Changing the ADHD Brain: Moving Beyond Medication

• ​Original, cutting-edge research on the brain’s response to non-medication strategies
• Alternatives and complements to medication
• Safety and efficacy of non-medication treatments
• Exercise, sleep and diet - their effects on ADHD
• Creative interventions that positively impact ADHD
• Live practice and demonstrations

Many persons diagnosed with ADHD prefer not to take medication. There are various reasons for this including side effects and concerns with long-term use. In this seminar, you will learn more about these reasons, as well as alternative interventions for ADHD.

Looking at ADHD from a developmental perspective we will consider reasons for the apparent increase in ADHD diagnoses over the past two decades. By understanding the way the brain works in ADHD, you will be able to better identify a variety of strategies to significantly impact the nervous system and positively influence symptoms of ADHD in your clients.

Not only will you walk away with information about some of the most common non-medication interventions for ADHD such as computerized cognitive training, mindfulness meditation and neurofeedback, you will also learn a variety of practical strategies that can be implemented immediately and at low cost.

We will navigate the vast research on exercise, movement, diet, sleep, disruptive technologies, supplements and the impact of the environment on ADHD, summarizing the findings and applying the information to “real life.” You will leave this seminar with the tools and knowledge to develop a holistic approach to working with adults and children with ADHD.

OUTLINE

Why Not Medication?

• Useful as a short-term tool
• Concerns with long-term use: Effects on the brain

ADHD and the “Immature” Brain

• Brain imaging evidence of ADHD
• Research regarding ADHD brain development
  • Frontal lobes mature more slowly in the ADHD brain
  • Excess theta brainwaves
• Implications for treatment

Movement-Based Strategies

• Wake up an under-aroused ADHD brain
• Hyperactivity as an adaptive mechanism
• Play and exercise grow the brain
• Role of rhythm and timing training
• Integrated movement systems for ADHD
  • Yoga, martial arts, qigong

Frontal Lobe/Working Memory Strategies/Tools

• Use it or lose it: Brain training changes the brain
• Games for impulse control and working memory
• Computerized cognitive training programs
• Meditation and mindfulness for ADHD
• Neurofeedback: Learning to change brainwaves

Diet and Nutrition

• You are what you eat
• Importance of proper sugars, fats, proteins and water
  • Studies show that proper diets increase dopamine while poor diets decrease dopamine
• Omega 3-6-9: What you need to know for brain health
  • The evidence for effectiveness
• Multivitamins/minerals: Do they make a difference?
• Food sensitives: The role of gluten
• Food additives
• Pesticides
  • Link with ADHD
  • Is organic really necessary?
• Optimal diet for ADHD

ADHD and Nervous System Overstimulation

• “Over-aroused” subtype of ADHD
• Stress, anxiety and ADHD: The connection
• Breathwork and movement for nervous system calming
• Heart rate variability biofeedback
• Use a mandalynth to quiet and focus the brain

Environmental Influences

• Video games and Social Media
• Sleep deprivation
  • Same symptoms as ADHD
  • Strategies to help insomnia
• Environmental toxins: Lead, phthalates, pollution
• Nature Deficit Disorder: Time outdoors helps with multiple ADHD concerns

OBJECTIVES

1. Analyze how omega supplements help neurons communicate more effectively.
2. Implement movement in the classroom to reduce ADHD symptoms.
3. Determine two reasons why children with ADHD act 2-3 years younger than chronological age.
4. Explain how lack of maturation in the frontal lobe influences inattentiveness and hyperactivity.
5. Explore the side effects that sleep deprivation has on the ADHD brain.
6. Support the findings that more time in nature reduces the symptoms of ADHD.

Satisfaction Guarantee
Your satisfaction is our goal and our guarantee. Concerns should be addressed to PESI, Inc., PO Box 1000, Eau Claire, WI 54702-1000 or call 1-800-844-8260.

ADA Needs

PESI would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at 800-844-8260.