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Listen to the Learning
Doctor |
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Listen here to this month's
feature article, "Is It ADHD
or Something Else? " with Dr. MaryJo
Wagner, The Learning Doctor.
Click the button on left. It
may take several seconds to
start.
If you skip everything
that looks like ADHD but
isn't ADHD, maybe we don't have
an ADHD epidemic after all. |
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Workshop and TeleChat
Schedule |
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MaryJo's
Classes for
You from April 28 through July
23, 2008
Brain Gym Basics TeleChat,
starts April 28
ADHD Answers Now
TeleChat Starts April 29
It's
FREE*
How to Manage ADHD TeleChat,
starts May 1
Brain
Gym 101, May 20-22, New
York City
Brain
Gym 101, May 22-24,
Bridgewater, NJ
Switched-on Selling &
Marketing Skills, May 28-29,
Brooklyn, NY*
(for Brain Gym
consultants/instructors
and alternative/holistic
practitioners.)
Brain Gym 101, June
17-19, Colorado Springs,
CO
A
Day of Brain Gym,
Evergreen, CO, July 23 |
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Get information about
these classes and
sign-up online
Curious about Brain Gym? What it
is? How it
works?
Listen to the
Introductory
Brain Gym Telechat
audio to find out. It's
free. Download the
handout too.
*Brain
Gym folks, remember, you can get
re-licensing credit for SOS.
*Read the
announcement at the
bottom of this newsletter to find out all about the FREE "ADHD Answers Now"
weekly TeleChat series. Look for the red bar. |
Please add
mjw@mjwagner.com
to your white list or
address book in your
e-mail program so you
won't have trouble
getting future issues of
"Brain Boosters for Your
Kids." I know it's hard
to believe but sometimes
SPAM filters eat up your
Brain Boosters
Newsletter!
Read back
issues of the
Brain Boosters for Your
Kids Newsletter in
the archives.
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Note from The Learning
Doctor |
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Hi:
Snow Update: Despite
the fact that I sank 6
inches above my knee in a
snow drift last week--for
those of you who don't me,
I'm 6 feet tall so that's
one tall snow drift--the
white stuff's melting.
(Don't ask why I was
climbing around on a snow
drift!)
Now in the middle
of the day when the sun's
out, we can sit on
the deck in t-shirts. Just
that one tiny patch of snow
in the corner. And best of
all, our road's passable. No
more getting stuck. |
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Meanwhile, although I can't
believe you could have
missed it, I'm deep into all
this new ADHD stuff. And
it's really exciting.
Seems we all get excited
about new ventures when
those ventures are close to
home. That's sure what I've
done. The experts tell us
that nobody had ADHD in the
50s and 60s! Ha! So much for
the experts. I had ADHD as a
kid. No doubt about it. O.K.
so nobody had words for it.
It wasn't a diagnosis. No
drugs. No epidemic.
And some days ADHD still
seems to run my life.
My Life with ADHD: So
how did I cope? Or better
question. How did my Mom and
Dad and my teachers cope?
Routine, schedule,
boundaries, limited sugar,
limited outside activities,
almost no TV, lots of
walking, plenty of bike
riding, no junk food, and a
whole lot of love and
patience.
But I still struggled with
ADHD and drove my teachers
crazy. Many a report card
had the following note for
my Mom: "MaryJo would do
better in school if she
would just sit still and not
talk all the time." Then my
Mom and I would have these
unpleasant discussions about
my behavior. I'd promise to
do better. Right!
When I went off to college I figured out two new ways
of managing ADHD: lots of
cigarettes and gallons of
coffee. Finally stopped
smoking in 1991. Don't get
me wrong, I'm not
recommending smoking, but many ADHD
adults (and lots of teens)
smoke. It's calming and
helps with focus.
Now on good days, I do Brain
Gym, meditate, listen to
music, do energy exercises
based on Donna Eden's book,
Energy Medicine,
make lists, eat foods that
boost the dopamine level,
and beat myself up for not
exercising.
On the not so good days, I
forget everything but
listening to music and
making lists. And I continue beating myself up
for not exercising. On these
days, I manage ADHD by drinking too
much coffee (Caffeine helps ADHDers focus
but I don't
recommend it!) and
over-eating, especially carbs and chocolate
. . . yet a
third activity I don't
recommend.
However, I've made a ton of
progress since 1991 and my
discovery of ADHD. And I've
sure learned a lot. I love
sharing my knowledge,
continuing my research, and
providing great classroom
and at-home strategies for
you and your kids.
In this issue of your
newsletter you'll find an
article to help you
determine if it's ADHD or
something else. A Brain
Quiz--be the first to get it
right and win a TeleChat.
Strategies from Eric Jensen,
a brain-based learning
expert, and from
ADDitude, a huge
online resource. Plus a
Brain Gym tip to help kids
slow down. So keep reading.
MaryJo
P. S. Be sure the read
the announcement at the
bottom of your newsletter.
You'll want to sign up for
the
FREE
"ADHD Answers Today" weekly
telechats.
P.P.S. Forgot to tell you my
other ADHD coping skill.
I've been sitting on one of
those inflatable rubber
chair cushions the last
couple of months. Even while
I've been writing your
newsletter. It really helps
me focus. Get them for your
classroom. Try one at your
house during homework time.
Try it yourself. If sitting
on the cushion drives you
crazy, you probably don't
have ADHD! Nifty ADHD
test that's cheaper than a
brain scan although hardly
scientific!
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"Is
it ADHD or Something Else?"
Dr. MaryJo Wagner
Summary: Do
2.4 million kids really have
ADHD? Or is it something
else? Find out the
difference between ADHD and
three common situations that
can produce ADHD-like
symptoms. |
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Who figured out that 2.4
million have ADHD? How
was the diagnosis made? Did
the kids get a brain scan?
A thorough physical?
Detailed health and
environmental history from
parents and teachers?
For
many kids, a diagnosis plus
a prescription for stimulant
meds is made quickly without
a comprehensive examination
of all the factors that
might contribute to ADHD . .
. or something that looks
like it.
So the good news: Maybe it
isn't an epidemic after all.
Maybe 2.4 million kids don’t
have ADHD . . . but they
sure have ADHD symptoms!
Kids can be hyperactive,
impulsive, and unable to
focus without having ADHD. |
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They can do
poorly in school and lack
age-appropriate social
skills for lots of reasons.
All the criteria for
an ADHD
diagnosis.
And they certainly drive us crazy
sometimes. But it's not
necessarily ADHD.
For
starters, we live in an ADHD
world—over-stimulated,
fast-paced, noisy, busy,
multi-tasked with abundant
junk food and sugar. To
some degree, we’ve all got
ADHD!
Three
major factors, among many
others, can produce
ADHD-like symptoms including
poor nutrition, lack
of
sleep, and not enough
exercise.
Skip
breakfast or have a donut
and call it breakfast, eat a
bunch of sugary, salty junk
food throughout the day,
substitute soda pop for
water, and load up on carbs.
The result can look just
like ADHD!
The
answer: Get some protein
into the breakfast menu and
never ever skip breakfast.
Even a simple peanut butter
sandwich gobbled in the car
will do. Now throw out the
soda pop and grab the water
bottle.
And
what about sleep? Did you
know that numerous studies
have shown that most kids
don’t get enough sleep? Lack
of sleep slows down learning
and gets in the way of
paying attention. Get the
distractions like computers
and TVs out of the bedroom.
Start enforcing going to bed
earlier—lights out, dark
room—and learning goes up.
As for
exercise, movement is the
key to learning! Walk, run,
ride a bike, do chores, play
outdoor games,
do Brain Gym,
jump, and skip every single
day, several times a day.
Get kids to make a list of
all the different ways they
can move during the day. Put
up a sticker chart for
moving. Move in the
classroom. Move at home.
Move to music. Just move!
Paying
attention to eating,
sleeping, and moving goes a
long way to cutting down on
ADHD-like symptoms. You can
get a list of other factors
that look like ADHD at
ADHD articles
Let’s stop
diagnosing ADHD just because
Brandon ate a donut for
breakfast every day, stayed
up till midnight playing
video games, and watched TV
after school instead of
riding his bike. Then we can
focus
on those kids who
really do have ADHD.
© MaryJo Wagner, 2008
MaryJo Wagner, Ph.D.
The
Learning Doctor
"Helping
You Help Kids Learn"
www.BrainGymClasses.com
www.ADHDChildrenToday.Com
www.brainboostersforyourkids.blogspot.com
Sign up today for
ADHD NewsTips
to help your ADHD kids. At
home and in the classroom.
*
* *
You're always welcome to
duplicate this article,
distribute it to parents and
pass it around to teachers.
Got a school or PTA newsletter or e-zine?
Your own parent, teacher, or
learning Web site? A
community publication? You
can reprint this article.
Just print the whole article
with my name under the title
and my contact information
at the bottom. When the
report is published, please
send me a copy or the url to
find it on the Web. |
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Last month's answer:
2 million--actually it's
supposedly 2.4 million.
Mary Kessler in St.
George, Utah was the
first with the answer
and won the ADHD
TeleChat. Congrats to
Mary.
Get the next ADHD or
Brain Gym Basics
TeleChat FREE.
Just be the first to
email me with the answer
to the question below. |
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Nutrition plays a big
part in managing ADHD.
Which of the following
isn't recommended? Do
you know why?
1. Cutting
down on sugar
2. Increasing
protein
3. Eating food
with Omega 3's
4. Increasing
complex carbohydrates
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Brain Boosters for Your
Kids Blog Update |
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Be sure to check out the
"Brain Boosters for your
Kids Blog Read
it and enjoy! The post
"ADHD Trick" shows you a
fun, brain-boosting
exercise similar to
Brain Gym's Double
Doodle but a lot more
challenging. Give it a
try. And the "Too
Much Chocolate Cake"
post introduces a cake
with more protein than
sugar!
Be sure to add your comments and
subscribe. The Blog
tells you how. If you still
aren't sure, email me at
mjw@mjwagner.com and
I'll walk you through
it. |
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Brain-based Learning
Classroom Help
Eric Jensen's a leader
in brain-based learning
for classroom teachers.
He's got everything from
music to movement, from
gender differences to
discipline. And plenty
on ADHD. Check out his
book, Brain-based
Learning, rev.
ed (The Brain Store,
2000). |
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Then go to
Jensen's website.
Find more books,
resources, information
about his summer Brain
Expo, and his
newsletter. Get a
revised-adapted-and-expanded-by-MaryJo
list of
what he calls
Brain Breaks.
(When you get to the
link, scroll down toward the
bottom of the page.)
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Everything You Ever
Wanted to Know about
ADHD . . . and More
ADDitudeMag.com has
so much stuff that the
site's not easy to
navigate! Discussion
boards, forums, blogs,
school stuff, parent
stuff, Adults with ADHD,
non-drug alternatives
and more than I could
list here. (I just
downloaded their free
"printable" on the importance
of fish oil and Omega
3's.)
Beware,
if you've got ADHD
yourself as this site's
a major distraction from
getting anything else
done! Despite it's
emphasis on ADHD as a
medical disorder and
sometimes a bit much
about drugs, it's a
wealth of non-drug information.
My blog's even listed in
the ADDitude blog
resource list.
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Slow It Down . . . Waay
Down
By now, you and your
kids know how to
Cross-Crawl. You know
the routine: Right elbow
to left knee, left elbow
to right knee. Like
marching in place. If
you're not sure how to
Cross Crawl, you'll
want to
get the
directions now.
Did you know that you
get better right-brain,
left-brain integration
when you do Cross Crawl
slowly? Requires more
fine motor skills and
obviously better
balance. And it helps to
activate the vestibular
system.
Plus ADHD kids, in
particular, need to slow
down! But how do
you get them to do it?
Easy. Just have a
contest or a game. See
who can do it the
slowest? Since music
encourages cross
crawling to the beat of
the music, play very
slow music. That's
my friend Tom
cross-crawling. His favorite
slow music is the Pachelbel Canon.
Ask kids for slow music
suggestions--just make
sure it's on the beat.
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*Brain Gym movements from
Paul Dennison and Gail
Dennison, Brain Gym:
Teachers Edition
(Ventura, CA:
Edu-Kinesthetics).
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Let's share Brain Gym
news. Let me know who
mentioned Brain Gym
where, and I'll keep the
list going for everyone.
O.K. so this isn't
exactly recent, but it's
certainly significant: A
couple years ago the
Wall Street Journal,
despite frequent and extensive coverage of
pharmaceutical
companies, included
Brain Gym as a viable
non-drug alternative for
helping kids with ADHD.
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How to Get a
Free
Brain Gym Balance |
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Receive a
FREE
Brain Gym balance over
the phone with MaryJo
If you've taken Brain
Gym from me or anyone
else, you can get a
FREE
Brain Gym balance over
the phone with me. It's
my gift to you. (I
normally charge $75 for
a balance.) Even
an intro to Brain Gym's
enough. You don't need
to have taken the 3-day
Brain Gym 101 to be
eligible for a
Free
Balance.
You
must have a
little knowledge of Brain Gym
to take advantage of
this gift.
Use a Balance to improve
a skill, set a new
habit, learn anything
more easily, even
improve your golf game.
If you don't know
anything about Brain
Gym, sign up for the
Brain Gym Basics
TeleChat, and you'll
also get a Brain Gym
Balance
FREE
as
one of the bonuses.
So a total of two
FREE
Balances--worth $150.
P.S. I'm not
trying to manipulate you
into taking the TeleChat
although I'd love to
have you in the class.
After all you get a free
balance with the
TeleChat anyway.
It's just that you can't
do a Balance, even if
I'm facilitating it for
you, unless you know
some Brain Gym
movements.
P.P.S. This offer is a
basic Brain Gym 101
Balance, not an In-Depth
or other advanced
balance.
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Announcement: "ADHD
Children Today" is here!
Articles, Reports, 4-session
TeleChats, News Tips and beginning April 29
FREE "ADHD Answers Now"
TeleChats . . . every week! |
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On April 29, you can start
listening every week (well,
almost every week) to a
FREE
30-minute TeleChat about
ADHD. It's called
"ADHD Answers Now."
The calls will be recorded
and available for two weeks
after the call. so you can
listen if you missed the
live class. You'll get
handouts with an action
guide to follow.
Now you can discover what
ADHD really is, what it
isn't, and strategies for
helping kids . . . at school
and at home.
Sign-up today for the
first FREE ADHD TeleChat
on Tuesday April 29.
Most TeleChats begin at 6:00
pm Mountain Time. (That's 5
PM Pacific, 7:00 pm Central,
and 8 pm Eastern)
They're scheduled Monday
through Wednesdays.
Every "ADHD Answers Now"
includes at least one
strategy you can use as soon
as you hang up from the
TeleChat.
April 29, Tuesday,
6:00 pm: "The Calm after
the Storm: Three Quick Tips
for Settling Down"
May 7, Wednesday,
5:00 pm:
"It's all about
Dopamine."
May 12, Monday, 6:00
pm: "Disease, Disorder,
Disaster or Maybe Not?"
No TeleChat the week of May
19
during the Brain Gym 101
classes in New York City and
Bridgewater, NJ.
See more "ADHD Answers Now"
topics and dates.
P.S. Yes, we're still doing
the 4-session, 90-minute
"Managing ADHD" TeleChat.
And of course, that class
goes into ADHD in much
greater depth with many more
strategies than we can cover
in the weekly 30- minute
"ADHD Answers Now" TeleChats.
"Managing ADHD TeleChat has
enough detail including the
latest research that
teachers and other
professionals can get
university credit for taking
the class. The next
"Managing ADHD" class starts
May 1. Check out
all the topics covered
and sign up now. Includes 70
pages of handouts, action
guides, check lists, and
dozens of strategies to use
in the classroom and at
home. Plus web audio
you can listen to at your
convenience if you miss a
live class or want to review.
See yourself calm down as
your ADHD kids calm down,
stop acting impulsively and
start doing better in
school. ADHD
is manageable . .
. usually without drugs!
Disclaimer: ADHD
Children Today©
(information, products, and
services) is intended solely
for educational
purposes. We do not
diagnose medical conditions
nor prescribe drugs. Always
consult with your physician
and your child's
pediatrician about any
diagnosed or suspected
medical condition and before discontinuing or
lowering the dosage of any
drug.
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