ADHD Certificate Course: Moving Beyond Medication – David Nowell, Ph.D, Teresa Garland & Cindy Goldrich
For many diagnosed with ADHD, medication is not the best approach as it could be accompanied by side effects and cause concern with long-term use… that’s where caring professionals like yourself step in to offer alternative solutions to help your clients improve their everyday lives.
With this transformative certificate course, you can take advantage of the latest brain research and evidence-based best practices to get kids and adults motivated, focused, organized, and performing closer to their true potential. By understanding the way the brain works in ADHD along with the executive function relationship, you will be able to better identify a variety of interventions that can positively influence symptoms of ADHD in your clients.
Gain the strategies you need to develop a holistic approach when working with adults and children with ADHD:
- Interventions for improving impulse control and working memory
- Therapies to increase attention and timing awareness
- Approaches to help manage schoolwork and improve accountability
- And more!
Not only will you walk away with relevant research on the brain’s response to non-medication strategies, but you’ll also learn the most common non-medication interventions for ADHD such as self-regulation, mindfulness meditation and neurofeedback. You will also learn the impact exercise, diet, sleep, supplements and environment may have on ADHD symptoms.
Changing the ADHD Brain:
Moving Beyond Medication
Join David Nowell, Ph.D. as he looks at ADHD from a developmental perspective while considering reasons for the apparent increase in ADHD diagnoses over the past two decades. Discover the relationship between the frontal lobe of the brain and ADHD symptomology, as well as the informed strategies that impact the reduction of ADHD symptoms as it relates to assessment and treatment planning. By the end of this training you will become well versed in the ADHD Brain!
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 underaroused ADHD brain
- Hyperactivity as an adaptive mechanism
- The impact of play and exercise on the brain
- Role of rhythm and timing training
- Integrated movement systems for ADHD
Frontal Lobe/Working Memory Strategic Tools
- Use it or lose it: Increase memory, attention and focus
- Games for impulse control and working memory
- Computerized cognitive training programs
- Meditation and mindfulness for ADHD
- Neurofeedback
Diet and Nutrition
- The impact of sugars, fats, proteins and water
- Diet and dopamine
- Omega 3-6-9: What you need to know for brain health
- Multivitamins/minerals: Do they make a difference?
- Gluten, food additives and pesticides
ADHD and Nervous System Overstimulation
- “Overaroused” subtype of ADHD
- Stress, anxiety and ADHD: the connection
- Breathwork and movement for nervous system calming
- Heart rate variability biofeedback
- Art therapy techniques 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
- The impact of time in nature on ADHD symptoms
ADHD Treatment for Children & Adults:
Proven Strategies to Self-Regulate, Stay on Task & Manage Anxiety & Intense Emotions
Self-regulation is a key problem for a child or adult with ADHD. While the child may be hyperactive and unable to control motor impulses, an adult finds it difficult to manage the details of life and their ability to interact with the world at large. In Module 2, Teresa Garland, MOT, OTR/L will teach you how to quiet hyperactivity, slow impulsivity, and increase your client’s attention.
General Approaches to Manage ADHD
- Dietary: Metabolic issues, food sensitivities
- Medications: The pros and cons
- Non-medication therapies
Executive Function and Self-Regulation
- Does Executive Function equal Self-Regulation?
- Russ Barkley’s levels of executive function
- Matching Barkley’s levels to age and maturity to plan interventions
- Self-regulation capabilities and compensation
Emotion Regulation
- Recognize “off-center” emotions and intensity
- Get in touch with and be present to emotions
- Strategies to accept and manage emotions
- Positive guidance via the Nurtured Heart Approach
- Manage intensity for the adult
- Diffuse emotions with Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Structure and Organization
- Create habits in small children
- Dictated goals vs. self-management of tasks
- Using apps to compensate for poor organization skills
Slow Impulsivity
- Basics: One thing at a time
- Learn effective self-control
- Self-management for children & adults
Attention Therapies for ADHD
- Timing therapy for children and adults
- Interactive Metronome®
- A metronome app
- Sharp attention to gain hyper-focus
- Have fun with attention exercises for young children
- Mindfulness attention training for children and adults
Anxiety and Stress Management Strategies
- Look social situations in the eye
- Keep deadlines at arm’s length
- Stress management
- Three breathing techniques
- Physical exercise, work and play
- The Mind Jar
- Keep it simple
- Learn self-acceptance vs. defensiveness
Advanced Techniques
- Recognize emotional and mental states
- Stay present, wait, watch and accept
- Use self-regulation to counter impulses
- Advanced strategies to manage intensity
Executive Function, ADHD and Stress in the Classroom:
Practical and Effective TIPS, TOOLS and STRATEGIES
Bridge the gap between theory/research and actual implementation to address learning and behavior challenges in school. ADHD expert & coach, Cindy Goldrich, Ed.M., ACAC will share her expertise of working with teachers, other support professionals and parents to show you how to empower students to take charge of their challenges and take responsibility for their own success in school and in life. You’ll also learn to design subtle changes in the classroom to improve time management, working memory, motivation and emotional regulation that will benefit all children.
Impact of ADHD, Executive Function and Stress on Learning and Behavior
- Challenges ADHD creates beyond impulsivity, inattentiveness and hyperactivity
- Relationship between ADHD, executive function and stress
- Determining eligibility for services
- Techniques to Strengthen Emotional/ Self-Regulation in School
Self-monitoring strategies for students to adjust their self-talk and focus control
- Specific time management techniques for deepening concentration and perseverance
- Environmental modifications to help students harness innate strength
- Addressing the issues of ADHD medication in school
- Strategies to Reduce Disruptive Behaviors, Stress & Anxiety
Powerful changes in the classroom environment to support student independence
- Supporting lagging developmental skills required for self-regulation
- Class-wide culture shifts to aide calm and focus for all students
- Problem solving and self-advocacy tools to increase self-monitoring
- Strategies to Improve Attention, Organization, Time Management and Memory
Powerful use of graphic organizers facilitate writing, organizing and problem solving
- Specific timers, paper organizers, and homework management systems
- Keys to incorporate movement, fidgets, and mindfulness techniques
- Making IEP and 504 plans more effective and impactful for teachers and students
