Understanding the Whole Child

To truly understand a child, we must take a top-down approach, viewing them as a complete individual rather than a sum of disconnected parts. Every child is more than a diagnosis, a test score, or an isolated challenge. Yet too often, professionals—whether doctors, therapists, educators, or psychologists—focus on just one piece of the puzzle without seeing how it connects to the whole.

This fragmented approach is much like the classic parable of the three blind men and the elephant, where each man touches a different part of the animal and comes away with a completely different impression. One thinks he’s found a tree trunk, another a snake, another a fan—none of them realizing they are all describing the same elephant. In the same way, when we look at just one aspect of a child’s development without considering the bigger picture, we risk missing their true potential.

Parents, who know their children better than anyone, are often left out of the equation. Yet, they are the experts on their own child and an essential part of any effective intervention. Whether a child has a formal diagnosis or not, each one is unique, complex, and capable of growth beyond expectations—if we take the time to understand them holistically.

The Power of a Top-Down Perspective

One of the first things we teach professionals learning to assess children is to start with the big picture. The first 30 seconds of interaction can often reveal a wealth of insight into a child’s development, personality, and challenges. This top-down approach allows us to quickly identify strengths, pinpoint underlying issues, and develop a roadmap for meaningful progress.

In contrast, starting with individual symptoms or isolated skill sets often leads to a distorted and incomplete understanding of the child. To truly help a child thrive, we must first see who they are as a whole person, then work backward to address the specific areas that need support.

Beyond Labels: Every Child is Unique

Labels can be useful for categorization, but they do not define a child’s potential. Consider:

• Josh, who has a brain injury
• Olivia, diagnosed with Down syndrome
• Jaxon, labeled as being on the autism spectrum
• Lindy, identified with ADHD
• Ryan, considered “typical”
• Lucas, placed in a gifted program

Each of these children is more than their label. They all have complex needs, unique abilities, and untapped potential. When we focus only on the diagnosis, we limit expectations—but when we recognize the whole child, we open the door for extraordinary growth.

Building a Support System for Success

Helping a child reach their full potential requires a coordinated, individualized approach that includes:

• The Child – at the center of the process
• Parents – the true experts on their child’s strengths and needs
• NACD Developmentalist – a trained specialist who designs a customized developmental program based on a holistic assessment
• Family Coach – available nearly seven days a week to provide ongoing support
• The NACD Team – an extended network of specialists with decades of experience and over 3,000 targeted intervention strategies

This team approach ensures that each child receives personalized, strategic input designed to help them develop the skills they need to succeed.

The Truth About Neuroplasticity: No Magic Pills, Just Consistent, Targeted Work

In today’s world, families are bombarded with promises of quick fixes—from supplements to therapies that claim to offer overnight transformations. But the reality is that meaningful change takes time, consistency, and strategic input.

Brain development follows the principles of neuroplasticity—the process by which the brain creates new neural connections and adapts over time. While neuroplasticity offers incredible potential, it does not happen instantly. Real progress requires interventions that follow three critical principles:

1. Frequency – The brain needs repetitive exposure to new information and activities. Ideally, children receive targeted input multiple times per day rather than once or twice per week.
2. Intensity – Learning must be engaging and appropriately challenging to stimulate growth.
3. Duration – Change takes weeks or months, not minutes or days. Sustainable progress requires a long-term commitment.

Unlocking Every Child’s Potential

Every child—regardless of their background, challenges, or strengths—has the potential to exceed expectations when given the right opportunities. The key lies in seeing the whole child, not just their difficulties, and applying customized, targeted strategies that nurture growth at every level.

At NACD, we believe that no child’s future should be predetermined by a label. By focusing on the whole child, working as a team with families, and harnessing the power of neuroplasticity, we help children break barriers, develop skills, and thrive beyond what anyone thought possible.

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 39 No. 1 , 2025 ©NACD

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He was very worried about the testing particularly in math which he explained was a real problem area for him. With great hesitancy he worked his way through part of the test before reaching problems that were foreign to him. He looked disheartened. Aside from schoolwork, Tim was an amicable conversationalist on a variety of topics from his family’s business to his hobby, magic tricks. Spending time with him had an immediate impact on me. We needed to help him resolve any obstacles that were in his way. With the help of his interested and enthusiastic mom, we were sure to get this done.

At his first evaluation, Tim was falling behind where his mother expected him to be. He was generally confident at a 6^th grade level in math and a ninth-grade level in reading recognition yet his vocabulary was strong. His auditory processing, however, was below the expected level and his working memory was quite weak. In addition, there was some mixed visual dominance. This combination of weaknesses resulted in his finding schoolwork hard. He wasn’t great at following directions. His attitude toward the work was often not good because he really wasn’t finding that he was very successful at it.

So, here was Tim, an exceptionally nice guy, with a very supportive and enthusiastic family. He’s perfectly intelligent, great with kids, great with elderly people and a complete pleasure to be with having lots of trouble with school. With auditory processing just below where it needed to be and working memory weak but still working and the dominance just slightly mixed, why was Tim finding things this hard? In reality, this is the perfect storm for a lot of kids like Tim. Slight weakness in auditory processing combined with a weakness in working memory and with the addition of some mixed dominance produces a struggle with schoolwork. Tim was certainly finding this to be the case.

Let us fast-forward 8 months and meet Tim again. His mom and Tim have done a great job and worked as a team to bring both processing and academic levels up. By November of 2019, he had pulled his math scores up to a 10^th grade level and his reading level up to above high school levels. He tests out of two reading comprehension tests at above 12^th grade level. His auditory processing is above average. His working memory is also stronger than average. He’s happy and confident.

The last time I saw Tim was in March of 2019 when he graduated from NACD. I really enjoy spending time with Tim and will miss seeing him. He’s volunteering with the local fire department, helps a lot with the family business as well as doing his schoolwork and still does really great card tricks. Most of all he is just a super nice guy who can go on with his education and his life knowing that he is competent and smart, knowing that he can pursue what he chooses to pursue without doors being closed to him because he finds something too difficult. He still doesn’t like writing essays, but he can do it. He still has slightly mixed visual dominance, but it isn’t standing in his way. We need more people like Tim in the world and it was my pleasure to get to know him.

Too many schools and parents fail to help kids like Tim who don’t present with glaring issues but are clearly having some struggles. The reality is that by failing to help resolve what is causing these problems, we fail to help them become who they really are. We restrict their lives by allowing them to think they are not as smart as those around them. I applaud families like Tim’s who take the time and the trouble to find solutions.

The truth about Tim is that he is a smart guy with lots to offer and a great person to know. I wish him the very best!

Reprinted by permission NACD Newsletter, March 2020 ©NACD

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Here we are, at the beginning of not just a new year, but a new decade.

I never quite got the celebration thing. Apparently, the foundation of the New Year’s celebration is to bid farewell to the previous year and welcome the new year. I personally liked 2019. I had the opportunity to see many fantastic changes in hundreds of children.

For our NACD Family, 2019 saw many children with Down syndrome learning to function at levels of their typical peers. Children on the spectrum became more present, tuning in and participating well in our world. We saw children with previous learning and attention issues excelling academically and socially, and “typical” children not only doing great academically, but learning the value of chores and service and being given the opportunity to discover their strengths and passions through our home education programs. And we saw some brain injured children show us what unlimited potential is all about.

I’m thankful for 2019, for the honor and privilege of working with a fantastic dedicated staff and some of the greatest families in the world. Some of our families can measure 2019 by the obvious gains their children have made. The reality is that many of our families do not have an easy road, fighting problems like serious health and seizure issues, or difficult behaviors, and just working hard to get to the point where they can even really seriously implement their program. A step toward better health, better seizure control, less need for medications, and better management of behavior are all things to be celebrated. I celebrate 2019 and our successes, but look forward to 2020 because we can do it even better.

2020 isn’t just a new year; it’s a new decade. Now is a great time to take a step back and reflect over the past year and even the past decade and for us all to evaluate how we can move forward and do it all even better. Truth is, we can all do it better if we commit to it.

We need to establish our priorities, to approach this new year and decade with the intention of working better and smarter. But first, renew and refine your vision. Believe that we and our children have unlimited potentials. We can constantly redefine who we are and take new steps forward toward creating greater and greater visions of what we can accomplish and thus achieve better outcomes.

Parents who are part of our NACD Family–you are not alone. You are part of a powerful team. We not only welcome, we encourage in every way we know how, more communication and interaction. The more communication we have, the more targeted we can be in developing each child’s dynamic program.

Together we can redefine the vision, redefine potential, and not only help our children, but help provide a new vision of what can be for others.

Reprinted by permission NACD Newsletter, January 2020 ©NACD

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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. It is not just big, but huge, gargantuan, as it is the foundation that permits us to think. It not only permits us to think, but it also plays a role in our ability to regulate our emotions. Let’s spend some time on working memory, defining its role in our ability to handle stress.

Let’s first review how the brain works in a simple way. Information comes into the brain through our senses. If our sensory channels are functioning normally, the information gets perceived correctly, then it gets processed through our short-term memory. Our working memory is what allows us to think about this information along with taking information that we already know out of long-term memory. For example, if I am sitting in a class and I am listening to a lecture, I am taking in what that teacher says, hearing the information, processing what they are saying, and using my working memory to think about what I already know about that topic, how what they say impacts what I already know, what client comes to mind when I think of what the teacher is saying, etc. I am visualizing, conceptualizing, and developing an opinion or my own thoughts about that particular topic and how it may or may not benefit my work.

According to Bob Doman, “Working memory is the foundation for global neurological maturity and function. It essentially encompasses most of what we think of as ‘thinking.’”

“The NACD model of cognitive function recognizes various components of thinking and learning. Of all of these functions, working memory, including executive function, encompasses the areas that impact simple and complex behavior regulation and problem solving the most. The development of various parts of executive function appears to be a good indicator of future academic success, as well as future life success. Mathematics, reading, and critical thinking are all affected by how well various components of executive function develop and work. Not only do these neurological functions impact academics, but NACD and researchers also find that they impact social skills, job skills, and the skills needed for a child or adult to navigate daily life independently. Time management, time awareness, goal setting and planning, organizational skills, social awareness, financial planning, running a household, writing a research paper, writing a paragraph, and forming thoughts into conversation are all functions that depend on this higher cognitive level referred to as working memory and executive function.” (Doman, 2016)

So what does all this have to do with anxiety? When we think of our kids, anxiety can creep up when they have too much information coming in through their senses, but not enough short-term and working memory to manipulate the information. Have you ever seen a World History textbook? If you have a smart kid who wants to do well in school, but doesn’t have well developed short-term and working memory abilities, they are very likely to get anxious just looking at the book. The pieces that allow them to manage their time with material, organize their studying, and plan how to work through the material are not where they need to be in order for that child to be successful. Now if we have that same kid with five or six classes, with similar amounts of material, imagine how much more anxiety can develop.

Many of the anxious children on our caseload, who may be pre-adolescent age and are struggling with school to the point of shutting down, have poor working memory and conceptual thought. They simply don’t have the ability, YET, to be able to perhaps even process the information coming into their brain, let alone manipulate it and problem solve, think and reason through all that is being presented to them. Let’s also take into consideration what is happening with their bodies during this time frame. They become so overloaded they shut down. With our kids that have good short-term memory but poor working memory, rather than solve a problem that they are facing, sometimes these children may ruminate on the problem itself. Rumination is simply rehashing a problem in their head over and over without having the working memory that permits them to organize their thoughts and reach a conclusion, therefore creating increased anxiety. The more developed a person’s working memory is, the more likely they are able to solve and reason through their problems.

The more a child can reason, the less likely they are to get stressed and shut down. If we look at a neurotypical 3-4-year-old, they are just learning how to reason and problem solve. If they encounter something that is stressful to them, they don’t have the working memory to process the situation and are likely to dart or hide behind their mom versus using conceptual thought to reason as to how best to approach something. The same can be true for a child who is 12 years old but has the working memory of a 3-4-year-old. The same behavior happens, only it looks more problematic because it is an immature behavioral response for a child at that age.

We also have very bright individuals on our caseload who are also anxious because of their incessant need to be the best, to be perfect, to be the straight A student. When does academic pressure, measuring kids, too much testing, and narrow competition get recognized as potentially one of the greatest causes to mental health issues in our kids? Stay tuned to next month’s article.

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 32 No. 9, 2019 ©NACD

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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 friend, or even texting them, to go do something creates stress. He is so afraid of being turned down that he would just rather avoid the task, even if that means not going to a movie or going to do something fun with a friend. I noticed this about three years ago when I knew in my heart he wanted to go sledding with someone, not just his baby sister. However, he literally cried hysterically about having to call his friend. I persisted (debating in my head whether or not this was right—knowing that “Mother of the Year” was not an award I was going to win). He finally called his friend, who said yes, and they went sledding together and had a blast. He had a smile from ear to ear. Did the act of calling the friend create a lot of anxiety? Yes! But as his mother, pushing him out of his comfort zone was needed in order for him to understand that he had friends who actually wanted to be with him. Can you relate? Is it easier to just let our kids avoid things that in their eyes are hard to do, whether it be doing a chore, doing a reading assignment, or even learning how to brush their own teeth? Yes. Is it easier to let our kids avoid doing school work or avoid going to dance class or avoid going to Scouts because it is out of their comfort zone, or even worse– having to deal with an absolute tantrum or fight so we let them win? Absolutely. But when does letting avoidance patterns work become too harmful for them? Are we teaching them anything here? If avoidance behavior is a hallmark for anxiety, how can we as parents assist our children in addressing stressful situations so that they can persevere through life’s challenges?

What Is Avoidance Behavior?

Avoidance behavior is when a child sidesteps a person, place, task, or situation that makes them feel anxious or uncomfortable. In the moment it brings relief, so the brain learns to repeat it. Over time that relief becomes a habit, and the list of things a child avoids tends to grow rather than shrink. Recognizing avoidance early gives parents the best chance to help a child face challenges in a calm, successful way.

Common Signs of Avoidance Behavior in Children

Avoidance can look different from one child to the next. Some common signs include:

• Refusing or stalling on tasks that feel hard, such as homework, chores, or getting dressed
• Big emotional reactions (tears, tantrums, or shutting down) when asked to try something new
• Making excuses to skip social situations like calling a friend, going to class, or joining an activity
• Complaints of stomachaches or headaches before a feared event
• Sticking only to activities that feel safe and familiar

Spotting these patterns is the first step toward helping your child move through them.

According to Dr. Alice Boyes, Ph.D. (2013), avoidance coping (behavior) is the most important factor in anxiety and causes it to snowball. She believes that people avoid situations that may cause some of the feelings you get when you are stressed; however, if you keep avoiding those situations, this can lead to more debilitating anxiety levels. It is important to understand that all people experience stress. It is not uncommon for the human brain to engage in the process of fight or flight when it is introduced to something stressful. “While avoidance behaviors might give kids some immediate symptom relief, they don’t help them learn to cope with their triggers. In fact, the fears actually have a tendency to snowball when kids engage in avoidance behaviors” (Hurley, 2016).

It is also very important to understand that each child and brain is unique and what stresses one kid out may not the next. NACD has experienced that how we react to our children and how we provide them with the right instruction in the correct manner, along with building the neurodevelopmental pieces, allows our children to handle stress much more easily. In an upcoming article, I will discuss the significance working memory plays in handling stress and anxiety. But for now, I would suggest to parents that you try to sit back and look at your children and evaluate their behavior patterns. Do they avoid? Do they freak out when they need to do something that is within their ability to do? How do you react? If it is something that may be difficult in their eyes, we encourage parents to break down the task into smaller parts or have them do a particular task for a set amount of time that allows them to be successful, then gradually increase the duration. When you are wanting to teach something to your child, it is important that you have a calm, confident, and positive demeanor. When teaching your anxious child to ride their bike, for example, letting them know that they can do it and that you are with them and that you know that this is something that they can do is significant. How you talk to them, your demeanor, matters. Setting a timer then stopping and doing it again with frequency (not once a week but several times a day) can help decrease their anxiety and build up their confidence to do the skill. With some children, video modeling of a certain scenario can be effective. For example, if going to the dentist causes your child a lot of anxiety, making a video of going to the dentist so that the child can get a positive image in their minds of that experience can help decrease that fear. This is a common example of exposure therapy that has been used to address anxiety for many years. Avoidance behavior patterns can start at a very early age. If they aren’t addressed early, the behavior patterns can become stronger and generalize into all areas of a child’s life—to a point where they shut down completely. That is why it is important to be mindful of them and help your child face their fears in a successful way.

Is your child confident? In our experience, one reason kids can struggle with avoidance behavior, which can lead to anxiety, is that they are too afraid to fail—and parents don’t let them. Failure is a part of growing up. It is a part of learning. When I was younger, I remember ruining a bunch of whites in a load of laundry because I had a red sock in the mix. I didn’t pay attention when sorting and that was the consequence. I failed with that particular load of laundry. Did the sky cave in? No. Did my mom ground me for a month? No. Did I learn a valuable lesson in how do to the laundry? Yes. My mom didn’t take over that job. She just said to pay better attention, and I had to go without those white shirts that I ruined. In order to help our children become confident, developing independence with daily living skills, including self-help and chores, is very important. A very common scenario—a kid attempts to pour their juice, it spills, and the parent cleans it up and doesn’t let them do it again because it makes a mess. Another kid isn’t allowed to load the dishwasher for fear that he may break something. Parents, caregivers, teachers of young ones, do not be a roadblock for your child’s independence. Independence brings so much to their global mental health and function. Develop it, build it, help them realize that failure happens and that it is ok. These things, no matter what age or developmental issues your child may have, are huge for addressing or preventing avoidance behavior and anxiety later on.

Bob Doman (2013), founder and director of NACD, wrote a blog post several years ago about Herculean tasks:

“One of the great opportunities our children can have and lessons they can learn is to be presented with and accomplish Herculean tasks. Herculean tasks help your children learn what they can do if they really try. They teach them to look at a task that they think is impossible and to learn that they can really do it. As parents you should be on the alert for tasks that appear to be Herculean. The ideal Herculean tasks are those that look huge and to the child seem impossible, but which are doable, although they may take a whole lot of time and effort. The child who is used to 5-minute chores might perceive shoveling a driveway covered in a foot of snow, a yard covered in leaves to rake, an entire vegetable garden to weed, a stack of logs to move, or washing all the windows in the house all as Herculean/impossible tasks. But they are not impossible; they are possible if they try. Completion of Herculean tasks provides children with an opportunity to redefine themselves, to change their perception of what is possible, and to learn that if they try, they can in fact do it. The child who learns they can do Herculean tasks will continue raising the bar on their perception of what they can do and will learn to attack new tasks with the intention of succeeding–not just trying, not just making an effort, not just going through the motions, but having the intention of accomplishing the task. The child who learns they can do Herculean tasks won’t shut down when presented with the task of writing a twenty-page report, reading a 500-page book, learning all of the bones in the body, or pushing to take another tenth of a second off their 100-yard dash.”

A Neurodevelopmental Look at Anxiety and Avoidance

At NACD we look at the whole child. Avoidance behavior rarely stands alone. It often connects to how a child processes information, holds instructions in working memory, or manages sensory input. When we strengthen those underlying pieces, facing a hard task becomes less overwhelming, and avoidance has less room to take hold. This is why two children with the same fear may need very different support. Families navigating ADD/ADHD, the autism spectrum, or everyday anxiety all benefit from a plan built around their own child.

If you would like individualized help, join our free Get Started program and NACD will help you build a plan tailored to your child.

In conclusion, NACD understands that being a parent takes hard work. Being a parent of a child who is anxious requires patience and positive persistence and understanding! It is important to understand what avoidance behavior is and how to address it with your own unique child. We also understand that there are many contributors to a child’s avoidance behavior and to varying degrees. NACD believes in looking at “whole” kids. The more individualized we can be with understanding a child’s behavior patterns, the more confident parents can feel in how to help their child. Helping our children become more independent can also increase their self-esteem, helping them to become more confident individuals. In my next article, I will discuss another significant piece to understanding anxiety—working memory. Stay tuned!

References

• Boyes, A., Ph.D. (2013, March 5). Why Avoidance Coping is the Most Important Factor in Anxiety. Retrieved April 5, 2019, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/in-practice/201303/why-avoidance-coping-is-the-most-important-factor-in-anxiety
• Doman, R. J. (2013, February 01). Waiting for Hercules. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from http://blog.nacd.org/2013/01/waiting-for-hercules/
• Hurley, K., LCSW. (2016, February 3). How to Help Your Anxious Kid Avoid Avoidance Behaviors. Retrieved April 5, 2019, from http://practicalkatie.com/2016/02/03/how-to-help-your-anxious-kid-avoid-avoidance-behaviors/

Frequently Asked Questions

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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 everyone in the family. Let’s face it, it is easier to be more lenient on our neurotypical kids or ourselves, but does that help everyone in the long run? It is important to really get serious across the board about our overall physical health in the family, as that impacts our mental health significantly.

Sleep is such an important part of one’s life. According to the National Sleep Foundation, children ages 6-13 years old need 9-11 hours of sleep each night to be at their best. Teenagers ages 14-17 need 8-10 hours of sleep to be at their best, and adults should have between 7-9 hours of sleep per night. This is good, quality sleep! Not being in bed on your smartphone scrolling, but actually ASLEEP! Unfortunately for most teens, their biological clocks shift during that stage, where they tend to have more energy at night, increasing the desire to stay up later and sleep in longer. If your children are like mine, they start school at 7:20. They are up and out of the house before 7am. This can leave them already sleep deprived as they aren’t always ready to fall asleep by 10pm the night before. A study from the British Medical Journal in 2015 researched the effects of screen time and lack of sleep in a substantial sample of adolescents, over 9000. They found that the more screen time the subjects engaged in each day, the longer it took for them to fall asleep. If they had four or more hours of screen time per day, they were 360% more likely to have less than five hours of sleep a night and 49% more likely to take over an hour to fall asleep (Hysing, M. et al, 2015). When our brains are tired, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety increase. We are not able to think as clearly and have more difficulty handling stress than when in a rested state. NACD recommends consistent nighttime bed routines starting when children are little, such as no screens in the bedrooms, and devices are to stay with parents. We suggest having at least an hour to an hour and a half of no screens prior going to bed. We also encourage very dark rooms (blackout shades or curtains) and white noise to help facilitate a good night’s rest.

I hear many times “my kid has a balanced diet; they eat some of everything every day.” But how much of those foods happen to be processed? Have extra or hidden sugars? Artificial ingredients? More and more research on the foods we eat are targeting how they impact our mental health. “In recent years, a direct relation between the occurrence of anxiety disorders, sleep disturbances, and mood disorders has been observed as a consequence of poor or inadequate diet. Eating habits in Western societies have greatly changed in recent decades, with an increase in the consumption of foods low in vitamin and mineral content, high in caloric value, and rapidly prepared and easily consumed.” (Fernandez-Rodriguez, M., et al., 2017) There is a direct interrelationship between physiological health and neurological function. NACD has known this since its inception in the ‘70s. Time and time again our clients have shown that those who eat better function better. In general, diets rich in plant based foods, healthy fats (in the form of plants, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish like salmon), and lean meats are far superior in promoting mental function. In contrast, diets high in sugar, dairy, breads, and processed foods have been shown to be related to depression, chronic inflammation, and anxiety. This isn’t just for adults! According to Natalie Kling, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist from NACD’s Professional Advisory Committee, “the human body is always moving towards homeostasis, or perfect balance. When a body is out of balance, we see or experience symptoms (physical AND mental). We can soothe symptoms by giving the body the interior environment it needs to return to balance. Rest, hydration, oxygen, nutrients, detoxification, and a healthy and loving environment provide the ingredients the body needs to repair, regenerate, and reorganize. In contrast, when we introduce processed foods, sugar, not enough sleep, chemicals, environmental toxins, or stress, we push the body out of balance and create obstacles to the body’s ability to thrive.”

Personally, I have noticed a great difference in my son’s “teenager attitude” when he doesn’t eat these foods. When his diet is clean, whole food based, there is a positive difference. Often times I see parents eating healthy, but their kids are eating foods loaded with sugar and the “bad stuff” because “they’re kids.” NACD suggests to parents to develop a palate for healthy food with their children in infancy. NACD recommends to our families to work with one of our nutritionists if you need help in getting started. Natalie Kling, who also happens to be an NACD mom, has suggested that parents can start by just focusing on getting more vegetables into your kids. Smoothies (without added sugars and dairy), homemade sauces, etc., are ways to start that process. If you are a new parent with young children, keep their diets high in plant-based foods so that they develop a taste for it. If you are a parent with a picky eater, they don’t have to be. By giving the brain and body the correct fuel it needs, this can help to improve your child’s physical AND mental health as well.

Many children and adults struggle with anxiety due to lack of physical exercise. If we sit back and look at our lives today, we lead more sedentary lifestyles. We watch our TVs, screens, sit and scroll through our phones, many of us work all day at a desk, and many of our children are in school for 6+ hours (sitting for a huge chunk of that), many without daily physical exercise. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (2018), children ages 3-5 years of age should engage in at least 3 hours of physical activity with varying degrees of intensity. Children ages 6-17 should engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity (aerobic, muscle, and bone strengthening) for 60 minutes DAILY. Adults should have a similar amount. Do you get that? Do your children? Exercise stimulates endorphins in your brain that allow for improved executive function, attention, and mood. Essentially, it allows you to handle stress better and not let it handle you. NACD recommends families make an effort to include physical exercise as part of your day. Schedule it in. In fact, on some of our programs we will write screen time = chore time = exercise time. For my children, the screens, homework, and chores don’t happen after school until physical exercise does. It might be going to the gym or doing an online video. Sometimes it is going for a run or even a fast walk. Snow or sun, we make it a priority.

In conclusion, it is important that as parents we really understand how significant lack of sleep, poor diets, and lack of physical exercise impacts our children’s physical and mental health. They work together, impacting one another. NACD looks at the whole child and sees this as a huge piece to impacting the global mental function of a child.

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 32 No. 1, 2019 ©NACD

References

Fernández-Rodríguez, M., Rodríguez-Legorburu, I., & López-Ibor Alcocer, M. I. (2017). Nutritional supplements in anxiety disorder. Actas Espanolas De Psiquiatria, 45(Supplement), 1.

Hysing, M., Pallesen, S., Stormark, K. M., Jakobsen, R., Lundervold, A. J., & Sivertsen, B. (2015). Sleep and use of electronic devices in adolescence: Results from a large population-based study. BMJ Open, 5(1), e006748-e006748. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006748

How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? (2019). Retrieved February 5, 2019, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/excessive-sleepiness/support/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2018.

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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, and medication was not needed to help my fellow college companions cope. Having said that, it is hard to know if childhood friends or college roommates had these issues all along but didn’t know what it was? How many of them turned to substance abuse to cope? How many of them are now dealing with debilitative mental health issues that could have been resolved when they were younger?

While anxiety may not have been a significant issue then, it is now. With suicide rates climbing at lightning speed in our youth, we cannot ignore the growth of children and adolescents being diagnosed with anxiety and other mental health disorders. NACD is all about helping children reach their full potential so that they can be happy, contributing, productive adults to our society. As such, we must evaluate the various factors that could be impacting our children’s stress levels both at home and at school. Research in the area of anxiety in children and adolescents has grown and includes possible contributors to this epidemic.

Over the next several articles, I will discuss the following as anxiety contributors and offer suggestions from a neurodevelopmental perspective:

1. overall physiological health of children today from sleep deprivation to diet and exercise
2. avoidance behaviors in children that lead to increased anxiety later
3. children who never learn how to do basic living skills and the significance of developing working memory
4. smartphones and too much screen time
5. children not being present or “mindful”
6. lack of social connection and community
7. high stakes testing, school pressure, and narrow competition.

With this series of articles, my hope is to educate parents and hopefully provide you with some general guidelines to think about as you raise your little humans in this generation.

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 32 No. 2, 2019 ©NACD

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This inservice provided Staci with the opportunity to share many of our foundational NACD concepts, such as the application of principles to trigger neuroplasticity and the need to and means with which to develop working memory and executive function.

The response from the organizers in Nigeria was excellent. To quote Popoola Paul, the Principal Consultant for HL Consult Training Solutions, “I want to express our unreserved and profound appreciation and gratitude. Indeed you didn’t just teach, but rather you impacted lives. This I must say will have a multiplier effect on our state and nation at large.”

Our mission is to impact the lives of as many children as we can and to help change the perception of potential and develop the tools to achieve it.

You will be hearing more about the NACD International Academy in coming months and our efforts to assist not only families, but also nations with our international programs.

NACD Newsletter, October 2018 ©NACD

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by Bob Doman

At the end of September in Brasov, Romania, one of our parents, Endre Csato, organized the second of his annual conferences, Galeria Terapiilor. The conference was for Romanian families who have children with disabilities and professionals involved in providing services to these children. I was honored to present the keynote speech via Skype last year. This year one of our great NACD mothers, Raluca Manea, spoke to the group.

A number of our families and some NACD supporters from around the country came to the conference to help educate fellow parents and professionals about the potential of their children and to offer hope.

I have been very heartened by our Romanian families. These folks work diligently to help their own children by doing a great job implementing their programs. They also do very well in communicating with us on a regular basis, even though creating an email in English can be a rather daunting task for many of them. But perhaps what is most meaningful for me is that even though most of these families have children with very significant issues and heavy programs, they deeply care about all of the children who are not being helped. It is quite obvious from what they all do that they feel an obligation and responsibility to spread the hope that is NACD to other families throughout the country.

I wish to personally thank parents Endre Csato, Raluca Manea, Angela and Paul Hlatca, Raluca Busuioc, Florina and Georghe Bolchis and our great advocates and supporters, Teodora Pop and Justinian Milosav. You folks are the best!

I’m honored to be able to know each and every one of you and to have the privilege of helping you help your children.

Let’s continue to work together to provide a better future for your children and to also give hope and tools to many more families.

NACD Newsletter, October 2018 ©NACD

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