Tag Archives: adhd

Stability Balls in the Classroom Cut the Wiggles and Increase Learning

Recently I attended a group meeting with my daughter’s third grade teacher. All the parents were encouraged to sit in our child’s designated spot. As my adult-sized body balanced precariously on the uncomfortable wooden chair beneath me, I wondered how in the world little bodies – with much less backside cushion – could stand to spend eight hours sitting on what is essentially a small plank with legs. Evidently, teachers have also struggled with this ergonomic conundrum over the years and now, many schools are adopting a new seating strategy – stability balls.

stability ball classroom

Normally used in the gym for exercises that improve core strength and posture, a new line of stability balls are now being marketed for use in the office and classroom. Available in friendly primary colors, the balls are equipped with legs to discourage kids from rolling them around the room or having ball races. Because, yeah, they’re way ahead of you on that one, you little shenaniganizers. The idea behind the use of stability balls in the classroom is based around the theory that when the body is engaged, the mind is, too.

The balls aren’t cheap, particularly when you’re outfitting an entire classroom, but teachers who have adopted the new seating arrangement say they’re pleased with the outcome. Though a few teachers had trouble with students throwing the balls or other mistreatment, most said they noticed an immediate improvement in their students’ attention spans. A few educators noticed they had trouble with kids bouncing on them for the first few days, but that quickly diminished with redirection. One form of redirection included going back to the wooden plank chair.

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Posted on December 9, 2023 by Dani Stone

7 Reasons Your Child Should Try Yoga

I’m a bit of a neuropsychology nerd. I find it fascinating and so helpful to truly understand people. While I already understood that yoga can be helpful in treating trauma and PTSD, Dr. Bruce Perry, whom I greatly admire, introduced me to the idea that yoga can also be helpful in helping the brain develop in an organized fashion, especially for children who have been traumatized.

As a result, I routinely recommend adoptive parents practice yoga with their children. Whether your child has been adopted, traumatized, has other struggles or not, yoga can help him or her develop physical, emotionally, and neurologically; here’s why:

  • Learning to control breath and body can help children feel more in control of themselves, which can be extremely powerful for children that have been traumatized, children that have been adopted, and children diagnosed with ADHD.
  • Yoga has been known to enhance concentration and attention span, while teaching focus.
  • Children can increase confidence by successfully attempting new poses and developing new skills.
  • Flexibility can prevent injuries, and children can increase strength through yoga with little risk of injury.
  • Yoga develops bodies, brains, and motor skills. (more…)
Posted on September 5, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Gestational Diabetes May Be A Risk For ADHD


Gestational diabetes and low socioeconomic status seem to be risks for the development of attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to research published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Reearchers Yoko Nomura, PhD, MPH, David J. Marks, Ph, Bella Grossman, MA, Michelle Yoon, BS, BA, Holly Loudon, MD, MPH, Joanne Stone, MD, and Jeffrey M. Halperin, PhD analyzed data from an ongoing cohort study according to Med Page Today. While the original study included 212 children, only 10 percent of the mothers reported experiencing gestational diabetes.

The children who had mothers who had experienced gestational diabetes during pregnancy were more likely to demonstrate inattention, while the children who also came from families of lower socioeconomic status, were more likely to demonstrate both inattention and hyperactivity. Children from families of a lower socioeconomic status who were not exposed to gestational diabetes showed twice the risk for developing ADHD. When the researchers analyzed differences between children who were exposed to gestational diabetes to children who were exposed to lower socioeconomic status to children who were exposed to both and to those who were exposed to neither, there was an obvious statistically significant likelihood that children exposed to both would develop ADHD; however, there seemed to be no increased risk for children exposed to only one of the two variables.

I would like to see similar research done with a larger sample size. Information about maternal history of gestational diabetes came from maternal reports approximately four years after gestation, which could limit the accuracy of the data. Future research should pull that information from medical records. This research looked at children between the ages of four and six. While six is often a key age for such diagnoses, a more longitudinal study may provide us more accurate results.

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Posted on January 20, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Cram It! Promotes Failing Diets for Procrastinating College Students

I must say that I was a bit disappointed to read a press release this morning about a new dietary supplement to help college students manage procrastination. I cannot blame Genius Labs, LLC. for trying to make a buck, and they probably have a market, but it is disappointing that they can spell out that a healthier diet generally equals a higher GPA, yet many will see their supplement as the answer rather than improving diet.

I did find it interesting that they linked poor diet, along with the tendency for up to 95% of college students to procrastinate tasks, to the statistic of one in every four college students illegally using ADHD medications like Adderall. We know that a healthier diet for ADHD can help those diagnosed, why do we just accept that college students, in general, won’t eat well?

Genius Labs, LLC. describes themselves as “a Baltimore-based privately held dietary supplement company that focuses on developing proprietary supplement blends that maximize brain health and performance. Founded by an MBA student searching for a natural mental edge; the firm targets college students that often cram to complete school work and study for tests.” Their new product Cram It! is a blend of omega-3 and various herbs, vitamins, and minerals with little caffeine that they claim “supports memory and the ability to analyze complex ideas.” (more…)

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Simple, Healthy Diet Best for ADHD; Advice Against Inconveniencing Parents

Have you ever wanted to look at all the different research studies about nutrition reviewed by DietsInReview in one place and see what can be deduced from all of the findings together? That is basically what psychologists call a literature review. If you are paying attention, the findings of a literature review probably will not be too surprising. I wasn’t too surprised by the Good Morning America (GMA) headline “Healthy Diet Best for ADHD Kids” based off a recent literature review by J. Gordon MIllichap, MD and Michelle M. Yee, CPNP titled “The Diet Factor in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.” An “ADHD Diet” is something we have talked about before.

The authors, who work at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, seemed most impressed by a diet high in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and low in fats. They also seem somewhat impressed by omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid supplements. The abstract also states that “sugar-restricted, additive/preservative-free, oligoantigenic/elimination, and fatty acid supplements” seem to reduce symptoms of ADHD. Unfortunately, the authors seem to be against recommending additive-free and oligoantigenic/elimination diets, such as the specific carb diet, because they are inconvenient for parents. (more…)

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

FDA Rules Artificial Food Coloring Is Safe for Most

JelloA FDA panel ruled that there is not proof that artificial food coloring caused hyperactivity in most children, and concluded that products containing these substances do not need to carry special warning labels or be banned altogether.

The panel convened in response to a petition from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The advocacy group petitioned for banning artificial food dyes because a growing number of studies suggest a link between children’s behavior and hyperactivity.

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Posted on April 1, 2024 by Margaret

ADHD May Be Treatable with Diet

Little boy eating a school lunchCould ADHD be a form of food allergy? While little is known about the causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a research center in the Netherlands is treating children with diet–and it seems to be working.

Dr. Lidy Pelsser at the ADHD Research Center believes that the condition is often triggered by a hypersensitivity to foods, and that diet should be modified before resorting to drugs. She put 100 unmedicated children diagnosed with ADHD on a special diet. The diet begins with a wide range of foods, and then over the course of five weeks the diet is narrowed. According to her research, about 64 percent of the children in the study saw improvements.

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Posted on March 29, 2024 by Health Buzz

Pesticides in Foods Linked to ADD

We all strive to get our kids to eat healthy foods – we push fruits and vegetables every chance we get. But could that actually be harming our kids? Recent studies seem to point to this troubling thought. Exposure to pesticides used on many foods – including frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries and celery – appears to boost the chances that children will be diagnosed with ADHD.

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Posted on May 24, 2024 by Carmen

The Benefits of Martial Arts For Kids

childrens muay thai classThere are lots of activities that kids can be involved in. Soccer, swim team, ballet, gymnastics – my kids have done them all. Rarely have they been involved in a sport that I think holds life lasting benefits – until now. About a year ago, my teenage daughter asked if she could join the muay thai classes that her girlfriend was enrolled in, and I agreed. Well, it’s been such a great learning experience for her that I’ve now enrolled two more of my children in classes. They love the instructors, who make every class exciting, and the self-defense that they’ve learned has been amazing. The instructors keep tabs on all of the students, asking about grades and behavior at home and reinforcing the desired behaviors. (more…)

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Carmen