ADHD Awareness Month: What You Need To Know About Pandemic Restrictions and Your ADHD Teen
According to recent research, pandemic restrictions created significant risk factors for teens with ADHD of depression and school drop-out.… read more
Brain Training and Fitness
High School Sports, Head Impact Rates, and Gender Differences
Soccer, Basketball, Lacrosse, Field Hockey…when kids are young it’s all just fun and games but by high school those same sports can become quite serious and even dangerous. Even without the diagnosis of concussion, kids who receive repeated head impact can suffer from cognitive impairment and other forms of neurological damage.… read more
Take Breaks To Remember More
Hunter trudged into the living room and dropped the heavy chemistry book on the floor with frustration. “Mom, you remember that test I took a few weeks ago? When I stayed up late studying for hours, and then got the best score in the class? Well the quarterly exam is in two days but I… read more
Self-efficacy Trick That Works Every Time
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “self-efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments (Bandura, 1997).” For example, a student with strong self-efficacy will believe they can complete the requirements for a challenging research paper while a student with poor self-efficacy will… read more
Little Known Secret to Improve Math Grades: Work on Reading Skills
Math has never been my strong suit, and so I’ve never put much pressure on my kids to excel in that subject. But when my youngest started struggling with even the most basic math concepts I got worried. It was heartbreaking to watch her frustration with simple word equations: “Joe has 2 cookies and Sam… read more
Need To Remember? Pen & Paper Works Better Than Your Device!
With school right around the corner, it feels like there’s a new appointment to schedule every few days: sports physical for my high schooler, immunization updates for my little girl, back-to-school night, meet-the-coaches, dental appointments…who can keep up? Smartphones might seem like the best way to stay organized, but new research shows that the good… read more
Does Teletherapy Work? 4 Reasons to Feel Good About Videoconference Therapy
As we navigate our uncertain and temporary at-home reality, things look a little different for many of us right now. One area that may be causing some stress is how to continue with your current therapeutic interventions like counseling, psychotherapy, speech therapy, play therapy, or cognitive training while quarantined at home. But I have good… read more
Covid Stole Your Sense of Smell? Skip the Steroids and Re-train Your Sniffer Instead
So it finally happened. Covid-19 visited my house with a vengeance. My 12-year old daughter got mild head-cold symptoms first, and I was the second to get hit. Then my 10-year old son came down with the sniffles, followed closely by my 8-year old little girl. Tho truth-be-told, none of us felt too awful, and… read more
COVID Pandemic and Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Double Whammy of Disrupted Routines
Children with an autism spectrum disorder and their caregivers face unique challenges in the best of times. During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis these challenges rose exponentially in ways that scientists are just beginning to evaluate. A recent study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders revealed worsening behaviors and understandably increased stress levels… read more
Gut Health and Autism: New Science Reveals a Link
April is Autism Awareness Month and new research was just released from the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, in Aurora, Colorado. The innovative study published by the American Society for Microbiology examined the link between Autism behaviors and gut microbiome. Over 100 participants from Arizona and Colorado were either neurotypical or diagnosed with Autism… read more
Expert Memory Strategies for Test-Taking
Ever wonder how some people seem to remember everything they learn and others struggle to keep simple facts straight for more than a few minutes? Cognitive performance hinges on automaticity of skills that we use to think and learn all day every day such as processing speed, attention, visualization, fluid reasoning, and working memory. Part… read more
The Secret You Never Knew About Music Class
The next time your kiddo complains about music class give them this good news: It’s making them smarter! New research published by Frontiers in Neuroscience reveals how and why musical training improves memory and attention in children. Scientists worked with 40 boys and girls, half of whom had significant musical training while their counterparts had… read more