The Importance of Class Placement

We all know that feeling: Standing in line of our classroom for the very first day, wondering where we’ll sit, if we’ll like the teacher and the subject. Either the teacher will let everyone choose their own seats or assign them based on some kind of order (alphabetically, academic performance) and of course move the kids that cause problems of some kind.

In a perfect world I would want to show each and every teacher where to place each child in their classrooms. Why? Because it has a greater impact on learning than you think.

Each person has a dominant ear and a dominant eye. This means that you see and hear better with a specific eye and ear and you process the information differently depending on the dominant side. As a general rule a child should sit with his dominant ear faced towards the teacher, therefore if your child is left ear dominant, he should sit on the right side of the classroom.

But why is this important? After all, you have been sitting in different places in classroom all your life and you’ve always been able to hear, right? Yes, you can hear no matter where you sit, but you will hear better when your dominant ear faces the speaker. You will also be less distracted because you won’t have to unconsciously turn your head to hear better.

As soon as a child has to turn his head to hear and process information better, he notices other things like classmates chit-chatting, someone’s hair that’s out of place, mismatched socks, and more. This can be so distracting that the child misses most of the lesson as he day dreams.

What’s more is that “problem children” are usually placed in front “where I can keep an eye on you”! These are usually children that need to move a lot in order to keep their brains from going into “sleep mode” (see my post on stress for more information on this). Now they have to sit in front where they will distract all the other kids when they move and what’s worse is that they are permanently in the spotlight: “Sit still! Be quiet! Leave him alone! Focus! Look at me! Stop that! What did I just say?”
This makes the child believe that he is naughty and therefore he will act naughty because it is expected of him.

A better way to manage this is to place the antsy children at the back of the class where they can move without disturbing the other kids. They only need some guidance as to how to move without disrupting the class (jumping up and running is out of the question, but squeezing a stress ball and/or sitting on a pilates ball is quiet, inconspicuous and keep that little brain alert).

Similarly children who are left eye dominant are prone to daydreaming and if they sit too far back, there is a whole host of things that could distract them. They should not sit farther back than the middle of the classroom.

So is this really an issue? Does it really make a noticeable difference?

Yes, it does!

I had a mother who brought her first grader to me because his teacher was insisting that he had ADD and needed medication. The mother was heartbroken and not wanting to just go to the doctor for a prescription, she came to me instead. Nothing in the child’s profile pointed to ADD, although he was left eye dominant and therefore prone to daydreaming.

I recommended he be moved to a different place in the classroom and the teacher refused as she had gone through a lot of trouble arranging her students. A month later the teacher gave in and moved the child. A week later the mother received a phone call from the teacher who apologised for jumping to conclusions - since he was moved to the correct spot in class he has been paying attention, completing tasks and the teacher could no longer see any symptoms of ADD.

It is amazing that something as small as where you sit in the classroom can make such a marked difference.

Do something different this year and have your child sit in the correct place in class and see for yourself if it makes a difference.
I will gladly assess your child and recommend the optimal position for him/her in a classroom.

Feel free to comment or contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Changing Educational Paradigms

I've discovered this interesting video on changing education paradigms. It's a visualization by RSA Animate of a speech by Sir Ken Robinson. It is an eye opener on current school systems, ADHD and individual learners. It is definitely worth watching the full 12 min.

However, if you don't want to watch the whole video, I have also found a short clip from this video depicting ADHD. This is a must see. 

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!

ADHD Controversy

Hyperactive children can be unmanageable, defiant and aggressive. Many parents have their fingers in their hair, staring at this little creature and think: “This isn’t what I signed up for”. Children are supposed to be the ultimate joy in a parent’s life.

So what went wrong?

While it is true that some children need ADHD management and medication, the rate of misdiagnosis is staggering. Earlier research stated that about 2-3% of children, more boys than girls are affected by ADHD. Looking at reality, in a class of 30 kids about 5 or more are on medication which is about 16%, far more than the 2-3%.

Some people claim that ADHD can be better diagnosed and therefore more children are being picked up (research shows that 10% of children are now diagnosed), but I believe that the true reason is misdiagnosis.

How many mothers have you met who says: “Jason was diagnosed with ADHD when he was grade 1, but when I had him retested in grade 3, they said that he didn’t have ADHD.” I know quite a few mothers with the same problem. Children are being misdiagnosed and put on medication they don’t need.

Why are kids being misdiagnosed?

There are several reasons. One is that a teacher complains to a parent about their child being hyperactive, distant or short concentration span. Parents want their child to be the best, nicest and most beautiful, so such a report must be changed.

Another is that parents compare their kids to their friends’ and find that their child is naughtier or more defiant than their friends’ “little angels”, resulting in medical intervention.

There are many other people who regularly complain to parents on the behaviour of their kids - grandparents, friends, babysitters, etc.

The next step is to have the child tested by a professional who will find the child has or doesn’t have ADHD and take necessary action.

Misdiagnoses happen when normal children seem hyperactive.

Now you may think I’ve lost my mind, but there are a number of reasons why a normal child displays characteristics of hyperactivity or attention deficit.

1)      Children consume too much sugar and preservatives and too little nutritional food or drink.
Children need real nutrition for their brains and bodies to work properly. How much frozen, crumbled chicken or other shaped food do you serve your kids? They’re easy to make: just bake, pan fry or deep fry, they keep for ages in the freezer and kids love them.
Why you shouldn’t give your children food like this: they’re full of preservatives, salt, sugar, fat, ground up meat off cuts, and more. The amount of real nutrition in these is shocking.
Your children need to eat real meat: chicken, beef, fish and vegetables (not take-away cheesy veggie bites) and fruit. The fresher the food, the better the nutrition. Frozen veggies can be used, but fresh veggies tastes better and are actually better for your family.
Rule of thumb: if it doesn’t spoil, don’t eat it; but eat it before it spoils.

Here is a fantastic article written by Dr. Michael G. Conner (Psychologist) which explains how food and TV can make your perfectly normal child seem hyperactive, defiant or even mentally disturbed.

2)      Children need to drink enough water. This is actually part of the previous point, but it is too important to skim over. Kids love sweet drinks, soda and flavoured milk, but the fact is that the need water. You can treat them from time to time with their favourite drink or candy (not a bucket load of candy, just about one child’s handful), but they need to eat fruit and drink water daily and by default.
Your kids should know that the answer to: “Mommy, I’m thirsty,” is “Here’s a glass of water.”

3)      Children need involved, assertive parents. If you let your kids walk all over you, that’s exactly what they will do. Your house is not a democracy - you are in charge and your kids need to understand, from as early as possible, that your rules are the law.
I’m not going to go on and on about how to be a good parent. There are numerous books and articles out there to help you be a better parent. Still, even if you’ve read every single book and article on parenting, it is still your house and you have to be comfortable with your life.
Just make sure that the kids understand that the parents have to be obeyed and they can’t manipulate you. Make sure that your rules serve the purpose of loving and protecting your child and your choices have their best interest at heart.

Children disobey parents and teachers when they aren’t sure that they are loved and/or when they always get their way. The latter can make children become increasingly manipulative with parents, other people in authority and peers.

If you suspect that your child has ADHD, first eliminate external factors, like diet and parenting style, before you march off to the doctor.

Circadian Rhythm & Sleep

(Extracted from an article by Dr. Annette Lotter)

The pituitary gland control the excretion sleep and awake hormones namely serotonin (awake) and melatonin (sleep).

Sleep

 

Sleep is crucial to your central nervous system because of the amazing things that happen during sleep. This is when the body repairs itself, detoxifies itself, and replenishes its energy stores. Sleep is the one thing that humans have never been able to give up for any length of time. Everyone must have it on a regular basis. Many people with chronic conditions typically suffer from sleep disturbance, which slows down and hampers the body’s healing abilities.

Circadian Rhythm

The sleep/wake cycle is driven primarily by melatonin, the “sleep” hormone, and serotonin, the primary “awake” hormone.

Our bodies are basically designed to sleep when it’s dark and wake up when it’s light. But Thomas Edison changed all of this! And today, the average person in America gets exposure to effective sunlight only 21 minutes a day. 21 minutes is not enough for the body to receive the signals it needs to regulate its circadian rhythm from light.

Circadian Rhythm Disorder is usually involved in most sleep and mood disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, insomnia, mood swings, premenstrual syndrome, elongated and irregular menstrual cycles, menopause, prenatal depression, postpartum depression, ADD/ADHD, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Tips for restoring sleep:

·   Do NOT use supplements of L-theanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, or 5HTP in the evening. While this does go against the conventional wisdom, these substances actually raise serotonin levels—the “awake” hormones. This is particularly true of 5-HTP. These can be used during the day to make you feel more alert, but keep away from them at night.

·   Establish a rhythm where you go to sleep and wake up at close to the same time each day. This should include weekdays and weekends.

·   Sleep in as dark a room as possible. Total darkness is best.

·   Don’t drink much water after 8:00 p.m. This will limit your need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

·   Do stretching exercises before you go to bed.

·   Do not do strenuous exercise late at night.

·   If possible, take a hot bath or sauna in the evening.

·   If you are hypoglycemic or your adrenals are weak, eat a small, balanced snack before bed. Also, keep something healthy around, like almonds or pecans, to snack on if you wake up. Low blood sugar can keep you awake.

·      All meals should have a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. However, you should eat more protein in the morning and more carbohydrates in the evening. Carbohydrates tend to make you sleepy.

·      No colas or coffee, including decaf, at any time throughout the day.

·      Consider taking a “timed release” melatonin 30 to 60 minutes before you want to sleep. Timed release, also known as sustained release, is important because the half-life of melatonin is only 20 minutes. If the melatonin supplement is not a timed release, the melatonin will be “dumped” into the body all at once and it will be used up too quickly. Most people need the effect of melatonin to last several hours or more to gradually put them into a deep and restful sleep.

·      If you do wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble falling back to sleep on your own, this is the time to use non-timed release melatonin.

·   And when you wake up after a good night’s sleep, expose your eyes to sunlight as soon as possible. Sunlight helps you wake up and feel less groggy in the morning.

Nature Deficit Disorder

Nowadays children spend so much time indoors with the TV and the growing number of video games. There are so much one can do with a TV set or computer and the technology have drawn children inside. Children are now missing out on important encounters with nature, making mud pies, smelling flowers, grass, dirt, using their imagination to create a game.

This is a wonderful video that shows why children should spend more time playing outside. This does not include organised sports, but focuses on exploration, climbing trees, playing hide-and-seek and spending time with nature.

It also shows how nature play can help children with attention problems and hyperactivity. Nature can even play an important role in depression and other mental disorders. The video is about 12 min long, but it is definitely worth the watch!




Visit this link from Childern and Nature as well for more information on Nature Deficit Disorder.