A recent article about a Danish company named Specialisterne really caught my attention. This company works to find employment opportunities for people labeled with an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). While I believe in working to find where the need for stimulation to a specific brain is----I am delighted to read of a man actually looking at the ABILITIES for these folks instead of the DISabilities. Bravo to you, Thorkil Sonne!!
Mr. Sonne helps find ways for the workers with special needs to have their coping skills accepted in the workplace. Things such as earplugs, clear written policies/rules, personal breaks, and others, help workers with ASD's work around their challenges and still contribute their own personal genius.
Looking at people as people and acknowledging what they can actually accomplish and contribute----I love it!
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/21/companies-discover-untapped-brain-power-autistics.html
Friday, July 26, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Sleep---Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!
According to the UK Millennial Cohort Study (MCS), irregular bedtimes are associated with poor performance in reading, math and balance studies in both boys and girls. Some part of me says, "Really???? We have to have a study to tell us parents should put children to bed at the same time every night?" What used to be such common practice now has to be dissected, studied, put back together in flowery language and what do we get? Didn't we know all along that children between the ages of 3 and 7 should be in bed by 7:30- 8:30 every night? I guess we didn't (but I did).
So, in case you, or someone who takes care of children you love (read you are the grandparent,aunt, uncle, neighbor, teacher, etc) doesn't "get it", here it is.
Young children need sleep. Their sleep cycles should be orderly. That means they should go to bed at the same time every night. Waking up is a little different---this can be a time where they get needed extra sleep during times of stress, sickness and/or growth spurts. Naps can also help close those gaps when extra sleep is needed.
An orderly sleeping pattern. Couple that with healthy, home-cooked food, playing outside for extended periods of time and a mother and father in the same household and what do you have? Leave It to Beaver! The American idyllic childhood. And what do those childhoods produce? HEALTHY, WELL-ADJUSTED CHILDREN WHO THRIVE.
I don't mean to be so brash, but it is frustrating me to no end that young mothers (collectively, not individually) discard the wisdom of the previous generations and hang on every syllable published under the guise of "research". I talk to LOTS of new grandmothers and they unanimously tell me they aren't allowed to offer advice. Really? They have successfully raised children, but advice must come from pediatricians (who are in an office with children for 5 minutes at a time, not home raising them) and researchers (see previous parentheses)??
Consider, PLEASE CONSIDER, if you are a young mother, listening to the wisdom of someone who has actually raised children. Someone who has successfully completed the same task you are beginning should be considered a reliable source of information. PLEASE. Because if you don't, we're going to have to spend money researching and proving what every seasoned mother already knows.
And, by the way, it's 8 pm CDT----are your kids in bed?
You may read the study referenced here: http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/1858883/report-young-kids-brain-power-curbed-by-irregular-bed-times
So, in case you, or someone who takes care of children you love (read you are the grandparent,aunt, uncle, neighbor, teacher, etc) doesn't "get it", here it is.
Young children need sleep. Their sleep cycles should be orderly. That means they should go to bed at the same time every night. Waking up is a little different---this can be a time where they get needed extra sleep during times of stress, sickness and/or growth spurts. Naps can also help close those gaps when extra sleep is needed.
An orderly sleeping pattern. Couple that with healthy, home-cooked food, playing outside for extended periods of time and a mother and father in the same household and what do you have? Leave It to Beaver! The American idyllic childhood. And what do those childhoods produce? HEALTHY, WELL-ADJUSTED CHILDREN WHO THRIVE.
I don't mean to be so brash, but it is frustrating me to no end that young mothers (collectively, not individually) discard the wisdom of the previous generations and hang on every syllable published under the guise of "research". I talk to LOTS of new grandmothers and they unanimously tell me they aren't allowed to offer advice. Really? They have successfully raised children, but advice must come from pediatricians (who are in an office with children for 5 minutes at a time, not home raising them) and researchers (see previous parentheses)??
Consider, PLEASE CONSIDER, if you are a young mother, listening to the wisdom of someone who has actually raised children. Someone who has successfully completed the same task you are beginning should be considered a reliable source of information. PLEASE. Because if you don't, we're going to have to spend money researching and proving what every seasoned mother already knows.
And, by the way, it's 8 pm CDT----are your kids in bed?
You may read the study referenced here: http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/1858883/report-young-kids-brain-power-curbed-by-irregular-bed-times
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Brain Mapping
Hardly a day seems to go by without reading of another study proving a certain area of the brain is responsible for a certain function----often the functions are emotional, such as love, empathy, anger, etc. And many times the conclusion is that this new key piece of research will aid in the development of a new drug to treat associated disorders. While I do pay attention to and read them, I have just never been able to get too excited about them. And today, I learned I'm not the only one!
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20130610213820data_trunc_sys.shtml Scientists from Case Western University today issued a "scathing rebuke" of brain mapping as a basis for isolating specific functions to limited areas of the brain. Their basis for this rebuke is detailed in the link, and you can read all about there. Thank you, CWU, for rethinking this.
But here, you get to read MY ideas about brain imaging and its limits. I have had parents offer to bring me multiple imaging reports and actual images before an evaluation of their child. I gratefully acknowledge the offer and then decline. To me, it is all about function. I have seen children with perfect MRI's who are in a wheelchair with a feeding tube and a trach---and on the flip side of the coin have seen children who can walk, talk, run, jump and only have issues with attention and focus who have serious deformities in specific regions of the brain. How can this be? Well, honestly, I don't know. And frankly, neither does anybody else. Nobody. And here is why:
The brain is a very complex network of neural connections. Because of this, it is almost impossible to assign function to one small location. Often times studies are only looking at the cortex (the only area of the brain that can be "mapped" with the cap full of electrodes) and ignores the fact that the cortex functions SOLELY on information from the lower regions of the brain. This is a common trap that not only imaging researchers, but also tutors, physicians and therapists fall into. But it is a mistake---and that mistake is a blog post for another day. :)
Back to function----While imaging shows up if there is activity in a region of the brain, it does not show the quality of that activity. It doesn't show if it is speedy and efficient or slow and sluggish. It doesn't show what happens if environmental factors change, such as the amount of background noise or eating something with red dye in it.
The imaging also ignores the principle of neuroplasticity. Especially in young children---but shown to be possible in anyone---alternate regions of the brain can pick the function of injured or even removed sections. And we ALL need to rely on neuroplasticity constantly. This is how our brain improves and repairs. Certainly not something to be ignored.
If you are in a traumatic injury situation, stay out of the way. Let the doctors do their thing. Trauma professionals are VERY good at what they do. If they want imaging, you wouldn't catch me arguing the point.
I am not saying imaging is never good. I am saying for chronic neurological issues, it should not be the only basis for moving forward in children. Function is the goal and where I focus in designing programs of stimulation and organization for my clients.
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20130610213820data_trunc_sys.shtml Scientists from Case Western University today issued a "scathing rebuke" of brain mapping as a basis for isolating specific functions to limited areas of the brain. Their basis for this rebuke is detailed in the link, and you can read all about there. Thank you, CWU, for rethinking this.
But here, you get to read MY ideas about brain imaging and its limits. I have had parents offer to bring me multiple imaging reports and actual images before an evaluation of their child. I gratefully acknowledge the offer and then decline. To me, it is all about function. I have seen children with perfect MRI's who are in a wheelchair with a feeding tube and a trach---and on the flip side of the coin have seen children who can walk, talk, run, jump and only have issues with attention and focus who have serious deformities in specific regions of the brain. How can this be? Well, honestly, I don't know. And frankly, neither does anybody else. Nobody. And here is why:
The brain is a very complex network of neural connections. Because of this, it is almost impossible to assign function to one small location. Often times studies are only looking at the cortex (the only area of the brain that can be "mapped" with the cap full of electrodes) and ignores the fact that the cortex functions SOLELY on information from the lower regions of the brain. This is a common trap that not only imaging researchers, but also tutors, physicians and therapists fall into. But it is a mistake---and that mistake is a blog post for another day. :)
Back to function----While imaging shows up if there is activity in a region of the brain, it does not show the quality of that activity. It doesn't show if it is speedy and efficient or slow and sluggish. It doesn't show what happens if environmental factors change, such as the amount of background noise or eating something with red dye in it.
The imaging also ignores the principle of neuroplasticity. Especially in young children---but shown to be possible in anyone---alternate regions of the brain can pick the function of injured or even removed sections. And we ALL need to rely on neuroplasticity constantly. This is how our brain improves and repairs. Certainly not something to be ignored.
If you are in a traumatic injury situation, stay out of the way. Let the doctors do their thing. Trauma professionals are VERY good at what they do. If they want imaging, you wouldn't catch me arguing the point.
I am not saying imaging is never good. I am saying for chronic neurological issues, it should not be the only basis for moving forward in children. Function is the goal and where I focus in designing programs of stimulation and organization for my clients.
Friday, July 12, 2013
We Can't Help It, It's Genetic
I've had parents tell me many times that their child cannot improve their brain function because they have a condition that is genetic. Never mind that 99% of these parents are labeling their child's struggles "genetic" based merely on the fact that parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc have also struggled with reading, paying attention, sleeping well, etc. (NOT a very scientific measure, if I may say so).
However, new research is confirming that your DNA is NOT written in stone. Your DNA changes based on environmental conditions---including what you do, what you eat, etc.---throughout an undetermined period of your life, but AT LEAST throughout your developmental years. http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112891397/brain-epigenome-changes-through-developmental-years-070513/
This is such critical information to understand, and is the foundation for an attitude shift---
Our DNA does not make conditions in our life unchangeable! We influence our DNA constantly and need to take that power into our conscious decisions.
What message would you like to set into YOUR DNA?
However, new research is confirming that your DNA is NOT written in stone. Your DNA changes based on environmental conditions---including what you do, what you eat, etc.---throughout an undetermined period of your life, but AT LEAST throughout your developmental years. http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112891397/brain-epigenome-changes-through-developmental-years-070513/
This is such critical information to understand, and is the foundation for an attitude shift---
Our DNA does not make conditions in our life unchangeable! We influence our DNA constantly and need to take that power into our conscious decisions.
What message would you like to set into YOUR DNA?
Monday, July 8, 2013
No Age Limit!!!
In a study published on July 3 in an American Academy of Neurology online issue of the medical journal Neurology, new research suggests reading, writing and other brain stimulating activities could preserve memory, regardless of age.
I have many, many people who ask me the same question, "What is the age limit for improving your brain?" It's a crying shame to me that there seems to be some need for an "age limit" at all. So now let me participate in the killing of this myth! There is no age limit---never too young, never too old.
So what are these "brain stimulating activities" everyone is talking about? Here are the ones I recommend:
So there is the equation, plain and simple---MOVE a lot, EAT WELL, READ, WRITE, do INTERESTING and VARIED activities!
And here is the key: KEEP DOING IT UNTIL YOU DIE!!! Don't decide that you're just too tired or too old for new and interesting activities. There is no age limit. Your brain wants and NEEDS you to keep variety and movement and stimulation in your life. You will never regret making these investments in yourself.
I have many, many people who ask me the same question, "What is the age limit for improving your brain?" It's a crying shame to me that there seems to be some need for an "age limit" at all. So now let me participate in the killing of this myth! There is no age limit---never too young, never too old.
So what are these "brain stimulating activities" everyone is talking about? Here are the ones I recommend:
- Running/walking http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/running-relieve-brain-fog-2943.html
- Yoga http://www.runnersworld.com/health/study-yoga-sharpens-brain-function
- Bicycling www.pedalingforparkinsons.org
- Reading http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-neuroscience-of-your-brain-on-fiction.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
- Good Nutrition (This is a post for another day!)
- Good computer programs----this one is my favorite (and I don't make $ from telling you about it) https://brainhq.positscience.com/default/start
- Take a class on Brain Development! http://parentswithpurpose.com/seminar.html#sthash.DvkPwiUQ.dpbs
So there is the equation, plain and simple---MOVE a lot, EAT WELL, READ, WRITE, do INTERESTING and VARIED activities!
And here is the key: KEEP DOING IT UNTIL YOU DIE!!! Don't decide that you're just too tired or too old for new and interesting activities. There is no age limit. Your brain wants and NEEDS you to keep variety and movement and stimulation in your life. You will never regret making these investments in yourself.
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