To Curb the Perils of ADHD, Early Medication Is Key

by Susan Pinker Wall Street Journal August, 20, 2016

Many parents of students with ADHD are choosing not to use medication.  I understand this as their teacher and was somewhat shocked to read this article.  This article is saying that meds taken as a child might offset risks of a teenager. (ie skateboarding into cars, riding bikes into cars, etc)

WOW, I can't believe this.  ADHD is a common childhood disorder qualifying for special education services often.  Nine out of 100 kids between 4 and 18 are being diagnosed with this ailment. "Accidents are the most common cause of death in individuals with ADHD."  According to a Danish study almost half the number of ADHD students who took meds did not need to go to the emergency room.

It is a myth to believe your child will grow out of ADHD which is a "neurodevelopmental disorder with genetic roots".  There is also a study in South Carolina where data was tracked and again students taking meds for ADHD and fewer and less severe injuries and health problems.

Their conclusion, " A child whose disorder is diagnosed and treated early by a trained clinician stands a better chance of growing into a healthy and thoughtful adult".  Now that is something to think about.

Why Testing Gray Matter is Sometimes a Gray Area

This article is from the Wall Street Journal August 6/7, 2016 by Jo Craven McGinty.  I have to administer achievement tests for students on my case load so I was interested.  The article says scores can vary "10 points in either directions."  That is something to think about.

The purpose of the test is to show Special Education classes are needed or that a student is qualified for gate classes.  But the author felts that the tests "only explain 40% to 50% of school achievement.

What I like reading the most was, "It turns out that qualities such as motivation, determination, and a desire to succeed--qualities that IQ tests don't measure-- play a significant role in success."

So don't worry about standardized testing - work hard, ask questions, read, take notes, try harder, get extra help, rewrite notes, go to study sessions, do your homework  and you should be able to do it!!

Summer Reading

Summer is a time to read fun books.  I hope each student has a library card.  Picking out  books to read is important.  Always think of the authors message.  Who are the main characters? What is the purpose of the book?  Try to write about one of the books once a week.  Just write a short paragraph about the book.  These skills will help when it is time to go back to school.

Behavior Therapy Instead of Meds to treat A.D.H.D.?

Parents check out this article from the New York Times written by Benedict Carey - "Behavior Therapy Found to Be Better First Step Than Medicine to Treat A.D.H.D".

Benedict says students need to have instruction of basic social skills. He does feel medicine or stimulants are a good second-line treatment for those who needed it.  This study showed the sequence in which you give treatments makes a big difference in outcomes.

But parents this behavior therapy involved YOU!  Parents had to attend group meetings to learn behavior-modification techniques.  Parents would reward good or 'cooperative' acts from their child.  Things like paying attention, doing homework without complaining. These behaviors produce a reward like iPad time or TV time.  On the other side there were consequences for poor behavior choices.  Time outs for defiant behavior or non complainant behavior.

The biggest new learned behavior for parents was to IGNORE irritating but harmless attention seeking behavior.  This includes when your child makes, annoying noises, tapping or acting like a baby.  Wow that will be hard for all of us to do including your child's teacher.

This plan is very similar to behavior plans we add to students IEP's.  We can do a daily report card and try to show how your student's behavior is improving over time.

The study also added medicine to the students who did not show improvement after two months of behavior modification therapy.

So overall it sounds like we should all be on the same team for your child.  If behavior therapy is not helping your child to improve their academics, a possible small dose of medicine might help.  But that would involve your doctor as well as a teacher we do not know what is best for your child.  As a team member we can offer our input and insight as to how your child is acting during school hours.

Offer your input to this blog...

ADHD Electronically

I found this article in the Wall Street Journal 11/25/15 and was shocked to read that "in a pilot study, a video game was shown to help children."  This seems counter intuitive.  TV and video games were supposed to be aggraviging children's ADHD.   But Project "EVO is a computer program created to improve attention and reduce impuslsivity in children withh attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. "

Scientists created a game to improve cognitive skills in old age and they found it 'helped aging adults improve their focus and ability to multitask.'  

So study shows the same results as ADHD medication and 30 minute sof Activate omputer exercies and 40 minutes of physcial exercies thre or four times a week for 16 weeks.  But warining is can cost $195 for three  months for the computer software.  So check out Katherine Ellison book :  ADHD: What Everyone Needs to Know: (Oxford University Press, Nov 2015)

This Boy's Life from Real Simple April 2011

I love the opening:
"When a child suffers from ADHD, everyone around him suffers, too."
This story was written by Stephanie Booth.

What do you think of when you hear 'ADHD'?  Many think, my kid has that too.  He has trouble focusing.  Or my daughter just can't sit still.  I am sure she has ADHD.  But in reality, ADHD is "a debilitating inability to concentrate or to control impulses." But many children have more than just ADHD.  Children may want to learn and want to have friends but this disability makes it impossible.

Possible others diagnosis with can complicate life include:
SPD a neurological dysfunction in which the brain has difficulty integrating the information gathered from the five senses.
Expressive developmental language disorder - difficulty putting together complex sentences.
Dyslexia

After learning about these many parents opt for medication to control behavior.  The next problems is finding out what one works.  Medication levels take time.  Some parents find taking them off medication during the summer is helpful.

Once a parent finds out medication work then therapy is an option but an expensive one.

So join a parent group and find out what is working for others.  Work with your pediatrician to see what other things can be helpful.  Sometimes exercise is helpful.

And don't forget:
"When a child suffers from ADHD, everyone around him suffers, too."

Why Does Music Aid Memorization?

This is from an article from the Wall Street Journal written by Heidi Mitchel 12/31/2013

Does your child have trouble remembering things?  Last week I was at a 'rap' concert.  I could not believe all the words these three guys were saying.  It was amazing.

The brain scientists agree that 'information set to music is among the easiest to remember.'

So before spending lots of time trying to invent a song for everything your child needs to remember check out You Tube and do a search.  You can also check teacher tube.  They have raps already produced to remember many math formulas.  But now to the 'facts'.

"The hippocampus and the frontal cortex are two areas in the brain associated with memory."   They process lots of information daily.  It is easy to put information in the problem is when we want to take the information out.

Dr. Roediger from the memory Lab at Washington University in St. Louis says, Music provides a rhythm, a rhyme and often, alliteration.  All that structure is what helps retrieve the information from the brain.

Patients with dementia are still able to sing along with a familiar song.  Think about the alphabet song, I still sing it in my mind when I am filing.

So if your child is having trouble memorizing the science or math formula check out the web..

Photosynthesis Equation Song - Biology Lesson

Math Rap - Area Formulas 

Of course there are many more so keep searching until you find the one that works for your child.