• On Mar, 30, 2017
•  Jayne Hembruff
•  Uncategorized

This past Saturday, I attended the Parents for Children  Mental Health Family Engagement Conference at Franklin Public School.

Great event!!

With Great resources too.

Sarah Cannon, PCMH & the importance of family voice — very good and passionate speaker

Virgina Bateman and Lance, mental health nurses – anxiety and school attendance

Ed Mahoney, Special Ed Teacher – Navigating the Education System -he spoke about IPRC’s and how every child/upth should get this document completed to ensure your child gets resources they need. Said it is a legal document. Complete before issues. Child/youth needs evidence/clear documentation of child’s diagnosis. Said can help with giving info re clusters about stuff need and want to better support your child in school

Megan Svarich, Front Door MSW and Emily Gray – accessing services
Leanne Brown, CYW & Erin Young, SSW – Trauma
Tana Nash & Bianca Prince, Mobile Crisis – Understanding self harm and suicide risk
Shawna Fleming, MSc, BCBA – Anxiety and Applied Behavioural Analysis
Lauren Stein, MA, counseellor and Coach- ADHD & Kids
Washington Silk, BS in Anthropology – LGBQT & Wellbeing
Jennifer Lasenby-Lessard PhD in Appied Devptal Psychology – Psychological Assessments
De-Escalation– by Marie-Louise deBoyrie
Perry Mason- Bullying intervention, restorarive justice, life coach talked about Bullying

 

Closing Key Note Speaker was Dr Tavares session and link to his resources
https://drtavares.wordpress.com

Here is a list of Dr’s resources
A) Physical activity:

One Amazing Video: Run, Jump, Learn! How Exercise can Transform our Schools: John J. Ratey, MD at TEDx Manhattan Beach.

Handout: Physical Activity to Enhance Learning and Mental Well-Being
https://drtavares.wordpress.com/2015/03/26/physical-activity-to-enhance-learning-and-mental-well-being/

Book: Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey (Author), Eric Hagerman (Contributor)
B) Healthy Eating

Health and Academic Achievement Overview – PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/health-academic-achievement.pdf

Improving Academic Achievement through Healthy Eating and Physical Activity PowerPoint® Presentation Microsoft PowerPoint file
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/2014_8_29_health-academics.pptx

Health and Academics – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=8634972

Video: The Secrets Of Sugar

Video: The Complete Skinny on Obesity – UCTV Prime
http://www.uctv.tv/shows/The-Complete-Skinny-on-Obesity-25717

Video: That Sugar Film
Official Trailer:

“Fish oil supplements may help ease symptoms of depression in some people” – Mayo Clinic expert-answers:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/fish-oil-supplements/faq-20058143

Article: Omega-3 fatty acids may prevent people with early signs of schizophrenia from developing psychosis for years after they stop taking the supplement, new research suggests.
https://shar.es/1CXrqV

Article: Fish Oil Prevents Psychosis in High-Risk Teens by Daniel J. DeNoon – WebMD Health News
http://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/news/20100201/fish-oil-vs-psychosis

Study: Omega-3 fatty acid treatment of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2661342/

Book: Go Wild: Free Your Body and Mind from the Afflictions of Civilization by John J. Ratey (Author), Richard Manning (Author), David Perlmutter (Foreword)
C) Proper Sleep

Why Your Child’s Behavior May Not Mean ADHD
http://www.stlouischildrens.org/articles/wellness/why-your-childs-behavior-may-not-mean-adhd

Lack of Sleep in Children Linked to ADHD Symptoms
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/702000

Why electronic screens keep you awake at night and what you can do about it
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/blue-leds-light-up-your-brain/?wt.mc=SA_Twitter-Share

Kids with Sleep Apnea More Likely to Develop Behavioral Problems
http://www.livescience.com/18818-kids-sleep-breathing-behavioral-problems.html

Mayo Clinic: “Insomnia: I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep. What can I do?”
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/insomnia/faq-20057824/

“Can’t sleep? Try daytime exercise” by Mayo Clinic Staff
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/in-depth/health-tip/art-20048816

Book: Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems: Revised Edition: New, Revised, and Expanded Edition by Richard Ferber (Author)
Kids’ Abnormal Breathing During Sleep Linked to Increased Risk for Behavioral Difficulties
http://www.einstein.yu.edu/news/releases/771/kids-abnormal-breathing-during-sleep-linked-to-increased-risk-for-behavioral-difficulties/

Snoring & Sleep Apnoea
http://www.entcare.com.au/snoring-sleep-apnoea-children-david-lowinger.html

Handout: Physical Activity to Enhance Learning and Mental Well-Being

This letter was prepared at the request of parents from Brandon Manitoba to support the application for physical activity programs for children. This information may also be beneficial to my patients in Waterloo and Wellington County.

Increasing the amount of physical activity performed by our children may be the best strategy to increasing the school performance and the well-being of school children.

Studies indicate that when children exercise every day at school in the mornings, there is a dramatic decrease in the level of aggression (up to 95% decrease, in some cases) and significant improvements in a child’s attention span. Studies also indicate physical activity can improve people’s moods and decrease the likelihood of developing memory problems in old age. Physical activity can also contribute to weight loss with its associated health benefits; which included lower risk of developing diabetes mellitus type II.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/13/doctors-promote-miracle-cure-regular-exercise

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus type II has increased at epidemic rates among children over the last several years. Only a few decades ago, such a disease was rarely observed in children and today it is a very common disease. The main causal factors to these changes in the health status of our children seem to be lack of physical activity and diet rich in carbohydrates (typically found in excessive amounts in “junk food”).

I recommend watching the video “Run, Jump, Learn! How Exercise can Transform our Schools: John J. Ratey, MD at TEDx Manhattan Beach”.

And reading the book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” by John J. Ratey (Author) and Eric Hagerman (Contributor) to learn more about the benefits of physical activity for our general health, mental health and for learning. How much physical activity do we need?

Studies indicate that adults should exercise at least 30 minutes per day and children at least 60 minutes per day. To have the best effects on learning, the physical activity should immediately precede the learning activity. Therefore, exercising at school immediately before the academic activities is ideal. Exercising at home before taking the school bus would be less effective. Exercising after school, although still beneficial and still important due to social and health benefits, has smaller beneficial effects on learning.

Are regular physical education classes enough to meet the daily exercise needs of what children need?

Unfortunately, it is not enough; not even if the physical education classes are in the morning. Some experiments from teachers indicate that regular physical education classes are not enough to reach the minimum intensity of exercising to be beneficial for the brain. As explained in the videos and books previously mentioned, children and adults need physical activities of moderate intensity: not mild (like slowly walking) and not extraneous (like sprinting).

Examples of an activity that is likely to reach this minimum level of exertion:

Walking at fast pace.

Dancing

Swimming

Adults and children have different needs for exercising. Using a heart monitor (that is very inexpensive today) can help gauge the best level of exertion for each child. Below are some videos and articles on this topic:

Video: A physical education in Naperville – PBS

Video: A Program that has PE directly before MATH and ENGLISH Classes: LRPE:

What Steps Should a PE Teacher take to start a LRPE (Learning Readiness Physical Education) Program:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p06m9JFCFdY There is tremendous value in heart rate monitors in school part 1

There is tremendous value in heart rate monitors in school part 2

Bikes, Balls in Class: How Phys Ed Transformed One School:
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/exercise-school-leads-learning/story?id=10371315

Video: Dr. John Ratey on Exercise & Learning:

Video: Lakewood students pedal away distractions in the classroom
Lakewood students pedal away distractions in the classroom

Health and Academic Achievement Overview Adobe PDF file [PDF–2MB]
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/health-academic-achievement.pdf

Improving Academic Achievement through Healthy Eating and Physical Activity PowerPoint® Presentation Microsoft PowerPoint file
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/2014_8_29_health-academics.pptx

Health and Academics – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=8634972

Before engaging in physical activity, parents should take their child for an assessment with the child’s family doctor to establish if the child should not engage in certain forms of physical exercise. There is not one physical activity that is best for most children, but most children can tolerate well (and will benefit from) non-contact sports and low impact physical activities.

Additional reading:

Success Today! Simple Interventions to Allow Children to Succeed.

https://drtavares.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/success-today/

Super Heroes Do Exist! How a Physician Came to Believe in Teachers who are True Super Heroes.

https://drtavares.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/super-heroes-do-exist/

Handout about text-to-speech technology: A few powerful technological resources for children who are inattentive and have poor reading skills.

https://drtavares.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/handout-about-text-to-speech-technology/

Handout: Back to School Mental Health Essentials

https://drtavares.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/back-to-school-mental-health-essentials/

Handout: Scared Adults Run Away

https://drtavares.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/scared-adults-run-away/

Handout: Fish Oil and Mental Health

https://drtavares.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/fish-oil-and-mental-health/

Handout: List of Parenting Resources

https://drtavares.wordpress.com/2016/04/01/list-of-parenting-resources/

Handout: Before Assuming a Child or an Adolescent has a Psychiatric Disorder

https://drtavares.wordpress.com/2016/09/24/before-assuming-a-child-or-adolescent-has-a-psychiatric-disorder/