Posted on

Your Body is a Brain…

Great writers and painters have known this fact for decades: The body acts like a brain…

Walt Whitman understood that the flesh was the source of meaning; Auguste Escoffier discovered that taste is actually a smell; Paul Cézanne realized that the brain can decipher an image from minimal brushstrokes.

Jonah Lehrer has written a book called Proust Was a Neuroscientist

In my own trauma-informed trainings I discuss how our central nervous system, specifically the nerves surrounding our “guts”, acts as a second brain.

Did you know that there are 43 different pairs of nerves which connect the nervous system to every part of our body. Twelve of these nerve pairs are connected to the brain, while the remaining 31 are connected to the spinal cord.

Did you know that the gut has 100 million nerve cells that make up it’s own nervous system separate from the brain!

Did you know that one of the major nerve pathways from the gut to the brain is called the Vagus Nerve. The brain interprets signals from the Vagus Nerve as actual emotional information. It really doesn’t know the difference. 

Did you know that there is more and more research on how the gut and gastrointestinal conditions are linked to depression, anxiety, autism, and ADHD. What we are talking about here is nutrition and not just medication can change our mental health.

And did you know that there is a reason we call certain kinds of food “comfort food”? Comfort foods affect our moods. Can someone say chocolate please?

Understanding the brain/body connection can help us overcome trauma in ways that traditional talk therapy cannot. This is because a lot of times there are no words to express what trauma is doing in our lives or the trauma is so far back in infancy and during pregnancy that there was no ability to form words.

This will require a new approach to doing therapy that involves movement, sensory processing, art therapy and my own NeuroResilience Play Therapy Approach. Click here for more info.

What is your body telling you?  Perhaps its time to follow your “gut” instincts today and find the help you need. Hey, writers and artists have been telling us for years this truth about our body acting like a brain. Let’s listen to what it is saying!

TraumaInformedTraining logo

Need trauma-informed training for your organization or up coming conference? Contact Ron today.

Newsletterimage

Join our newsletter and get Ron’s blog posts in your inbox!

Posted on

sensorycalm:

(via Weighted Blankets for Anxiety Autism Insomnia Soothing Comforting by Mosaic Weighted Blankets in Austin Texas|Seen on NBC Parenthood Show)

Mosaic Weighted Blankets for sensory processing disorders in Autims, ADHD, Trauma and more. 

The Benefits of Mosaic Weighted Blankets® for Anxiety, Stress, and Insomnia

Adults, teens, and children can benefit from weighted blanket therapy. Mosaic Weighted Blankets are a safe and effective non-drug therapy for anyone seeking a solution for loss of sleep and relaxation.

“In psychiatric care, weighted blankets are one of our most powerful tools for helping people who are anxious, upset, and possibly on the verge of losing control,” says Karen Moore, OTR/L, an occupational therapist in Franconia, N.H.

“These blankets work by providing input to the deep pressure touch receptors throughout the body,” Moore says. “Deep pressure touch helps the body relax. Like a firm hug, weighted blankets help us feel secure, grounded, and safe.” Moore says this is the reason many people like to sleep under a comforter even in summer. (Source: Psychology Today)

Posted on

Failing School? Sensory Issues Could be the Problem.

Parents are worried about children returning to school and failing!

Guest post by Marga Grey, OT

It’s a horrible thought…

Your little one, suffering at school. Whether they’re struggling to make sense of the lessons, or even being bullied for being “different”.

All you want to do is swoop in and protect them! I know, I’m a mom myself. And even as they get older, that protective feeling doesn’t get any less…

If I take my mom hat off for a minute, and put my Occupational Therapist one on, I can tell you a fact:

Poor Sensory Motor Skills are the culprit for most problems in the classroom.

It’s true.

Things like:

  • Concentration
  • Handwriting
  • Sitting still in their chair
  • Coordination
  • And more

Are all impacted by poor Sensory Motor Skills.

And how a child reacts to these problems is different in every case.

Some go into their shell, become anxious and have bad associations with school, even experiencing physical symptoms like stomach pain and headaches at the thought of going to school.

Others act out and are unfairly labeled “troublemaker” or “lazy” when they actually have no control over their ability to complete the allocated tasks.

One thing is consistent throughout every child I see though:

Improving their Sensory Motor Skills improves their performance in the classroom. Fact.

And as they have to be at school for 12 years (not counting further study after that) it is SO important to give them the best possible foundation for their schooling career!

Even if you feel they are doing “Okay” and there’s nothing really wrong… helping your child’s Sensory Motor Skill development will only give your child even more of an advantage.

Learn how to give your child the skill to focus and control their impulses before school starts! Click here for more info.

Posted on

“WHEN IMPULSES RULE a CHILD’S LIFE | Psychology Today

WHEN IMPULSES RULE a CHILD’S LIFE

By David Lewis , Ph.D. on December 27, 2013 – 3:50am

Billy, an impulsive 11-year-old, is viewed by his teachers as somewhat lazy, easily distracted and lacking in motivation.

His parents, convinced their son’s poor performance was due to a ‘mental’ problem, insisted he be as tested by the school’s psychologist. When she reported Billy was a perfectly normal little boy they refused to accept her diagnosis. They went to three further psychologists all of whom confirmed their colleague’s original findings. Still dissatisfied they sent him to a yet another specialist who finally provided the diagnosis they sought. Billy, he said, was suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Given the appropriate medication their son could well turn into a straight A student.

“We always knew it,” they told his teachers triumphantly. “Our son is not lazy – he’s sick.”

They are far from unusual in this desire to explain away behaviour which, even a decade ago, might have been viewed as a normal part of growing up as a medical condition for which a cure must be found.

In the US, ADHD is now the second most frequent long-term diagnosis made in children, beaten only narrowly by asthma. Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicate it has been diagnosed in up to 15% of high school-age children and that the number of youngsters being medicated for the disorder has risen from 600,000 in 1990 to 3.5 million today. By contrast, world-wide, ADHD affects only around 5% of children, the majority boys. (1)

It is, of course, essential that children with a genuine illness are speedily diagnosed and effectively treated. Medication, in such cases, is often an essential first step on the road to recovery.

The trouble is that between obviously healthy and manifestly sick youngsters there is a grey area which is growing in size with every passing year. Since, in the absence of pathology, there are at present no tests or scans that can detect mental illness, diagnosis tends to be subjective. What one psychologist considers perfectly ‘normal’, another may view as highly abnormal.

In a recent interview with the New York Times Dr Keith Conners, a psychologist and professor emeritus at Duke University, who for more than 50 years has led the fight to legitimise the disorder, called this increase:

“A national disaster of dangerous proportions…a concoction to justify the giving out of medication at unprecedented and unjustifiable levels.” (3)

The most widely used form of treatment is to use drugs, such as methylphenidate atomoxetine, and dexamfetamine. Unfortunately, around one in five ADHD sufferers fail to respond to drugs (4) while in many other cases the response is only partial. Furthermore, all drugs have side effects, can also be habit forming and open to abuse. Long-term follow-ups have found that when children stopped taking the drug their clinical symptoms of ADHD reappeared.

Problems such as these have led some therapists, especially in the US, to start using a form of treatment known as EEG-Neurofeedback training.

This involves teaching sufferers how to control their ‘brain waves’ by playing computer games via sensors attached to their head. (5) The results appear promising, with improvements being found in around 40 percent of cases at six month follow-up.

In a recent study in my laboratory* two teenage boys played a computer game involving a race between a red and a blue caterpillar. Thin wires ran from electrodes pasted to their scalps to a control box. This detects electrical activity in their brains and uses these ‘brain waves’ to move the caterpillars across the screen.

Mark, aged 13 has been diagnosed with ADHD his friend, 14-year-old Ryan exhibits no such symptoms. During the game, Ryan’s red caterpillar speeds quickly along the track as he reduces his output of slow moving ‘theta waves’ while simultaneously increasing faster moving ‘beta waves’. Mark’s brains produces higher levels of theta and lower levels of beta waves his blue caterpillar barely moves off the start line.

Over a period of time, however, Mark trains himself to reduce his theta and boost his beta waves. In doing so he learns to control his impulsive behaviours.

While researching for my new book, Impulse, I came across several examples of behaviour which our forefathers would have shrugged off but which present-day parents see as requiring medical intervention. Given the lifestyle of many youngsters these days this may not be so surprising.

Many youngsters are discouraged from engaging in activities, such as exploring, getting into and out of scrapes, climbing trees and falling over, that earlier generations accepted as a normal part of childhood down. Even the amount of time they have for exercise is so constrained these days, especially for urban children, by parental concerns for their safety. Some children may be exhibiting the symptoms of hyperactivity simply because they’re not getting enough physically demanding exercise!

Taking risks and learning from the consequences of their mistakes is an essential part of growing up and developing independence.

The teenage years, especially, are the most intense and exciting of a child’s life. They’ll be unhappy, do silly things, take reckless decisions and make foolish misjudgements of people and situations.

But if they behave impulsively and fall flat on their faces from time to time, this doesn’t mean they need a diagnosis or a pill. It just means they’re being kids.

* Mindlab International is purely a research laboratory and does not offer any neurofeedback training. There are, however, many practitioners in both the USA and UK

References

(1) Polanczyk, G., de Lima, M. S., Horta, B. L., Biederman, J., Rohde L. A., (2007) The Worldwide Prevalence of ADHD: A Systematic Review and Metaregression Analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(6), 942–948.

(2) Faraone, S. V., Biederman, J., Mick, E., (2006) The Age-Dependent Decline of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Follow-Up Studies. Psychological Medicine, 36(2), 159–165.

(3) Schwarz, A. (2013) The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder, New York Times, Dec 14

(4) Charach, A., Figueroa, M., Chen, S., Ickowicz, A., & Schachar, R. (2006) Stimulant treatment over 5 years: effects on growth. Journal of American Academic Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 45: 415–421.

(5) Lansbergen, M. M., van-Dongen-Boomsma, M., Buitelaar, J. K., Slaats-Willemse, D., (2010) ADHD and EEG-Neurofeedback: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Feasibility Study. Journal of Neural Transmission, 118(2), 275-284

“WHEN IMPULSES RULE a CHILD’S LIFE | Psychology Today

Posted on

Comparison of Mother, Father, and Teacher Reports of ADHD Core Symptoms in a Sample of Child Psychiatric Outpatients

Review by Ron Huxley

A study in the Journal of Attention Disorders looked at the differences or similarities of identifying ADHD symptoms in children between Fathers, Mothers and Teachers. It didn’t surprise me that fathers reported fewer symptoms than did mom and dads. This is probably due to the fact that dads, typically, spend less time with children than do moms and teachers. It isn’t a gender issue as a teacher could easily be a man as well as a women. Having said that, parental roles played out by gender may have some influence over what is noticed and what is not. The interesting finding of the study was that moms and dads correctly diagnosed the problem at the same rating. Apparently, dads can spot ADHD when they see it – the question, I suppose, is do they see it. 

Share your thoughts on this by posting a comment here or at our Facebook page or on our Twitter Stream. 

Comparison of Mother, Father, and Teacher Reports of ADHD Core Symptoms in a Sample of Child Psychiatric Outpatients

Posted on

What Is Sensory Processing Disorder? How To Diagnose Children With Sensory Issues

Sensory Issues

Written by Beth Arky.

This story is part of Speak Up for Kids, an annual public education program held during National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week (May 6-12, 2012).

It usually happens in the preschool years. You notice that your toddler seems to have an unusual aversion to noise or light. A teacher observes that, compared to other kids her age, your daughter is clumsy and has difficulty with fine motor skills like wielding a pencil. You’ve noticed that she is very, very picky about shoes, which are often deemed too tight, and clothes that are “too scratchy.”

More baffling – and alarming – to parents are their children’s meltdowns over things like their faces getting splashed or being dressed. Or a child might crash into walls (and people), touch everything or put inedible items, including rocks and paint, into his mouth.

These behaviors are all signs of problems with what’s known as sensory processing, found in children who have difficulty integrating information from their senses. In its extreme form, when it interferes seriously with a child’s functioning, it’s called Sensory Processing Disorder, or SPD, although it’s not recognized by the psychiatrists’ bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.

Sensory issues are associated with autism because they are common in children and adults on the autism spectrum, though most children with SPD are not on the spectrum. They can also be found in those with ADHD, OCD and other developmental delays – or with no other diagnosis at all. In fact, a 2009 study suggests that one in every six children has sensory issues that impede their daily functioning, socialization and learning.

What parents often notice first is odd behavior and wild, inexplicable mood swings. For instance, a first-grader may do fine in a quiet setting with a calm adult. But place that child in a grocery store filled with an overload of visual and auditory stimulation and you might have the makings of an extreme meltdown.

“These kids’ tantrums are so intense, so prolonged, so impossible to stop once they’ve started, you just can’t ignore it,” notes Nancy Peske, whose son Cole, now 13, was diagnosed at 3 with SPD and developmental delays. Peske is coauthor with occupational therapist Lindsey Biel, who worked with Cole, of “Raising a Sensory Smart Child.”

Another response to being overwhelmed is to flee. If a child dashes out across the playground or parking lot, oblivious to the danger, Peske says that’s a big red flag that he may be heading away from something upsetting, which may not be apparent to the rest of us, or toward an environment or sensation that will calm his system. This “fight-or-flight response is why someone with SPD will shut down, escape the situation quickly, or become aggressive when in sensory overload,” she says. “They’re actually having a neurological ‘panic’ response to everyday sensations the rest of us take for granted.”

Children, teens and adults with SPD experience either over-sensitivity (hypersensitivity) or under-sensitivity (hyposensitivity) to an impairing or overwhelming degree. The theory behind SPD is based on the work of occupational therapist Dr. A. Jean Ayres. In the 1970s, Dr. Ayres introduced the idea that certain people’s brains can’t do what most people take for granted: process all the information coming in through seven – not the traditional five – senses to provide a clear picture of what’s happening both internally and externally.

Along with touch, hearing, taste, smell and sight, Dr. Ayres added the “internal” senses of body awareness (proprioceptive) and movement (vestibular). When the brain can’t synthesize all this information coming in simultaneously, “It’s like a traffic jam in your head,” Peske says, “with conflicting signals quickly coming from all directions, so that you don’t know how to make sense of it all.”

What are these two “extra” senses in Dr. Ayres’ work?

Proprioceptive receptors are located in the joints and ligaments, allowing for motor control and posture. The proprioceptive system tells the brain where the body is in relation to other objects and how to move. Those who are hyposensitive crave input; they love jumping, bumping and crashing activities, as well as deep pressure such as that provided by tight bear hugs. If they’re hypersensitive, they have difficulty understanding where their body is in relation to other objects and may bump into things and appear clumsy; because they have trouble sensing the amount of force they’re applying, they may rip the paper when erasing, pinch too hard or slam objects down.

The vestibular receptors, located in the inner ear; tell the brain where the body is in space by providing the information related to movement and head position. These are key elements of balance and coordination, among other things. Those with hyposensitivity are in constant motion; crave fast, spinning and/or intense movement; and love being tossed in the air and jumping on furniture and trampolines. Those who are hypersensitive may be fearful of activities that require good balance, including climbing on playground equipment, riding a bike, or balancing on one foot, especially with eyes closed. They, too, may appear clumsy.

To help parents determine if their child’s behavior indicates possible SPD, Peske and Biel have created a detailed sensory checklist that covers responses to all types of input, from walking barefoot to smelling objects that aren’t food, as well as questions involving fine and gross motor function, such as using scissors (fine) and catching a ball (gross). The SPD Foundation also offers a litany of “red flags.” The list for infants and toddlers includes a resistance to cuddling, to the point of arching away when held, which may be attributed to feeling actual pain when being touched. By preschool, over-stimulated children’s anxiety may lead to frequent or long temper tantrums. Grade-schoolers who are hyposensitive may display “negative behaviors” including what looks like hyperactivity, when in fact they’re seeking input.

Peske sums up the way sensory issues can affect kids this way: “If you’re a child who is oversensitive to certain sensations, you are not only likely to be anxious or irritable, even angry or fearful, you’re likely to be called ‘picky’ and ‘oversensitive.’ If you rush away because you’re anxious or you’re over-stimulated and not using your executive function well because your body has such a powerful need to get away, you’re ‘impulsive.’ If you have trouble with planning and executing your movements due to poor body awareness and poor organization in the motor areas of the brain, you’re ‘clumsy.’ Because you’re distracted by your sensory issues and trying to make sense of it all, you may be developmentally delayed in some ways, making you a bit ‘immature’ or young for your age.”

Amid this confusion, there may be relief for more than a few parents in recognizing what may be causing otherwise inexplicable behavior – and in the potential for kids to get help in the form of specialized occupational therapy and what are called sensory gyms.

“When I describe sensory issues to parents whose kids have it,” Peske says, “the usual reaction is ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s it!’ They’ve been trying to put a finger on ‘it’ for many months, even years! The sense of relief that they finally know what ‘it’ is is humongous.”

Child Mind Institute’s Speak Up for Kids is an annual public education program held during National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week (May 6-12, 2012) aimed at ending the stigma, lack of awareness, and misinformation that cause children to miss out on treatment that can change their lives.

Read more articles about children’s mental health here.

via huffingtonpost.com

Posted on

3 Keys to Behavior Chart Success

I used to joke with parents that if they could make a grocery list, they could change a child’s behavior. The idea behind this is that most behavioral change takes parental attention and consistency. The truth is that we are constantly shaping our child’s behaviors every day. And, one might say, they are changing ours too! This is a natural process of interaction. The question is really, what are your shaping? Our you modeling positive habits? Do you reward positive behavior? Shifting our attention away from negative behavior (what you don’t want) and refocusing on positive behaviors (what you do want) can be as easy as making a list or creating a chart.

 Here are 3 keys to successfully changing a child’s behavior with a behavior chart:

1. Have a clear, achievable goal in mind: If you don’t know where you are going, you won’t get there. Don’t confuse the goal by making it too vague or complex. Focus on a specific behavior you WANT to see happen. Don’t write it in the negative. State what you want to see different. Be age appropriate when focusing on change. A 4 year old can’t do what a 14 year old can do.

2. Make it rewarding: The power of a behavior chart is that a child will get a reward for doing what you want. What motivates your child? What can you realistically afford to do? How long will it take to get the reward? Some children need daily, if not hourly rewards. Break a big reward down into smaller rewards if necessary to keep children motivated. The last thing you want is a defiant child who refuses to do a chart because it is too difficult or they feel like they will fail and so they don’t even try. Also, remember the best reward is you! Your smile, hug and words of praise should always be given regardless of any other physical reward.

3. Be open to change: If  the chart is not working, make changes. It is just a parenting tool, not a magical wand. Use the success or lack of it as feedback on how to create the chart. Use family meetings and intimate discussions about what is working for the child. Continue to celebrate any small success or effort. You might find that using a chart changes your parenting time and energy as well. That is good modeling and parenting improvement.

Posted on

Using Your E.A.R.S. to Help Children Problem-Solve

Someone once joked that God gave us two ears and one mouth so that we could listen twice as much as we talked. Not bad advice actually. Many parents would do well to heed that advice. This doesn’t mean that parents shouldn’t talk to their children. It’s just that they shouldn’t be so quick to give advice or lecture of the right and wrongs of a problem. Listen first, then talk. Better yet, ask questions to get at the solutions to children’s problems. This causes them to feel as if they came up with the answer and take more ownership for the problem. E.A.R.S. is a helpful acronym for parents who want to improve their problem-solving skills with their children.

E = Elicit

The starting point for problem-solving with children is to elicit possible solutions that already exist in the child’s repertoire. Ask questions such as, “What would you think would make the situation better?” This implies that there is a solution and that the child has the ability to utilize it. If they don’t have an answer to this question, try this one: “What would your _______ (supply a relevant name here) say you are doing about the situation?”

This implies that the child is already solving his problem. The fact of the matter is that every response to a problem is a solution to a problem. Only some responses are better than others and have fewer severe consequences. The job of parents is to acknowledge children’s efforts and then direct them to use better responses.

If the child persists that there wasn’t anything good about what he did in the situation, then ask, “What was the part of the situation that was better than the other parts?” And if the child does recite some ‘better than other parts’ of the situation, ask, “How did you do that?” This encourages the child to learn from their own behaviors and increase positive responses.

If the child suffered severe consequences for his response to the situation, ask, “What did you learn from the situation?” Most successes are the result of trial and error and determining what doesn’t work.

A = Amplify

Amplify refers to the use of questions to get more details about any positive efforts toward problem-solving. Use who, what, where, when, and how questions. For example, “Who noticed you do that?” or “When did you decide to do that?” or “How did they respond to your solution?” Never use why questions. Why is a very judgemental word and will stop all attempts to help the child problem-solving because he feels bad about his efforts. Over time this can develop into a pattern of behavior where the child never tries anything new because he is afraid of failing. If he doesn’t try, he doesn’t fail. At least that is the rationale.

R = Reinforce

Years of behavioral change research have taught us that there are two ways to create change in others. Reward desired behaviors and ignore or mildly punish undesirable behavior. So be sure to reinforce any effort to solving a problem. Even failed attempts are worthy of acknowledgment. The child must want and value positive change. Reinforcement will be the motivating force for this value. Be sure, though, that you use verbal or social reinforcement. Don’t give in to bribes (candy, toys, and money) to reinforce the child. This will reinforce dependent and manipulative behavior and decrease independent problem-solution. The best reinforcers are a surprise. When children do not know when to expect a reinforcer (a compliment or public acknowledgment) they will be more motivated, ready for reinforcement at any moment in time.

S = Start again

Learning to problem-solving and listening to our children to help them, is a process. It can’t be done once and then left alone. It must be done over and over again. Repetition is a fundamental principle of learning. The more you do something the better you get at it. And now that the child has found a solution to a problem, plan for the next one. Most problems pop up again in life. Brainstorm solutions for the next time. And finally, treat every problem as an experiment where new and clever solutions can be tested. So use those two ears to listen more then you talk but when you do talk, ask solution-focused questions to help children problem-solve.