Adhd Charlotte

While certain foods are able to calm, help organize, and sometimes increase attention for children with ADHD and sensory processing disorders (see previous post), other foods are alerting.

Alerting foods can be good to increase the arousal level of children who are typically low arousal. They may also need to be considered foods to avoid during particular points of the day when inattention, hyperactivity, or sensory challenges may be present.

Alerting foods can include:
- CRUNCHY FOOD: like bavarian pretzels, carrots, apples, banana chips, pickles, popcorn, crackers, granola bars, nuts, raw vegetables, etc.
- Sour and spicy flavored foods
- Cold items (ice, popsicles, ice water, ice cream)
- Carbonated drinks
- Sucking on hard candy like Warheads, Fire balls, sour balls, Hot Tamales, etc.

If you are looking for more information on oral strategies, ADD, or sensory processing, consult with an Occupational Therapist at Child and Family Development.

Children thrive on structure and look to you as a parent to keep them safe and give them guidance to get through life. Telling them "no" lets them know that you care for them enough to set some boundaries so that they are safe. Even if they don't appreciate your "no" right then, they will later.

Saying "no" does not mean you have to be extremely strict, but children learn what their boundaries are by testing them. If you don't say "no", they won't learn their boundaires and their behavior will become worse.

As I discussed in one of my previous blogs, routine is very important for children. Children of all ages need to know what to expect and what is expected of them. Consistency is key!

If you only say no when you are angry or overwhelmed, you are sending your child very mixed signals. Now, they won't know when they can/can't have or do something because your response is unpredictable and they will continue to test the limits.

What about my child who has temper tantrums when I tell him/her "no"?
The more consistent your are, the more your child will learn the boundaires and the temper tantrums will decrease.  You may have to put up with some bad temper tantrums before you get there, but they will learn!

What if my child has a disorder or diagnosis?
Children with Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism, ADHD, and other developmental delays still need to hear the word "no" so that they can learn what is expected of them.  Often, these children need even more structure and boundaries to guide them through life.  Many people make the mistake of saying, "Well that child has Autism, so it's OK for him/her to act that way".  Just like any other child, children with Autism and other developmental delays will rise to the expectations they are given.

For more information on this topic, check out: www.empoweringparents.com/blog/consequences-rewards/dr-joan-its-ok-to-say-no/#

Image: www.sosprograms.com

What are Executive Skills Disorders?

Many students, particularly students with learning disabilities, ADHD, Dyslexia and Dysgraphia, struggle upon entering middle school and high school. All at once, the student must shift from learning the specific academic skills of reading, writing and math to applying their academic skills in the content area. They now must be prepared to do literary analysis, report writing, and the reasoning of higher level math. Tackling this next learning step requires the student to draw upon the executive skills of prioritizing, multi-tasking, and time management. The struggle to garner one’s executive skills is frequently observed in these types of behaviors:

• Does homework, but forgets to turn it in
• Loses assignments
• Forgets materials
• Gets good test scores but loses points on daily homework grades
• Ignores or dreads homework

If this sounds familiar, the child's executive skills are likely not up to these tasks.

The executive control needed to handle these organizational demand increases dramatically upon entering middle and high school. Yet, the organizational support a student needs to learn these skills actually decreases. Consequently, many children with weak executive skills require direct instruction and individualized instructional support to manage the routine of studying, note taking, and homework.

Educators at Child and Family Development are experienced in working with these middle school and high school students who struggle.

Over the last few years the term Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) has become a term used to describe children with different behaviors which has lead to the label APD being applied (often incorrectly) to a wide variety of disorders. The symptoms of auditory processing disorder are similar to those associated with ADHD, language processing disorders, autism as well as a number of other disorders.    This article is going to focus on language processing and how it isn’t APD.    

Remember your first day in Spanish class and the Spanish teacher came in saying everything in Spanish…you recognized all of the sounds and possibly some of the words, but generally speaking you felt “lost.”  This phenomena is due to your not being able to process the language—not an auditory processing problem.  Children with a language processing disorder will experience difficulties with expressing themselves, following directions, reading and writing.  

A language processing disorder can only be assed by a Certified Speech-Language Pathologist.  The testing should encompass a comprehensive assessment that looks at expressive and receptive language skills and how the child is able to apply these skills at different levels-single word as well as in connected speech. 

It may surprise some, but as a Certified Speech Language Pathologist who works with children with possible auditory processing disorders, I am not able to diagnose an auditory processing disorder.  This diagnosis can only be made by a certified audiologist and it entails much more than a simple hearing test.  The testing does not look at the child’s ability to process language but does entail the child’s ability to process incoming auditory information. 
 

If you suspect your child if having difficulty with processing language or sounds you should contact a speech-language pathologist to determine what type of evaluation maybe appropriate for your child.       

Foods that require sucking introduce fun ways to include proprioceptive input and heavy work to the mouth. Including these foods in your childs diet may be beneficial for children with sensory processing disorders or ADHD. But really, it's not the food- it's the method! For added heavy work, try sucking the liquids through a straw. Consider using sports bottles and straws that require more "work", such as silly straws, long straws, or thin straws.

Foods:
- apple saucehttps://www.compendiumblog.com/web/admin.dashboard
- Charleston Chews
- Flat Sugarless Candy
- Fresh Orange Wedges
- Grape Fruit Wedges
- Jello Cubes
- Tart Juices (Cranberry, Lemonade, Apple, Grapefruit)
- Smoothies
- Milk Shakes
- Peanut Butter
- Popsicles
- Puddings

Not every child will react the same way to oral motor (mouth) strategies like these. For more information, consult an Occupational Therapist at Child and Family Development.

Image: Peter Nijenhuis

Child and Family Development is pleased to offer Cogmed Working Memory Training.  

Cogmed Working Memory Training is a home-based program that helps people with attention problems by training and increasing their working memory capacity. Clinically proven results demonstrate that after training, people improve their ability to concentrate, control impulsive behavior, and better utilize complex reasoning skills. Better academic and professional performance can be achieved.

Studies consistently show that most people with attention deficits have a working memory deficit. That holds true for attention problems due to ADHD, traumatic brain injury, normal aging or general deficits from working memory overload; it is also true for milder concentration problems. 

A substantial and growing body of work documents the efficacy of Cogmed Working Memory Training. Most notably, Klingberg’s 2005 study on school age children with ADHD showed it to be effective in a placebo-controlled, multi-center trial. 

There were statistically and clinically significant treatment effects on non-trained measures of working memory, response inhibition and complex reasoning.

Substantial and lasting reduction of attention problems following training-induced working memory improvements is a research breakthrough.

Leading American and European research teams have now replicated the research using Cogmed products and protocol. They have presented results at several research conferences. For the latest results and research posters, visit www.cogmed.com/research. 

To find out if Cogmed Working Memory Training is right for you, call our South Charlotte office at 704.541.9080 to schedule an initial appointment with Dr. Joy Granetz.   

When discussing strategies for children with sensory processing disorders and ADD or ADHD, one helpful approach which is often new to parents is considering which foods are beneficial to increase attention and provide proprioceptive, or heavy work input to the mouth.

There are a number of foods which may have a calming affect, because of the sensory input provided to the mouth. Some of these foods include: 

- Sucking (ice, milk shakes, noodles, hard candy)
- Using a sports bottle with a straw for increased heavy work
- Thick foods like peanut butter, milk shakes, or smoothies
- Chewy foods like gum, fruit roll-ups, dried fruit, bagels, gummy candy, chicken strips, cheese, taffy, caramels, Starburst, or cooked vegetables

It can also be beneficial to include these foods & techniques in your child's lunch, at snack time during school, and provide a water bottle with a straw throughout the day.

If you and your child are looking for more guidance in the areas of sensory processing or ADHD in Charlotte, consult an Occupational Therapist at Child and Family Development!

A recent post on a Health blog from the New York Times titled "For Better Grades, Try Gym Class" caught my eye and got me thinking about how important physical activity is for our children.  This article looks at the possibility that exercise can support learning for children who have ADHD and other children. 

I do not have ADHD myself, so I cannot fully understand what it must be like to try to sit and learn in a classroom full of distractions.  However, I have met many people, children and adults, who have ADHD and have developed strategies to help them be successful in school and work activities.  Several adults I know have found that going to the gym or running regularly helps them focus at their jobs and at home.  In addition, I have been told by clients many times that their child seems to focus so much better after swimming, dancing, or jumping on the trampoline.  So how important is physical activity for a child with or even without ADHD?

I have learned that students who have P.E. on a given day (which seems to only occur once a week rather than daily) do not have recess on that day.  I have also learned that most children are expected to sit in the classroom from 9am to 1pm before they have recess, at the very end of the day.  For any child this is an extremely tough demand, but imagine what it must be like for a child with ADHD!

I don't have the answer, but it is good to know that research is being done to support physical activity in the school day.  This article suggests that allowing children to play freely during their school day will support their ability to learn in the classroom.

The occupational therapy and physical therapy teams at Child and Family Development offer a number of cutting edge auditory interventions called Listening Therapies:

• SAMONAS
• Therapeutic Listening®
• The Listening Program®

Childhood depression can be difficult to identify. Most people experience occasional sadness and moodiness. Clinical depression is different than typical experiences of sadness. Presenting symptoms of depression can vary across the lifespan, although the essential symptoms of depression are the same for children, adolescents, and adults. Somatic complaints, irritability, and social withdrawal are particularly common in children. Depression in adolescence and young adulthood often co-occurs with disruptive behavior disorders, AD/HD, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and eating disorders. The DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for depression are as follows:

• Depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure during the past two weeks
• Symptoms cause significant distress or interferes with major functioning
• Symptoms are not due to a direct effect of a substance or medical condition
• Five (or more) of the following symptoms are present during the past two weeks:
  • Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day. In children and teens, this can be irritable mood.
  • Reduced interest in most or all activities that used to be enjoyed.
  • Changes in appetite -- either increased or decreased.
  • Changes in sleep -- either increased or decreased.
  • Vocal outbursts or crying.
  • Fatigue or low energy.
  • Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
  • Thoughts of death or suicide.

A child psychologist at Child and Family Development can treat depression with a variety of approaches, including individual and family therapy. Call 704-541-9080 to arrange a free phone consultation or to set up an intake appointment.

Source: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; 2000).

• Where, when, and how often does this inattention occur?
• What is the stimulus?
• What does the child do as self therapy?
• What is happening (or not happening) when the child concentrates well?
• What does the child need, and what helps?

Resource: Sensory Processing Disorder vs. Attention Deficit Disorder

My previous blog entries have been about what psychotherapy is like and how to get the most out of it. Now here’s a more specific look at the various approaches to therapy.

• Psychodynamic therapies. This approach focuses on changing problematic behaviors, feelings, and thoughts by discovering their underlying meanings and motivations.  This approach is often used to address unhealthy family dynamics and relationships with others.
• Cognitive and/or Behavior therapies. This approach focuses on changing one’s behaviors and thoughts to change one’s mood. This approach is often used to address phobias, anxiety, and depression.
• Humanistic therapies. This approach focus’s on the therapist’s relationship with the client to help the client recognize his or her innate good nature, capacity to make rational choices, and potential for a fulfilling life. This approach is used to address a number of difficulties.

Portions of this post were adapted from The Encyclopedia of Psychology, edited by A. Kadzin (2000). See more at: http://www.apa.org/topics/therapy/psychotherapy-approaches.aspx