May 15th, 2012 by Springboard Clinic

This question seems to be popping up more and more lately. There has been a surge of recent research and publicity related to the training program, so it’s no wonder people are curious.

First of all, if your initial reaction to the above paragraph is, “what are you talking about?” here’s a quick Cogmed 101:

Cogmed is a research-based training program designed to help attention and working memory – working memory being a cognitive function that keeps information in your mind for several seconds, manipulates it, and then uses it in your thinking. Essentially, Cogmed is a computer-based program, where participants engage in exercises and games that challenge and ‘train’ their working memory skills. As you may have guessed, individuals with ADHD often have deficits in their working memory, so this is an important target area for treatment.

The problem with the question driving this blog entry is that “what do you think of Cogmed” is such a loaded question – there are so many other questions within that question that need to be addressed first, such as:

• Is working memory less fixed and biologically determined than we thought? Yes.
• If working memory ability is predictive of academic achievement, if you improve your working memory, can you achieve higher marks in school? In theory, but not in practice yet.
• If working memory is related to attention, will attention improve if working memory improves? Again, in theory, but not in practice yet.
• Findings show that training can improve working memory – as measured by simple tasks – so does this mean that we can change our memory capacity? Yes, we can. That being said, we still don’t know for sure if these improvements last or if they translate outside of the program.

The bottom line: When individuals – ADHD or not – train their working memory using Cogmed, there are improvements noted. For example, their ability to remember simple strings of digits (repeated forwards and backwards) and their ability to remember a sequence of boxes on a screen is improved.

But, we don’t have any evidence to suggest that this improvement translates into any ‘real life’ improvements. We have yet to see significant evidence for benefits in behaviour or academic functioning. Yes, there are some studies that show improvements in these areas with working memory training, but if you look closely at them, the design doesn’t allow us to make these conclusions with confidence.

So, after all that – what do you think of Cogmed?

May 8th, 2012 by Springboard Clinic

Over the weekend, the Globe and Mail reported on a survey conducted by Parent’s Magazine and New York’s Child Mind Institute – a treatment centre for children with mental health – looking at the attitudes of approximately 1000 parents regarding ADHD and mental health. The results of this survey revealed some surprising information about the continued shroud of misunderstanding and stigma surrounding this disorder.

Some excerpts:

• 72% thought most children were being misdiagnosed and put on medication too quickly by their doctors
• 45% felt children were being mislabelled as “mentally ill or having learning disorders” because their teachers “can’t handle them”
• 32% dismissed ADHD as a result of “insufficient or absent parenting”
• 13% thought ADHD should be treated as a “behavioural issue that can be corrected with discipline”

This survey comes at a time when mental health is at the forefront of the national agenda and consciousness – the Mental Health Commission of Canada is set to release its national blueprint to combat mental illness today (if they haven’t already), and there have been countless initiatives this year alone to increase our awareness of mental health issues.

Click here to access the whole article

For some more light reading, click here and here to access previous blog entries addressing stigma and misunderstandings surrounding ADHD specifically.

April 30th, 2012 by Springboard Clinic

Every few months, we here at Springboard Clinic publish an online newsletter full of the latest ADHD news, events, and tips for the season.

Highlights from this season’s ‘Spring 2012 Newsletter’ included a new parent group offering in May, information about our summer programming, tips for setting your child up for success in school next year, summer goals to start working toward now, and much more.

Click here to see our Spring 2012 Newsletter

April 23rd, 2012 by Springboard Clinic

Although Springboard officially focuses its practice on attention, an unfortunate reality is that with ADHD often comes additional mental health problems. Over and above anything else, symptoms of anxiety and depression are the number one presenting concerns we see, but we have also faced a number of other complicating mental health signs and symptoms. Because of this, we have become increasingly passionate about advocating the importance of transforming and improving mental health, not only with our clients but throughout the country.

With that in mind, we urge you to check out the “Not Myself Today” campaign, which was launched on April 2, 2012. This is the first initiative from Partners for Mental Health, a national, non-profit organization that is dedicated to redefining what it means to have a mental illness, using the voices and actions of ordinary Canadians.

Their aim is not only to increase our awareness of mental health issues, but also to improve the available support for those living with mental health problems and illnesses, to increase funding for research and treatment, as well as to work toward influencing public policies.

This campaign ends with a national Day of Action on Monday April 30^th. Click here for more information.

April 16th, 2012 by Springboard Clinic

Those who follow golf (full disclosure – this writer does not) will know that Bubba Watson won the 2012 Masters Golf Tournament this past Sunday. This is a huge deal in the sports world – Bubba has never had a golf lesson, has never had a coach, and has been noted to say that Tiger Woods is the only person in the world he would ever take advice from about the game.

What is even more interesting to note about Bubba is that he is described as one of the most distractible, impatient, and restless players on the circuit. He is reported to be “in search of constant stimulation,” and often has difficulty managing his focus and nerves on the course.  What is particularly interesting about this is that one of the key symptoms we look for in diagnosing adult ADHD is underachievement, and although “Bubba has been successful…he’s underachieving because he hasn’t [consistently] won.” To be sure, Bubba does not have an official ADHD diagnosis, but when asked about the possibility that he may have it he is “sure” he does, and many experts agree with the possibility.

Over the years, many different athletes have come forward with their ADHD – the one you may be most familiar with is Olympic champion (14 times over) Michael Phelps. As it turns out, ADHD is not uncommon among exceptional athletes, and it seems that many golfers in particular have the disorder. In fact, golf is often described as “the perfect ADD sport…it combines structure and novelty.”

To read more about Bubba and the world of ADHD and golf click here to access an article published in Golf Digest in 2009.

To learn more about how you can get involved with golfing in Toronto click here.

April 8th, 2012 by Springboard Clinic

While it may be more familiar for parents to take on the role of soccer or baseball coach for their kids, we suggest you take a look at the following blog about becoming a Friendship Coach for your child. If your child has ADHD and has a hard time on play dates or in social situations, research shows it may be effective for you to be their ‘in the moment’ coach. Mikami and colleagues (2010) found that when parents received training in ‘parental friendship coaching’, their facilitation, corrective feedback, and lower levels of criticism helped improve the quality of friendships and social skills for their kids.

http://adhdanswers.blogspot.ca/2011/02/how-you-can-be-friendship-coach-for.html

Mikami, A., Lerner M., Griggs, M., McGrath, A., & Calhoun C. (2010). Parental Influence on Children with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder: II. Results of a Pilot Intervention Training Parents as Friendship Coaches for Children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 38, 737–749

March 26th, 2012 by Springboard Clinic

Intellectually, most of us know what a healthy, balanced diet looks like. We all grew up with various versions of the food pyramid or food guides, and we all had somebody at some point in our life lecture us about the evils of deep fried food (however delicious it is).

In practice though, eating well can be difficult. Add in the complication of ADHD – where planning and organizing meals can be difficult, let alone even remembering to eat when you’re hyper-focusing on that painting or the final details of that project – and eating well can feel downright unattainable.

Whatever the reason for eating well or not eating well, don’t fret – we’re not here to lecture you about nutrition. Instead, we want to give you a little bit of basic information about some of the nutritional recommendations that many practitioners working with ADHD suggest – Springboard included – based on a large body of research and anecdotal evidence.

So, please enjoy our definitive and comprehensive list of 5 ‘tips’ for an ADHD-friendly diet:

1)      Eat protein in the morning: We all know that protein is an important part of a balanced diet, but did you know that it has been shown to trigger alertness-boosting neurotransmitters and stabilize blood sugar? In layman’s terms, if you each a breakfast rich in protein, it has been shown to boost alertness – something that can come as a premium for ADHD individuals in the mornings.

2)      Limit caffeine intake: Although caffeine is a stimulant and can help engage focus, its benefit is often outweighed by the harm it can have on your body, particularly if you are currently being medicated with a stimulant. Too much caffeine can lead to sleep problems, increased heart rate, anxiety, irritability, and headaches to name a few consequences.

3)      Keep blood sugar levels stable: Foods that are high in processed sugars may give short energy bursts, but they general lead to a subsequent ‘crash and burn’ which will likely make you feel drowsy, lethargic, and much more likely to reach for more sugar. Although studies have not shown that sugar necessarily worsens ADHD symptoms, limiting sugar does help to avoid these sudden energy bursts. Stocking up on complex carbohydrates on the other hand – such as whole grains and vegetables – will better regulate your blood sugar levels because they take longer to break down and will help you avoid that ‘Spike and Crash’ cycle.

4)      Consider Omega 3 supplements: Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for brain functioning as well as normal growth and development. Some research has shown that individuals with ADHD have low levels of fatty acids, and although there have been mixed results from the studies, this supplement may be helpful in improving brain function. If not, you have nothing to lose by adding this to your diet!

5)      Don’t skip meals: Due to difficulties with time management, organization, planning and managing hyper-focus, ADHD individuals often struggle with maintaining a regular eating schedule. Skipping meals is not the answer! Eating consistently and managing energy levels is essential for focus and overall well-being, so make it a priority to strategize the best way to get you eating. If cooking meals is not your thing, buy snacks that you can graze on throughout the day. No time in the morning? Pack your lunch the night before. Absolutely can’t stomach eating in the morning? Try a smoothie or meal replacement drink.

March 20th, 2012 by Springboard Clinic

This post-St. Patrick’s day workweek we thought it would be nice to start the day with a little positivity:

Click here to read an article that gives some insight into the ADHD brain and its potential benefits based on research released last year.

March 11th, 2012 by Springboard Clinic

An article published in the Globe and Mail earlier this week (click here) seems to have re-ignited a long-standing debate about the potential over-diagnosis of ADHD in childhood.

To make a long story short, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published a study on Monday that found ADHD diagnoses much more likely for children born later in the year. Looking at over 937,000 children between the ages of 6 and 12 from 1997 to 2007, the study essentially found that “those born in December were 39 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and 48 per cent more likely to be given medication as treatment than their peers born in January of the same year.”

On the one hand, many are saying that this is an example of how the health-care system may lead to the over-diagnosis of children with ADHD, where there may simply be a lack of maturity or relative age effects not being taken into account.

On the other, many are saying that this is over-simplifying the complexity of identifying and diagnosing ADHD in children. In fact, some are saying that “it’s also quite possible that December babies aren’t being over-diagnosed with ADHD; rather, the disorder may be going unrecognized in their older peers.”

As Alice Charach, head of the neuropsychiatry team and associate scientist at the research institute of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, puts it, “it’s possible that children born in early months of the year who have ADHD may go unrecognized because they don’t display the reckless, disruptive or immature behaviour of their younger peers.”

Yes, there are two sides to this debate. However, in our humble opinion, it seems to be that there can be one over-arching conclusion taken from these results: take the steps to ensure a proper diagnosis. An ADHD diagnosis is comprehensive – it involves a number of different factors – so it is that much more important to make sure that you get a comprehensive diagnosis.

Click here to read the whole article.

March 4th, 2012 by Springboard Clinic

“My child can sit and stare at a computer screen or play a video game for hours, so WHY can’t she just focus on her homework?”

We can’t count how many times we’ve heard this anecdote before. Well, this is actually typical ADHD behaviour – children (and adults) getting caught up in TV and video games are a prime example of hyper-focusing.

What is hyper-focusing? In a nutshell it is a tendency to get absorbed in tasks that are stimulating and provide an immediate reward, such as moving on to the next video game level. Screens – TVs, computers, and so on – are a common source of reward and arousal for ADHD individuals but their overuse can lead to sleep deficits and procrastination.

We recently came across an article published in the New York Times that explains this connection quite well. Dr. Christopher Lucas, associated professor of child psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, states:

“The kind of concentration that children bring to video games and television is not the kind they need to thrive in school or elsewhere in real life. It’s not sustained attention in the absence of rewards. It’s sustained attention with frequent intermittent rewards.”

“The child may be playing for points accumulated, or levels achieved, but the brain’s reward may be the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Children with ADHD may find video games even more gratifying than other children do because their dopamine reward circuitry may be otherwise deficient.”

Click here to read the entire article.