- Training the Brain: Cognitive Therapy As An Alternative To ADHD Drugs.
The article focuses on Dr. Torkel Klingberg of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden who trained around 40 kids with ADHD with a software program that addressed “working memory.” After more than 20 days of training parents reported that their children had greatly improved attention and lessened hyperactivity.
- ADHD Medications: Mayo Clinic Study Contradicts MTA Study
As I wrote earlier, the longest study actually performed while following live children was the MTA and its 3-Year Follow-up of the NIMH MTA (multi-modal treatment) recently published in the journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Co-author, Professor William Pelham, of the University at Buffalo, says: "The children had a substantial decrease in their rate of growth so they weren't growing as much as other kids both in terms of their height and in terms of their weight. And the second was that there were no beneficial effects – none."
Pelham adds, "In the short run [medication] will help the child behave better, in the long run it won't. And that information should be made very clear to parents."
Here’s the most telling observation of the study: "I think that we exaggerated the beneficial impact of medication in the first study. We had thought that children medicated longer would have better outcomes. That didn't happen to be the case. There's no indication that medication's better than nothing in the long run."
- ADHD: An IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for ALL Students
..an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that should be given to ALL students thus teaching to their strengths and strengthening their weaknesses. While advocating new teaching methods for ADHD students sells books, it is only a small portion of this nation's massive education problem.
- ADHD: An Interest and Motivation Deficit?
Psychologists and research scientists have long known that executive functions can be improved through training. But the true question must be put: why do we consider ADHD a disorder that cannot be improved? Diffused attention can be improved thus improving subordinate deficits. Society will only become aware of this through a paradigm shift.
- ADHD: Retrain the Brain
The bottom line is: The brain can be retrained to overcome learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, ADHD, etc. What we now know is that this is done over a vast network in the brain that encompasses many other minor and major networks. You could think of retraining as the confluence of several telephone companies coming together to in order to overcome a limitation. Each has its own network and substructure but can become bigger and stronger (overcoming their respective limitations) by merging with the other network (think AT&T and Cingular). In the brain, this is done over a wide area of networks -- not locally in distinct surface areas as superficial brain imaging might indicate.
- Adult ADD: Many Children Maintain their Disorder into Adulthood
Dr. Fischer indicated that many children maintain their disorder into adulthood. The article is not clear whether this data was relevant to treated or untreated ADHD. However, clinical data suggests that perhaps 60% of ADHD children will carry their disorder into adulthood. This may be a conservative estimate.
While the data are compelling, the study is too small to conclude that ADHD alone causes these ill effects.
- Adult ADHD Life Strategies
It is important to realize that many AD/HD adults have successful careers. Edison, Mozart, and even Einstein may have had AD/HD. Success seems to be linked to employing good coping strategies once you've discovered your strengths and know your weaknesses. Once you become aware of your specific set of challenges, it will become easier for you to plan a strategy. Therefore, consider your unique characteristics as you design your strategies. Below is a checklist describing many of the symptoms typically associated with AD/HD. Strategies for coping are listed below each symptom.
- Boston Globe: Playing their Way to Improved Concentration
I synthesized my experience in education, computer education, and psychology to devise a system to optimize human potential. However, at the time I began this journey, my university training was of little help.
- Cogntive Skills Training and ADHD in Children
A University of British Columbia research study has demonstrated that cognitive training can improve attentional control, impulse control, and other executive functions.
Furthermore, the study’s authors cite that practice of cognitive skills in early development years may decrease incidence of ADHD.
I have insisted that this was possible for nearly a decade.
- Genetics and ADHD ADD
Clearly, there is no current research (2005) that has determined that ADHD is genetic either partially or entirely. While empirical data suggest that a genetic link exists, research is still sparse as scientists primarily focus on childhood onset of the disorder with little research on adult AD/HD.Andrea Chronis of the University of Maryland has focused on AD/HD mothers and their performance as parents. In her study of 70 families with elementary-school-age children she found that:Mothers of ADHD children are 24 times as likely as the average woman to have it Fathers of ADHD children are 5 times higher than average to have it The mothers often weren't very involved with their children The mothers had few skills to cope with ...
- Girls With ADHD and ADD Are Often Overlooked
ADHD likely affects 3% to 7% of the entire child population in the US. However, girls are frequently overlooked because they often do not display hyperactive symptoms.
When teaching at the elementary level, I found this particularly true. Girls with ADHD often were simply daydreamers with poor time management skills. While some did display the outward social and behavioral problems that their male peers did, it was not very frequent.
HealthNewsDigest.com is published by the American Psychological Association. I've cited bits of this report and am alarmed by its look and feel. It reads like an endorsement and advertisement for Adderall XR.
- He Is Still a Typical Teenager
The following story is from the Scotsman.com. Pay particular attention to the section where ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, and dyspraxia are described; they are notably different than our perceptions in the States.
- IEP: An ADHD ADD Student Right
Every student has a right to an IEP.
It simply defines what goals and objectives will be used over the student's academic year to achieve success. If some accommodations like computer software, lengthened test time, etc. need to be implemented, then do it. It is mandated and paid for by the federal government under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). It does require extra effort and perhaps even extra staff to write and implement the IEP.
- Neurofeedback as a Teaching Tool
Play Attention is a comprehensive teaching/learning system developed by a teacher for students struggling with attention problems and the cognitive deficits typically associated with focusing difficulties. Play Attention’s core teaching method is derived from neurofeedback.
- Preschoolers’ motivation, temperament relate to attention skills, study finds
“The findings from this study suggest problems that arise from attention
difficulties are not limited to difficulty with concentration and sitting still,
but are related to how children approach challenging or new situations,” said
Chang. “Clearly, it is the case that much more needs to be understood about the
nature and implications of having an attention problem.”
- Re-wiring Your Brain, Meditation & ADHD, A Self-service Guide
"Brain research is beginning to produce concrete evidence for something that Buddhist practitioners of meditation have maintained for centuries: Mental discipline and meditative practice can change the workings of the brain and allow people to achieve different levels of awareness.
- Stephen Hinshaw
"I'm not a cynic, but I'm a skeptic until things are proven pretty thoroughly," Hinshaw said.
- The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 1
Anyone remember Dennis the Menace? As a child, I watched Jay North portray that mischievous blond-headed boy who always got into trouble and annoyed his grumpy neighbor. Dennis was loved back then.
Dennis is the kid everyone seems to have on his street even now. He’s intelligent and uses it to get into everything. Even when he tries to help others out, he still finds trouble. He often acts out without thinking about consequences.
- The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 2
The great industrialist and inventor, Henry Ford founded his company on precision and efficiency in the early 1900s. To produce cars for the masses, he would need a method of assembly that could quickly assemble mass produced parts into a complete automobile. His assembly line model rapidly changed the world. Using the assembly/production line model, mass assembly of products became the norm. This in turn produced higher volumes of products available to the masses. Mass production allowed manufacturers to sell products for cheaper prices as well. All of this was based on efficiency. Educationalists were impressed.
- The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 3
Dennis the Menace began appearing as a comic strip character in the early 1950s. While his physical appearance changed slightly in the 1960s and 1970s, he was still considered a lovable child when I began my teaching career in the mid 1980s. We continued to laugh at his innocent acts of menace toward his family and friends without mention of medication or ADHD.
- The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 4
So, now children in the Henry Ford production line model of education, tempered by John Dewey’s experiential, nurturing educational philosophy, were exposed to changes to curriculum based on society’s fear of satellites. Strangely enough, even with the crazy dynamics of the times, children with attention problems existed; however, they were viewed quite differently than today’s ADHD children and actually survived and thrived quite well. Nurturing was expected and practiced at school, boundaries were set and maintained; if you got in trouble at school, you were likely to be in twice as much trouble when you got home. Furthermore, without the demands of incredibly stringent testing in all grades, ADHD children could were not exposed to the demands currently place on them.
- The Evolution of ADHD, Education, and Drugs in America - Part 5
As I mentioned previously, many factors were involved in the cultural shift that altered our perception about children like Dennis the Menace. The cultural shift has made the United States the leading consumer of Ritalin. As a matter of fact, according to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the US now consumes about 90% of the world’s Ritalin supply!
- The Last Normal Child and ADHD
Dr. Lawrence H. Diller’s book, The Last Normal Child: Essays on the Intersection of Kids, Culture, and Psychiatric Drugs, is a fascinating and provocative work. As an experienced developmental/behavioral pediatrician, Diller examines the current trend to quickly diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the perfunctory prescription of stimulant drugs even when there is scarce evidence regarding academic improvement, social improvement, or long-term efficacy.
Diller’s perspective is quite evenly balanced; he prescribes stimulant medication for ADHD when indicated, but only as part of thorough assessment and comprehensive management program.
It is clear that Diller believes that ADHD is being over diagnosed. He states that over the last 15 years brand name stimulant production has increased by an astounding 1700% and generic stimulants by more than 3000%!
- Too much TV Lowers Tests Scores
The amount of TV watching certainly has a link with the reduced amount of time reading or doing homework," he said. "The key is the amount of control parents have in limiting the amount of access. Get the TV out of the bedroom; be aware of what is being watched; limit the amount of TV watching."
- Using NASA Technology to Increase Attention and Cognitive Function
Just as NASA astronauts and pilots train to increase attention, Play Attention literally teaches the user to increase concentration, complete tasks, visual tracking, short-term memory, and to filer out distractions -- all the skills necessary to be successful in the classroom. The learner directly observes his mind's ability to command the computer screen in real-time.
- Video Games Improve Reading Scores for Children with ADHD
The same video game that endlessly distracts kids from schoolwork may improve concentration and memory, according to a study on a small group of children with attention deficit disorder. Researchers found that playing Dance Dance Revolution, the arcade hit from Japan where dancers try to match the steps of a gyrating computer animation, led to an intriguing boost in reading comprehension.
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