment can be used to address these problems. Often the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder child has special educational needs, though not always. Most Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder kids can be successful in the regular classroom with some help. Teachers can find over 500 classroom interventions to help children be successful in school at http://www.ADDinSchool.com. As a teacher ask yourself these questions: 1. Can the child pay attention in class? Some ADHD kids can pay attention for a while, but typically can't sustain it, unless they are really interested in the topic. Other ADHD kids cannot pay attention to just one thing at a time, such as not being able to pay attention to just you when you are trying to teach them something. There are many different aspects to "attention," and the ADHD child would have a deficit in at least one aspect of it. 2. Is the child impulsive? Does he call out in class? Does he bother other kids with his impulsivity? These kids often cannot stop and think before they act, and they rarely think of the consequences of their actions first. Impulsivity tends to hurt peer relationships, especially in junior high school years. 3. Does he have trouble staying in his seat when he's supposed to? How is he on the playground? Can he wait in line, or does he run ahead of the rest of the class? Does he get in fights often? 4. Can he wait? Emotionally, these children often cannot delay gratification. 5. Is he calm? They are constantly looking for clues as to how they are doing. They may display a wide range of moods, which are often on the extremes: they act too sad, too angry, too excited, too whatever. 6. Is the child working at grade level? Is he working at his potential? Does he/she stay on task well? Does he fidget a lot? Does he have poor handwriting? Most ADHD kids have trouble staying on task, staying seated, and many have terrible handwriting.

7. Does he have difficulty with rhythm? Or the use of his time? Does he lack awareness about "personal space" and what is appropriate regarding touching others? Does he seem unable to read facial expressions and know their meanings? Many children with ADHD also have Sensory Integration Dysfunctions (as many as 10% to 20% of all children might have some degree of Sensory Integration Dysfunction). SID is simply the ineffective processing of information received through the senses. As a result these children have problems with learning, development, and behavior. 8. Does he seem to be immature developmentally, educationally, or socially? It has been suggested by research that children and teens with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may lag 20% to 40% behind children without ADHD developmentally. In other words, a ten year old with ADHD may behave, or learn, as you would expect a seven year old to behave or learn. A fifteen year old with ADHD may behave, or learn, as you would expect a ten year old to behave, or learn. There is a lot to learn about ADHD. Both teachers and parents can learn more by visiting the ADHD Information Library's family of web sites, beginning with ADDinSchool.com for hundreds of classroom interventions to help our children succeed in school.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.

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2011年12月10日星期六

What Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

http://www.universalhealthinfo.com
http://www.universalhealthinfo.com/ADHD.html

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