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2012年7月17日 星期二

ADHD and Learning Disabilities - Are They Different Conditions or Could They Be One In The Same?


ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and can create serious obstacles in many areas of a person's life including their ability to learn. Learning disabilities on the other hand are a group of lifelong disorders that affect a person's ability to master basic skills such as reading, writing, doing mathematics, following instructions, and paying attention. As with ADHD learning disabilities are major roadblock in achieving academic, professional, and personal success and are among the leading reasons for failure in school.

According to the American Medical Association there are seven types of different learning disabilities. They are special impairment (dyslexia), writing disabilities (dysgraphia), language problems, inability to grasp basic mathematical concepts (dyscalculia), problems with time and space management, memory problems, sensory integration dysfunction, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Surprising isn't it that ADHD is listed as one of the seven rather than a separate condition which would include one or more of the other 6 learning disorders?

It is easy to see how confusion could reign supreme when discussing ADHD and learning disabilities since it is almost impossible to determine which one comes first.

Demystifying the confusion

As general rule someone with a learning disability is challenged in one, or maybe two areas, while performing at acceptable or even slight better than average in other areas. As you may recognize this is a very common occurrence. One example would be your child performing admirably in geography but is totally lost when it comes to basic math skills, and even worse when it comes to understanding math concepts.

You ask yourself how is this possible that I have a child that can find his way to the most obscure regions of the world but if forced to chart a course with a slide rule wouldn't have the foggiest idea about where to start?

On the other hand attention deficit disorder affects learning in a broader way and compromises all cognitive functions most of the time, rather than just one or maybe two. This is not measurable on tests, unless there was some kind of extenuating circumstance involved. For example if the test was given in a place filled with distractions.

When comparing ADHD and learning disabilities one important distinction to keep in mind is that learning disabilities can be diagnosed by the school, ADHD cannot. The reason is that ADHD is classified as medical condition that can only be diagnosed by a medical professional.

Could ADHD and Learning Disabilities be one in the same?

This idea goes against conventional wisdom but is certainly a possibility to consider especially in light on new information about the causes of ADHD.

It is now believed that ADHD is caused by an imbalance in the brain chemical dopamine, and possibly norepinephrine, alone with genetic brain communication abnormalities in specific areas of the brain. Both of these factors also play a role in most, if not all, of the learning disabilities listed above.

Additionally, many experts in field of ADHD research now believe that ADHD could be a combination of as many as 10 conditions with learning disabilities being right at the top of the list.

What next? For those struggling with ADHD and learning disabilities finding an effective treatment option/options is an important first step to overcoming the many challenges they may be facing. Prescription stimulants are often the treatment of choice. Examples would Ritalin, Adderall and non-stimulant medications such as Intuniv or Strattera. While for the most part effective, all stimulant medications come with a number of both long and short-term side effects risks.

The risk of side effects, or perhaps the lack of success (30% of the time), has prompted many to consider non-prescription options. A couple examples of these are behavior modification therapy and/or homeopathic ADHD remedies. Homeopathic remedies for ADHD and learning disabilities are a side effect free way to address such problematic symptoms as inattention, distractibility, impulsivity, erratic behavior and hyperactivity and can be used both as a standalone treatment or in combination with other non-prescription alternatives. They also have been shown to produce long-term lasting benefits slightly over half of the time.




Robert D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic consumer advocate for natural health and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field. To discover more about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder along with information about safe and effective herbal and homeopathic ADHD remedies for many of the most problematic ADHD symptoms Click Here





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2012年6月21日 星期四

5 Different Types of Autism - Spectrum


There are various types of autism and even one type cannot exactly be grouped into one single category, because there are as many categories of autism as there are people suffering from autism! To make it more complex, some autistic individuals look to be quite normal at first glance, whereas some others obviously look to be mentally challenged. Some types of autism can be treated with early diagnosis and therapy, whereas some other severe cases may never respond to treatment.

Because autism is so wide-ranging, it becomes difficult to define the particular type of autism. However, there is one way to assess to what severity the disorder may be affecting the individual. Many professionals may not accept this method and this is not mentioned in many books either, but autistic individuals could be divided on the basis of IQ level. Those having an IQ of lesser than 80 are categorized as to be in the 'low-functioning' autism (LFA) group and those who have score 80 or above in their IQ test are put in the category of 'high-functioning autism' (HFA).

IQ levels notwithstanding, the thing that really defines the level of autism is how independent the sufferer is and how well he can take care of himself. That is why the concept of using IQ tests to categorize autistic individuals remains controversial to date.

Many high IQ autistic individuals may actually find it very difficult to carry on independently with their daily lives, whereas low IQ victims may face minimal trouble with their condition. Hence the above cannot be regarded as a suitable yardstick to measure the type of degree of autism in an individual.

Asperger's and Kanner's syndrome

Both Asperger's syndrome and the autistic disorder, Kanner's syndrome are developmental disorders. In the latest scenario, the major difference between them is that Kanner's syndrome shows more typical and intense symptoms of the autistic disorder.

Kanner's syndrome shows an apparent 'slowing down' of the child's skills, delay in speech development and abnormal functioning in the child's social and/or psychological behavior. The child shows no interest in his environment and does not play with his toys or other children around. The symptoms of Kanner's syndrome show up by the time the child is 3 years old.

Asperger's syndrome, on the other hand, does not record any marked 'significant clinical delay' in the child's development. This is by far the milder form of autism, which responds well to therapy as well. This is the reason why some schools of thought use the terms 'Asperger's syndrome' and 'high-functioning autism' interchangeably.

Autism spectrum disorders

Some experts are of the view that autism is closely related to disorders such as Asperger's syndrome and Sensory Integration Dysfunction, which involves degeneration of the capability to integrate the information received from the sense organs.

Though some people believe that all these conditions overlap and there is some common genetic trigger that gives rise to these conditions, nothing can be said about it definitely. At present, researchers are still trying to find the exact trigger for these other related disorders.




Melissa Fox is a health professional very interested in Early Signs of Autism. She enjoys writing inspirational articles for Real Living. To learn more about various Types Of Autism please visit www.CausesOfAutism.org





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2012年3月12日 星期一

Different Methods Of Autism Care


Autism is a complex developmental disorder that has no cure. Though children are not cured from autism, early intervention and treatment allows those with autism to develop, learn and interact with others. Parents have several care options available to help them through the challenge of raising a child with autism.

Behaviour Modification:

Behaviour modification is a method of autism care that helps the autistic child and their parents promote appropriate behaviour while minimising unwanted behaviour. It is often broken into a few areas.

Applied behaviour analysis is the basic behaviour modification which works through a reward's system. This method of behaviour modification encourages an autistic child to start acting more appropriately by giving a treat or reward for doing the tasks or acting in a way that parents want.

Sensory integration therapy is another type of behaviour modification that works on helping an autistic child cope with the sensory information they encounter every day. Since many autistic children react to sensory information differently, such as getting upset over certain noises or colours, this type of behaviour modification works on improving the reaction to the stimulation.

Play therapy is another option among the behaviour modification treatment options parents might make use of. Play therapy focuses on the social interactions of autistic children and helps them learn appropriate ways to handle different social situations. Since autistic individuals often have difficulties with social situations, this type of treatment teaches how to interact and what is not appropriate.

Communication Treatment:

Communicating is a challenge for most autistic individuals, even those who are considered high functioning. Caring for an autistic child often requires incorporating some communication treatment.

Speech therapy is perhaps the most obvious communication therapy option available. Speech therapy focuses on teaching someone with autism how to speak. Unfortunately, some autistic individuals never begin speaking, even with therapy.

Fortunately, another type of communication treatment helps parents and autistic children communicate without using words. A picture exchange communication system, or PECS, is a method of communicating through pictures. Parents draw pictures to represent what they are asking or telling the child about and the autistic child draws pictures to show what they want or need.

Alternative Treatment:

Alternative care for those with autism varies depending on the parents and doctors. The methods are not necessarily backed by science, but doctors note that no one therapy is effective for every autistic individual so adding an option or two that is not medical might help some autistic children.

Dietary changes combined with vitamin supplements are not scientifically studied. Though studies are lacking, a healthy diet is always beneficial to childhood growth and development, so combined with therapy might help some autistic children.

Music therapy or vision therapy is sometimes helpful, particularly for sensory stimulation.

Some parents might consider adding yoga or similar lessons to a child's regimen to help develop fine motor skills.

The appropriate care and treatment for any autistic child varies. Each autistic child will react differently to different treatments, so no one treatment is effective for every child's needs.




For more information on Autism Care.





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2012年2月25日 星期六

What are the Different Forms of Autisim


There are many different types of autism, and just as with many things you can't just group all Autistic people into one category. Autisim range of symptoms covers a very large field. It will include autistics who are very near to being dysfunctional and appear to be mentally retarded, to the autistic who shows very mild symptoms, or who has received therapy to control their autistic traits to the point of appearing to be normal to the average person.

Autistic persons will be often categorized between those who have an IQ of less than 80 being categorized as having what is called "low-functioning autism", while the autistic person who's IQ is higher than 80 are categorized as having what would be called "high-functioning autism". This method of categorization is not usually accepted or used by medical professionals when dealing with the autistic person. Normally the terms high or low high functioning autism are used to describe the level at which the autistic person can perform the daily activities that are a part of living, and related to their IQ level. Within the Autistic community the use of the labels, high functioning autism, and low functioning autism, are seen to be highly controversial by many autistics.

Many service providers who serve the autistic community still rely to heavily on a person's IQ, with the ability to function on a daily basis may not work with autistic people who test at a high IQ level, or in the case of a person with a low IQ level fail to acknowledge the potential of many of the autistic people who are diagnosed as having low functioning autism. With all the information about autism which is available it is hard to believe, but some within the medical profession still will not recognize autistics who can write or speak as suffering from autism at all.

This all leads to many with high functioning autism, as well as the autistic person who has a fairly normal IQ, being left undiagnosed. This furthers the idea that autism automatically implies mental retardation. Even having said this it should be noted that the number of diagnoses for high functioning autism are now showing a sharper rise, than those for low functioning autism. One reason for this may be due to better diagnostic testing for autism.

Asperger's Syndrome and Kanner's Syndrome

In the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders the biggest difference when comparing Autistic Disorder (Kanner's) and Asperger's Syndrome would be that a Autistic Disorder will include; observed delays or even abnormal levels in at least one and maybe more of the following areas, normally the onset of symptoms of autism will be before the age 3 years old: The first would be in the area of social interaction, second would be problems with language as used in social settings, or the third area would be in symbolic or imaginative play that would not be considered to be a normal level for the average child. While in Asperger's Syndrome there would only be a slight, to no observed delay noticed.

While the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not really include levels of intellectual function for the diagnosing of Asperger's Syndrome, it is a proven statistical fact that those person's who do have Asperger's Syndrome will as a general rule will tend to out perform those autistics with Kanner's Autisim or Low Functioning Autisim this has led to a popular idea that Asperger's Syndrome can be thought of as being synonymous with high functioning autism, or that it could be considered as a totally separate disorder from autism. A popular belief is that those autistic individuals who have a higher level of intellectual function do in fact actually have Asperger's Syndrome.

Autisim as a spectrum disorder Autisim disorders also come under the heading of autistic spectrum disorders. A closely related disorder would be, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, which would involve just how well a person is able to use the information that they receive from their senses. Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Autism, as well as Asperger's Syndrome, have been found to be closely related and in many cases have been found to overlap each other.

While still subject to much debate, there are some people who believe that there might be two separate scenarios for the timeline for the onset of regular autism, these would be early infantile autism and regressive autism. Early infantile autism would be present at the time of childbirth, and regressive autism would begin between the ages of 18 months and 36 months.




Kevin Caldbeck is the owner and publisher of several websites dealing strictly with Health Issues Todays Families are Facing. For more information about autism and the autistic community be sure to check out the resources available for you at http://www.answers-about-autism.info or http://www.better-your-health.com





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2012年2月1日 星期三

How is the ADHD Brain Different?


The medical community views attention deficit hyperactive disorder as a biological condition caused by dysfunctions in the brain - specifically, a deficiency in key neurotransmitters. Although the brain of a person with ADHD is somewhat different from the brain of those without ADHD, these differences are not the only cause of the disorder. ADHD is triggered by many environmental factors, and imbalances found in the ADHD brain are in fact expressions of the real causes of the disorder as well.

How is the ADHD brain different from a normal brain? A medical doctor will probably tell you that the ADHD brain is deficient in two neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine. These are the chemicals responsible for carrying signals between brain cells; if there aren't enough neurotransmitters, the brain is unable to function optimally and the person experiences chronic inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. To treat the imbalance, medical doctors will probably prescribe medication to stimulate the brain circuits and temporarily increase levels of dopamine, resulting in increased concentration, higher productivity, and better behavior. But the latest research on the brain structure of ADHD children revealed that the difference in the ADHD brain is not so much due to the lack of neurotransmitters, but rather to a problem with the electrical impulses needed to release the neurotransmitters.

Alternative health care practitioners go beyond the medical explanation of ADHD - a deficiency in neurotransmitters - to locate three major differences in the ADHD brain. All understanding of these three differences is backed up by the latest scientific research.

1) Brain hemisphericity. The normal brain can activate the right and left hemispheres of the brain with ease. However, a person diagnosed with ADHD experiences a deficiency in one of the two hemispheres. Researchers have discovered that the right hemisphere is usually weaker than the left.

2) A developmental delay in brain circuitry. A delay in brain development is usually related to brain hemisphericity. What this means is that a child with ADHD might be ten years old chronologically, but parts of his brain might be functioning at the level of a six year old, which is why he or she suffers from behavioral problems. These developmental problems are caused by complex environmental factors called antecedents and triggers, which is why the right treatment plan for ADHD should be designed around neutralizing these factors instead of temporarily stimulating the brain with drugs. For as long as antecedents and triggers continue to work on each other, the imbalance in the brain stays and the symptoms will not go away.

3) Problems with sensory integration. Due to brain hemisphericity and developmental delay, an individual with ADHD may have issues processing sensory information. They either feel too much (hyperactive) or don't feel enough (hypoactive). Either way, problems with sensory integration often lead to behavioral problems.

Before embarking on a treatment plan for ADHD, your child has to go through tests that can pinpoint any deficiencies in the brain. There are many specialists who can use safe procedures like neurofeedback, sensory integration approaches, or chiropractic neurology to treat any problems in the brain. The best thing about these approaches is that they are 100% natural, which means your child won't be taking any potentially damaging drugs to treat any brain deficiencies that might be found.

Remember that ADHD is a condition caused by many environmental factors; an imbalance in neurotransmitters is simply one of the symptoms. That is why an effective treatment for ADHD must go beyond treating the brain and address the environmental factors triggering the disorder in the first place.




Dr. Yannick Pauli is an expert on natural approaches to ADHD and the author of the popular self-help home-program The Unritalin Solution. He is Director of the Centre Neurofit in Lausanne, Switzerland and has a passion taking care of children with ADHD. Click on the link for more great information about adhd and the brain.





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