January 11, 2012
Since there is a direct link between healthy eating and strong cognitive abilities, why not use your New Year’s Resolution to jump start providing healthy snacks for your students. Peanut butter and crackers, almonds, peanuts, and string cheese are quick and easy snacks for kids with a great source of protein . The article below gives more information.
November 14, 2011
Remember that the brain
is part of the body. Things that
exercise your body can also help sharpen your
brain. Physical exercise enhances the
brain's ability to create more brain
cells. Activities such as physical
exercise, meditation, and musical training can
all improve brain function, often yielding
improvements in attention, working memory,
emotional balance, and other abilities.
Yoga and Brain Gym are great programs to use
with children to help both body and brain.
November 9, 2011
Impact of Retained Reflexes on Attention and Learning
We continue our series on the causes of attention deficit beyond a biochemical reason. We have already discussed Auditory Processing Disorder and Retained Reflexes. Today, we talk about Sensory Processing Disorder.
Sensory Processing is the brain's ability to integrate, process, and respond to certain information received from the body's sensory systems. The brain takes all of this information and helps the body make sense of its surroundings and to react to them appropriately.
A child with good sensory integration filters the unimportant stimuli without having to think about it. She can sit at her desk without thinking about her posture. She can pay attention to the teacher and filter out the noise of the air conditioner and the noise of the children in the hallway. She can ignore the itch of her wool sweater.
A child with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) has trouble processing and interpreting sensory messages. Some children will feel bombarded with all of the sensory information. This child might be bothered by the label in his tee-shirt or the seam in his socks. He might be bothered by the approach of his classmate or the stickiness of the play dough. He will pay a lot of attention to avoid these ordinary sensations. He might fidget and squirm. Meanwhile, he is unable to pay much attention to the teacher's words.
For others, the stimuli are dulled. These children need extra stimulation to "get going." They need to move around much more than their peers. These are the kids who love to spin and swing. They will pay a lot of attention to satisfy their need for movement, and not much to instructions or to where they left their shoes.
Most children with SPD will often show elements of both extemes: being overloaded at times and seeking stimulation at others. It's easy to see how the symptoms - distractiblity, the need for intense activity, problems with social interactions - could seem like ADHD.
The problem is that many professionals have never even heard of SPD. As a special education teacher, I had never heard of SPD until my son was diagnosed with it. If the cause of the attention problems is due to SPD, drug therapy will not help, but a good sensory diet may be a major component in treating the problem. An overloaded child needs less stimulation; whereas, an under-responsive child needs more stimulation.
Reflex integration, auditory and visual processing, and sensory processing are just pieces of a puzzle that need to be put together for a child to be successful in everyday situations. Instead of medicating for ADD or ADHD symptoms, really finding the cause of the problem would be the more permanent solution to any challenge that is affecting a child's education.
November 7, 2011
Trying to determine if a
book is the right level for your child?
Teach your child how to use the "Five-Finger
Rule" to guide the difficulty level of their
book choice. Have your child read about
100 words in a book and raise one finger for
every word they can't read. If they
raise more than five fingers, the book is
probably too hard.
October 31, 2011
Are you wondering what
to do with all your kid's Halloween candy?
Have your children sort by candy type or color
on the wrapper. Have them group candy in
groups of 5's or 10's and count by 5 or 10 as
high as they can count. Using candy is a
fun and exciting way to practice simple math
skills such as skip counting, adding, and
October 12, 2011
We have been talking about
the symptoms that can manifest in someone with
attention challenges. The vast majority
of students who come to our learning center
have some challenges with attention, but only
a small minority are truly ADHD.
Successful, easy learning depends upon a solid
foundation of underlying skills. If a
child has problems with any of
the underlying learning skills, his attention
system will also be stressed. While
attention may become a problem
in school or with homework, it may not
actually be the real
problem. To make sure that we are
actually treating what is causing the
attention difficulties, we generally evaluate
five areas that can cause attention
difficulties separate from, or in addition to,
a biochemical reason.
One of the areas we evaluate is Reflex Integration. Primitive reflexes are present in infants, but should become integrated within three years. If these reflexes don't "disappear", they will continue to fire and cause interference that inhibits efficient development and easy learning.
Here are some examples:
Abby has difficulty copying notes. She holds her pencil with a tight grip and has sloppy handwriting. Writing for any length of time takes enormous effort, so she avoids it. She would rather talk than have to write down her ideas. Her parents constantly remind her to focus when she is working. Abby has a retained Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex. Each time she turns her head, her arm wants to follow. Now obviously when she turns her head, her arm doesn't straighten out, but that is because the brain is having to send a signal to stop this reflex from occurring. This takes away her ability to focus on what she is doing. Students with this retained reflex often have poor handwriting, difficulty keeping their place when reading, and an inability to express themselves in a written form.
Tommy wiggles constantly in his chair. It keeps him from getting his work done and is very distracting to the students sitting near him. His teachers and parents are constantly reminding him to "sit still and pay attention." But, Tommy can't sit still in his chair because he has a retained Spinal Galant Reflex. This reflex causes him to wiggle in his chair when he doesn't mean to. When he tries hard to sit still, it takes all of his attention, so he can't really think about what the teacher is saying or what he's supposed to be doing on his assignments.
These are just two examples of how reflexes impact attention and learning. There is a high correlation between developmental delay and poorly integrated reflexes:
Percent with poorly integrated reflex
Weak logic and reasoning and abstract thinking
STNR, ATNR, Spinal Galant
Bed wetting Poor bladder control
Problems paying attention in class can be a sign to parents that their child is struggling in school. This should not be ignored. Parents and teachers need to be aware that whenever an area of underlying processing or learning skills is inefficient, extra energy will be needed to perform. This stresses the person's attention. It is important to look very carefully to determine if the attention challenges seen in class are the cause of the learning problem or the symptom.
October 10, 2011
Specific approval and praise makes us want to repeat the behavior. For example say something like, “I was so proud of the way you sat right down and got your spelling done yesterday! You didn't get distracted even once! That was awesome! Do you think you can do that again today?” Be sure to recognize even small successes.
October 3, 2011
Create a designated homework time. After all, humans are creatures of habit. If it's "what we always do," pretty soon, no one expects anything different. If your child doesn’t have homework one night, study for upcoming tests, work on long-term assignments, do free-reading, or write in a journal.
September 8th, 2011
The start of the school year is such an exciting time. It is a time to look forward to new beginnings and to get back in a routine. For many though, the newness wears off quickly. Here are some tips to help you and your child keep the positive attitude and productive energy going throughout the school year.
1. CREATE STRUCTURE
Organization and study habits don’t just happen for many students. Designate a desk in his room, a spot at the kitchen table, or a quiet corner as your child’s homework station. Schedule a regular time with your child each week to file important items and purge unnecessary papers. Parents who systematically brainstorm, plan, and monitor organizational skills with their children give their children a gift that is well worth the time it takes.
At school, teachers who incorporate instruction and practice with note taking, memorizing, test study, and organizational skills into their curriculum are making a great investment in their students’ success for that year and years to come.
Before your child starts her homework, help her arrange the assignments either according to subject, the time required, or the degree of difficulty. Have your child complete the assignments in order, and check off each entry when she’s finished.
Prepare a weekly schedule that outlines your child’s break time after school followed by homework. While prioritizing assignments be sure to include breaks between tasks.
2. DRINK WATER
Did you know that the brain is thought to be 85% water? Our brain works by transmitting electro-chemical signals that control our thoughts, movements, and everything we feel or do. Water helps conduct electricity, which in turn supports faster thinking and learning.
Parents should help get kids into the habit of drinking water. Teachers should encourage students to have water bottles at school and to drink frequently.
3. INCREASE PROTEIN
Eating foods with high sugar content – such as many of today’s breakfast choices and snacks – can cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate. These fluctuations can cause high energy followed by low energy and sleepiness. This can make it difficult to focus, think, and learn.
Protein can help to balance the sugar levels. When preparing breakfast or choosing snacks, choose ones that have complex carbohydrates and protein. For example, if eating waffles add a hardboiled egg. Add peanut butter to whole grain bread. For snacks, consider nuts, cheese, or peanut butter filled pretzels.
4. SCHEDULE DOWN TIME
Most children and adults are overwhelmed with busy schedules and time commitments on a daily basis – even weekends are filled to the brim. This constant stimulus can provide a large amount to stress to even the heartiest of systems. Providing quite time for children allows them to rest and restore the mind and body. Taking down time often results in better energy, motivation, productivity, and attention.
Some suggestions for getting more down time in your child’s life:
Talk to your child about the importance of setting boundaries and not over committing to things. They will thank you when they are older.
Limit extracurricular activities to one or two during the school year (depending on your child’s age) and let your child choose the activities.
After school, allow your child some down time for talking on the phone, messaging friends, having a snack, playing outside, or listening to music, before homework is begun.
Turn off the television and get out in nature together. Take a bike ride or a walk.
5. MONITOR HOW THINGS ARE GOING AT SCHOOL
Ask your child’s teacher questions throughout the year. For instance, “Is she getting along with her teachers and classmates? Is she participating in class? Is she able to concentrate quietly during class study time?” Don’t hesitate to share your concerns as they arise, but ask the teacher how she prefers to be contacted—and be sure to tell her how much you appreciate her insight and help.
Look for clues that your child may need extra help with schoolwork: She has trouble finishing her homework; she’s working hard, but her grades are failing; she’s anxious before tests; she doesn’t want to go to school.
If your gut tells you that there is more going on, follow your instincts. Don’t assume that it will get better or that you are worrying too much. Early intervention is crucial in many instances. Ask if there is additional help at the school. Outside services may be needed.
If outside help is needed, consider scheduling your child for an evaluation or attend one of our events! LEC’s next parent event is “Ending the Homework Hassle”. Learn how to help your child with homework, strategies for memory, study skills, and planning for long term projects. Join us September 26th at our new Springfield location or on October 3rd at our Fredericksburg center.