Brains In The Family

What Do Girls with ADHD Look Like As Adults?

 by John M Grohol, PsyD

We’ve long heard about the negative impact of attention deficit disorder (ADHD) on children and teens. We know ADHD can lead to academic problems, problems with friends and socializing, significant sleep problems, and serious concerns in other areas of a child’s or teen’s life, such as increased criminality for those with ADHD.

But what does the future hold for them? Do these children grow up to be well-adjusted adults?

We know from previous research (e.g., Biederman et al., 2006; Faraone et al., 2006) that by young adulthood, most people who were diagnosed with ADHD as a child or teen continue to suffer from attention deficit disorder symptoms. Previous studies have also shown that boys with ADHD have a significantly greater lifetime risk for antisocial, mood and anxiety disorders compared to those who were not diagnosed with ADHD.

But what about girls? Little has been known about their lifetime risks if diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. Are they the same, better or worse than boys’?

Simple Test To Judge If Athletes Sustained A Concussion

Over the years, student-athletes have come to my office with similar complaints about "not feeling like themselves."  They felt like they were in a fog at times, dealing with mood swings more pronounced than in the past, and/or their sports and academic performance was less consistent.  As a Therapeutic Learning Specialist and Applied Performance Counselor, I help students and athletes understand why they are experiencing certain mental challenges and determine ways to adjust. 

These athletes, however, had one thing in common. They all experienced multiple head contact during play over the last few years that had concussion-like symptoms.  They all returned to play immediately or soon after each incident in sports that have high probabilities of head contact.  

One problem coaches, athletic trainers, and parents experience in helping athletes is the availability of a simple test to determine whether athletes have sustained a concussion in order to manage care.  Well, there may be such a test now available.

Why girls drop math: Beliefs about Math

Girls Treat Math Like a Talent, Boys Like a Skill

By Art Markman, Ph.D, Psychology Today

In the last week, marching band practice started, and there have been orientations at my kids' schools, so it must be time for them to go back. That got me thinking about a big problem in math and science education. In elementary school, boys and girls are about even in their performance in math and science. By middle school, girls start to lag behind, and few women go on to pursue math in college. What is going on?

One factor that leads girls to drop math is that boys and girls seem to differ in their beliefs about math. Psychologist Carol Dweck argues that people can have two different stances toward academic topics. Entity theorists treat academic topics as if they were talents. You either have them or you don't. So, you could be good at math or bad at math. If you're good at math, then you'll learn it. If you're bad at math, then at some point, you'll reach a type of math that goes beyond your abilities.

Incremental theorists treat math as a skill to be acquired. Stick with math, and eventually you'll get even the really hard stuff.

Dweck and her colleagues find that people who treat math (or any other academic subject) as a skill will stick with it longer and try harder when it gets difficult than when they treat it as a talent.

The way this affects boys and girls is that Dweck has collected evidence that boys and girls get different feedback about math from early on in their schooling. Eventually, everyone hits a topic in math that they struggle with. When talking to girls, teachers are likely to emphasize that math is hard. Talking about math as being difficult makes it sound like something that either you can do or you can't.

Boys tend to get feedback that treats math as a skill to be acquired. When they hit a hard topic, they are told to try harder and they'll eventually get it.

Because girls are more likely than boys to get feedback that treats math as a talent, they are more likely to end up with an entity theory of math. The truly hard stuff in math comes in middle school, when kids are first exposed to algebra and geometry and later trigonometry and calculus. Eventually, one of these topics is going to derail everyone, at least for a while. Because of their beliefs about math, then, girls are more likely than boys to conclude that they have reached the limits of their talent and give up.

Art For The Mind Video Channel: Observing, interpreting, and creating art strengthens your mind

Could Girls Be Affected When Women Teachers Are Anxious about Math?

When women teachers are anxious about their own math skills, young girls in the classrooms may also develop math anxiety, says a new study from the University of Chicago.

Researchers looked at 52 boys and 65 girls in first and second grade in classes taught by 17 different female teachers. They found that there was no connection between students' math skills and teacher math anxiety in the beginning of the school year. However, by the end of the year, the researchers found that the more anxious a teacher was about math, the more likely the girls in the class were to believe that girls are not as good at math as boys. Interestingly, the boys were not affected by a female teacher's math anxiety.

This very intriguing study also found that the girls who believed boys are better at math than girls tended to score lower on math tests than either the boys or the girls who did not develop the belief that boys are better at math.

Reprint from Katherine Lee who writes a great blog about parenting issues

High Sensitivity to Stress Isn't Always Bad for Children

Children who are especially reactive to stress are more vulnerable to adversity and have more behavior and health problems than their peers. But a new longitudinal study suggests that highly reactive children are also more likely to do well when they're raised in supportive environments.

Website for girls about growing up

Here is a website for young girls called The Pink Locker Society about growing up, especially during the middle school years. Parents should thoroughly checkout any site themselves to make sure it matches their values as a family before recommending it to a young girl. The Pink Locker Society

Are Electronic Devices Taking Over Our Kids' Minds and Lives?

During a meeting today with a colleague who collaborates with me on a cognitive rehab program for cancer survivors, our discussion wandered to how much time kids spend on electronic devices during the day. When I described how kids use electronics to stay connected with friends and play games, she replied "Gee, that's what we used to do at the park when we were little."  She went on to say that electronics may be keeping our kids from learning important social skills that they only acquire through face-to-face interaction with live humans.  

While working with kids in my private cognitive training practice, I've wondered the same thing as my colleague when I listen to clients describe how much time they spent in front of a two dimensional screen.  Research has helped us learn how limited exposure to the three dimensional world, such as nature, can have a limiting effect on the brain.  Plus, prolonged exposure to aggressive video games keeps our kids at a heightened level of stress which may limit their ability to think and cope emotionally. Technology, however, has a strong pull on our children.

To learn more, click on the link below to read an article by Katherine Lee that explains how electronic devices are taking over kid's lives.  After reading this article, please post a comment to share your opinions with others.

Read Katherine Lee's Article

Only Half of Youths With Mental Disorders Receive Help

From Medical News Today

Only about half of American children and teenagers who have certain mental disorders receive professional services, according to a nationally representative survey funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The survey also provides a comprehensive look at the prevalence of common mental disorders. 

Quick Relaxation

After your child has mastered the long version of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, he or she can use the following shorthand version to relax muscles quickly.  The description below comes from The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook.  Children like the short version below because it is quick and easy to perform.  For younger children, you can give each tense-relax sequence a funny name to bring humor into the relaxation exercise.

Shorthand Version 

During the shorthand version of progressive muscle relaxation, whole muscle groups are simultaneously tensed and then relaxed.  As before, repeat each procedure at least once, tensing each muscle group from five to seven seconds and then relaxing from fifteen to thirty seconds.  Remember to notice the contrast between the sensations of tension and relaxation.

Curl both fists, tighten biceps and forearms (Charles Atlas pose).  Relax.

Roll your head around on your neck clockwise in a complete circle, then reverse.  Relax.

Wrinkle up the muscles of your face like a walnut:  wrinkle forehead, eyes squinted, mouth open, and shoulders hunched.  Relax.

Arch your shoulders back as you take a deep breath into your chest.  Hold.  Relax.  Take a deep breath, pressing out the stomach.  Hold.  Relax.

Straighten your legs and point your toes back toward your face, tightening your shins.  Hold.  Relax.  Straighten your legs and curl your toes, simultaneously tightening calves, thighs, and buttocks.  Relax.