Breakfast plays a critical role in setting the tone for the day, especially for children with special needs. The right foods in the morning can help improve focus, regulate emotions, and support overall brain function. On the other hand, the wrong choices—especially those filled with sugar and processed carbohydrates—can lead to energy crashes, behavioral challenges,…
by Sara Erling In my last article I mentioned that working memory is another factor to consider when looking at anxiety in our children. Bob Doman, founder and director of NACD, has been at the forefront of understanding working memory and its impact on global function since the early ‘80s. It is a big deal….
by Bob Doman To be proactive is to anticipate, prepare, and intervene based on a long-term vision and perspective. When anticipating the future, you react accordingly before it actually happens. To be reactive is to respond to a situation, rather than creating or controlling it. How does this relate to what we do with our…
by Sara Erling I know a boy. He is a very smart, fun, engaging boy. From the outside you would think this kid has lots of friends, is very social, the class clown, etc. But at home just calling a friend to go do something is a very big feat. The act of calling a…
by Bob Doman Back in the ‘80s I traveled around the country, lecturing to parents and professionals. On many of these occasions I spoke to them about the importance of understanding and utilizing neuroplasticity, which with rare exception none of them had ever heard of. I also spoke about how the model of providing therapeutic…
by Sara Erling We have all heard it a thousand times: eating better, sleeping better, getting physical exercise helps our overall health. While this is something that our NACD families in general are very conscious about with their children with developmental issues, it is not uncommon to hear that those rules don’t really apply to…
by Sara Erling Growing up in small town Idaho, anxiety was rarely expressed as an issue with children and adolescents. Anxiety was something that adults had. Even in college 20-24 years ago, stress was an issue when papers were due, or it was finals week. The talk of anxiety and panic attacks was never common,…
Implications on everything from what your child will eat to putting down a toilet seat by Bob Doman Developmentally, behaviorally and educationally children tend to get stuck. The younger the child, the lower the child’s processing or the slower the child’s development, the easier it is for them to get stuck. To understand why…
Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated Saint-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital reported that each weekly hour of TV watched by 2.5- to 4.5-year olds had statistically significant effect correlation to athletic ability and waist size by the second and fourth grade, respectively, for those children. Parents of 1,314 children reported…
At NACD, we work with children that have every imaginable developmental issue in addition to typical and gifted children. Our families deal with a broad range health and related developmental issues. Each year it has become more and more evident that our environment as well as what we consume is incredibly important. Toxins that we…