The Book is Written

It is great to be back writing the blog again. My book, Self-Regulation Strategies and interventions, is written and edited. The publisher, Premier Publishing, is prettying-up the graphics and laying out the book. They haven't given me a release date, but I believe it will be late December or early January. 

Content is similar to the topics I cover in this blog and in my PESI course, Self-Regulation in Children -- but with much more theory and a ton more interventions than I have time for in my class. I'll announce the publication date when I get it. 

OT Self-Regulation BlogTaking a Break for the Summer

Dear Readers,

I will be on break from the blog until sometime in September while I complete a book on Self-Regulation and help see my ailing mother through a bit of a crisis. See you then!

Teresa

The Sun and ADHD Diagnosis

Another brief post: the Questioning Answers blog has a nice discussion on the topic of solar intensity and the occurence of ADHD. Also go here for a discussion of the research on this topic by its key author.

*Corrections made to links on 6/2/13

Paul Whiteley's Questioning Answers and IACC 2012 Research Highlights

There is an excellent blog out of the UK called QuestioningAnswers that tracks biological research in autism around the world. Paul Whiteley, the blog's author is a researcher himself as well as a competent writer. He provides the context of the articles he reviews as well as pointers to similar papers. If you like to go deep and see what's out there, this is for you.

In that same light, the Interagency Autism Coordination Committee (IACC) published a review of advances in autism research this past year. Paul Whitely reviewed the review this past week (April 9, 2013) and added to it. Check it out.

References:

1. IACC Website: http://iacc.hhs.gov/summary-advances/2012/index.shtml#citation-list-selected-articles

2. QuestioningAnswers blog:http://questioning-answers.blogspot.com/

UCLA Mindfulness Meditation

I found a source of Guided Mindfulness Meditation at UCLA. And best of all, the meditations (7 for PC, 15 for iTunes) are free. If you have an iPod, iPhone, iPad you can download them from iTunes. If you are using a PC, you will select to play the meditation on your computer. Bookmark the web page so that you can easily get back to it.

Remember, 15-20 minutes of Mindfulness Meditation a day increases attention skills in teenagers and adults with ADHD by 30% - with or without meds. And by the way, this is 30% over and above the effect they are getting from meds if they are on them. Meditation also decreases anxiety and makes people happier :)

If you want to learn more on the topic, there are two lectures on the UCLA site including a Ted lecture on Mindfulness Meditation by Diana Winston.

Videos on Diet and ADHD

I am a fan of psychiatrist, Dr. Charles Parker - author of The New ADHD Medication Rules. Dr. Parker makes a study of the roles our gut and brain chemistry play in sensitivities to meds. He has put together a set of short videos that speak to those issues and to food sensitivities. There are related articles on his website at CorePsyche.com. Check it out!

Update for Short Sensory Profile SDs

Last month I created a post explaining the method used to diagnose SMD (Sensory Modulation Disorder). I was missing a little data and promised an update ... It is now updated. Go here to read the updated post.