If you're wondering how to motivate your child or teen to do their school work, you're not alone. Many parents struggle with this.
An article on motivation noted how difficult it is to motivate kids to do their school work.
That article describes several approaches for encouraging others to change their behavior:
economic incentives - rewards that appeal to self-interest,
moral or social incentives - pressure to follow social norms for the common good, and
intrinsic incentives - being motivated by one's own inner desires.
Behavioral methods often begin with economic or moral incentives, but ideally culminate with the student learning to work for internal or intrinsic incentives. ...continue reading →
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) are common issues for both children and adults. Symptoms may include:
narrow focus on the present moment
lack of attention to details
lack of body awareness and control
prone to distraction
failure to consider the consequences of behavior
difficulty with organization
difficulty with sustained projects and following through with chores
impulsivity
frequent fidgeting or squirming
very active, difficulty sitting still
talking excessively
blurting out answers, not waiting their turn
Individuals with ADHD/ADD often perform poorly in school and in the workplace, even though they may be highly intelligent and creative. These attention issues are often inherited, with the condition appearing in multiple generations of the family.
The most common treatment for ADHD/ADD is medication, but when the medications are stopped, the condition returns. Neurofeedback can be a highly effective alternative because it allows the areas of the brain that control arousal and focus to learn how to self-regulate. Neurofeedback can improve school, sport, and work performance, as well as social skills and self esteem. Unlike medication, the effects of neurofeedback training are often lasting, although occasional "touch-ups" are sometimes necessary in order to maintain the progress.
In this video, a boy who had ADHD describes his experiences before and after training with EEG neurofeedback.
I provide several forms of neurofeedback, including the one described in this video.
Contact me, if you're wondering whether you or your child might benefit from neurofeedback brain training.
This video shows how several children and their families have responded to Infra-Low Frequency Neurofeedback, a variety of EEG neurofeedback developed by Susan and Siegfried Othmer at EEGInfo.
Other forms of neurofeedback, such as pirHEG neurofeedback, can also help with autism and other developmental disorders. ...continue reading →
Yoni Freedhoff's article on parenting children who are overweight argues that child obesity is not a problem of personal choice or too little will power. Young children who are overweight are well-aware that they are overweight. They have already suffered negative consequences, such as bullying, lectures, and shaming.
The primary problem is that we are living in a culture in which a flood of calories comes at kids. For children eat Froot Loops for breakfast and Happy Meals for dinner, over-consumption of calories is the norm. Who decided what these children would eat? Who bought those items?
Freedhoff's suggestion to parents who are concerned about their children's health and weight: "Live the life you want your children to live."
