Can a person with ADHD train their brain to improve? The answer to that question may lie with something known as neuroplasiticity. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to create or alter its neural networks – essentially rewire itself – in response to stimuli from the environment. Understanding how our brains can “rewire” to help us improve offers another tool for individuals with ADHD to help overcome its negative effects and leverage its super powers.
Many parents who have children with ADHD may wonder how the symptoms will change as their child gets older. Will they get worse, diminish, or just change into something different. Researchers have studied this question and come up with a kind of roadmap for how ADHD symptoms are likely to change, on average, with age.
Researchers are discovering that agency, or having a greater sense of control over your own life, is an important component of achieving success and happiness in life. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson explore the powerful implications of using an approach that gives children more agency in their new book, The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives.
When it comes to the association of having ADHD and being at higher risk for concussion, researchers have begun to confirm what clinicians have long suspected. Due to various factors such as impulsivity, inattention, impairment in motor function, or differences in coordination, individuals with ADHD could be more likely to sustain a head injury. Their symptoms might also be more severe and persist for longer periods of time. Taking measures to reduce the symptoms of ADHD is one way to lower the risk of concussion for individuals with the condition.
Children with ADHD and learning differences often struggle with intense emotions, poor social skills, and low self-esteem. Art therapy uses drawing, painting, and sculpting to improve well-being and confidence in kids. It is based on the premise that self-expression can be used to address emotional problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, and increase self-awareness.
Since its inception in 2006, the Edge Foundation has demonstrated the power of its coaching techniques in the home, school and workplace settings. The effectiveness of our approach has been verified both in practice and by an independent research study. We wanted to share some of the elements that make the Edge coaching experience so powerful.
ADHD Awareness Month is celebrated every October with events and activities happening all across the country and now, around the world. ADHD, as a disorder, only came to be recognized in the second half of the twentieth century. As ADHD Awareness Month kicks off, we thought it it would be appropriate to share a brief history of ADHD.
Over the past several decades, educators, policymakers and scientists have referred to ADHD, as a national crisis and have spent billions of dollars looking into its cause. They’ve looked at genetics, brain development, exposure to toxic substances like lead, the push for early academics, and many other factors. But new studies have a number of researchers asking whether the behavior and attention issues ascribed to ADHD are due to the fact that many kids today simply don’t get the sleep they need.
A gap year is an experiential year typically taken between high school and college in order to deepen practical, professional, and personal awareness. A gap year can be especially important and beneficial for students with ADHD. Here are some things to consider if you are thinking about a gap year for your ADHD teen.
Individuals with ADHD often report being very sensitive to all sorts of stimuli in the environment, especially noise. They can experience large swings of over-stimulation followed by periods of emotional and physical depletion. Research is now beginning to uncover the source of this phenomenon and suggest how it can be controlled and harnessed for positive effect.