I Dont Believe in ADHD
August 31, 2007
O.K. I’ve heard it a hundred times from my prison guard friends, “I don’t believe that there is such a thing as ADD. It’s only something made up from the drug companies to drug our children.” They know because they read an article in a magazine, or saw a show on TV once. I guess they also believe in aliens in government, and that Elvis still lives somewhere in Oklahoma.
Look, there are lots of physical differences between the actual brains of people with ADD and those who don’t have it, and there are also functional differences in the way that their brains work. And there are lots of scientists and physicians who are investing lots of time and money into identifying and writing about those differences. Just because their research is too boring to make the Morning Show on TV doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, or isn’t true.
The Functional Differences include studies with EEGs, Q-EEGs, CPTs, psychological testing, and “functional” MRIs (fMRI). They showed differences in activation levels of various areas of the brain, differences in brainwave patterns, and differences in glucose metabolism (as measure of brain work load) between ADHD subjects and non-ADHD subjects. They also showed the ADD ADHD groups to have poorer performance on timed tasks, slower reaction time, slower processing times, lower problem solving abilities, less fine motor control, less gross motor control, differences in evoked potentials, and problems with inhibition, as compared to the controls.
Students Engage More in Term-Time Jobs
August 30, 2007
Students Engage More in Term-Time Jobs
by: Linda Correli
Nowadays students are increasingly likely to work while studying at college. The majority of them have to rely on the supplemental income to support themselves at college or university. The accelerating proportion of students with term-time jobs rose from 47% to 58% in the recent decades. According to the new research, students spend less time in the classrooms than they used to 10 years ago.
Learning and earning have become the norm for a good chunk of students, especially for those who are in financial need. As long as most government loans and bursary programs provide the minimum funds to cover the tuition costs, students have to eat, catch the occasional movies and remain on the fringe of fashion. Proverbially term-time working kills two birds with one stone - it pays the bills while allowing students to gain invaluable work experience.
It really stands for some reason, because combining work and school offers benefits beyond just earning the keep. However, the overwhelming number of students has to work, because they need money for basic essentials. The figures show that 80% of students can’t manage on their students loans, another 20% are bound to work simply because their families can’t support them or just because they don’t want building up debts.
The Reticular Activating System, and its Role in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
August 29, 2007
In our last article about the neurology of ADHD we began to introduce the reader to the system in the brain known as the Reticular Activating System. The Reticular Activating System is the “attention center” in the brain. It is the key to “turning on your brain,” and seems to be the center of motivation.
The Reticular Activating System is connected at its base to the spinal cord where it receives information projected directly from the ascending sensory tracts. The brainstem reticular formation runs all the way up to the mid-brain. As a result, the Reticular Activating System is a very complex collection of neurons that serve as a point of convergence for signals from the external world and from interior environment.
In other words, it is the part of your brain where the world outside of you, and your thoughts and feelings from “inside” of you, meet.
Find Cool Teen Furniture your Teen will use and Like
August 28, 2007
Find Cool Teen Furniture your Teen will use and Like
by: Michael Holland
You will find that when it comes to teen furniture there are a number of excellent items available that will not only adequately hold your teens stuff, but also can match the theme or décor of their room. There are many great teen furniture ideas waiting you online at great internet stores like www.yourkidsdirect.com and www.stacksandstacks.com.
There are some aspects you will need to keep in mind when selecting teen furniture and include:
* Budget: how much you want to spend
* Room size: measure your teen’s room before you purchase anything, as you will not want to cram the room too tightly with objects, making it difficult for your teen to move around.
* Room Theme: Are there any teen furniture items that you can find that go with the décor in your teens room. For instance, is their décor modern, trendy, futuristic or Victorian?
To give you an idea of how you can shop for teen furniture to keep with the theme of your kid’s room, as well as preserve space, the following is an example of the type of furniture you can use to go with a teen boy’s room that is based on space, or futuristic décor:
The Neurology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Part One
August 28, 2007
What is Happening in the brain of children, teens, and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
The most recent models describing what is happening in the brains of people with Attention Deficit Disorder suggest that several areas of the brain may be affected by the disorder. These impacted areas include the frontal lobes, the inhibitory mechanisms of the cortex, the limbic system, and the reticular activating system. Each of these areas of the brain is associated with specific functions.
The frontal lobes help us to pay attention to tasks, focus concentration, make good decisions, plan ahead, learn and remember what we have learned, and behave appropriately for a given situation.
The inhibitory mechanisms of the cortex keep us from being hyperactive, from saying things out of turn, and from getting mad at inappropriate times, for examples. They help us to “inhibit” our behaviors. It has been said that 70% of the brain is there to inhibit the other 30% of the brain. When the inhibitory mechanisms of the brain aren’t working as hard as they ought to, then we can see results of what are sometimes called “dis-inhibition disorders” such as impulsive behaviors, quick temper, poor decision making, hyperactivity, and so on.
Movement and Infants
August 27, 2007
Besides the fact that they were built to do so, there are a great many reasons why infants need to move. The truth is, even though their movement capabilities are extremely limited when compared with even those of a toddler, movement experiences may be more important for infants than for children of any other age group. And it’s not all about motor development either.
Thanks to new insights in brain research, we now know that early movement experiences are considered essential to the neural stimulation (the "use-it-or-lose-it" principle involved in the keeping or pruning of brain cells ) needed for healthy brain development.
Not long ago, neuroscientists believed that the structure of a human brain was genetically determined at birth. They now realize that although the main "circuits" are "prewired" (for such functions as breathing and the heartbeat), the experiences that fill each child’s days are what actually determine the brain’s ultimate design and the nature and extent of that child’s adult capabilities.
What Makes a Good Evaluation for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
August 26, 2007
So you have just returned home from your third meeting with your child’s teacher. She tells you that your child is not getting his work done, he cannot sit still, and he is simply not going to have any success in school unless something changes. She suggests that you talk to someone to see if he has ADHD. What do you do next?
This can certainly be a difficult time in any family, so we would not want you to be uninformed as you take the next important steps. Here are the things that we recommend if you have a child that ought to be looked at for possible Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
First, there should be an “adequate” physical exam by the child’s pediatrician or family practice doctor. This doesn’t have to be an extensive, expensive exam, but should be able to rule out possible problems like Mononucleosis, Thyroid problems, lead poisoning (if it is common in your area), and potential attention problems caused by medications, such as allergy medications. Then, with a clean bill of health, we move on to step two.
Children and Mom and Paper
August 25, 2007
Memorabilia ? Children can create enough artwork for an entire gallery in a few short weeks. The key here is choices; establish a particular place-e.g., basket, drawer, or shelf ? for each child to put artwork. When that space is full, have one-on-one time with Mom and select your "three favorites". This is a lesson in life, which is continually full of choices. Then create a Memorabilia Box for each child where the favorites are kept. Keep the box in a convenient place, with the lid off, so it’s easy to add new items. Use the same approach for photographs. A great parent-child activity is "scrap booking" ? have your child help make a family album, or get double prints, and let the children make their own. If you’re not into albums, use attractive boxes. If you’re on a tight budget you can use shoeboxes. Label the outside of each packet with the contents (e.g., Lee’s 5th birthday, Mary’s soccer outfit, etc.) with the date. At the end of the year, store your calendar with the photos in case you decide you want to create albums when the children are grown and you need to retrieve more specific dates. The key here is "Less is more." A few great photos are far superior to boxes of unidentified ones! One of the biggest causes of clutter ? and family disagreements — is paper. Create a filing system for important papers. Create one file for each child for each area. For example, Medical Records ? Mary, St. John’s High School ? Tom. Children can begin their own filing systems as soon as they start school. The key to any effective filing system is a File Index. This can be a handwritten list, a word processing document, a spreadsheet, or you can use Taming the Paper Tiger software (see below). A File Index will help you avoid making a file for "Summer Camp" when you already have one for "Camp Wesley." Here’s a sample of some other file headings for information that children might like to file: Cartoons I like English Homework Family Information Friends Fun Things to Keep Gift Ideas for me Gift Ideas for others Hairstyles I like Math Homework New Year’s Resolutions Phone Numbers/Addresses Recipes I can make Savings Account Scouting Information Summer Camp Information
Diagnosing ADHD in Your Child, an Introduction
August 24, 2007
Everyone in a private practice setting who works with children or adults is going to have their own opinion on how Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD or ADHD - should be diagnosed. Some clinics take the perspective that “more is good,” and will recommend a large battery of tests, often costing many thousands of dollars. Other clinics, typically with hurried physicians, will simply give a brief rating scales to the parents and then make a quick diagnosis and prescribe treatment, usually a medication.
Unfortunately neither of these extremes is in the patient’s best interest.
If you are the parent of a child or teenager who is struggling in school, and perhaps at life in general, you should be familiar with what makes this disorder we call Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
How Do I Determine The Length Of The Home School Year?
August 23, 2007
How Do I Determine The Length Of The Home School Year?
by: James Masterson
Homeschooling is a practical alternative or replacement to schooling institutions. In conformity with your state laws concerning this kind of education, children study and learn under the parents’ supervision.
Parents have several explanations and justifications why they need or want education at home. They have concerns regarding the safety of their children, the quality of education that is offered in public schools, the expensive cost of private schooling and the struggle of the child to keep up with the entire class.
Parents usually feel defenseless when their kids come home from school with accounts of emotional cruelty from peers, labeling them as “slow learners”.
With a large class, teachers usually have little options and remedy to act on these children who are so called “slow learners”. This is why often they are advised to be tutored, so that they will be given the attention that they need, and can learn at “their own pace”, not competing with others as well as not having the teacher’s undivided attention.
